Insulation tile and method for its manufacture

Abstract

The insulation tile comprises a first planar surface, a second planar surface and side surfaces defining the surfaces, and a casting compound layer as well as an insulation material layer, which is manufactured from thermal insulation material, the compression strength of which is at least 10 kPa. The casting compound layer forms the first planar surface of the insulation tile and the insulation material layer forms the second planar surface of the insulation tile. Furthermore, the insulation material layer of the insulation tile comprises grooves in the area of the planar surface which will be against the casting compound layer. The insulation tile according to the invention can be used in floor, roof and wall structures.

Claims

1. An insulation tile having a first planar surface, a second planar surface and four side surfaces, the insulation tile consisting of: a casting compound layer having a first and a second surface and four side surfaces, and an insulation material layer having a first and a second surface and four side surfaces; the first surface of the casting compound layer forming the first planar surface of the tile and the second surface of the casting compound layer being adjacent to the first surface of the insulation material layer, and the first surface of the insulation layer having parallel grooves extending perpendicularly against two of the side surfaces of the insulation layer, and the second surface of the insulation material layer forming the second planar surface of the insulation tile; wherein the second surface of the casting compound layer extends partially into the grooves attaching the casting compound layer and the insulation material layer together and leaving a space between bottom of the grooves and the casting material layer forming ventilation channels inside the insulation material layer, and wherein the insulation material layer is made of extruded polystyrene (XPS), expanded polystyrene (EPS), polyurethane (PIR/PUR) or phenolic foam, the compression strength of which is at least 10 kPa.

2. The insulation tile according to claim 1, wherein the insulation material layer comprises 1-80 weight-%, 1-50 weight-% recycled extruded polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane (PIR/PUR) or phenolic foam material or recycled rubber granules.

3. The insulation tile according to claim 1, wherein the insulation tile has a groove on at least one of its side surface in longitudinal direction of the at least one of its side surface.

4. The insulation tile according to claim 1, wherein at least one side surface of the insulation material layer is notched, so that the first surface of the insulation material layer adjacent to the second surface of the casting compound layer is smaller than the second surface of the casting compound layer.

5. The insulation tile according to claim 1, wherein the casting compound layer comprises concrete, or mortar casting compound, which comprises binding agent and inorganic material.

6. The insulation tile according to claim 5, wherein the casting compound layer comprises 1-80 weight-%, 1-50 weight-% recycled extruded polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane (PIR/PUR) or phenolic foam material or recycled rubber granules.

7. The insulation tile according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the casting compound layer is 1-20 mm measured between the first surface of the casting compound layer and between the grooves of the second surface of the casting compound layer.

8. The insulation tile according to claim 1, wherein the second surface of the casting compound layer extending partially into the grooves forms a 2-50 mm thick layer in the grooves above the space on the bottom of the grooves.

9. The insulation tile according to claim 3, wherein the groove on the side surface of the insulation tile is formed between the insulation material layer and the casting compound layer.

10. The insulation tile according to claim 3, wherein the insulation tile has a groove on at least two side surfaces, which side surfaces are substantially parallel.

11. A method to insulate floor, roof or wall structures by installing insulation tiles according to claim 1 onto the structures, which method comprises: forming a first planar surface of the insulation tile by providing a casting compound layer on bottom of a mold, forming a second planar surface of the insulation tile by providing an insulation material made of extruded polystyrene (XPS), expanded polystyrene (EPS), polyurethane (PIR/PUR) or phenolic foam, the compression strength of which is at least 10 kPa, on top of the casting compound layer, which insulation material layer has parallel grooves on its surface adjacent to the casting compound layer, and wherein the casting compound layer extends partly into these grooves attaching the insulation layer and the casting compound layer together and leaving a space between bottom of the grooves and casting compound layer forming parallel ventilation channels inside the insulation material layer.

12. A method for manufacturing an insulation tile, which insulation tile has a first planar surface, a second planar surface and four side surfaces, and which insulation tile consists of a casting compound layer and an insulation material layer, in which method: casting compound is fed to a casting mould, the insulation material layer is applied to the casting mould on top of the casting compound, which insulation material layer is formed of at least one plate, the compression strength of which plate is at least 10 kPa and is made of extruded polystyrene (XPS), expanded polystyrene (EPS), polyurethane (PIR/PUR) or phenolic foam, and which insulation material layer has parallel grooves on its surface adjacent to the casting compound layer, the insulation material layer is pressed against the casting compound, whereby the casting compound is evenly spread to the casting mould forming the first planar surface of the insulation tile and the casting compound partly fills the grooves on the surface of the insulation material adjacent to the casting compound layer forming parallel ventilation channels inside the insulation material layer.

Description

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) In the following, the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the appended drawings, in which

(2) FIG. 1 shows a structure of an insulation tile according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a structure of another insulation tile according to the invention, and

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a method for manufacturing an insulation tile according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) In the following, the invention is described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, which show structures of insulation tiles according to some embodiments of the invention. FIG. 3 shows schematically a method for manufacturing an insulation tile according to the invention.

(6) FIG. 1 shows a structure of an insulation tile according to the invention. The insulation tile 10 comprises a first planar surface, a second planar surface and side surfaces defining the surfaces, and a casting compound layer 1 and an insulation material layer 2 formed of thermal insulation material. The casting compound layer 1 forms the first planar surface of the insulation tile and the insulation material layer 2 forms the second planar surface of the insulation tile. The insulation material layer 2 of the insulation tile shown in FIG. 1 also comprises grooves on the planar surface of the insulation material layer, which arranges against the casting compound layer 1. The casting compound layer 1 extends to the grooves in the insulation material 2, but however so that ventilation gaps 4 remain between the insulation material layer 2 and the casting compound layer 1. Thus, the casting compound does not entirely fill the grooves in the insulation material.

(7) FIG. 2 shows a structure of another insulation tile 10 according to the invention. The structure is otherwise the same as in FIG. 1, but now there are additionally grooves 3a, 3b on the side surfaces of the insulation tile between the casting compound layer 1 and the insulation material layer 2. The grooves 3a, 3b in the insulation tile 10 shown in FIG. 2 are arranged on two side surfaces, which are substantially parallel. In the insulation tile 10 according to the invention, the groove 3a, 3b can be formed on at least one side surface. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the casting compound layer 1 extends on the side surfaces of the insulation tile partly on the insulation material layer 2, whereby the insulation material layer 2 partly remains inside the casting compound layer 1. Depending on the structure of the plate forming the insulation material layer 2 and on the amount of the casting compound 1 in the manufacturing stage, the size of the groove/grooves 3a, 3b may vary and thus also the fact, how big part of the insulation material layer 2 is inside the casting compound layer 1.

(8) In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the casting compound layer 1 of the insulation tile 10 is formed of concrete or mortar, and the insulation material layer 2 is made of a plate manufactured from extruded polystyrene (XPS). The planar surface formed by the casting compound 1 may comprise different structures, grooves or shapes, which are typically formed in the casting stage on the surface of the casting compound layer.

(9) FIG. 3 shows schematically a method for manufacturing the insulation tiles according to the invention. The Figure shows three different stages A-C for manufacturing the insulation tile in a casting mould 11, which comprises a bottom part and side walls. The casting mould may also comprise a cover part 12. Stage A shows the arrangement of the casting compound 1a in the casting mould 11, typically on the bottom of the casting mould. After this, in stage B, the at least one plate 2a forming the insulation material layer and manufactured from a thermal insulation material is put in the casting mould, the planar lower surface of which plate comprises grooves and sets against the casting compound layer. Further, the at least one side surface of the lower surface of the plate manufactured from a thermal insulation material, in the case of the Figure two side surfaces, can be notched/formed so that the lower surface of the plate which sets against the casting compound has a smaller area than the upper surface of the plate. Thus, FIG. 3 shows an insulation tile according to the invention, the side surfaces of which insulation tile have grooves. In stage C, the plate 2a is pressed to the casting compound and as a result of this the casting compound 2a is evenly spread on the bottom of the casting mould and partly to the grooves in the thermal insulation material and in some cases also partly to the sides of the casting mould to the space between the thermal insulation plate 2a and the inner wall of the casting mould. After this, the casting mould can be opened, and the insulation tile can be removed from the mould.

(10) The invention is not intended to be limited to the above-presented exemplary embodiments, but the intention is to apply the invention widely within the inventive idea defined by the claims defined below.