High performance insulated structural panel

Abstract

An insulated structural panel is made from expanded polystyrene (EPS) panel and a plurality of interior and exterior structural members that are affixed to one another by screws is provided. When assembled, the interior and exterior structural members are flush with the EPS panel. A tongue at one end of the EPS panel engages a grove at another end of another EPS panel, therein permitting interlocking two or more EPS panels. The interior panel is C-shaped and is slid into a C-shaped passage in the EPS panel formed by hot-wire cutting the EPS panel. The exterior structural member is positioned within a channel formed opposite the passage. A top plate connects a plurality of interior structural members. A seam covering member is affixed to the one end of the EPS panel and is flush with the EPS panel. A thermal break is provided between the interior and exterior structural members.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61 / 106,631 which was filed Oct. 20, 2008, entitled, HIGH PERFORMANCE GREEN BUILDING ROOF SYSTEM, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates generally to building construction systems and methods, and more specifically to a highly insulative modular structural panel.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Efficient or “green” building is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings use resources, such as energy, water, and materials, while reducing the building impacts on human health and the environment, through better design, siting, construction, operation and maintenance.[0004]The related concepts of sustainable development and sustainability are integral to green building. Effective green building can lead to reduced operating costs by inc...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]The present invention is directed generally toward building construction systems and methods, and more specifically to a highly insulative modular structural panel. The insulative structural panel is configurable as both a wall structural panel and a roof structural panel, and is generally formed from a polymer foam such as expanded polystyrene (EPS) and a material such as steel, aluminum, or other sheet material. The wall structural panel is configured to connect to other wall structural panels, and provides a great degree of load-bearing capacity. The roof structural panels are configurable to be utilized in gable, hip, and flat roof designs, and have superior roof loading capabilities, as well as reduced dead load weights, as compared to conventional roofing structures. This insulative structural panels can be designed for any specific span lengths in both wall and roof applications. The insulative structural panels of the present invention are therefore configurable to be utilized in home, commercial, and industrial applications.

[0015]According to yet another inventive aspect, a plurality of passages and channels are provided in the thermally insulative panel, wherein a respective plurality of first structural members and second structural members are positioned within the plurality of respective passages and channels. A third structural member is then further provided, wherein the third structural member is fastened to the plurality of first structural members proximate to the first end of the thermally insulative panel. The third structural member, for example, generally extends from the third side to the fourth side of the thermally insulative panel, therein providing further rigidity to the insulated structural panel.

[0016]A fourth structural member may be further provided, wherein the fourth structural member, for example, is fastened to the plurality of first structural members proximate to the second end of the thermally insulative panel. The fourth structural member, for example, generally extends from the third side to the fourth side of the thermally insulative panel, therein again providing further rigidity to the insulated structural panel. The third and / or fourth structural members, for example, can comprise a fastening portion and a seam-covering portion, wherein the fastening portion is generally embedded into the thermally insulative panel and fastened to the plurality of first and / or second structural members, and wherein the seam-covering portion of the third and / or fourth structural members extends generally parallel to the first side of the thermally insulative panel from the first and / or second end thereof.

Problems solved by technology

Practitioners of green building often seek to achieve not only ecological but aesthetic harmony between a structure and its surrounding natural and built environment, although the appearance and style of sustainable buildings is not necessarily distinguishable from their less-sustainable counterparts.

However, these improvements have lacked rigidity and tensile strength, and as such, the ability to be built over two stories has been limited.

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