ES2874905T3 - Method of producing a slab of insulating material for use in buildings - Google Patents

Abstract

Method for producing a slab (1) of insulating material for use in buildings, the method comprising the following steps: - arranging a work plane (102) in a machine (100); - arranging at least one cutting device (104) and heating it to a temperature such that it can melt the insulating material; wherein said at least one cutting device (104) is attached to the work plane (102), and wherein a semi-finished block or panel (106) made of insulating material is advanced onto the work plane (102) , according to a predetermined direction (F), through an advance system provided in said machine (100), so that said block or semi-finished panel (106) hits said at least one cutting device (104) and so that said at least one cutting device (104) excavates in or cuts the semi-finished block or panel (106) one or more of the following elements: - a passage channel (3), - a longitudinal rib (36), - a longitudinal groove, or - a longitudinal neck (38) configured to couple and constrain an edge of a first slab (1) to that of a second slab (1) analogous and adjacent to said first slab (1).

Description

DESCRIPTION

Method of producing a slab of insulating material for use in buildings

The present invention relates to a method for producing a slab of insulating material for use in buildings, capable of being used in particular to make exterior and interior walls of buildings, partitions and retaining walls.

To make walls or partitions of buildings lighter and capable of providing greater thermal and acoustic insulation, prefabricated modular systems are currently known to make mixed structures of concrete and alternative material to those used in conventional construction. An example of these known systems is described in EP 0163 117 A1 and provides for the construction of a wall by joining together a plurality of blocks or "bricks" of foamed plastic material. The assembled blocks form vertical channels that run along the inside of the wall in their entire height and are configured to be filled with concrete jets. The latter, once configured, form a series of pillars that give the wall the necessary structural strength. The present inventors have observed that such a prefabricated system still has some drawbacks. The construction of such a wall requires a relatively large number of blocks to be placed and therefore requires a long and expensive manual labor step. The numerous parting surfaces between the blocks constitute an equally large number of potential, if not actual, pathways for external moisture infiltration. To be able to make their complex shape at acceptable costs, the blocks must be obtained from a mold, making it relatively expensive, for example, to adapt the interaxial distance between the pillars from one installation to another.

Other prefabricated modular systems for making mixed structures of concrete and insulating materials are described, for example, in documents WO 2011/060118 A2, US 5645 542 A and DE 10251 286 A1. Normally, the insulating material slabs of the known systems are manufactured by direct molding. Manufacturing by direct molding, however, imposes some shape and size restrictions, not allowing the manufacture of panels of all shapes and sizes. US 5943 775 A discloses a method for producing a polymeric foam panel in which a polymeric foam material is cut to form the panel. The polymeric foamed material is held in a working machine, while the cutting tools of the working machine must be moved to produce the desired polymeric foamed material panels. Specifically, document US 5943 775 A discloses a method for producing a slab made of insulating material, comprising the steps of:

- arrange a work plane on a machine;

- arranging at least one cutting device and heating it to a temperature such that it can melt the insulating material; - obtain from a semi-finished block or panel made of insulating material one or more of the following elements: - a through channel,

- a longitudinal rib,

- a longitudinal slot, or

- a longitudinal neck configured to couple and constrain an edge of a first slab to that of a second analogous slab and adjacent to said first slab.

An aim of the present invention is to avoid the aforementioned drawbacks of the state of the art and, in particular, to provide a system of custom modules and a method for making walls, partitions or other parts of buildings, made of thermally insulating materials that are lighter than known concrete or bricks, which are faster and easier to apply with respect to the modular systems that are currently known.

Such a purpose is achieved with a method for producing a slab made of insulating material for use in a building having the characteristics according to claim 1. Other characteristics of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

The advantages that can be obtained with the present invention will become clearer, for the person skilled in the art, from the following detailed description of some particular non-limiting embodiments thereof, illustrated with reference to the following schematic figures.

Figures 1 and 2 respectively show a first and a second perspective view of a slab, with relative guides, of a system of custom modules manufactured by the method according to the invention; Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a mounting guide of the slab of Figure 1;

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of an assembly example of the custom module system of Figure 1;

Figure 5 shows another slab of a custom module system; and

Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a machine for producing slabs of Figure 2.

Figures 1-4 and 6 refer to a system of custom modules for making walls, partitions and other parts of buildings according to a particular embodiment of the invention. A system of modules made to measure of this type comprises one or more slabs 1, each of which comprises a plurality of passage channels 3 that pass from a side of the slab to the other in a direction substantially parallel to the two main faces of the slab itself (Figure 1). Advantageously, the slab is made of one or more thermally insulating materials, such as, for example, a foamed polymeric material, wood or wood fiber, rock wool, mineralized wood.

The particularly advantageous materials for thermal and acoustic insulation properties, mechanical resistance and suitability to contain concrete jets, that is, bars or steel / wood beams with or without the presence of concrete, which will form the pillars 13, lightness and ease Processing and handling also on the job site are foamed polystyrene (EPS) or extruded polystyrene foam (XPS).

Preferably, the slab is advantageously made of a material having thermal conductivity, measured according to EN 12667, of 0.3 W / (mK) or less, more preferably 0.05 W / (mK) or less and even more preferably 0.035 W / (mK) or less.

Advantageously, the slabs 1 have a height HL, in a direction parallel to that of the passage channels 3, of 0.5 meters or more, more preferably 1 meter or more and even more preferably 1.5-2 meters or more so that a single slab 1 extends over the entire height of the wall of which it will be part. For this purpose, the two smaller faces of the slab 1 on which the channels 3 open preferably form flat surfaces, so that they can also be formed simply by cutting a slab and not necessarily by molding or a complicated milling process.

As an example, the width WL of the slabs 1 can be, for example, 0.3 meters or more, comprised between 0.9 2.4 meters, comprised between 1-1.4 meters, or even equal to 1, 2 meters.

Slabs 1 can be part of a system of modules made to measure of precast slabs comprising different slabs whose widths WL ', WL "can be submultiples of the width WL of slab 1. For example, the width can be WL' = WL / 2; WL "= WL / 4; WL "= WL / 2.66667. For example, if the width is WL = 1.2 m, the submultiples of the widths of the slabs WL ', WL", WL' ", WL can be equal to 5 cm, 10 cm, 15 cm, 0.3 m, 0.45 m, 0.6 m.

Again as an example, the slabs 1 may have a thickness SL of 0.15 meters or more, 0.25 meters or more, 0.30 meters or more, comprised between 0.25-1 meters or well comprised between 0 , 25-0.5 meters.

Preferably, in the slabs 1, the ratio between the minimum dimension between the height HL and the width WL, and the thickness SL, is 3 times or more, that is, it is:

(Min (HL, WL)) / (SL)> 3

and more preferably it is 4 or more or 5 times.

The passage channels 3 preferably extend rectilinearly and have a shape and size such that they can contain concrete jets and possible iron reinforcement cages, or steel / wood bars or beams with or without the presence of concrete, and thus be able to used as disposable formwork, as will be described in more detail later. For this purpose, each channel 3 preferably has a minimum passage section of 50 square centimeters (cm2) or more, more preferably 77-80 cm2 or more, and even more preferably 175-180 cm2 or more. preferably, the passage channels are obtained by cutting, milling or drilling a complete slab, for example, with the hot wire method. Such processing also makes the production of small batches of slabs 1 economically advantageous, sufficient to carry out a single installation or project (such as, for example, the construction of a new building or the restructuring, erection, seismic reinforcement of an old building) and to allow adapting the interaxial distance between the channels 3 and, therefore, between the pillars 13, with substantial freedom and fairly low costs depending on the specific requirements of the project itself.

The hot wire method can be used as follows: cut 30, which is used by the hot wire to reach the interior area of the slab where a channel 3 is cut, is preferably in a plane that passes through the axis of the channel 3 and is inclined according to a predetermined angle with respect to the main faces of the slab 1 (Figure 2). The plane can be both perpendicular to the main faces of the slab 1 and oblique, for example, for anti-seismic structures.

A metal guide 5, in particular the central portion 50 of its cross section, is inserted into the cut 30. A portion of the mounting guide 5 projects out of the slab 1 and preferably forms a rest area 52 which is located substantially in a plane parallel to the main faces of slab 1. Possibly, an edge 54 of the guide portion protruding outside of slab 1 is bent to re-insert into slab 1, for example, into another slot 34 which also runs longitudinally up to channel 3. Preferably, another portion of guide 5 reaches channel 3 and an edge thereof 56 is bent (for example, into a U) to insert into a third slot 32 which is it extends longitudinally up to the channel 3 and, starting from the inner wall thereof, penetrates the material of the slab 1 without reaching the outside. The couplings with the grooves 30, 32 and 34 allow the guide 5 to be fixed very firmly to the slab 1 before pouring the concrete into the channels 3, avoiding in particular that the cross sections of the guide rotate with respect to the slab.

Thanks to an arrangement of this type, the guides 5 are embedded in the concrete of the future pillars 13 which will be molded in the holes 3, or at least will bear directly against such pillars 13, and will therefore discharge the forces to which they the guides 5 may be subjected thereon instead of the material of the slab 1. Preferably, couplings 3 are formed on the smaller faces of the slab 1 parallel to the channels, for example of the male / female type with ribs longitudinals 36 that are inserted in longitudinal necks 38, to couple and constrain an edge of a slab 1 to that of a second slab 1 analogous and adjacent to the first.

Each slab 1 can be slotted to obtain open slots. Therefore, each slab 1 can be used to make horizontal floor structures. The grooves are configured to receive the reinforced concrete beam from the floor of any width and pitch.

If in structural terms the bearing capacity of a single column 13 is not sufficient, it is possible to lengthen the section of said column 13 by creating partitions or load-bearing walls in slab 1. To counteract the thrust of the concrete being poured, they are carried out longitudinal grooves with respect to the development plane of the slab 1 and plastic connectors are inserted transversely. Such partitions or load-bearing walls can be of any length and thickness with a maximum of 50 cm.

The slabs 1 are manufactured with the method and machine shown in Figure 6. A machine of this type, indicated with the general reference number 100, comprises a table or work plane 102 to which a plurality of devices are attached. cutting tools 104, such as cutting dies, blades, or punches. The work plane 102 can be a simple metal plane or a plane with rollers, idle or motorized, that promote advancement of the semi-finished blocks or panels 106 described in greater detail below.

Each cutting die 104 is preferably formed from one or more suitably shaped metal sheets. The cutting dies 104 that are to cut the channels 3 may comprise a tubular portion 108 and a support portion 110, which supports the tubular portion 108 by holding it in a predetermined position with respect to the work plane 102. The machine 100 may also comprise other cutting dies 112, 114 arranged to cut the longitudinal ribs 36 or the longitudinal necks 38 running along the lateral edges of the slabs 1, and possibly trim such edges.

The machine 100 is advantageously provided with an advance system, not shown, arranged to advance a semi-finished block or panel 106 of EPS, XPS or other foamed plastic material, along a predetermined direction F. The advance system may comprise, for example, motorized wheels or rollers, pneumatic cylinders, or chain drive systems.

The machine 100 can be used by heating the cutting dies, blades or punches 104, 112, 114 to a temperature such that it melts the plastic material of the slabs 1. A semi-finished block or panel 106 is supported and slid on the work plane 102 according to a predetermined direction F, so that it hits the cutting dies 104, 112, 114 and the latter excavate or cut in the block 106, with very fast, cost-effective and flexible machining, the channels 3, the ribs 36, the necks 38 and / or the grooves. Advantageously, the support portions 110 cut the slits 30 that extend from a wall of a respective channel 3 to one of the two main faces of the finished slab 1 and receive the metal guides 5.

Advantageously, the position of the cutting dies 104, 112, 114 in the work plane 102 can be changed, in particular, in directions parallel to the same work plane 102, thus varying the interaxial distance between the channels 3 that are formed . The costs of this processing change are practically negligible and this makes it possible to produce small batches of slabs 1, at very competitive costs, with the most suitable interaxial distance between the channels 3 for a specific project.

With respect to the manufacture with standard machinery, such as, for example, hot wire pantographs for processing polystyrene, the method according to the present invention thus allows rapid processing of the slabs 1 at a very low cost. The semi-finished block or panel 106 runs in line in the machine 100 and meets the hot and preformed cutting dies, blades or punches 104, which sublimate the EPS. In conventional pantographs, on the other hand, the panel is stationary and is the standard tool that moves. The semi-finished block or panel 106 can be of any length.

The machine 100 can even produce two slabs 1 simultaneously, with all the channels 3, the ribs 36, the necks 38 and / or the required grooves, and therefore has higher productivity than pantographs. The machine 100 cannot be provided with programming, it is easy to use and therefore does not require highly trained workers or high costs for programming and adjustment. The machine 100 is of small dimensions, to be able to be transported in a normal truck and to be placed even in the construction yard. The investment to manufacture a machine 100 is less (approximately 50%) compared to that necessary for a pantograph and considerably less (more than ten times less) than that necessary to equip a plant for mold EPS slabs.

An example of application and use of the custom module system described above will be illustrated below. On a floor, foundation or base P, suitable floor guides 7, which can be, for example, rods or bars with an L-shaped cross section, and the fixing plates 9 to which to anchor the future concrete load-bearing structure or reinforced concrete within the slabs 1 themselves, are arranged. The slabs 1, with the relative guides 5 already assembled, are applied with reference to the floor guides 7 and plumb with reference, for example, to the guides 5. Advantageously, the slabs 1 have been manufactured with a height HL equal to that of the entire wall to be made, thus making the realization of the wall faster and easier and substantially reducing manual application operations.

Preferably, on the modular slabs 1 suitable lintel modules 8 are arranged, which have the function of structurally connecting the concrete molds of the different pillars 13 with each other or with the mold of a second floor, foundation or base that must be supported. by the pillars themselves 13.

The reinforcement cages 11 of the future pillars 13, that is, the steel / wooden bars or beams, are inserted from above into the relative channels 5 and fixed to the fixing plates 9, after which the latter are filled with possible concrete molds, where provided. When the concrete has solidified, a composite wall is obtained, formed from the slabs 1 internally reinforced by a series of pillars 13 that have the structural function both of supporting possible overlapping structures, and of reinforcing the wall itself against bending. a possible takedown. To reduce the risks of intrusion through the wall itself, the pillars 13 can be suitably together and, making them through hot wire cutting, milling or drilling, the channels 3 can be placed on the slabs 1 with the most interaxial distance. suitable for each installation and with very low costs.

The composite wall can be finished by fixing, for example, plasterboard, wood or other coverings, or suitably plastered, to the guides 5.

Figure 5 refers to a slab 1 'according to another embodiment not made according to the invention. Slab 1 'is made up of many different materials: two outer panels 15 and 17, for example, made of wood fiber or hardboard, between which blocks 19, 19', 19 "of rock wool are arranged. the blocks 19, 19 ', 19 "form some passage channels 3'. Clearly, the choice of materials can also be different, the outer panels 15, 17 being able to be manufactured, for example, from mineralized laminated wood, or other materials derived from wood, rock or glass wool or other mineral insulators, and the blocks 19, 19 ', 19 "can be made, for example, of wood or its derivatives, or of foamed plastic materials.

Compared to the brick or block system described in EP 0 163 117 A1, the slabs 1 can be applied with much less manual operations; Furthermore, thanks to their relatively large size, the slabs 1, 1 'can be aligned and plumbed more easily and with much greater precision; They reduce the number and total extension of the cracks through the layer of insulating material of the wall itself, thus increasing their impermeability to air, humidity, other atmospheric agents and noise; they can be transported and moved much more easily on the construction site, since the slabs are easier to fasten, couple or tie, for example, to be lifted with a hoist, relative to an incoherent mass of insulating blocks in the form of bricks. Slabs 1 made of EPS, XPS or other similar lightweight materials eliminate many safety concerns for workers when moving to the construction site. What's more, the composite wall described above, in particular, if it is made of EPS, XPS or other foamed plastic materials, is much lighter, less expensive and is provided with much better thermal and acoustic insulation than conventional reinforced concrete walls. solid or brick, since in large portions thereof the entire thickness of said composite wall is substantially occupied only by EPS or other insulating material.

Slabs 1 are obtained by cutting blocks made from EPS, XPS or other similar lightweight and insulating materials. Such a processing procedure makes it possible to make any shape, size and interaxial distance of the pillar (even round walls) and any size of panel without the normal limitations of molding. Therefore, the slabs 1 are not manufactured in series and there is not a limited selection of panel types, since such slabs 1 are made to measure each time, adapting them to the architectural and structural design of the building. The cutting process also allows for factory insertion and customization of accessories, such as home accessories, window and door trim, blind boxes, rainscreen guides, drywall, etc. of any shape and size. It is also possible to make side panels for floors.

The embodiments described above may undergo various modifications and variations without, however, departing from the scope of protection of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, a slab according to the invention can comprise a layer of foamed plastic material, such as EPS or XPS, on which a panel of wood or a material derived from the wood. What's more, all the details can be replaced by technically equivalent elements. For example, the materials used, as well as the sizes, can be any according to the technical requirements. It should be understood that an expression of the type "A comprises B, C, D" or "A is formed by B, C, D" also includes and describes the particular case in which "A consists of B, C, D". Examples and lists of possible variants of this application should be considered non-exhaustive lists.

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Claims (3)

1. Method to produce a slab (1) of insulating material for use in buildings, the method comprising the following stages: - arranging a work plane (102) on a machine (100); - arranging at least one cutting device (104) and heating it to a temperature such that it can melt the insulating material; wherein said at least one cutting device (104) is attached to the work plane (102), and wherein a semi-finished block or panel (106) made of insulating material is advanced onto the work plane (102) , according to a predetermined direction (F), through an advance system provided in said machine (100), so that said block or semi-finished panel (106) hits said at least one cutting device (104) and such that said at least one cutting device (104) excavates in or cuts the semi-finished block or panel (106) one or more of the following elements: - a through channel (3), - a longitudinal rib (36), - a longitudinal slot, or - a longitudinal neck (38) configured to couple and constrain an edge of a first slab (1) to that of a second slab (1) analogous and adjacent to said first slab (1). 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that each cutting device (104) is selected from the group consisting of: - at least one hot wire, - at least one cutting die, - at least one blade, - at least one punch. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the position of said at least one cutting device (104) on the working plane (102) is variable in a direction parallel to said working plane (102) , to vary the interaxial distance between said one or more elements excavated or cut in the block or semi-finished panel (106).