FR3111369A1 - Device for creating a reinforced and insulating swimming pool basin - Google Patents

Abstract

Device (1) for producing a swimming pool basin comprising panels (2) each comprising a peripheral frame (5) constituting upper (5a) and lower (5b) edges, and vertical edges (5c) assembled from a sealed manner by coupling profiles (3) to constitute a closed volume of any geometric shape corresponding to said basin, the peripheral frame (5) of each panel (2) comprises internally at least one vertical (6) or horizontal ( 7) to define at least two zones (8) inside the frame. According to the invention, each zone (8) has no honeycomb reinforcement structure. Figure for abstract: Fig. 3

Description

Device for creating a reinforced and insulating pool basin

The invention relates to the technical sector of swimming pools and relates more particularly to a device for the production of a reinforced and insulating swimming pool basin, above ground, semi-buried or buried.

Prior art

Different solutions have been proposed for making a swimming pool basin from several panels assembled together, according to different means and arrangements to obtain a basin of any geometric shape, square, rectangular, polygonal, or other.

Document FR 3 030 599 describes a device for producing a swimming pool comprising panels, said panels comprising an outer face and an inner face, between which foam is placed. This solution gives the panels beneficial thermal insulation properties.

However, this device has the disadvantage of having limited mechanical characteristics, which requires the manufacture of thicker panels to obtain the necessary rigidity. This solution is therefore likely to be improved.

It is also known from document FR 3 070 176 a device for the production of a pool basin comprising panels having an internal structure of the honeycomb type and each comprising a peripheral frame constituting upper and lower edges, and vertical edges assembled from in a sealed manner by coupling sections to form a closed volume of any geometric shape corresponding to said basin. The peripheral frame of each panel internally comprises at least one upright and at least one crosspiece to define at least four reception zones inside the frame each receiving an independent structure of the honeycomb type.

It emerges from the prior art that the internal structure of the panels ensures very high rigidity, preventing them from any phenomenon of bending or buckling under the effect of strong pressure exerted by the water in the swimming pool basin, or by field.

This type of solution is completely satisfactory with regard to the rigidity obtained, but does not, however, have satisfactory thermal insulation.

One of the aims of the invention is therefore to remedy the drawbacks of the prior art by proposing a device for the production of a swimming pool basin comprising panels whose rigidity and thermal insulation are optimal, while presenting minimum thickness.

To this end, a device has been developed for the production of a swimming pool basin comprising panels each comprising a peripheral frame constituting upper and lower edges, and vertical edges assembled in a sealed manner by profiles of coupling to form a closed volume of any geometric shape corresponding to said basin, the peripheral frame of each panel comprises internally at least one vertical or horizontal profile to define at least two zones inside the frame.

According to the invention, each zone has no alveolar reinforcement structure. In this way, the thermal insulation of the panels is optimal, while maintaining optimal rigidity. It is indeed known that the walls of the honeycomb structure each constitute a thermal bridge allowing the heat accumulated in the water of the pool to be evacuated towards the outside of the panel.

Removing the honeycomb structure therefore constitutes an improvement in thermal insulation, but goes against what a person skilled in the art would have considered.

Indeed, the internal structures of the honeycomb type contributing to the rigidity of the panels, the person skilled in the art would not have tried to remove them. On the contrary, to improve the insulation, the person skilled in the art would rather have been encouraged to fill these cells with insulating material. This would have made the production of the panels more complex and increased their cost, as this type of operation was not provided for by the manufacturers of honeycomb structure sheets. Moreover, this would still not have eliminated the presence of thermal bridges.

Removing honeycomb type structures is therefore a prejudice that has been overcome.

Like double glazing, the void left by the removal of the honeycomb structure can be filled with an insulating gas, such as air or any other gas whose thermal insulation properties would be preferred.

The invention therefore makes it possible to save material, to reduce the weight of the assembly as well as the volume occupied before assembly, which is advantageous for logistics. Indeed it is noted that the panels of a pool made up of such a device, before assembly, can be delivered on a pallet.

The void left by the removal of the honeycomb structure may also contain an insulating material, this material possibly being of organic or inorganic nature.

The insulating material may, depending on the choice made by the person skilled in the art, have advantageous mechanical characteristics with regard to the rigidity of the panels. It is therefore possible to produce panels in which each zone inside the frame is:
- either completely filled with gas,
- either completely filled with insulating material,
- either for a part by gas and for the other part by insulating material, so as to obtain for example a multilayer assembly.

Thus the person skilled in the art is able to design panels in such a way as to optimize the necessary mechanical and thermal characteristics.

The insulating material can be rigid or elastic. It can be made of organic material, such as an insulating foam chosen from among those, for example, of polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene, or be made from cardboard or even textiles, or else from mineral material, such as cotton wool. rock or glass wool.

Preferably, each panel internally comprises a plurality of sections arranged vertically or horizontally defining a plurality of zones.

The profile(s) arranged horizontally or vertically inside said panel may be solid bars or hollow tubes, the section of which is round, square, rectangular or of any other known shape. They can also be rails, commonly referred to in the prior art as "I", "H", or "L".

Preferably, each panel comprises two parallel plates constituting internal and external faces of the panel, fixed to the peripheral frame, but also preferably to the section(s).

These plates are preferably made of aluminum, which makes it possible to lighten the weight of the panel while maintaining a certain rigidity.

The plates constituting the outer faces of the pool can receive different types of facing, while optimally resisting the weight of said facings.

According to a particular embodiment, each profile comprises an "H"-shaped section to define two housings for receiving the edges of the structures of any insulating material.

Finally, it can be envisaged that the insulating material adheres to at least one of the internal walls of the panel, in order to prevent that over time, said insulating material settles at the bottom of the panel by the effect of gravity, and that consequently the panel no longer exhibits the thermal insulation properties initially desired.

This adhesion can be obtained by various known means, which can be the use of glue or adhesive tape, or even by using an insulating material which is naturally adherent, as can be certain foams projected on a surface which serves as their support.

Brief description of the figures

Other advantages and characteristics will emerge better from the description of the invention which follows, given by way of non-limiting example, from the appended drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a non-limiting embodiment of a pool basin made according to the device of the invention;

Figure 2 a perspective view of a panel with partial section to show the interior of the structure in insulating material;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the panel seen from the front;

Figure 4A is a cross-sectional view of the panel along line AA of Figure 3, according to a first embodiment;

Figure 4B is a cross-sectional view of the panel along line AA of Figure 3, according to a second embodiment;

Figure 4B is a cross-sectional view of the panel along line AA of Figure 3, according to a third embodiment;

Figure 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the assembly in linear alignment of two panels by means of coupling profiles according to the invention;

Figure 6 is a partial sectional view showing the angular assembly of two panels by means of coupling elements according to the invention.

Detailed description of the invention

Referring to Figures 1 to 6, the device (1) according to the invention finds an advantageous application for the realization of all types of structures, in particular for the realization of a pool of any geometric shape with the aim of producing a swimming pool of buried, semi-buried or above-ground type.

In a known manner, the basin whose geometric shape illustrated in Figure 1 is given as an indication, in no way limiting, comprises panels (2) coupled in a sealed manner by a set of coupling profiles (3).

Referring to Figure 3, and in order to improve the rigidity of the panels (2), the peripheral frame (5) of each panel (2) internally comprises at least one profile which can be vertical (6) or horizontal (7) to define at least two zones (8) inside the frame (5), each possibly receiving an insulating material (4).

This makes it possible to considerably improve the rigidity as well as the thermal insulation of the panels (2), while making it possible to reduce its thickness and therefore to minimize its weight and its size in logistics before assembly.

In a preferred embodiment, and depending on the size of the panels (2), each panel (2) comprises a plurality of sections arranged horizontally (6), for example two, and vertically (7), for example two , to define a plurality of reception zones (8), for example nine.

Each zone (8) can therefore be left empty so as to benefit from the thermal insulation of the air or of a gas which would be chosen and inserted in this zone (8) made tight for this purpose.

Referring to Figure 4A, the sections (6, 7) comprise rectangular sections. However, in order to facilitate assembly, and to keep the insulating material (4) in an optimal manner inside the reception areas (8), each section (6, 7), with reference to FIG. 4B, can comprise a section in the shape of an "H" to each define two housings for receiving the edges of the insulating material (4). More specifically, each section (6, 7) comprises a central web bordered by two portions parallel to the internal (2a) and external (2b) faces of the panel (2), and extending orthogonally and on either side of the central web to define the "H" shape. As indicated, the edges of the insulating material (4) are therefore inserted inside the housings defined by the "H" shape, between the two portions of parallel walls of each section (6, 7).

With reference to FIG. 4C, it is also possible to arrange the insulating material (4) in a particular way so as to obtain a multilayer assembly consisting of several alternating layers of insulating material (4) and air gaps. Preferably, these layers are parallel to the walls (2a) and (2b) of the panel, and the insulating material (4) is preferably held in position at the level of the frame (5) and the profile(s) (6, 7) by means of any device deemed appropriate by those skilled in the art, whether glue, adhesive tape, or additional parts such as cleats, strips or strips which would themselves be attached and fixed to said frame (5) and section(s) (6, 7).

In this way, after assembly, the insulating material (4) is maintained in the plane of the panel (2).

Preferably, a heating sheet or fabric can be integrated into the thickness of the panel (2), for example positioned and fixed on one of the internal (2a) and external (2b) faces of the panel (2) in order to heat or to maintain the pool water temperature. This sheet or heating fabric can also be attached to one face of the insulating material. This forms heating means integrated directly into the panel (2). These heating means are electrically powered, preferably at 24 V.

The internal structure of the panel (2) consisting of the frame (5), the profile(s) (6, 7) and any insulating material (4) is then sandwiched between two parallel and non-contiguous plates constituting the internal faces (2a) and outer (2b) of the panel (2). These plates (2a, 2b) are fixed, for example by rivets or by gluing, to the peripheral frame (5). Preferably, and to improve the rigidity, the plates (2a, 2b) are also fixed on the sections (6, 7). In this way, the plates (2a, 2b) are fixed in an optimal way, and can resist and support any type of facing.

The vertical edges (5c) of the panels (2) as defined according to the characteristics of the invention, cooperate with all the coupling sections (3) to constitute the closed volume having a geometric shape corresponding to that desired for the construction of the pool basin. The coupling sections (3) have parallel covering flanges (3a) capable of enclosing the section of the panel (2), that is to say the faces (2a, 2b) of the latter at the level of each of their vertical edges (5c). Each of the profiles (3) has at the level of the wings (3a), apart from the vertical edges (5c) of the panels (2), coupling shapes (3b) capable of cooperating with complementary shapes (9a) of a element (9) intermediate connection. In other words, the intermediate element (9) ensures the connection between the sections (3) of two adjacent panels (2) with a view to their coupling. This intermediate element (9) may be straight, see figure 5, to allow an alignment coupling of two adjacent panels (2), or bent, see figure 6, to allow an angular coupling of two adjacent panels (2). Note that the fixing of the coupling profiles (3) to the ends of the panels (2) can be carried out by any known and appropriate means such as gluing, screwing, riveting. Preferably, the flanges (3a) of the coupling sections (3) are riveted on either side of the peripheral frame (5) in order to ensure optimum hold and sufficient rigidity to take into account the thrust forces of the water and possibly land.

Finally, after assembly of the panels (2) as indicated above, the latter can be equipped at their upper edge with an added element (10) capable of allowing the attachment of a liner. This element (10) may also have an upper rim comprising an overhanging part capable of also acting as a coping by overhanging the side considered outside the basin.

The advantages are evident from the description, in particular the design of the panel (2) is underlined and recalled, the internal structure (4) of which made of insulating material ensures, in combination with the sections (6, 7) of the frame, sufficient rigidity. to take into account the pushing forces of the water and possibly of the ground, while presenting a lightness and a reduced thickness compared to the panel (2) of the state of the art as well as a significant thermal insulation. The plates (2b) constituting the outer faces of the panels (2) are more resistant and can support any type of facing.

Obviously, the connection of the panels (2) with the bottom of the pool basin is carried out by all known and appropriate means. Similarly, in the case of an inground swimming pool, the panels (2) are able to cooperate with in particular any element of stability such as props.

Claims (10)

Device (1) for producing a swimming pool basin comprising panels (2) each comprising a peripheral frame (5) constituting upper (5a) and lower (5b) edges, and vertical edges (5c) assembled from a sealed manner by coupling profiles (3) to constitute a closed volume of any geometric shape corresponding to said basin, the peripheral frame (5) of each panel (2) comprises internally at least one vertical (6) or horizontal ( 7) to define at least two zones (8) inside the frame, characterized in that each zone (8) has no honeycomb reinforcement structure. Device (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that each zone (8) is occupied at least in part by a layer of gas, such as air. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each zone (8) is occupied at least in part by a layer of organic or inorganic material. Device (1) according to Claim 3, characterized in that the layer of organic or inorganic material completely fills each zone (8). Device according to Claim 3, characterized in that the inorganic material is rock or glass wool, and the organic material is foam, such as an insulating foam chosen from those of polystyrene or polyurethane or expanded polypropylene . Device (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that each panel (2) comprises internally a plurality of sections arranged vertically (6) or horizontally (7) defining a plurality of zones (8). Device (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that each panel (2) comprises two parallel plates, preferably of aluminium, constituting internal (2a) and external (2b) faces of the panel (2), fixed to the frame device (5). Device (1) according to Claim 7, characterized in that the parallel plates (2a, 2b) are also fixed to the profiles arranged vertically (6) or horizontally (7). Device (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that each section (6, 7) comprises an "H" section. Device according to Claims 3 and 7, characterized in that the layer of organic or inorganic material adheres to at least one of the internal (2a) or external (2b) faces of the panel (2).