WO1995000729A1 - Supporting film - Google Patents

Abstract

A supporting film (1, 2) having butting and overlapping regions (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) and bearing feet (3), is used as a substrate for a pourable, self-curing compound to form a flooring top. At least two of the opposite overlapping regions have means (4, 5) which produce a frictionlessly releasable bond (6) and thus bring the supporting films (1, 2) together into a bond. The bonding means (4, 5) are placed in such a way that the regular arrangement of the bearing feet (3) dictated by the first supporting film (1) is transferred to and maintained on the remaining supporting film (2) of the bond.

Description

 Support f o l i e

Technical field

The present invention relates to a support film according to the preamble of claim 1.

State of the art

To create a so-called cavity floor, which, when laid, unfolds the function of a raised floor with special characteristics, these floors being used in particular with great advantages in commercial and office buildings, support foils are used, which in themselves consist of a flexible blen, adapting to the subfloor material, wherein a thermoplastic is preferably used here. These supporting foils, which are preferably of a square or rectangular shape on the circumference and are offered with a side length in the order of magnitude of approximately 1 m, are superficial in order to ensure a sensible palletizing for transport, usually manufactured in deep-drawing processes, downwardly shaped and tightly sealing depressions which, supported on an underbody, assume the function of support feet. The flexibility of the support film is transferred to the support feet, so that they can adapt to any unevenness in the subfloor. The support feet provided at regular intervals in the longitudinal and transverse directions result in a uniform support structure and load distribution after a screed material has been applied to the support film. Since the final purpose of these cavity floors, among other things, is also a

REPLACEMENT LEAF partial installation of cables and pipes, it must be ensured that the alignment of the recesses serving as support feet in the x- and y-axes of a surface composed of many support foils remains uniform, ie the regular arrangement of the support feet at ei¬ A single support film must be retained in the composite of all installed support films. One solution for realizing this postulate is to design the laying so that the transitions of two adjacent supporting foils into a bond is created by the supporting feet of two neighboring supporting foils, by using the supporting feet of the already laid supporting foil as matrices to the supporting feet of the additional supporting foil.

Undoubtedly, this method has the advantage that the alignment of the depressions with one another remains a uniform, regular one over the entire composite of all the laid support foils; However, this type of solution has the major disadvantage that there is a relatively large overlap between two adjacent support foils, which results in up to 20% material loss, i.e. in other words, the gross supporting surface required for laying a certain area for a cavity floor must be over 20% larger.

Presentation of the invention

The invention seeks to remedy this. The invention, as characterized in the claims, is based on the object of eliminating the aforementioned disadvantages in a support film of the type mentioned at the outset.

The essential advantage of the invention can be seen in the fact that the butting or overlapping zones of the support foils, which are already present for reasons of production and strength, are expanded with means which allow the support foils to interlock.

REPLACEMENT LEAF enable each other, always in accordance with the prerequisite for the laying of the support film, according to which the alignment in the xy direction of the recesses, ie the support feet, is maintained, with which a maximized saving of the support film area can be achieved.

Another essential advantage of the invention is that the means enable the individual supporting foils to be easily laid to form a composite: this laying is just as simple as that described for the prior art, in which the individual supporting feet operate the radio a male and female die.

Advantageous and expedient developments of the task solution according to the invention are characterized in the further claims.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. All elements which are not necessary for the direct understanding of the invention have been omitted. Identical elements are provided with the same reference symbols in the various figures.

Brief description of the drawings

It shows:

1 shows a composite of support films which interlock only over the overlap zones;

2 shows a section over the depressions of the support foils;

3 shows the connection that has been established between two support foils;

REPLACEMENT LEAF 4 shows a further possibility of joining support foils via a further variant of connecting means;

Fig. 5 The design of the connecting means according to Fig. 4;

6, 7, 8 a further possibility of connecting support foils via a further variant of connecting means;

9, 10 a further possibility of joining support foils via a further variant of connecting means,

11, 11a, 12 an embodiment of the depressions serving as support feet,

13, 14, 15 support films with connecting means according to a push button-like structure in the engaged state,

16 shows a section through the butting or overlapping zone and

17, 18, 19 further support foils with connecting means according to the principle of a self-locking angle and a labyrinth seal.

Ways of carrying out the invention, commercial usability

1 shows a composite of support foils, for the sake of understanding the active connection shown between two support foils 1, 2 is entirely sufficient. The individual support foils are covering with regard to the outer dimensions and the inner design

REPLACEMENT LEAF no matter what a stackability of the same as well as an advantageous for transporting palletization can be offered. The stackability is achieved in that the individual depressions 3 serving as support feet alternately assume the function of male and female molds. The ability to palletize is a function of the outer dimensions of the support foils, which, preferably, are to be aligned with the international pallet standards. However, this is not an essential requirement. The geometric shape of the support feet 3 is discussed in more detail below. The support films 1 and 2 have butt or overlap zones la, lb and. 2a, 2b, the width of which is a measure that results from manufacturing and strength considerations and in which minimization is sought. Along their length, these zones have la, lb and. 2a, 2b a plurality of connecting means 4, 5, their number as well as their location in relation to the axes of the support feet 3 coincide congruently in all supporting foils. These connecting means 4, 5 make it possible to form support foils 1, 2 over large areas, in such a way that the axis orientations of the support feet 3 of all support foils run in the same planes over the entire floor area to be installed. The described maintenance of the axial alignment of the support feet 3 of all the support foils is an essential prerequisite for achieving the one final purpose of the cavity floor, namely the subsequent unrestricted, problem-free laying of cables and pipes, which would be extremely at risk if individual depressions 3 would be shifted, and so the continuous tunnel path formed for this purpose had the same closures. In addition, these connecting means 4, 5 have the task of designing the composite formation of support foils in such a way that they can be easily installed. This results in the conditions that the connection between the means 4, 5 of the support foils 1, 2 to be laid is to be designed as a detachable assembly, to name just one reason, when laying them at any time to have a corrective effect. On the other hand, the connection between the individual

REPLACEMENT LEAF Support foils 1, 2 experience a certain fixation, that is, they can be created by means 4, 5, which require a certain adhesion. The degree of frictional connection between the connecting means of two support foils essentially depends on the physical stability of the support foil material used. In the case of very structurally unstable support foils, that is to say foils with a minimal material thickness, the frictional connection and the number of active connecting means along the abutment or overlap zones of two support foils will increase so that there is tightness with respect to the screed mass can, ie the screed mass must not under any circumstances go down through the overlap zones. The frictional connection of this releasable connection can be created by friction or by mechanical locking, for example by means of a push button-like structure (cf. FIGS. 13-15). Of course, what has been said does not exclude that a non-detachable connection between the individual support foils can also be provided for certain applications. The connecting means in this regard can be provided, for example, by an adhesive process, or can also be produced by a chemical, mechanical or welding process. The support feet 3 are spaced from one another in such a way that the support film can adapt to an uneven contour of the subfloor when the screed composition, preferably cement or a flowable composition, for example anhydride, is applied.

2 is a view along the sectional plane II-II in FIG. 1. The overlap of the two support foils 1, 2 and the connection 6 resulting from the interlocking of the two connecting means 4, 5 are clearly visible, here the one Bulge 4 in the butt or overlap zone la fulfills the function of a matrix, while the other bulge 5 in the butt and overlap zone 2a takes on the function of a male. This figure furthermore shows that the depressions 3 serving as support feet have the shape of a truncated cone, the cone angle relating to the

REPLACEMENT LEAF the support film configuration, ie depends on the services to be performed.

The side surfaces of the support foot 3 shown can, which also applies to other support feet, run at a fixed angle, they can also create the shape of the support feet at a progressive or degressive angle.

3 shows the connection 6 created via the bulges 4 and 5. These bulges 4, 5 can be frustoconical, truncated pyramid-shaped with a square or rectangular cross-section, or how the shape of the support feet 3 can be designed. The connection 6 shown here is inherently a detachable connection without frictional connection. Such a connection does not become detachable if, for example, an adhesive process is provided in the area of the connecting means 4, 5 and / or the intermediate spaces on the butt or overlap zones 1 a, 1 b, 2 a, 2 b.

In connection with the description of FIGS. 1-3, reference is made to the following aspects, which also apply to the following explanations: It has proven to be expedient to form the support film 0.3-3 mm thick. On the one hand, this must not be too thin in order not to reduce the load-bearing capacity to an unacceptable level; on the other hand, however, it must not be so thick that the heat transfer is insulated too strongly when the material is used accordingly, and moreover the production must not be too expensive. Common materials and processes are used to manufacture the support film. The support film preferably consists of a thermoplastic, in particular of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyolefins such as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP), or polyanomatics such as polystyrene (PS). Support foils made of thermoplastic are manufactured using conventional spraying methods. The support foils can, however, also be made of a metal that can be deeply drawn.

REPLACEMENT LEAF stand, for example made of aluminum or aluminum alloys or other non-combustible materials.

Since the heat transfer only has to be good from the cavity to the top floor, but not from the bottom floor to the top floor, insulation can be provided in a known manner in the lowermost region of the support foot. In general it can be said that the support foils in the form of plates are preferred, as the exemplary embodiments show; however, if the thickness is appropriate, they can also be produced in the form of rolls. If necessary and justifiable from an economic point of view, the support foils can be supplemented by the installation or formation of reinforcing agents.

4 shows the same support films 1 (2) as in FIG. 1, the butting or overlapping zones la, lb and not shown 2a, 2b, by uniformly distributed, elongated or semicircular depressions 4a, 5a, 5, which lead to a connection 6a similar to connection 6 described above.

6, 7 and 8 show a variant which bring the support foils 10 and 11 together to form a connection which is detachable but is characterized by a force fit. The two support foils 10 and 11 are also not all the same: the one support foil has a latching pin 8 along two overlapping overlapping zones, while the rest identify themselves through a latching opening 7. An all-round bond formation of the support foils with one another is therefore not possible, but only in the area of the complementary engagement means 7, 8.

9 and 10 show a further variant of a composite formation of support foils, the variant shown here producing a releasable connection that can be created with a force fit. This connection takes place with the aid of a lockable plug-in pin 9 which connects the support foils 12, 13.

REPLACEMENT LEAF These support foils 12, 13 are again connectable on all sides, since the means for this purpose in the joint or overlap foils 1a, 1b and not shown 2a, 2b consist of matching, equally large bores 14.

The support films 15 and 16 shown in FIGS. 11 and Ha and 12 have similar abutment or overlap zones as the previous embodiments. As far as the connection is concerned, one of the previous variants or the variants described below can be provided here, which is why, for the sake of simplicity, the corresponding description is not repeated here. The support feet 17 shown are square in cross section. The overlap zones 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b lie in the film plane. A horizontally circumferential zone 17a separates the depression 17 into two truncated pyramids, the side surfaces 18 of the upper truncated pyramid 19 being flatter than the side surfaces 20 of the lower truncated pyramid 21. In the region of the side edges of the upper truncated pyramid 19, reinforcing beads 22 are formed, which have a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape that tapers downwards. The reinforcing beads 22 begin in the area of the overlap zones and end in the area of the four side edges 23 of the lower truncated pyramid 21. The bottom surface 24 of the support feet 17 is octagonal in the present case.

The support feet 17 according to FIG. 12 are indicated with different, high lower truncated pyramids 21, but only the lowest area of the depression, which serves as a support foot in the finished hollow floor, is shown. The inclination of the side surfaces can be seen particularly well from this figure. The side surfaces 18 of the upper truncated pyramid 19 have the angle of inclination, which is substantially smaller than the angle of inclination of the side surfaces 20 of the lower truncated pyramids 21. The angle of inclination β is in the range from 30-80 °. It can also be seen from FIG. 12 that the depth of the reinforcing beads 22 increases from top to bottom and that the bottom thereof is tangent to the flat areas in a curved curve.

REPLACEMENT BL rich 23 of the side edges of the lower truncated pyramid 21 merges. These features are important for the load-bearing capacity of the support film and in particular for the upper floor formed by it.

13-15 show a connection between two support foils 15, 16, the shape of which was borrowed from FIG. 11, using a push-button-like structure. It is a question here of coupling the individual foils 15, 16 to one another, without the use of additional aids, to form an assembly-friendly area-wide support foil composite, and this by means of a connection that can be created with a force fit. The design proposed here in the sense and function of a push button consists of a number of rectangular bulges 25, 26 which extend along the peripheral edges la, lb; 2a, 2b of each support film 15, 16 are evenly distributed. A preferred use of these bulges is to arrange them in the x and y directions of the support foils 15, 16 in the planes of the central axes of the individual support feet 17, these bulges 25, 26 both functioning as a matrix as well as that of a patrix: the bulge 26 of a first support film 15 serves as the matrix, the bulge 25 of a support film 16 placed next to it, the latter bulge directly fulfilling the function of a patrix.

The remaining bulges of this support film, along the butt or overlap zones not covered by the previous support film, in turn take on the function of a matrix with respect to the bulges of the subsequent support film, etc. The strength of the frictional connection, that is the jamming, must be chosen in such a way that the circumferential edges 1a, 2a of two adjacent support foils lying one on top of the other are forced into a preferred position, that is to say they close tightly, so that the screed mass, in particular if it is a thin liquid, is not caused by leaking zoo can eat down along the overlaps. Of-

REPLACEMENT LEAF half, in order to do justice to this final purpose, it is just as important, in addition to the short division between the individual bulges mentioned, that the matrix and the patrix engage securely. After the connection has been made, the two circumferential edges lying one on top of the other must run tightly and snugly over their entire length. One design that meets all the requirements consists in initially designing the bulges of all the support foils to be geometrically the same size.

The frictional connection, that is to say the jamming between two bulges, is a measure of the changes in the geometry of the two, the male part will be a contraction, the male part will be an elongation, corresponding to the modulus of elasticity of the supporting film material. In terms of contribution, this is about overcoming the support film thickness in the circumferential direction of the push button-like structure. The shape of the bulge here consists of a rectangular truncated pyramid that tapers downwards regularly and irregularly. The longitudinal surfaces 25a, 26a taper at a fixed angle to the base of the bulge. The wide areas 25b, 26b, on the other hand, have a double offset: up to about half the wide areas 25b, 26b diverge, similar to a dovetail, at a small angle, then they form a curve and taper from here they extend at a larger angle to the base of the bulge. The rounding at the transition between the two diverging angles in operative connection with the upper course of the broad surfaces 25b, 26b causes a locking mechanism between the die and the patrix. This design has the advantage that a good palletizing of the support foils is made possible without the support foils being pushed into one another by a force fit.

In the case of thin support foils, in the case of severe undulation of the butting or overlapping zones, and in the event of an irregular course of the subfloor, it can happen that the locking mechanism

REPLACEMENT LEAF alone is not sufficient to seal the gaps between the support film overlaps. In order to remedy this, the intermediate spaces between two clamping ratchets are provided with depressions, as is shown, for example, in FIGS. 4 and 5. By entering the recess 27 of the upper support film overlap zone 2a into the recess 28 of the underlying support film overlap zone la, a loose connection is created which, however, has a certain seat friction along the long, oblique connection due to the effects of the frictional engagement of the clamping ratchets Surfaces of the recesses 27, 28 can be created. Compared to a low-viscosity screed mass, the four-fold deflection, paired with a two-fold surface closure, offers a good labyrinth seal.

FIG. 17 shows essentially the same support films as in FIG. 13.

The adhesion, i.e. the jamming along the overlap zones 1a, 2a takes place here according to the suggestions of FIGS. 18 and 19, which can be used either individually, in combination with one another or in combination with other configurations of depressions and bulges.

18 shows means for the mutual alignment of two support foils 15, 16, which is created here using a truncated cone 29 serving as a bulge. The cone angle of this truncated cone 29 is less than 5 ° here, so that self-locking can result in a frictional connection.

The danger which arises from any arching along the overlap zones 1a, 2a between two bulges is counteracted by providing a recess 30 which is designed according to the principle of a maximized labyrinth seal, that is to say within the recess 30 compared to the direction of flow of the screed mass in the area of leaks along the overlap zones la, 2a, as many changes in direction as possible, this

REPLACEMENT LEAF for the purpose of keeping the screed mass safe.

This depression 30 should advantageously cover the entire active length of the overlap zones 1a, 2a.

REPLACEMENT LEAF

Claims

claims Support film, essentially consisting of longitudinally and transversely spaced, one-sided downward-shaped and tightly sealing depressions serving as supporting feet on a sub-floor, for applying a screed mass to form an upper floor, the Support foil is provided with butt or overlap zones, characterized in that at least two butt or overlap zones (la, lb) of a first support foil (1, ....) are provided with means (4, ....) are in operative connection with means (5, ....) of a further supporting film (2, ....) also arranged in the area of at least two abutment or overlap zones (2a, 2b), a coupling connection (6) form that the means (4, ....; 5, ....) are arranged locally so that the support feet (3, 17) of all supporting foils (1, 2, ... coupled to a surface-covering composite) .) form a uniform matrix, and that the shape of the Mi ttel (4, ....; 5, ....) for all support foils (1, 2, ....) is the same. Support film according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for forming the connection bulges (25, 26) are in the form of a regular or irregular n-square truncated pyramid, that at least one side surface (25b, 26b) of the truncated pyramid has a stepped line profile which, in operative connection with a line profile of the same bulge of another bulge, forms a locking mechanism. REPLACEMENT LEAF 3. Support film according to claims 1 and 2, characterized gekenn¬ characterized in that the intermediate space between two bulges (25) along the butt or overlap zones (la, lb; 2a, 2b) with further depressions (27th , 28) is provided. 4. Support film according to claim 1, characterized in that the means (4, ....; 5, ....) are in the same x and y plane of the support feet (3, 17). 5. Support film according to claim 1, characterized in that the support feet (3, 17) have the shape of an n-shaped truncated pyramid. 6. Support film according to claim 5, characterized in that the support feet (3) is in the form of a truncated cone. 7. Support film according to claim 5, characterized in that the support feet (17) assume a square shape in cross-section, the flat side walls (18, 20) with a horizontally circumferential zone (17a) in the upper half thereof, that the zone (17a) truncated the supporting feet (17) in an upper pyramid (19) with flat side walls (18) and in a lower truncated pyramid (21) with steeper, but from the Vertical deviating side walls (20), and that at least over the area of the four side edges of the upper truncated pyramid (19) and the corners of the horizontally circumferential zone (17a) shaped reinforcing beads (22) which are in the butt or Overlap zones (la, lb; 2a, 2b) begin and end in the flat area of the four side edges of the upper truncated pyramid (21). REPLACEMENT LEAF 8. Support film according to claims 1 and 3, characterized gekenn¬ characterized in that the means for establishing the connection consists of a pin (9) through holes of the same size (14) in the region of the joint or overlap zones (la , lb; 2a, 2b) can be inserted. 9. Support film according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for forming the connection bulges (29) are in the form of a truncated pyramid with a cone angle <5 °. 10. Support film according to claims 1 and 9, characterized gekenn¬ characterized in that the intermediate space between two bulges (29) along the abutting or overlapping zones (la, lb; 2a, 2b) with depressions (30) have a course of at least five differently oriented surfaces. REPLACEMENT LEAF