CONFORMABLE PANEL COMPRISING TWO FACES LINKED BY A NON-UNIFORM CONNECTING STRUCTURE

Abstract

A panel (10) comprises a first woven fabric (26), a second woven fabric (28), and a linking structure comprising stays (74) linking the first woven fabric (26) to the second woven fabric (28), at least some of the stays (74) of the linking structure having an at-rest length that is different from the mean h.sub.m of the at-rest lengths of the stays (74), and the first woven fabric (26) being plastically deformable in at least one of its main directions.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. A panel comprising: a first woven fabric comprising filamentary warp elements (C1), which are substantially parallel to one another and extend in a warp direction, which constitutes a first main direction of the first woven fabric, and filamentary weft elements (T1), which are substantially parallel to one another and extend in a weft direction, which constitutes a second main direction of the first woven fabric, different from the first main direction of the first woven fabric; a second woven fabric comprising filamentary warp elements (C2), which are substantially parallel to one another and extend in a second warp direction, which constitutes a first main direction of the second woven fabric, and second filamentary weft elements (T2), which are substantially parallel to one another and extend in a second weft direction, which constitutes a second main direction of the second woven fabric, different from the first main direction of the second woven fabric; and a linking structure comprising n filamentary elements linking the first woven fabric to the second woven fabric, each filamentary element comprising at least one stay, extending between the first and second woven fabrics and linking the first woven fabric to the second woven fabric, each stay i having an at-rest length h; and extending from a point of attachment to the first woven fabric to a point of attachment to the second woven fabric, wherein at least some of the m stays of the linking structure have an at-rest length that is different from a mean h.sub.m of the at-rest lengths of the stays, m representing a total number of stays of the linking structure, wherein a difference E, expressed as a %, between an at-rest length h.sub.max of a longest stay of the linking structure and an at-rest length h.sub.min of a shortest stay of the linking structure, and calculated as E=100?(h.sub.max?h.sub.min)/h.sub.min, is such that E>A.sub.r, where A.sub.r represents, as a %, an elongation at break of the stay of the shortest at-rest length, and wherein the first woven fabric is plastically deformable in at least one of the first and second main directions of the first woven fabric so that a distance between two points of attachment of each stay i is substantially equal to its at-rest length h.sub.i.

17. The panel according to claim 16, wherein heights h.sub.i of the stays are distributed periodically in at least one of the first and second main directions of the first woven fabric.

18. The panel according to claim 16, wherein the panel comprises at least g groups G.sub.j of stays, where g is greater than 1 and less than m, and j is an integer between 1 and g, each group G.sub.j being characterized in that each stage of the group G.sub.j has an at-rest length substantially equal to a mean of the at-rest lengths h.sub.j of the stays of the group G.sub.j and, for j and k being different integers comprised between 1 and g, h.sub.j*h.sub.k.

19. The panel according to claim 16, further comprising a filling material between an internal face of the first woven fabric and an internal face of the second woven fabric.

20. The panel according to claim 19, wherein the filling material is selected from the group consisting of sand, cement, a cement-based foam, plaster, soil, clay, natural fibers, inorganic fibers, polystyrene, polyurethane, cork, spoil and crushed building or infrastructure rubble.

21. The panel according to claim 19, wherein the filling material is an expanded material.

22. The panel according to claim 16, wherein the second woven fabric is deformable in at least one of the first and second main directions of the second woven fabric.

23. The panel according to claim 22, wherein the second woven fabric deforms plastically.

24. The panel according to claim 16, wherein at least one woven fabric selected from the first woven fabric and the second woven fabric comprises at least one deformable zone, the at least one deformable zone comprising at least one filamentary element ED deformable under traction, and wherein, for any traction-deformable filamentary element ED, there is an elongation A.sub.ED<AR.sub.ED that is such that M1.sub.ED/M2.sub.ED<1, where M1.sub.ED represents a modulus of the deformable filamentary element ED for any elongation less than or equal to K1?A.sub.ED%, M2.sub.ED represents a modulus of the deformable filamentary element ED for any elongation greater than or equal to K2?A.sub.ED%, AR.sub.ED representing an elongation at break of the deformable filamentary element ED, as a %, with K1 ranging from 0.8 to 0.95 and K2 ranging from 1.05 to 1.2, the modulus values M1.sub.ED, M2.sub.ED and the elongation at break AR.sub.ED being measured in accordance with standard ASTM D885-03.

25. The panel according to claim 16, wherein the first and second woven fabrics comprise, independently of one another, a material selected from the group consisting of a polyester, a polyamide, a polyketone, a polyurethane, a natural fiber, an inorganic fiber, a cellulose fiber and a collection thereof.

26. The panel according to claim 16, wherein at least one of the woven fabrics comprises a material that is fire-retardant either through its nature or by having a fire-retardant treatment.

27. The panel according to claim 16, wherein each filamentary element of the linking structure is a textile element.

28. The panel according to claim 16, wherein each filamentary element of the linking structure is a metallic element.

29. The panel according to claim 16, wherein the mean at-rest length h.sub.m of the stays is greater than 8 mm.

30. An assembly comprising at least one panel according to claim 16.

Description

DESCRIPTION THE FIGURES

[0094] FIG. 1 Schematic general arrangement of a panel according to the invention comprising a first woven fabric comprising a deformable zone.

[0095] FIG. 2 Schematic general arrangement of a panel according to the invention comprising a first woven fabric comprising a deformable zone and a second woven fabric comprising a deformable zone.

[0096] FIG. 3 Schematic general arrangement of a panel according to the invention comprising two deformable woven fabrics.

[0097] FIG. 4 View from above of the panel according to the invention.

[0098] FIG. 5 View in cross section, on the plane of cross section P-P, of the panel according to the invention.

[0099] FIG. 1 depicts a schematic general arrangement of a cross section through a panel (10) according to the invention, comprising a first woven fabric (1) comprising a deformable zone (2), a second woven fabric (3) and a linking structure comprising filamentary elements linking the first woven fabric to the second woven fabric, each filamentary element comprising at least one filamentary portion, referred to as a stay (4), linking the first woven fabric (1) to the second woven fabric (3), some of the stays of the linking structure having an at-rest length different from the mean at-rest length V of the stays. The deformable zone (2) has been depicted with a greater thickness solely to make the diagram easier to interpret. The filling material that is preferably present between the internal face of the first woven fabric (1) and the internal face of the second woven fabric (2) is not depicted in FIG. 1. It may be seen that it is possible to conform to a curved surface without the need to use a multitude of flat panels to approximate the curvature of the surface, making work far easier, with an interior surface different in shape from the exterior surface of the panel.

[0100] FIG. 2 depicts a schematic general arrangement of a cross section through a panel (11) comprising a deformable zone (A) of the first woven fabric. This diagram illustrates how complex shapes can be obtained with the panel according to the invention, the shape of the surface of the first woven fabric being, after shaping, determined by the distribution of the size of the stays.

[0101] FIG. 3 depicts another schematic general arrangement of a panel (01) comprising a deformable zone of the first woven fabric and a deformable zone of the second woven fabric, and two groups of stays (12), the length of each stay (13) being substantially equal to the mean of the lengths of each stay of that group.

[0102] FIG. 4 depicts a view from above of a panel (10) according to the invention and FIG. 5 depicts a schematic view in cross section through a panel (10). In these two figures, the same elements are numbered in the same way.

[0103] The first woven fabric 26 comprises two longitudinal edges 26A and 26B. The first woven fabric 26 extends in a first main direction of the first woven fabric G1 substantially parallel to each longitudinal edge 26A, 26B. The first woven fabric 26 comprises filamentary elements 64, referred to as filamentary warp elements, and filamentary elements 66 referred to as filamentary weft elements. The filamentary warp elements 64 of the first woven fabric 26 are substantially parallel to one another and extend in a direction, referred to as the warp direction C1, substantially parallel to the first main direction G1. The filamentary weft elements 66 of the first woven fabric 26 are substantially parallel to one another and extend in a direction, referred to as the weft direction T1, interlacing with the filamentary warp elements 64. The filamentary warp elements 64 extend continuously along the entire length of the first woven fabric 26.

[0104] Each filamentary element 64, 66 here is, for example, a textile filamentary element.

[0105] The filamentary elements 64 are all substantially identical. Each filamentary warp element 64 comprises first and second filamentary members 65, 67. The second filamentary member 67 is substantially rectilinear and the first filamentary member 65 is wound substantially in a helix around the second filamentary member 67. Here, the first filamentary member 65 is a multifilament strand made of PET having a count equal to 110 tex and the second filamentary member 67 is a multifilament strand made of rayon with a count of 23 tex.

[0106] The filamentary elements 66 here comprise two filamentary members, the second filamentary member being substantially rectilinear and the first filamentary member being wound substantially in a helix around the second filamentary member. Here, the first filamentary member is a multifilament strand made of PET having a count equal to 110 tex and the second filamentary member is a multifilament strand made of rayon with a count of 23 tex.

[0107] The second woven fabric 28, depicted in FIG. 4, extends in a first main direction of the second woven fabric G2. The second woven fabric 28 comprises filamentary elements 68, referred to as filamentary warp elements, and filamentary elements 70 referred to as filamentary weft elements. The filamentary warp elements 68 of the second woven fabric 28 are substantially parallel to one another and extend in a direction, referred to as the warp direction C2, substantially parallel to the first main direction of the second woven fabric G2. The filamentary weft elements 70 of the second woven fabric 28 are substantially parallel to one another and extend in a direction, referred to as the weft direction T2, interlacing with the filamentary warp elements 68. The filamentary warp elements 68 extend continuously along the entire length of the second woven fabric 28.

[0108] Each filamentary element 68, 70 here is, for example, a textile filamentary element.

[0109] The filamentary elements 68 are all substantially identical and here are a multifilament strand made of PET having a count equal to 110 tex.

[0110] The filamentary elements 70 are all substantially identical and here are a multifilament strand made of PET having a count equal to 167 tex.

[0111] The panel (10) comprises a linking structure comprising filamentary elements linking the first woven fabric (26) to the second woven fabric (28), each filamentary element comprising at least one filamentary portion (74) referred to as a stay, extending between the first and second woven fabrics and linking the first woven fabric to the second woven fabric. Each filamentary element 32 extends alternately from the first woven fabric 26 towards the second woven fabric 28 and from the second woven fabric 28 towards the first woven fabric 26, when progressing along the filamentary bearing element 32. Each load-bearing filamentary element 32 here is a textile load-bearing filamentary element, made of PET and with a count of 55 tex.

[0112] Each filamentary element 32 comprises a load-bearing filamentary portion 74 extending between the first and second woven fabrics 26, 28, notably between the internal faces 42 and 46. Each filamentary bearing element 32 comprises first and second filamentary anchoring portions 76, 78 for anchoring the filamentary bearing element 32 respectively in the first woven fabric 26 and the second woven fabric 28. Each first and second filamentary anchoring portion 76, 78 prolongs the load-bearing portion 74 respectively into each first woven fabric 26 and second woven fabric 28. Each first and second filamentary anchoring portion 76, 78 is interlaced respectively with each first woven fabric 26 and second woven fabric 28. Each first and second filamentary anchoring portion 76, 78 is wound at least in part around respectively at least one first filamentary element 64, 66 of the first woven fabric 26 and at least one second filamentary element 68, 70 of the second woven fabric 28. In this way, each filamentary anchoring portion 76, 78 joins two load-bearing filamentary portions 74 together and each load-bearing filamentary portion 74 joins two filamentary anchoring portions 76, 78 together.

[0113] In this instance, each first filamentary anchoring portion 76 is wound at least in part around at least one filamentary weft element 66 of the first woven fabric 26 and, in this instance, preferably around at least two filamentary weft elements 66 that are adjacent in the first main direction of the first woven fabric G1. Similarly, each second filamentary anchoring portion 78 is wound at least in part around at least one filamentary weft element 68 of the second woven fabric 28, preferably around at least two filamentary weft elements 66 that are adjacent in the in the first main direction of the second woven fabric G2.

[0114] Each first and second filamentary anchoring portion 76, 78 extends in a direction substantially parallel respectively to the first main direction of the first and of the second woven fabric G1, G2.

[0115] Each first filamentary anchoring portion 76 passes alternately from the face 41 to the face 42 between two filamentary weft elements 66 that are adjacent and around which the first filamentary anchoring portion 76 is wound. Analogously, each second filamentary anchoring portion 78 passes alternately from the face 46 to the face 49 between two filamentary weft elements 68 that are adjacent and around which the second filamentary anchoring portion 78 is wound.

[0116] The first woven fabric 26 depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5 comprises transverse straight zones Z1 of a first group of zones, each transverse straight zone Z1 having an at-rest length Ld1 in the first main direction of the first woven fabric G1 and extending over the entire width of the first woven fabric 26. All of the transverse straight zones Z1 of the first group of transverse straight zones may be identical or they may differ according to the sought-after shape for the shaped panel.

[0117] The first woven fabric 26 depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5 also comprises transverse straight zones Z2 of a second group of zones, each transverse straight zone Z2 having an at-rest length Ld2 in the first main direction of the first woven fabric G1 and extending over the entire width of the first woven fabric 26. All of the transverse straight zones Z2 of the second group of transverse straight zones may be identical or they may differ according to the sought-after shape for the shaped panel.

[0118] Each transverse straight zone Z1 of the first group of zones alternates, in the first main direction of the first woven fabric, with a transverse straight zone Z2 of the second group of zones.

EXAMPLES

[0119] Two panels are manufactured. A first panel corresponds to that depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5. The second panel has a first woven fabric and a second woven fabric which are identical to the first panel, but does not have a linking structure. The characteristics of the first and second woven fabrics and of the linking structure, where present, are indicated in Table 1 below.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Filament Material Count density First Filamentary PET 110 104 ? 4/dm woven warp elements fabric Filamentary PET 167 81 ? 4/dm weft elements Second Filamentary PET 110 104 ? 4/dm woven warp elements fabric Filamentary PET 167 81 ? 7/dm weft elements Linking Filamentary PET 55 Approx. structure elements 70 000/m.sup.2

[0120] The two panels exhibit the following geometric characteristics: [0121] Thickness: 40 mm [0122] Width: 150 mm [0123] Length: 500 mm

[0124] They are then filled with polyurethane foam. A so-called 3-point measurement is made on each of these panels in accordance with standard NF EN 12089. The results are presented in Table 2.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 First panel Second panel E.sub.mod (kPa) 8788 5450 F.sub.max (N) 326 135 ?.sub.M at F.sub.max (kPa) 427 177

[0125] The panels according to the invention, aside from their ability to be shaped to a complex surface shape, additionally offer excellent structural strength.