Method of forming a prefabricated wall panel

Details Method of forming a prefabricated wall panel Method of forming a prefabricated wall panel

1999-06-07

2001-08-21

Silbaugh, Jan H. (Department: 1732)

Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes

Mechanical shaping or molding to form or reform shaped article

To produce composite, plural part or multilayered article

C264S229000, C264S263000, C264S276000, C264S277000, C264S333000, C425SDIG001, C029S897320

Reexamination Certificate

active

06277316

ABSTRACT:

The present invention relates generally to the construction of walls such as basement walls utilizing pre-formed panels. Examples of pre-formed wall structures are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,435,581; 4,671,032; 5,055,252; 4,570,398; 4,605,529; 4,751,803; and 4,934,121. U.S. Pat. 2,634,601 discloses an insulated building wall construction.
Improvements in pre-cast concrete technology and cost efficiency requirements have resulted in an increase in the use of pre-cast foundation and structural walls. Contrary to traditional poured-in-place foundation walls or brick or stone variations of the same, pre-cast concrete walls are formed as a series of wall portions at a central location and transported to a building site where the wall portions are jointed in erecting the wall.
Improvements in both the functional and aesthetic performance of pre-cast walls have further increased the desirability of their use especially in construction of large commercial or industrial buildings such as office towers, schools, and manufacturing facilities. Cost efficiencies, as well as ease and speed of construction and maintenance, together with improvements in the insulating and energy efficiency of pre-cast concrete walls have also contributed to substitution of pre-cast concrete construction for more traditional methods.
However, pre-cast concrete walls such as those disclosed in the above patents have continued to suffer deficiencies in their insulating capabilities. For example, a pre-cast concrete wall may typically include an outer wall and a series of spaced “ribs” perpendicular to the wall and extending inwardly a number of inches to act as wall studs for supporting the inner wallboard. Insulation is provided in the “voids” bounded by the outer wall, the perpendicular ribs or studs, and the affixed inner wallboard. Typically, the wallboard is nailed directly to the pre-cast concrete ribs, which thereby act as bridges between the outer pre-cast wall and the inner wallboard. Such bridges are, of course, formed of pre-cast concrete and are therefore undesirably conductors of heat or cold. Accordingly, notwithstanding any insulation interposed in the “voids”, cold or heat may travel these bridges or paths between the outer wall and inner wallboard thereby resulting in environmental and energy inefficiencies. Moreover, when insulation is applied only as a layer along the outer wall thus not filling the voids entirely, heat and cold conducted along the ribs is able to escape into the “voids” unimpeded leading to further insulating problems and inefficiencies.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to improve the insulating capability of prefabricated walls.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an improved prefabricated wall which is rugged, reliable, and easy to erect.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide prefabricated panels for such a wall which are easy and inexpensive to construct.
In accordance with the present invention, a prefabricated wall panel comprises a unitary combination of a member having a generally planar portion which has an outer surface which defines the outer surface of the erected wall and a plurality of rib portions integral with the planar portion and extending from the inner surface of the planar portion thereby defining voids therebetween for receiving insulation. The wall panel further comprises insulating material attached, as strips or otherwise suitably attached, to the edges of the rib portions which are remote from the planar portion. A nailer strip, which may be a screw nailer or other suitable means, is applied to each insulating material strip. After the prefabricated wall panels are installed and insulation is placed in the voids, wallboard defining the inner surface of the wall is attached to the nailers to complete the wall construction. Such a prefabricated panel is thus provided to eliminate conductive pathways between the rib portions and the wallboard so that greater insulative capability may be achieved in a panel from which a wall may be easily yet reliably and inexpensively erected.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein the same reference numerals denote the same or similar parts throughout the several views.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3373479 (1968-03-01), Watt et al.
patent: 3589664 (1971-06-01), Middlestadt
patent: 3775922 (1973-12-01), Myers
patent: 1516846 (1978-07-01), None

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