Insulated ventilated wall structure

Abstract

The present invention relates to an insulated ventilated wall structure (10), comprising, arranged in the following order: - a wall support (11), - an insulating layer (12) comprising in turn a plurality of insulating panels (16) fixed to said wall support (11) by means of adhesives and / or first fixings (17), - a plurality of load-bearing longitudinal profiles (13) facing said insulation layer (12) and - a plurality of finishing panels (14) associated with said plurality of load-bearing longitudinal profiles (13), in which said finishing panels (14) are fixed to said load-bearing longitudinal profiles (13), and in which said load-bearing longitudinal profiles (13) are each supported by a plurality of spacer elements (20), said spacer elements (20) being configured and positioned in such a manner that a ventilation gap (19) is defined between said insulating panels (16) and said finishing panels (14). Each of these spacers (20) in turn comprises: - a first portion (21) configured for attachment to a said load-bearing longitudinal profile (13), - a second portion (22) configured to be fixed to said wall support (11), in which said second portion (22) of said spacer element (20) rests directly on said insulating panel (16).

Description

Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to an insulated ventilated wall structure.

[0002] The present invention is applicable in the building industry in the construction of walls with thermal insulation.Technical background

[0003] Nowadays, to construct a building with ETICS (External Thermal Insulation Composite System) insulated walls, the following steps are carried out: wall supports are created, generally in masonry and / or with lightweight panels, e.g. wood and / or cement and / or concrete, a plurality of insulating sheets, arranged so that the edges match as closely as possible, are fixed to the surface of these supports using adhesives and / or dowels, the insulating sheets are smoothed and evened out in order to obtain an even surface, the levelled surface is grouted and / or plastered to create the finish.

[0004] The slabs of insulating material, i.e. thermal insulation, are possibly arranged in such a way that they are staggered between the horizontal rows, with the vertical joints staggered, to reduce surface tension.

[0005] Also known is the so-called 'drywall insulated wall'.

[0006] In order to realise a drywall insulated wall, a metal structure is installed by means of horizontal centring profiles, with a substantially U-shaped section, placed at the base and against the ceiling, and a plurality of vertical upright profiles are installed. A plurality of insulating panels are inserted within a cage structure thus realised.

[0007] A plurality of finishing panels (e.g. plasterboard or fibre cement) are fixed to the structure.

[0008] To build a ventilated wall, a metal structure is typically fixed to a load-bearing support, typically masonry or wood.

[0009] The structure is realised with brackets fixed to the support, which act as spacers to which a plurality of horizontal and / or vertical profiles, supporting a plurality of cladding elements, are attached.

[0010] Within the substructure, a plurality of insulating panels are bonded to the load-bearing support, whereby these insulating panels are suitably shaped around the brackets.

[0011] Another type ventilated walls, well known and historically appreciated, is well described and illustrated, for example, in patent documents DE4212930, US8387324B2 and US4438611A; this type of ventilated wall provides that once the insulating panels have been fixed, longitudinal, horizontal or vertical profiles are fixed on the panels themselves, with a substantially U- or C-shaped cross-section, the longitudinal edges of which are driven into the insulating panels themselves.

[0012] These longitudinal profiles are entrusted with the task of supporting the brackets, which in turn support further longitudinal profiles, where these further longitudinal profiles support external finishing panels of the façade.

[0013] Such known techniques have certain drawbacks.

[0014] First of all, an initial drawback of the known technique is related to the fact that in order to construct a ventilated insulated wall, it is necessary to join the vertical and / or horizontal profiles of the sub-structure to the wall support, and to do this, the insulating panel is hollowed out, creating holes, which generates thermal and acoustic bridges.

[0015] In order to limit the development of thermal and acoustic bridges, an insulating filler must be injected into these holes, resulting in uneven insulation and the need for a considerable number of steps to build the wall.

[0016] The construction of an insulated drywall requires the presence of a metal structure, which leads to the presence of thermal and acoustic bridges, which reduce its insulating efficiency.

[0017] Another perfectible limitation of the known technique is the presence of the longitudinal profiles supporting the spacer elements for the definition of the ventilation space of the ventilated wall.

[0018] In fact, the installation of the longitudinal profiles embedded in the insulating panels causes a major interruption of the surface continuity of these insulating panels, with the consequent risk of speeding up the deterioration of the insulating panels themselves, since in the areas where the longitudinal edges of the longitudinal load profiles are inserted, lacerations are created in which atmospheric agents such as rainwater and moisture in general can creep in. Furthermore, each of these longitudinal loading profiles consists of a rod several metres long, with its own inherent production, transport and storage costs.

[0019] The task of the present invention is to develop an insulated ventilated wall structure that is capable of improving on the known technique in one or more of the above-mentioned aspects.

[0020] In the context of this task, one aim of the invention is to realise an insulated wall structure that can reduce the time and costs for its construction and assembly. Yet another aim of the invention is to create an insulated ventilated wall structure that can be used inside buildings.

[0021] Yet another aim of the invention is to realise an insulated ventilated wall structure that is highly reliable, relatively easy to build and competitively priced.

[0022] This task, as well as these and other purposes that will better appear later, are achieved by an insulated ventilated wall structure as set out in independent claim 1.

[0023] Further features and advantages of the invention will result more from the description of some preferred, but not exclusive, forms of execution of the insulated ventilated wall structure according to the invention, illustrated, by way of indication and not limitation, in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a ventilated wall structure insulated according to the invention; Figure 2 represents a plan sectional view of the insulated ventilated wall structure in Figure 1; Figure 3 represents a detail of the section in figure 2; Figure 4 represents an exploded perspective of some components of the insulated ventilated wall structure according to the invention; Figure 5 represents a perspective view of an overall detail of the insulated ventilated wall structure according to the invention.

[0024] With reference to the above-mentioned figures, an insulated ventilated wall structure according to the invention is indicated globally by reference number 10. This insulated ventilated wall structure 10 comprises, arranged in the following order: a wall support 11, an insulating layer 12 comprising in turn a plurality of insulating panels 16 fixed to the wall substrate 11 by means of adhesives and / or first fixing elements 17, a plurality of load-bearing longitudinal profiles 13 facing the insulation layer 12 and a plurality of finishing panels 14 associated with the plurality of load-bearing longitudinal profiles 13.

[0025] The finishing panels 14 are then fixed to the longitudinal load-bearing profiles 13, as clearly visible in Figures 1, 2 and 3.

[0026] The load-bearing longitudinal profiles 13 are each supported by a plurality of spacer elements 20.

[0027] Such spacer elements 20 are configured and positioned so that a ventilation gap 19 is defined between said insulation panels 16 and said finishing panels 14. The peculiarity of the insulated ventilated wall structure 10 according to the invention lies mainly in the fact that each of said spacer elements 20 comprises in turn: a first portion 21 configured for attachment to a said load-bearing longitudinal profile 13, a second portion 22 configured to be fixed to said wall support 11, in which the second portion 22 of said spacer element 20 rests directly on said insulating panels 16.

[0028] Such a ventilated insulated wall structure 10 is thus characterised in that it is devoid of longitudinal load distribution profiles that are interposed between the second portion 22 of a spacer element 20 and the outer surface 16a of an underlying insulating panel 16.

[0029] It is to be understood that each insulating panel 16 comprises an outer surface 16a and an opposite inner surface 16b.

[0030] The term 'external surface' refers to that surface of the insulating panel 16 which faces the outside of a room onto which the insulated ventilated wall structure 10 is facing, while the term 'internal surface' refers to that surface of the insulating panel 16 which faces, or is abutted by, the wall support 11.

[0031] The wall support 11 is to be understood to be a wall of brick or similar material, or a wall of wooden material, and in general is to be understood to be a predominantly two-dimensional building type structure configured to define a separation between two or more environments, for example between an external environment, and an internal environment of a dwelling or shed.

[0032] The wall support 11 may therefore be made of, for example, masonry, and / or lightweight wood panels, and / or cement, and / or concrete, and / or fibre cement, and / or similar.

[0033] Wall support 11 is, for example, a rough perimeter wall of a building, or one of its rough internal partition walls.

[0034] In the case of a masonry 11 substrate, there may be a layer of plaster 15, e.g. in the case of historic buildings, to which the insulation layer 12 is attached. Insulating panels 16 are, for example and not exclusively, sandwich panels comprising a polyurethane foam.

[0035] These insulating panels 16 are sandwich panels comprising a polyurethane foam such as those known under the trade name Stiferite FIRE B, CLASS SK, CLASS S, GT, GTE, VV, ISOVENTILATED or CLASS SH, produced by the Applicant itself.

[0036] Insulating panels 16 can also be polystyrene or polystyrene-based insulation panels, or insulation panels based on phenolic foam, or insulation panels based on a wool of mineral origin, such as rock wool and glass wool, or plant-based, such as wood, or based on a wool in general.

[0037] These insulating panels 16 are fixed to the wall support 11, e.g. by means of first fixing elements 17, where such first fixing elements are, for example, dowels, to be understood to be of a known type per se.

[0038] In the example shown in the figures, the load-bearing longitudinal profiles 13 present a vertical development in use, however, they can also advantageously present other developments, e.g. be arranged horizontally.

[0039] These load-bearing longitudinal profiles 13 are preferably made of metal material, advantageously steel, or aluminium or an alloy thereof, but can also be made of plastic.

[0040] The load-bearing longitudinal profiles 13 are defined by 'T' section profiles, as clearly visible in the figures, or 'L' section profiles.

[0041] As well shown in Figures 4 and 5, each load-bearing longitudinal profile 13 thus comprises a first portion 13a available for the attachment of an overlying finishing panel 14, and a second portion 13b developing substantially orthogonally to the first portion 13a.

[0042] This second portion 13b is configured for attachment to a plurality of spacer elements 20.

[0043] The load-bearing longitudinal profile 13 may also be of another cross-section, provided that it comprises a first portion 13a available for the attachment of an overlying finishing panel 14, and a second portion 13b orthogonal to the first portion 13a or in any case defining a section transversal to the first portion 13a which allows the attachment of the longitudinal profile 13 to the spacer elements 20 in such a way that the first portion 13a of the load-bearing longitudinal profile 13 is spaced from the insulating panel 16 to which the spacer element 20 is fixed. Each of said spacer elements 20, as clearly visible in Figures 2 to 5, is defined by an 'L' cross-section profile.

[0044] Each of the spacer elements 20 is intended it can be of another form as long as it comprises: a first portion 21 configured for attachment to a said load-bearing longitudinal profile 13, a second portion 22 configured to be fixed to said wall support 11.

[0045] In the form of the invention described herein, by way of illustration and not limitation of the invention itself, the second portion 22 comprises a flat body suitable to be supported, by its main surface, on the external surface 16a of an underlying insulation panel 16.

[0046] Such a flat body defining the second portion 22 consists, for example, of a quadrangular plate, or a plate of another shape, e.g. circular, or of another polygonal shape.

[0047] The second portion 22 comprises at least one through opening 22a for the passage of a threaded element 18.

[0048] Such at least one through opening 22a comprises, for example, a slot, configured and positioned to allow adjustment of the position of the spacer element 20 during assembly.

[0049] Such a threaded element 18 is, for example, a dowel.

[0050] The threaded element 18 is of a length such that it passes through the second portion 22, the insulating panel 16, and such that it engages in the wall support 11, as exemplified in Figures 2, 3 and 5.

[0051] The first portion 21 of the spacer element 20 develops substantially orthogonally to the second portion 22.

[0052] The first portion 21 of the spacer element 20 is also a flat body, of such dimensions as to allow the load-bearing longitudinal profile 13 to be mounted on the spacer element 20 itself.

[0053] The first portion 21 is preferably a plate integral with the second portion 22. The flat body of said second portion 22 has a main surface, which main surface is arranged directly in contact with the external surface 16a of said underlying insulating panel 16, having dimensions between 8.000 mm 2< and 30.000 mm 2< . Preferably, the flat body of said second portion 22 has a main surface area between 9.000 mm 2< and 10.000 mm 2< .

[0054] Again, the flat body of the second portion 22 has a main surface area of 9.600 mm 2< .

[0055] The second portion 22 has a main surface directly in contact with the external surface 16a of said underlying insulating panel 16, having a quadrangular shape, with a first side having a length between 50 mm and 100 mm and a second side, orthogonal to said first side, having a length between 100 mm and 200 mm.

[0056] In particular, the second side is arranged vertically with respect to a utilisation arrangement of said second portion 22.

[0057] The second side, if arranged vertically, is dimensionally larger than or equal to the first side.

[0058] In particular, the second portion 22 has a main surface, which is arranged directly in contact with the external surface 16a of said underlying insulating panel 16, having a quadrangular shape, with said first side, horizontal, measuring 60 mm and said second side, vertical, measuring 160 mm.

[0059] The spacer elements 20 are arranged in vertical rows, along each vertical row the geometric centres of the second portions 22 of two consecutive spacer elements 20 are spaced by a distance of 3.500 mm or less.

[0060] In particular, the spacer elements 20 are arranged aligned in vertical rows, along each vertical row the geometric centres of the second portions 22 of two consecutive spacer elements 20 are spaced from each other by a distance of 3100 mm or less.

[0061] The terms 'vertical' and 'horizontal' are to be understood with respect to an arrangement of use of the second portion 22.

[0062] Experimental verifications carried out by the Applicant of the present patent application have shown that under the same load conditions, and at the same distance, horizontally, between the vertical rows of spacer elements 20, the greater the main surface of the second portion 22 of the spacer element 20, which main surface is in contact with the external surface 16a of the underlying insulating panel 16, the more efficient the ventilated and insulated wall structure 10 according to the present invention is.

[0063] The main advantage of this structure 10 is the containment of contact pressure distribution, allowing the insulating panel 16 to deform in a restrained manner, and without ever breaking, while complying with the tension limitations laid down by technology and regulations.

[0064] Contact pressures are intended to be generated by loads given by the weight of the finishing panels 14 and loads given by the wind.

[0065] The spacer 20 is preferably an 'L' bracket.

[0066] The first portion 21 also has at least one through opening 21a, e.g. two through openings 21a and 21b.

[0067] At least one through opening 21a consists of a slot, e.g. a vertically developed slot with respect to a utilisation arrangement of the wall structure 10, so as to allow for a correction of the positioning of the longitudinal load-bearing profile 13 in a vertical direction during assembly of the wall structure 10.

[0068] The load-bearing longitudinal profile 13 has a plurality of through openings 13c on its second portion 13b, configured and positioned to be fixed to the at least one through opening 21a of the spacer element 20, for example by means of a threaded connection 25.

[0069] Operating surprisingly contrary to the history of the technical sector, and on the basis of the empirical findings of the robustness of the insulating panels 16 over time, in particular with reference to the insulating panels 16 based on, or including, polyurethane foam, the second portion 22 of said spacer element 20 is supported directly on said insulating panel 16, without interposition of other structural components for support and load distribution, as is the known technique of the sector.

[0070] In particular, such insulating panels 16 are understood to be without internal, or partially internal, rigid reinforcing parts, such as wooden battens, metal plates or bars, or other internal or partially internal reinforcing elements.

[0071] Thanks to such a technical solution according to the present invention, it is possible to set up the insulated ventilated wall structure 10 without the need to lay longitudinal load-dividing profiles, with an important saving in wall set-up time, and with an important result of preserving the integrity of the external surface 16a of the insulating panels 16, which are no longer perforated by the longitudinal edges of the longitudinal load-dividing profiles.

[0072] In an embodiment variant of the invention, the first fastening elements 17 may coincide with the threaded elements 18 for fastening the spacer elements 20 to the wall support 11.

[0073] A plurality of finishing panels 14 are fastened to the longitudinal load-bearing profiles 13 to define a substantially level surface for the wall.

[0074] Finishing panels 14 have, for example, a water-repellent coating and comprise a core of calcium sulphate dihydrate reinforced with glass fibre and biocides and a thickness in the range of 10-30 mm, preferably 12.5 mm.

[0075] The finishing panels 14 are anchored to the load-bearing longitudinal profiles 13 with known fasteners, such as screws or rivets, not shown in the figures. Finishing panels 14 may also be made, for example, of plasterboard and / or ceramic and / or metal and / or marble and / or wood and / or similar materials.

[0076] On the external surface, obtained and formed by the arrangement of these finishing panels 14, a layer of finishing plaster and / or finish coating is placed, in some cases, but not necessarily.

[0077] This layer of plaster is suitable for waterproofing certain types of finishing panels 14 such as plasterboard or fibre cement.

[0078] It should be noted that a wall structure 10 according to the present invention allows for a higher laying speed than a traditional ETICS wall.

[0079] It should also be noted that a wall structure 10 according to the invention can also be used inside buildings, e.g. in cellars. In this case, the insulating panels are fixed to the inside surface of the building's wall supports.

[0080] In the case where the ventilated insulated wall structure according to the invention is set up against an internal wall surface, said wall structure may comprise a vapour barrier layer interposed between the insulating layer 12 and the spacer elements 20; the purpose of this is to eliminate the transit of vapour from the internal environment towards the internal wall below the insulated wall structure, and to limit the risk of interstitial condensation.

[0081] A vapour barrier layer may comprise, or may comprise, a polyethylene (PE) film, or alternatively may comprise, or may comprise, a polypropylene (PP) composite film.In practice, it has been found that the invention achieves the intended task and purposes by realising a ventilated insulated wall structure capable of reducing the cost and time for its realisation, and a ventilated insulated wall structure also capable of reducing thermal and acoustic bridges between the wall substrate and the external surface.

[0082] In practice, the materials used, as long as they are compatible with the specific use, as well as the contingent dimensions and shapes, can be any according to the requirements and the state of the art.

[0083] Where the characteristics and techniques mentioned in any claim are followed by reference marks, those marks have been affixed for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and consequently those reference marks have no limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by those reference marks.

Claims

1. Insulated ventilated wall structure (10), comprising, arranged in the following order: - a wall support (11), - an insulating layer (12) comprising in turn a plurality of insulating panels (16) fixed to said wall support (11) by means of adhesives and / or first fixing elements (17), - a plurality of load-bearing longitudinal profiles (13) facing said insulation layer (12) and - a plurality of finishing panels (14) associated with said plurality of load-bearing longitudinal profiles (13), in which said finishing panels (14) are fixed to said load-bearing longitudinal profiles (13), and in which said load-bearing longitudinal profiles (13) are each supported by a plurality of spacer elements (20), said spacer elements (20) being configured and positioned in such a way that a ventilation gap (19) is defined between said insulating panels (16) and said finishing panels (14) characterised in that each of said spacer elements (20) in turn comprises: - a first portion (21) configured for attachment to a said load-bearing longitudinal profile (13), - a second portion (22) configured to be fixed to said wall support (11), said first portion (21) being a plate integral with said second portion (22), in which said second portion (22) of said spacer element (20) rests directly on said insulating panel (16).

2. A ventilated insulated wall structure according to claim 1, characterised in that said second portion (22) comprises a flat body suitable to be supported, for its main surface, on the external surface (16a) of an underlying insulating panel (16).

3. A ventilated insulated wall structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the flat body of said second portion (22) has a main surface, said main surface being arranged directly in contact with the external surface (16a) of a said underlying insulating panel (16), having dimensions between 8.000 mm2 and 30.000 mm2, and preferably having dimensions between 9.000 mm2 and 10.000 mm24. A ventilated wall structure insulated according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said second portion (22) has a main surface, said main surface being arranged directly in contact with the external surface (16a) of said underlying insulating panel (16), having a quadrangular shape, with a first side having a length of between 50 mm and 100 mm and a second side, orthogonal to said first side, having a length of between 100 mm and 200 mm.

5. A ventilated wall structure insulated according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said second side is arranged vertically with respect to a use configuration of said second portion (22).

6. A ventilated wall structure insulated according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said second portion (22) has a main surface directly in contact with the external surface (16a) of said underlying insulating panel (16), having a quadrangular shape, with said first side measuring 60 mm and said second side measuring 160 mm.

7. Insulated ventilated wall structure according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said spacer elements (20): - are arranged in vertical rows, - along each vertical row, the geometric centres of the second portions (22) of two consecutive spacer elements (20) being spaced by a distance of less than or equal to 3500 mm, and preferably less than or equal to 3100 mm.

8. A ventilated wall structure insulated according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said insulating panels (16) are sandwich panels comprising a polyurethane foam, or, alternatively, said insulating panels (16) are of the polystyrene or polystyrene-based type, or phenolic foam-based insulating panels, or insulating panels based on a wool of mineral or vegetable origin, or based on a wool in general.

9. A ventilated wall structure insulated according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said insulating panels (16) are fixed to the wall support (11) with first fixing elements (17), wherein said first fixing elements comprise dowels.

10. A ventilated wall structure insulated according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said load-bearing longitudinal profiles (13) are defined by 'T' or 'L' section profiles.

11. A ventilated insulated wall structure according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that each load-bearing longitudinal profile (13) thus comprises a first portion (13a) available for the attachment of an overlying finishing panel (14), and a second portion (13b) developing substantially orthogonally to the first portion (13a), said second portion (13b) being configured for attachment to a plurality of spacer elements (20), said load-bearing longitudinal profile (13) having a plurality of through openings (13c) on its second portion (13b), configured and positioned for attachment to at least one through opening (21a) of the spacer element (20), for example by means of a threaded connection (25).

12. Insulated ventilated wall structure according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that each of said spacer elements (20) is defined by an 'L' shaped cross-sectional profile.

13. A ventilated wall structure insulated according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said second portion (22) comprises at least one through opening (22a) for the passage of a threaded element (18), said threaded element (18) being of such a length as to pass through the second portion (22), the insulating panel (16) and such as to grip in the wall support (11).

14. A ventilated wall structure insulated according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said spacer element (20) is an 'L' shaped bracket, said first portion (21) presenting at least one through opening (21a), said at least one through opening (21a) being formed by a slot, for example a slot with vertical development with respect to a use arrangement of the wall structure (10), so as to allow a correction of the positioning of the longitudinal load-bearing profile (13) in a vertical direction during assembly of the wall structure (10).

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