Self-supporting construction element of expanded plastics, in particular for manufacturing floor elements and walls of buildings in general

Abstract

A self-supporting construction element (1, 101) of expanded plastics, in particular for manufacturing floor elements and walls of buildings in general comprises: (1) a central body (2), substantially parallelepipedic in shape and having two opposite faces (6, 7); at least one reinforcing section bar (8,9) transversally extending across the central body (2) between the faces (6,7) thereof and embedded in the expanded plastics; a lath (16) for supporting at least one layer (17) of a suitable covering material, associated to a fin (11,12) of the reinforcing section bar (8,9) lying flush with and substantially parallel to at least one of the faces (6,7) of the construction element (1,101).

Description

[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 284,550 filed Apr. 15, 1999 (now abandoned), which was the National Stage of International Application No. PCT / EP97 / 05671 filed Oct. 9, 1997.This is a reissue Application of U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,622 issued Oct. 9, 2001, which was a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 284,550 filed Apr. 15, 1999 (now abandoned), which was the National Stage of International Application no. PCT / EP97 / 05671 filed Oct. 9, 1997; the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]This invention relates, in a general aspect thereof, to a self-supporting construction element of expanded plastics material, in particular for manufacturing floor elements and walls of buildings in general.[0003]More particularly, the present invention relates to a self-supporting construction element comprising:[0004]a) a central body, substantially parallelepipedic in shape, provided with opposite faces;[00...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a construction element that has both adequate self-supporting features and fire-resisting properties. It achieves this by integrating a reinforcing section bar within the mass of expanded plastics. Additionally, a surface thermal treatment may be performed on the construction element before it is reinforced. This treatment may include scraping the surface to remove any outermost layer and facilitate a more effective surface thermal treatment.

Problems solved by technology

While construction elements of this kind have on the one hand a light weight, a comparative ease of installation and a low cost, on the other hand their application in the art and flexibility of use have been restrained heretofore by their poor fire-resisting properties.

This inadequate resistance to fire is essentially related to the fact that construction elements made of expanded plastics show an insufficient capability to securely hold outer covering layers, such as the plaster layers used for the outer surface finish.

When exposed to fire, in fact, the expanded plastics soon shrinks into a shapeless mass of reduced volume, with the ensuing separation of the outer covering layers and rapid collapse of the whole structure.

In addition, an undesirable separation of the outer covering layers may be caused in some instances by a premature“aging” of the plastics surface to which these coverings adhere, a separation which may be further fostered by exposure to heat sources, dusts, fumes, vapors, or chemical substances coming from a source close to the construction elements.

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