System for installing a floor element, such as a floor slab, and method for installing a floor element

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of slab-type floors, and relates in particular to a system for assisting in the installation of a slab-type floor element, and to methods of installing a floor element using this system.

[0002] “Floor element” means any element intended to form a floor surface, such as a concrete slab.

[0003] In the case of raised floors, it is known to form the floor using a plurality of modular slabs arranged on a plurality of support means. In particular, each slab, of square shape, is supported at each of its four corners by a specific support means also allowing the height of the slab to be adjusted. The adjustable support means thus make it possible to ensure good flatness of the immediately adjacent slabs and, more generally, of all the slabs forming the floor.

[0004] Each of these support means generally comprises a lower flange applied to the ground and a pad of adjustable length between the lower flange applied to the ground and an upper head resting against the lower face of the slabs. Each slab corner rests on a pad common to different neighboring slabs.

[0005] With such pads currently available and providing a support surface only at the corners of the slabs, the method of laying on pads requires the use of slabs with significantly higher mechanical resistance, and therefore greater thickness, than that of slabs on uniformly distributed supports (sand, mortar, etc.).

[0006] Also known, from American patent US 4,982,538 A, is a system for assisting in the installation of a panel on a support beam, with the characteristics of the preamble of claim 1.

[0007] This system includes a bolt designed to be secured to the panel and extend below the panel so as to separate the underside of the panel from the support beam by a desired distance. Once the panel is in place below the support beam, concrete or mortar is poured between the underside of the panel and the support beam.

[0008] The aim of the present invention is to propose a laying assistance system allowing the use of tiles having a mechanical resistance significantly lower than that currently required to comply with the regulations in force concerning floor coverings formed by tiles laid on pads.

[0009] Furthermore, it should be noted that the known support pads are of a different nature from the nature of the slabs and therefore of the raised floor. Indeed, these pads are most often made of plastic or metal, for example cast aluminum or galvanized steel, while the slabs are made of concrete. However, particularly with regard to fire safety standards, it could be advantageous to avoid the use of such materials because metallic materials lose their mechanical characteristics at much lower temperatures than concrete. These metallic materials are also likely to generate gaseous emissions from a certain temperature level.

[0010] Another objective of the present invention is therefore to propose a means of assistance with installation made of a material offering better resistance to temperature or fire resistance.

[0011] According to the present invention, these specific objectives can be achieved by the use of load-bearing elements of the concrete block type cast on site before laying the slab, which can thus be provided in greater number than conventional blocks made of plastic or metal, which makes it possible to support the slab not only at its corners, but also along the edges thereof and / or in its central region.

[0012] However, such concrete load-bearing elements can only support the slab after they have set, and it would therefore be necessary to hold the slab in position until the load-bearing elements have set.

[0013] According to the present invention, such holding in position can be ensured by the use of temporary holding members comprising rods passing through through holes provided for this purpose in the thickness of the slab, to project under the slab and come to bear on the ground, as well as means for temporarily securing the temporary holding members and the slab, so that the slab bears on the temporary holding members rather than on the load-bearing elements. After the load-bearing elements have taken hold, the latter can take up the forces exerted by the support of the slab on them, and the temporary holding members are detached from the slab and then removed from it, and the through holes are plugged.

[0014] The solution presented above is not limited to load-bearing elements of the block type made of concrete, and it can be generalized to load-bearing elements of the block type in a material requiring a time to elapse before they can alone take up the forces exerted by the support of a floor element on them.

[0015] The inventor also realized that the use of such temporary holding members and such securing means is not limited to raised floors on pad-type load-bearing elements, but could also be advantageously applied to slabs on uniformly distributed supports, or at least supported, in at least certain regions of the slab, on plate-type load-bearing elements. Indeed, the installation of such slabs can also prove tricky due to the significant risk of breakage or cracking in the event of impact of the slab on its support, which then constitutes a load-bearing element, if the latter is hard. This risk is further increased for large and / or heavy slabs, since they are then installed using imprecise handling means.In such a case, the temporary holding members and the securing means allow the slab to be securely positioned at a relatively short distance from its support, so that the handling means only have to lower the slab a short distance, which descent is further guided by the temporary holding members along which the slab will move. This minimizes the risk of breakage or cracking of the slab, while facilitating its positioning.

[0016] Another advantage of the present invention is that it is possible, if desired, to remove the slab in a non-destructive manner. To do this, it is sufficient to re-drill the slabs at the location where the through holes have been plugged, reintroduce the temporary holding members and then secure them to the slab using the securing means. The slab can then be lifted using lifting means and removed without being damaged in any way.

[0017] The present invention thus relates to a system for assisting in the installation of a floor element, such as a slab, the floor element being intended to rest on at least one supporting element positioned below the floor element, the system being characterized by the fact that it comprises: a floor, a plurality of temporary holding members, each comprising a rod having a length greater than the thickness of the floor element and intended to extend through a respective through hole provided for this purpose in the floor element, in the thickness direction of the latter, each rod being provided with a first temporary securing means, and for each temporary holding member, a second temporary securing means intended to be secured to the floor element and located along the axis of the respective through hole of the floor element,each second temporary securing means being able to cooperate with the first temporary securing means of the respective temporary holding member so as to temporarily secure said temporary holding member and the floor element in a position in which a part of the rod of said temporary holding member extends out of said through hole and under the floor element, such that the end, called the lower end, of said rod located under the floor element is able to come to bear on the ground or on the at least one supporting element so that said temporary holding member takes up the forces exerted by the support of the floor element as long as the latter is secured to said temporary holding member,each second temporary securing means and the first temporary securing means of the respective temporary holding member also being capable of being detached from each other so as to remove said temporary holding member from the floor element once the floor element is resting on the at least one supporting element.

[0018] According to a preferred embodiment, the first and second temporary securing means are capable of cooperating with each other to allow a relative translational movement between the first temporary securing means, therefore the rod, and the respective second temporary securing means, therefore the floor element, while maintaining the absorption, by the temporary holding member, of the forces exerted by the support of the floor element.

[0019] Thus, it is possible to adjust the height of the floor element relative to the ground and / or to the at least one supporting element, so as to ensure the flatness of the floor element.

[0020] In the case of a floor element on load-bearing elements of the pad type, this also makes it possible to place the floor element at a height such that it at least slightly crushes the load-bearing element while it has not yet set, so that after setting the floor element will be correctly supported on each of the load-bearing elements of the pad type.

[0021] In the case of a floor element on distributed support, this also makes it possible to maintain the support of the floor element by the temporary support members throughout the descent of the floor element until contact with its support, and therefore possibly to do without handling means for this last phase.

[0022] Preferably, the rod of each temporary holding member is threaded over at least part of its length, and thus comprises a thread forming said first temporary securing means, and each second temporary securing means is formed by a thread secured to the floor element along the axis of the respective through-hole of the floor element and into which said threaded rod is capable of being screwed. Such a configuration of the temporary securing means makes it possible to ensure precise adjustment by continuous, smooth movement of the floor element relative to the temporary holding members.

[0023] Preferably, a threaded nut, the thread of which forms said temporary securing means, and into which said threaded rod is capable of being screwed, is immobilized in each through hole of the floor element.

[0024] Each second temporary securing means may be immobilized in a recess provided for this purpose in the lower surface of the floor element, intended to be placed opposite the ground.

[0025] Each temporary retaining member can be formed by a bolt. The movement of the temporary retaining member and / or the floor element can then be achieved using a conventional wrench, simply by operating the head of the bolt to turn it.

[0026] Lifting means may be provided on the floor element to enable the floor element to be handled. Preferably, the head of each bolt is fitted with a lifting means, such as a lifting ring. The temporary holding members, in their position secured to the floor element, are then also used for handling the floor element.

[0027] The temporary holding members may bear directly on the ground or the at least one supporting element. Alternatively, they bear indirectly, and the system further comprises, for each temporary holding member, a base having a lower surface intended to be applied to the ground or the at least one supporting element and an opposite upper surface into which opens a female receiving part capable of receiving the lower end of the rod of the respective temporary holding member.

[0028] The present invention also relates to a method for laying a floor element, such as a slab, on load-bearing elements of the pad type using the laying assistance system as defined above, characterized in that the method comprises the following steps: producing a predetermined number of stud-type load-bearing elements in a material requiring a time to elapse before being able to take up alone the forces exerted by the support of a floor element on them, the load-bearing elements being produced in particular at least in positions intended to be below corner regions of the floor element; providing a floor element having several through holes, in the direction of thickness of the floor element, preferably with at least one through hole in each of the corner regions of the floor element but in a position offset from that intended to be supported on a load-bearing element;inserting a temporary holding member into each of the through holes of the floor element and securing each temporary holding member to the floor element in a position in which a portion of the rod of each temporary holding member extends out of said through hole and under the floor element; placing the floor element so that it is in contact with the load-bearing elements and the lower ends of the rods of the temporary holding members are resting on the ground; and after the time necessary for the load-bearing elements to be able to take up the forces exerted by the support of a floor element on them has elapsed, detaching the temporary holding members from the floor element and removing them from the floor element, which then rests on the load-bearing elements. ;

[0029] The step of producing the load-bearing elements can be carried out before or after the step of inserting the temporary support members into the through holes of the floor element.

[0030] The step of producing a predetermined number of load-bearing elements may include pouring at least one block of mortar onto the ground surface.

[0031] Alternatively, the step of producing a predetermined number of load-bearing elements comprises, for each load-bearing element, producing a cylindrical hole in the ground, in particular in stable incompressible ground, inserting a deformable retaining structure, in the form of a hollow cylinder, into the hole, and pouring concrete into the deformable retaining structure so as to fill it, until a load-bearing element extending from the ground is obtained.

[0032] The use of deformable retaining structures inserted into the ground, rather than load-bearing elements built directly on the ground, eliminates the steps involved in frost-free installation. Indeed, with such load-bearing elements, all that is required is stable, incompressible soil.

[0033] In addition, such deformable retaining structures allow for easy and clean concrete pouring.

[0034] The method according to the present invention may comprise the additional step of placing at the top of at least some load-bearing elements, preferably all the load-bearing elements, a capillary breaking means, such as a film, a membrane, a strip, made of waterproof material. This makes it possible to avoid rising damp which could lead to degradation of the floor elements.

[0035] The present invention also relates to a method for laying a floor element, such as a slab, on at least one plate-type load-bearing element using the laying assistance system as defined above, characterized in that the method comprises the following steps: providing a floor element having a plurality of through holes, in the thickness direction of the floor element, preferably with at least one through hole in each of the corner regions of the floor element; inserting a temporary holding member into each of the through holes of the floor element and securing each temporary holding member to the floor element in a position in which a portion of the rod of each temporary holding member extends out of said through hole and under the floor element; laying the floor element so that the lower ends of the rods of the temporary holding members rest on the at least one supporting element;lowering the floor element along the temporary holding members, where appropriate after detaching the latter from the floor element, until the floor element is resting on the at least one supporting element; and removing the temporary holding members from the floor element.;

[0036] To better illustrate the object of the present invention, a preferred embodiment will be described below, by way of illustration and not limitation, with reference to the appended drawings.

[0037] On these drawings: there Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view through a floor element in the final phase of its installation on pad-type load-bearing elements using a system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the temporary holding members being removed; Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view through two floor elements, the floor element on the left being in the final stages of its installation on pad-type load-bearing elements and the floor element on the right, shown in dotted lines, being installed on the pad-type load-bearing elements; there Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion of a floor element resting on temporary support members during the setting of load-bearing elements of the pad type; and the Figure 4 is a partial view of a floor element resting on temporary holding members during the setting of load-bearing elements of the pad type, according to a variant of the embodiment.

[0038] If we first refer to the Figure 1 , it can be seen that a slab D is represented in the last phase of its installation on load-bearing elements of the pad type P using a system 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] The system 1 comprises, on the one hand, temporary holding members 2 having first temporary securing means and, on the other hand, second temporary securing means.

[0040] The temporary holding members 2 here consist simply of bolts, each comprising a threaded rod 20 at an upper end of which is located a head 21 by which an operator can rotate the threaded rod 20 using a conventional tool.

[0041] As can be better seen on the Figure 3 , here the slab D has in each of its corner regions a through hole 3 extending from the upper face to the lower face of the slab D, in the thickness direction of the latter.

[0042] Each through hole 3 is intended to be traversed by a respective threaded rod 20, and is therefore sized to allow the passage of the threaded rod 20. In addition, the threaded rod 20 has a length greater than the thickness of the slab D, such that the threaded rod 20 can protrude both below and above the slab D.

[0043] A recess 4 of cross-sectional dimension at least slightly greater than that of the through hole 3, and aligned with it, is provided in the lower face of the slab D, and constitutes a part of the through hole 3.

[0044] A nut 5 is immobilized by any suitable means in said recess 4, for example by gluing the nut 5 to the wall of the recess 4, or by holding it against the bottom of the recess 4 using an annular plate 6, having an opening in its center, applied against the lower side of the nut 5 and fixed against the lower face of the slab D, for example in an additional recess 7 of a depth equal to the thickness of the annular plate 6, as can be better seen in the Figure 2 .

[0045] The nut 5 is sized to allow the threaded rod 20 to be screwed through the nut 5. In other words, the threading that the threaded rod 20 has and which constitutes the first temporary securing means, cooperates with the threading that the nut 5 has and which constitutes the second temporary securing means.

[0046] The threaded rod 20 is here threaded over its entire length, but it could just as well be threaded only over the part of its length which is intended to cooperate with the nut 5.

[0047] It is easily understood that a rotation of the threaded rod 20 leads to a relative translation between the temporary holding member 2 and the slab D, leading to a displacement either of the temporary holding member 2 or of the slab D, depending on the locking in position of one or the other of these two elements. In particular, if we consider the fixed slab D, the screwing of the threaded rod 20 into the nut 5 leads to a translation of the threaded rod 20 downwards, towards the ground, while the unscrewing of the threaded rod 20 leads to an upward translation, in the direction of withdrawal of the threaded rod 20.

[0048] Finally, the system 1 may further comprise several bases 9, one for each temporary holding member 2, which are placed on the ground and which each have a female receiving part, such as for example a simple opening, opening onto the upper surface of the base 9.

[0049] Alternatively, as shown in the Figure 4 , nut 5 may protrude below the lower surface of slab D.

[0050] An example of a method for laying a D slab using system 1 will be described below.

[0051] First, the pads P are made. Here, this involves making a cylindrical hole in the ground, preferably in stable incompressible soil, inserting a deformable retaining structure 8, in the form of a hollow cylinder, into the hole, so that the deformable retaining structure 8 is flush with the ground, and pouring concrete into the deformable retaining structure 8 so as to fill it and so that a portion of the concrete is located above the ground, in the form of a generally cylindrical portion.

[0052] Before or after the above step, each threaded rod 20 is screwed into the respective through hole 3 and the respective nut 5, until a part of the threaded rod 20 projects under the slab D over a distance which may depend on the desired raising height for the slab D.

[0053] In this position, thanks to the threads of the threaded rod 20 and the nut 5, the temporary holding member 2 is secured to the slab D, in the sense that axial forces applied to one of the elements are transmitted to the other, for example the weight of the slab D will be transmitted to the temporary holding members 2.

[0054] The slab D is then handled to place it on the pads P. For example, the handling is done using lifting means fixed to the slab D as is well known, or by using the temporary holding members 2 as lifting means, in which case lifting means, such as a lifting ring, will have been provided beforehand on each head 21.

[0055] The distance over which the threaded rods 20 protrude below the slab D is adjusted, by screwing the threaded rod 20 into the nut 5, so that the lower end 22 of the threaded rod 20 comes to bear on the ground or on a base 9, in the female receiving part thereof (cf. Figure 4 ), without coming into contact with the P pads or by crushing them slightly to give them a mushroom shape as shown in the drawings.

[0056] In this position, the forces exerted by the slab D are taken up by the temporary support members 2, which are supported on the ground or the base 9 by their lower end 22, and not by the pads P which have not yet set.

[0057] It is easy to understand that the height of the slab D can be adjusted at each temporary holding member 2. If the threaded rod 20 is rotated in the screwing direction, given that the lower end 22 of the threaded rod 20 is resting against the ground or the base 9, it is indeed the slab D which will be caused to move upwards. If the threaded rod 20 is rotated in the unscrewing direction, due to the weight of the slab D, the slab D will move downwards. On the other hand, once the studs P have taken hold, this downward movement of the slab D will be prevented by the studs P, so that if the threaded rod 20 is rotated in the unscrewing direction, the threaded rod 20 will move upwards, in the withdrawal direction.

[0058] Thus, as long as the pads P have not set, it is possible to adjust the height of the slab D by rotating the temporary support members 2.

[0059] Once slab D has been placed at the desired height, all that is required is to wait until the pads P have set sufficiently to prevent slab D from falling, and therefore support slab D, before removing the temporary support members 2 by unscrewing them from the nuts 5.

[0060] Then simply plug the through holes 3 at their upper end.

[0061] The installation of a D slab on load-bearing elements of the pad type has been described above.

[0062] The principle remains the same for laying a D slab on at least one load-bearing element of the plate type.

[0063] In this case, the process clearly does not include the step of producing load-bearing elements of the pad type.

[0064] The slab is directly placed on the at least one plate-type supporting element, with the lower ends 22 of the threaded rods 20 resting on the at least one plate-type supporting element, either directly or indirectly by resting on a base 9, for example, which will have been placed beforehand on the at least one plate-type supporting element.

[0065] It is then sufficient to turn the various temporary holding members 2 in the unscrewing direction, and the slab D, due to its weight, will descend smoothly along the threaded rods 20 until it comes smoothly into contact with the at least one plate-type load-bearing element, and thus avoid any shock likely to break or crack the slab D.

[0066] This allows the D slab to be laid quickly without risk of damaging it.

[0067] For example, the plate-type load-bearing element may be formed by the sole of an L-shaped wall section intended to form a wall of a swimming pool, and slab D will constitute part of the bottom of the swimming pool.

[0068] It is understood that the preferred embodiment which has just been described has been given for informational and non-limiting purposes and that modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention, which is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. System (1) for assisting the laying of a floor element (D), such as a slab, the floor element (D) being intended to rest on at least one load-bearing element (P) positioned below the floor element (D), the system (1) comprising: - a floor (D), - a plurality of temporary holding members (2), each comprising a rod (20) having a length greater than the thickness of the floor element (D) and intended to extend through a respective through hole (3) provided for this purpose in the floor element (D), in the thickness direction of the latter, each rod (20) being provided with a first temporary securing means, and - for each temporary holding member (2), a second temporary securing means intended to be secured to the floor element (D) and located along the axis of the respective through hole (3) of the floor element (D), each second temporary securing means being able to cooperate with the first temporary securing means of the respective temporary holding member (2) so as to temporarily secure said temporary holding member (2) and the floor element (D) in a position in which part of the rod (20) of said temporary holding member (2) extends out of said through hole (3) and under the floor element (D), in such a way that the so-called lower end (22) of said rod (20) located under the floor element (D) is able to come to bear on the ground or on the at least one load-bearing element (P) so that said temporary holding member (2) takes up the forces exerted by the bearing of the floor element (D) as long as the latter is secured to said temporary holding member (2), the system being characterised by: each second temporary securing means and the first temporary securing means of the respective temporary holding member (2) also being capable of being disengaged from each other so as to remove said temporary holding member (2) from the floor element (D) once the floor element (D) rests on the at least one load-bearing element (P).

2. System (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the first and second temporary securing means are able to cooperate with each other in order to allow, during use, a relative translational movement between the first temporary securing means, thus the rod (20), and the respective second temporary securing means, thus the floor element (D), while maintaining the taking up, by the temporary holding member (2), of the forces exerted by the bearing of the floor element (D).

3. System (1) according to claim 2, characterised in that the rod (20) of each temporary holding member (2) is threaded over at least part of its length, and thus comprises a thread forming said first temporary securing means, and each second temporary securing means is formed by a thread capable of being secured to the floor element (D) along the axis of the respective through hole (3) of the floor element (D) and into which the said threaded rod (20) is capable of being screwed.

4. System (1) according to claim 3, characterised in that a threaded nut (5), the thread of which forms said second temporary securing means, and into which said threaded rod (20) can be screwed, is, in use, immobilised in each through hole (4) of the floor element (D).

5. System (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that each second temporary securing means is, during use, immobilised in a recess (4) provided for this purpose in the lower surface of the floor element (D), intended to be placed facing the ground.

6. System (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that each temporary holding member(2) is formed by a screw.

7. System according to claim 6, characterised in that the head (21) of each screw is provided with a lifting means, such as a lifting ring.

8. System (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that it further comprises, for each temporary holding member (2), a base (9) having a lower surface intended to be applied to the ground or to at least one load-bearing element and an opposite upper surface onto which a female receiving part opens out, capable of receiving the lower end (22) of the rod (20) of the respective temporary holding member (2).

9. A method of laying a floor element (D), such as a slab, on load-bearing elements of the stud type (P) using the laying assist system (1) as defined in one of claims 1 to 8, the method comprising the following steps: - providing a predetermined number of stud-type load-bearing elements (P) in a material which requires a time to elapse before it can take up, on its own, the forces exerted by a floor element (D) bearing thereon, the load-bearing elements (P) being made, in particular, at least in positions intended to be below the corner regions of the floor element (D); - providing a floor element (D) having a plurality of through holes (3), in the thickness direction of the floor element (D), preferably with one through hole (3) at least in each of the corner regions of the floor element (D) but in a position offset from that intended to bear on a load-bearing element (P); - inserting a temporary holding member (2) into each of the through holes (3) of the floor element (D) and securing each temporary holding member (2) to the floor element (D) in a position in which part of the rod (20) of each temporary holding member (2) extends out of said through hole (3) and under the floor element (D); - laying the floor element (D) so that it is in contact with the load-bearing elements (P) and so that the lower ends (22) of the rods (20) of the temporary holding members (2) rest on the ground; and - after the time required for the load-bearing elements (P) to be able to take up on their own the forces exerted by the bearing of a floor element (D) on them has elapsed, disengaging the temporary holding members (2) from the floor element (D) and removing them from the floor element (D), which then rests on the load-bearing elements (P).

10. The method according to claim 9, characterised in that the step of making a predetermined number of load-bearing elements (P) comprises pouring at least one mortar block onto the surface of the floor.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterised in that the step of making a predetermined number of load-bearing elements (P) comprises, for each load-bearing element (P), making a cylindrical hole in the ground, in particular in stable incompressible ground, inserting a deformable retaining structure (8), in the form of a hollow cylinder, into the hole, and pouring concrete into the deformable retaining structure (8) so as to fill it, until a load-bearing element (P) extending from the ground is obtained.

12. The method according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterised in that it comprises the additional step consisting in placing, at the top of at least some of the load-bearing elements (P), preferably all the load-bearing elements (P), a means for breaking capillarity, such as a film, a membrane or a strip, made of leaktight material.

13. Method of laying a floor element (D), such as a slab, on at least one plate-type load-bearing element using the laying assist system (1) as defined in one of claims 1 to 8, the method comprising the following steps: - providing a floor element (D) having a plurality of through holes (3), in the thickness direction of the floor element (D), preferably with at least one through hole (3) in each of the corner regions of the floor element (D); - inserting a temporary holding member (2) into each of the through holes (3) of the floor element (D) and securing each temporary holding member (2) to the floor element (D) in a position in which part of the rod (20) of each temporary holding member (2) extends out of said through hole (3) and under the floor element (D); - laying the floor element (D) so that the lower ends (22) of the rods (20) of the temporary holding members (2) bears on the at least one load-bearing element; - lowering the floor element (D) along the temporary holding members (2), if applicable after the latter have been disengaged from the floor element (D), until the floor element (D) bears on at least one load-bearing element; and - removing the temporary holding members (2) from the floor element (D).