Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Module or panel having discrete edgewise or face-to-face... – With joining means of dissimilar material and separate from...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-27
2003-01-14
Friedman, Carl D. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Module or panel having discrete edgewise or face-to-face...
With joining means of dissimilar material and separate from...
C052S588100, C052S586100, C052S589100, C052S592100, C052S592300, C052S592400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06505452
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a panel and a fastening system for panels, especially for floor panels, that are placed on a base and whose edges are provided with holding profiles, where the holding profile of a long edge and the holding profile of the opposite edge, as well as the holding profiles of the other two short edges of a panel, match one another in such a manner that further panels can be fastened to the free edges of one of the placed panels, where at least the holding profiles of the long edges of the panels are configured as complementary positive-fit profiles and the panels are interconnected by pivoting them to be joined, that the positive-fit profile of one of the long edges of a panel is provided with a recess and the opposite edge of this panel with a corresponding projection, that the wall of the recess facing the base has an inside cross-section with a concave curvature and that the associated positive-fit profile of the opposite edge of the panel has a projection, the underside of which facing the base has a cross-section with a convex curvature, and that the convex curvature of the projection and the concave curvature of the recess are essentially of complementary design.
Fastening systems of this kind hold installed panels together by means of a positive-fit connection. In the case of floor panels installed in floating fashion on a base, in particular, a positive-fit connection between the panels prevents the formation of gaps, which can form, for example, as the result of thermal expansion or contraction due to a drop in temperature.
German utility model G 79 28 703 U1 describes a generic fastening system. Floor panels with a positive-fit profile of this kind can be connected very easily by means of a pivoting movement. In principle, the connection is also suitable for repeated installation. The resulting positive-fit connection is very stiff and thus very reliably prevents the formation of gaps.
The disadvantage is that the known fastening system is only suitable for very even bases. If the base is uneven, rough and undulating, a panel floor adapts only very poorly to the shape of the uneven base when using the known fastening system. For example, if a panel is held a slight distance above an undulating base by adjacent panels when installed and is then pressed onto the base under load, the interconnected floor panels are deflected. This deflection particularly stresses the joints with the engaged positive-fit profiles. Depending on the load, the interconnected panels bend down or up and are thereby forced out of the normal plane of installation. Due to the great stiffness of the connection, a high load is exerted on the thin cross-sections of the positive-fit profiles, which are thus very quickly damaged. The damage progresses rapidly until a projection or a recess wall ruptures.
Panels can suffer from alternating deflection even on a level base, namely when a soft intermediate layer, such as an impact sound insulation film or the like, is laid on the base. The intermediate layer is compressed at the loaded point and the panels buckle at the joints.
Thus, the object of the invention is to modify the known fastening system such that the stiffness of the connection between two, interconnected positive-fit profiles is adapted to the stress the panels must bear when installed on an uneven base.
According to the invention, the object is solved in that the positive-fit profiles of the long edges of two panels form a common joint when laid, in that the upper side of the projection of a panel facing away from the base displays a bevel extending up to the free end of the projection, in that the bevel increasingly reduces the thickness of the projection towards the free end, and in that the bevel creates space for movement for the common joint.
The new design permits articulated movement of two connected panels. In particular, two connected panels can be bent up-wards at the point of connection. If, for example, one panel lies on a base with an elevation, with the result that one edge of the panel is pressed onto the base when loaded and the opposite edge rises, a second panel fastened to the rising edge is also moved upwards. However, the bending forces acting in this context do not damage the thin cross-sections of the positive-fit profiles. An articulated movement takes place instead.
A floor laid using the proposed fastening system thus displays an elasticity adapted to irregular, rough or undulating bases. The fastening system is thus particularly suitable for panels for renovating uneven floors in old buildings. Of course, it is also more suitable than the known fastening system when laying panels on a soft intermediate layer.
The design caters to the principle of “adapted deformability”. This principle is based on the knowledge that very stiff, and thus supposedly stable, points of connection cause high notch stresses and can easily fail as a result. In order to avoid this, components are to be designed in such a way that they display a degree of elasticity that is adapted to the application, or “adapted deformability”, and that notch stresses are reduced in this way.
Moreover, the positive-fit profiles are designed in such a way that a load applied to the upper side of the floor panels in laid condition is transmitted from the upper-side wall of the recess of a first panel to the projection of the second panel and from the projection of the second panel into the lower-side wall of the first panel. When laid, the walls of the recess of the first panel are in contact with the upper and lower side of the projection of the second panel. However, the upper wall of the recess is only in contact with the projection of the second panel in a short area on the free end of the upper wall of the recess. In this way, the design permits articulated movement between the panel with the recess and the panel with the projection, with only slight elastic deformation of the walls of the recess. In this way, the stiffness of the connection is optimally adapted to an irregular base which inevitably leads to a bending movement between panels connected to each other.
Another advantage is that panels with the fastening system according to the invention are more suitable for repeated installation than panels with the known fastening system, because the panels with the fastening system according to the invention display no damage to the positive-fit profiles even after long-term use on an uneven base. The positive-fit profiles are dimensionally stable and durable. They can be used for a substantially longer period and re-laid more frequently during their life cycle.
Advantageously, the convex curvature of the projection and the concave curvature of the recess each essentially form a segment of a circle where, in laid condition, the centre of the circle of the segments of the circle is located on the upper side of the projection or below the upper side of the projection. In the latter case, the centre of the circle is located within the cross-section of the projection.
This simple design results in a joint where the convex curvature of the projection is designed similarly to the ball, and the concave curvature of the recess similarly to the sokket, of a ball-and-socket joint, where, of course, in contrast to a ball-and-socket joint, only planar rotary movement is possible and not spherical rotary movement.
In a favourable configuration, the point of the convex curvature of the projection of a panel that protrudes farthest is positioned in such a way that it is located roughly below the top edge of the panel. This results in a relatively thick cross-section of the projection in relation to the overall thickness of the panel. Moreover, the concave curvature of the recess offers a sufficiently large undercut for the convex curvature of the projection, so that they can hardly be moved apart by tensile forces acting in the installation plane.
The articulation properties of two panels connected to each other can be further improved if the inside of the wall of the recess of a panel that fac
Eisermann Ralf
Hannig Hans-Jurgen
Akzenta Paneele + Profile GmbH
Friedman Carl D.
Maynard Jeffrey C.
McDermott Kevin
Stone Gregory M.
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