Resizable Insulated and Watertightness Wall Panel Joint Structure

Abstract

This invention relates to a prefabricated insulated wall panel system with a resizable structure that can readily meet the on-site substrate dimensional tolerance by enabling the panel connectors to be cut, tailored on-site, and inserted and patched without damaging the watertightness structure as well as the continuous insulation structure of the exterior cladding system. In particular, the invention discloses the structure of the watertightness and insulated connectors at the joint of two adjacent insulated wall panels, wherein the panel positioning plate, functioning as a panel-to-panel watertightness connector and panel locker, is embraced by the two grooves at edges of the two adjacent panels, and installed in the grooves to interlock the two adjacent wall panels to accomplish watertightness structure, while wherein the insulated panel patch, functioning as a panel-to-panel continuous insulation patch, is patched on the back of the panel positioning plate to accomplish continuous insulation structure at joints of the panels. The invention also discloses that both of the said plate and patch can be tailored on-site upon the measurement variance of substrate wall at the panel joint to accomplish the seamless panel installation without damage watertightness and continuous insulation structure.

Claims

1. A prefabricated exterior insulated wall panel system with a structure comprising: a prefabricated insulated wall panel, a groove on the edge of the said panel, a panel positioning and interlocking plate, an insulated panel patch, panel clips for the said plate or panel patch, clip fasteners, and a watertightness sealant.

2. The prefabricated insulated wall panel of claim 1, wherein the said panel consists of four layers, the finish coat layer for aesthetic decoration, the mesh reinforced base coat layer for impact and scratch resistance and water barrier performance, the insulation core layer for thermal performance, and the backer layer for the panel to perform better with adhesive materials behind it to achieve tensile resistance.

3. The prefabricated insulated wall panel of claim 1, wherein the said insulation core layer can be created in various commonly used insulation materials, such as polystyrene foam, expanded polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam, polyurethane rigid foam, polyethylene foam, rock wool board, glass fiber board, etc.

4. The prefabricated insulated wall panel of claim 1, wherein the said panel has four edges, namely top, bottom, left and right panel edge.

5. The groove on the edge of the said panel in claim 1, wherein the groove divides the top and bottom edges of the said panel into two subareas, the inner edge area and outer edge area, and wherein the said outer edge area locating to the back of the panel with a larger dimension, and the said inner edge area locating to the front of the panel with a smaller dimension.

6. The outer edge area at panel edge of claim 5, wherein the surface of said outer edge area is not covered with base coat layer, therefore the height of said outer edge from panel's bottom to its top is resizable by cutting it or patching it to the size required on the job site.

7. The inner edge area at panel edge of claim 5, wherein the surface of said inner edge area is covered with base coat layer, therefore the size of the inner edge is not resizable either by cutting or patching.

8. The inner edge area at panel top or bottom edge of claim 5, wherein a premade groove is carved into the said inner edge and located to the front of the panel, and wherein the back wall, front wall and floor of the said groove is covered by the base coat layer.

9. The panel positioning and interlocking plate of claim 1, wherein the size of said plate is resizable by cutting on-site according to the job site panel sizing requirements, and during the installation of the panels the said plate is inserted into the groove on the lower panel's top edge, and then embraced by the groove on the upper panel's bottom edge.

10. The panel positioning and interlocking plate of claim 1, wherein thickness of said plate plus the thickness of the said clips of claim 1 shall match the thickness of the said groove, and the material of the plate must work well with the material of base coat layer on the groove surface to accomplish the watertightness capability.

11. (canceled)

12. The insulated panel patch of claim 1, wherein the said patch consists of three layers, a front layer made in a material that works well with the material of the said plate, an insulation core layer that directly connects to the outer edges of the adjacent panels to achieve continuous insulation capability, and a backer layer that performs well with adhesive materials behind it to achieve tensile resistance.

13. The insulated panel patch of claim 1, wherein the size of said patch is resizable by cutting itself on-site according to the space required between the outer edges of the two adjacent panels during the installation.

14. (canceled)

15. The watertightness sealant of claim 1, wherein the said watertightness sealant can be used at the seams between the said plate and said panels to further accomplish the watertightness capability, and wherein the same finish color as panel finish coat can be used for the said sealant to further accomplish panel joint seamless visual effect.

16. The panel clips of claim 1, wherein the honeycomb holes are pre-drilled across it to allow the said watertightness sealant to connect to the said plate through the holes while the metal fasteners are used to directly fasten it to the panel supporting frame.

17. The panel clips of claim 1, wherein, when the said patch is used and the said plate cannot be covered by the said waterightness sealant due to the architectural constraints, the size of the clips is extended so as to cover the edges of the adjacent panels and the entire panel patch.

18. The panel clips of claim 1, wherein, when the said patch and the extended said panel plates are used to accomplish some architectural facades, the said clips are fastened directly against panel edges and panel patch, and concealed by the extended said panel plates.

Description

[0078] FIG. 1A is a perspective section view of non-patched panel joint,

[0079] FIG. 1B is a perspective section view of patched panel joint,

[0080] FIG. 2A is a front view of the panel,

[0081] FIG. 2B is a front view of the patched panel joint,

[0082] FIG. 3A is a side sectional view of a non-patched panel joint,

[0083] FIG. 3B is a side sectional view of a patched panel joint with architectural fluting,

[0084] FIG. 4 is a top view of the panel.

[0085] FIG. 5 is a top view of the system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

[0086] Panel

[0087] The prefabricated insulated wall panel basically comprises four layers: the finish coat layer for aesthetic decoration, the mesh reinforced base coat layer for impact and scratch resistance and water barrier performance, the insulation core layer for thermal performance, and the backer layer for the panel to perform better with adhesive materials behind it to achieve tensile resistance. The present disclosure consists of the prefabricated grooves, one at each of the two edges, bottom one and top one of a panel, in the prefabricated insulated wall panel system, wherein the panel positioning plate, and the insulated panel patch if required, connect the two adjacent panels.

[0088] Panel Edge

[0089] Each edge of the panel consists of two areas, the inner edge area, covered with mesh reinforced base coat that enables watertightness structure, and the outer edge area, extending out from the inner edge area, exposed to the insulation material that enables continuous insulation structure and allows it to be cut or patched without damaging the inner edge area. At the panel bottom edge, as well as top edge, there forms a groove in the inner edge area to embrace the panel positioning plate for watertightness capability as well as aesthetic purpose. In the inner edge area of panel left or right edge, no groove is formed, the outer edge area insulation material extends out so as to connect directly to the one of adjacent panel while the inner edge areas between the adjacent panels are grouted and sealed with mortar and sealant.

[0090] Panel Edge Groove

[0091] In the present disclosure, the edge groove is formed, only in the inner edge area at the bottom and top edges, in the inner edge area that is covered with mesh reinforced base coat in order to work closely with the compatible material of the panel positioning plate to accomplish the watertightness structure. The width of the edge groove is premade precisely to fit the width of the panel positioning plate so that the groove can embrace the plate tightly.

[0092] Panel Positioning Plate

[0093] When the panel is installed and its size needs to be tailored, the outer edge area of panel can be cut or patched to meet the substrate dimensional requirements. At the same time, the panel positioning plate and the insulated panel patch may also need to be resized accordingly. The material of the said plate must work compatibly with the material of the panel base coat layer, and the thickness of the plate must work closely with the thickness of premade panel edge grooves.

[0094] Decorative Panel Fluting and Bossage

[0095] When two adjacent panels embrace the panel positioning plate of which the height is more than twice of the depth of the groove, the three pieces form a panel fluting at the surface of the wall. However, additional premade raised line can also be created and finish-coated on the front side of the panel positioning plate to achieve certain architectural bossage effect.

[0096] Panel Clips and Clip Fasteners

[0097] The panel clips are fastened directly to the supporting frame using metal clip fasteners so that it mechanically holds the panel edges, panel patch if any, to the panel-supporting frame. The pre-drilled honeycomb holes across the plate allow the watertightness sealant to connect to the panel positioning plate or to the panel's finish coat layer.

[0098] Insulated Panel Patch

[0099] The thickness of the insulated panel patch should be made exactly the same as the thickness of the outer edge area of panel, however, its insulation material can be different. The said patch will be used to connect the panels only when the panel positioning plate is used for the architecture fluting or bossage effect. The insulated panel patch is also used to achieve continuous insulation as well as the architectural fluting or bossage effect.

[0100] The present invention relates to a prefabricated insulated wall panel system with a resizable structure that can readily meet the substrate dimensional requirements and variance, such as on-site dimensional deviation from the shop drawing, by enabling the prefabricated panels to be cut or patched on the job site without damaging the watertightness structure as well as the continuous insulation structure of the system.

[0101] The present invention consists of the structure of the prefabricated insulated wall panels, the panel positioning plate, and insulated panel patch if necessary, that connects the two adjacent panels. The said prefabricated insulated wall panel comprises four layers: the finish coat layer for aesthetic decoration, the mesh reinforced base coat layer for impact and scratch resistance and water barrier performance, the insulation core layer for thermal performance, and the backer layer for the panel to perform better with adhesive materials behind it to achieve tensile resistance.

[0102] The present invention discloses the structure of continuous insulation and watertightness capabilities at the joint of two adjacent insulated wall panels. On the top and bottom edge of the panel, there is a premade groove that can tightly embrace the panel positioning plate, which can be fastened through mechanical fasteners directly to the substrate wall frames. In the case of the panel insulated patch is used, the height of the insulated patch plus total depths of the two grooves on the connected panel edges shall exactly match the height of the plate.

[0103] The structure accomplishes the panel system's sizeable but watertightness capability through the panel premade grooves, the resizable plate and resizable outer edge on top or bottom edge of panel. The plugged-in positioning plate, functioning as a panel-to-panel connector and interlocker, embraced tightly by the grooves on each edge of the panels, can also be resized in its own measurement if necessary. The said plate is plugged in the grooves to interlock two adjacent insulated wall panels and to accomplish watertightness structure at joints of the panels. The said plate also functions as a panel joint control device to assure the precise space between two adjacent panels, to enable the easy and accurate panel installation.

[0104] FIG. 1A is the perspective view of a non-patched panel joint, wherein the two resizable panels 100 are connected to each other with a the panel positioning plate 200 that is tightly embraced by the two grooves on the panel bottom and top edges, wherein the edges of the panels are clipped with the said plate which itself is clipped with the clips 600 and fastened with the metal fasteners 400. The edge sealant or grout mortar 500 with the same panel finish coat can be used to conceal the clips 600 and fasteners 400 and make panel joint seamless.

[0105] FIG. 1B is the perspective view of a patched panel joint, wherein the two resizable panels 100 are both connected to a panel patch 300 to achieve continuous insulation performance. In this case, a panel positioning plate 200 of which the height is greater than total depths of the two adjacent panel edge grooves so that the architectural fluting is formed. Therefore, a wider and larger clip 600 and metal fasteners 400 shall be used to directly clip the panel patch 300 as well as the edges of the two said panels 100, the bottom edge of upper panel and top edge of lower panel, to the panel supporting structure, such as steel or wood studs. However, the said positioning plate 200 shall be installed outside of the clips so as to conceal the said clips and fasters, and sealed with grouting mortar or watertightness sealant 500.

[0106] FIG. 2A is a front view of the panel structure. The structure discloses the panel's four inner edges, top inner edge 121, bottom inner edge 131, right side inner edge 141, and left side inner edge 151. Meanwhile, it also discloses the panel's four outer edges, top out edge 122, bottom outer edge 132, right side outer edge 142, and left side outer edge 152. The structure also discloses the floor 125 of the premade groove on panel top edge and the ceiling 135 of premade grooves on panel bottom edge. The said groove separate the panel edge into two areas, the outer edge area and the inner edge area. The front elevation view disclose the back wall of the premade groove 124 on panel top, as well as the back wall of the groove 134 on panel bottom. This advantage of this panel structure is to allow its outer edges 122, 132, 142 and 152 to be cut to some extent on the job site without damaging the system watertightness and continuous insulation capabilities.

[0107] FIG. 2B is a front view of the patched panel joint, wherein the two adjacent panels are connected to each other through a heightened panel positioning plate 202 and a insulated panel patch 300. The top of said plate is tightly connected to the ceiling 135 of the upper panel's groove and bottom of said plate is tightly connected to the floor 125 of the lower panel's groove. The insulated panel patch 300 seamlessly connects the upper panel's outer edge 132 and lower panel's outer edge 122. The gap between the upper panel's inner edge 131 and lower panel's inner edge 121 allows the said plate to form either an architectural fluting or an architectural bossage. This advantage of this panel structure is to allow its outer edges 122 and 132 to be cut to some extent on the job site without damaging the system watertightness and continuous insulation capabilities.

[0108] FIG. 3A is a side sectional view of a non-patched panel joint structure, wherein said panel consists of four layers, the finish coat layer 101 for aesthetic decoration, the mesh reinforced base coat layer 102 for impact and scratch resistance and water barrier performance, the insulation core layer 103 for thermal performance, and the backer layer 104 for the panel to perform better with adhesive materials behind it to achieve tensile resistance. The side section view also lays out that the upper panel's bottom outer edge area 132 and lower panel's top outer area 122 are directly connected to each other, without using panel patch 300 behind the plate 201, to achieve continuous insulation. In this case, the positioning plate 201 and panel outer edges can both be resized on-site to a tolerable extent. The resizable plate is tightly embraced by the walls 134 and the ceiling 135 of the upper panel's groove, and by the walls 124 and the floor 125 of the lower panel's groove. In this case, the panel edges are mechanically attached through the positioning plate that itself is fastened through metal fasteners 400 directly to the substrate wall supporting structure. To achieve the aesthetics and watertightness, the panel joint sealant 500 is used to conceal the fasteners 400 between the panel's inner edges 121 and 131.

[0109] FIG. 3B is a side sectional view of a patched panel joint structure, wherein the upper panel's bottom outer edge area 132 and lower panel's top outer area 122 are both connected to an insulated panel patch 300, which is behind the height-extended panel positioning plate 202, to achieve continuous insulation. In this case, the positioning plate 202 and the insulated panel patch 300 can be both resized on-site to match each other's height. The resizable plate is tightly embraced by the walls 134 and the ceiling 135 of the upper panel's groove, and by the walls 124 and the floor 125 of the lower panel's groove. However, in this case, the clip 600 and fasteners 400 are used to directly attach the panel edges and panel patch to the substrate wall supporting structure. In this case, the flat front side of the said plate and the gaps between the inner edge 131 of upper panel and the inner edge 121 of lower panel forms an architectural fluting. To further achieve the system watertightness capability, the panel joint sealant 500 is used for the seam between the extended panel plate 202 and panel inner edges 121 and 131.

[0110] FIG. 4 is top section view of the said panel structure, wherein the said panel 100 consists of four layers, the finish coat layer 101 for aesthetic decoration, the mesh reinforced base coat layer 102 for impact and scratch resistance and water barrier performance, the insulation core layer 103 for thermal performance, and the backer layer 104 for the panel to perform better with adhesive materials behind it to achieve tensile resistance. This view also discloses the panel's left outer edge 152 and right outer edge 142 are extruded out from its right inner edge 141 and left inner edge 151, to accomplish the continuous insulation connection. The top view also discloses the inner edge area 121 and the outer edge area 122 on the panel top edge, and the groove on the panel top edge, wherein layout the groove front wall 126, the groove back wall 124, and the groove floor 125.

[0111] FIG. 5 is top section view of the installed non-patched panel system, wherein the said panel is clipped with the panel clip 201, which itself is clipped with the panel clip 600 that is fastened with the clip fastener 400. The clips and the clip fasteners are then covered and concealed by the watertightness sealant 500.