Panel for a ship floor

Abstract

A panel (1) for a ship floor, comprising - a metal base (3); - a metal cover (2); - a polymer sheet (4), arranged between the base (3) and the cover (2); wherein the base (3) and the cover (2) form a hermetically sealed casing (10); wherein said polymer sheet (4) is arranged in said hermetically sealed casing (10); wherein said casing (10) is hermetically sealed by means of glue.

Description

[0001] PANEL FOR A SHIP FLOOR

[0002] Field of the invention

[0003] The present invention relates to the field of systems for making ship floors. Background art

[0004] To date, making a floor of a ship includes pouring a plurality of layers of material onto the metal sheet of the ship, substantially making a screed. Tiles or other elements adapted to define the walkable surface of the ship floor are integrated with the screed.

[0005] Disadvantageously, the manufacturing times are long, in particular because of the waiting times required for the aforesaid layers of materials to solidify.

[0006] Disadvantageously, to date, the floor thus made is particularly heavy, and therefore it greatly affects the consumptions of the ship.

[0007] Therefore, the need is felt to reduce the times for making the floor of a ship and lighten the ship floor, overcoming the limits of the prior art.

[0008] Summary of the invention

[0009] It is an object of the present invention to provide a panel which allows reducing the times required to make the floor of a ship.

[0010] It is a particular object of the present invention to make the aforesaid panel so that it is particularly lightweight.

[0011] It is a particular object of the present invention to make said panel quickly and easily.

[0012] The present invention achieves at least one of such objects and the other objects which will be apparent in light of the present description, by means of a panel for the floor of a ship according to claim 1 comprising

[0013] - a metal base;

[0014] - a metal cover;

[0015] - a polymer sheet (or polymer support or polymer plate), arranged between the base and the cover; wherein the base and the cover form a hermetically sealed casing; wherein said polymer sheet is arranged in said hermetically sealed casing; wherein said casing is hermetically sealed by means of glue. The invention further relates to a ship according to claim 14.

[0016] The invention further relates to a method, according to claim 15, for making a panel, comprising the steps of: a) arranging a polymer sheet, in particular a preformed polymer sheet, on the base; b) arranging the cover on the polymer sheet; c) hermetically sealing the base and the cover with each other by means of glue, so as to form said hermetically sealed casing; in particular, wherein step b) follows step a), and step c) follows step b).

[0017] It is particularly advantageous that said casing is hermetically sealed by means of glue. One of the advantages associated with this feature is the possibility to use a preformed polymer sheet, whereby the sealing can be done after having arranged the polymer sheet between the base and the cover. Sealing by welding, on the other hand, would not allow carrying out the sealing after having arranged the polymer sheet between the base and the cover, because of the temperatures reached during welding, which could melt or burn the polymer sheet. Moreover, sealing by means of glue can be achieved in a particularly quick and easy manner, and allows performing any maintenance or inspection operations. Moreover, sealing by means of glue is particularly reliable.

[0018] The use of a polymer sheet is particularly advantageous because it allows achieving a lightweight panel.

[0019] The polymer sheet is preferably made of a polymer foam, preferably a PET foam, in order to achieve a particularly lightweight panel.

[0020] The fact that the panel can be particularly lightweight is important because it allows reducing the overall weight of the ship and therefore allows reducing consumption.

[0021] It is particularly preferable that the polymer sheet is preformed, in particular produced before the base and the cover are assembled to each other to form the hermetically sealed casing, because the use of a preformed polymer sheet makes the process of producing the panel particularly quick and easy, for example compared with the injection of material into a casing. It is particular important that the base and the cover form a hermetically sealed casing because the panel thus meets the safety requirements related to ships, in particular the smoke safety requirement.

[0022] In particular, the hermetically sealed casing, or in other words a hermetically sealed panel, allows using a sheet made of polymer material therein aboard a ship. In particular, the hermetically sealed casing advantageously prevents the escape of smoke that could be generated in the case of accidental combustion of the polymer sheet in the case of a fire aboard the ship.

[0023] Advantageously, the panel is assembled at a factory.

[0024] Advantageously, the panels according to the invention can be installed aboard a ship quickly, without the need for highly skilled workers.

[0025] Advantageously, for example, tiles or other elements adapted to define the walkable surface of a ship floor can be glued directly on the panel.

[0026] It is particularly preferable to make the base and cover of aluminum or aluminum alloy for the lightness and thermal conductivity thereof. Indeed, the panel can be placed by the side of panels provided with a heating element, and thus conduct the heat produced by them, or optionally the panel according to the invention can be provided with an electric heating element therein.

[0027] It is particularly preferable that the base has a peripheral side wall fixed, in particular by means of glue, to the cover. In particular, the peripheral wall extends substantially along the entire periphery of the panel.

[0028] In particular, it is particularly preferable that the base comprises a flat portion from which said peripheral side wall extends transversely, preferably orthogonally, and that said peripheral side wall forms a single piece, in particular monolithic, with said flat portion.

[0029] Indeed, it is possible to make the panel in a particularly easy manner, and the hermetic sealing of the panel is particularly reliable.

[0030] Further features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent in light of the detailed description of exemplary but not exclusive embodiments.

[0031] The dependent claims describe particular embodiments of the invention.

[0032] Brief description of the drawings

[0033] The description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings, which are provided by way of non-limiting example, in which:

[0034] Fig. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of a panel according to the invention; Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a component of the panel in Fig. 1 ;

[0035] The same elements or components have the same reference numerals.

[0036] Description of exemplary embodiments of the invention

[0037] Exemplary embodiments of a panel 1 for the floor of a ship are described with reference to the figures.

[0038] In all embodiments, the panel 1 comprises

[0039] - a metal base 3, or metal slab or plate;

[0040] - a metal cover 2, or metal slab or plate;

[0041] - a polymer sheet 4 (or polymer support or polymer body or polymer plate), arranged between the base 3 and the cover 2; wherein the base 3 and the cover 2 form a hermetically sealed casing 10, in particular hermetically sealed by means of sealing material; and wherein said polymer sheet 4 is arranged in said hermetically sealed casing 10; where said casing 10 is hermetically sealed by means of a sealing material, said sealing material being a glue, i.e., said casing 10 is hermetically sealed by means of glue.

[0042] Therefore, advantageously, the panel 1 is hermetically sealed or in other words is tightly sealed by means of glue so as to prevent the passage of fluids, e.g., fumes. In particular, the fumes produced by a possible combustion of the polymer sheet would not escape from the panel 1 .

[0043] In particular, the polymer sheet 4 is arranged completely inside said casing.

[0044] Preferably, the glue is a polyurethane glue, preferably a two-component polyurethane glue.

[0045] In other words, advantageously, the sealing material with which the panel 1 is provided is a glue, preferably a polyurethane glue, in particular a two-component polyurethane glue.

[0046] The glue is preferably arranged at least inside the casing 10.

[0047] The base 3 and the cover 2, in particular, are the outermost components of the panel 1 . In particular, the outer surface of the base 3 and the outer surface of the cover 2 are the outermost surfaces of the panel 1 . As already mentioned above, the base 3 and the cover 2 are advantageously fixed to each other by means of glue, in particular sealing glue.

[0048] The base 3 defines one of the two faces, or main surfaces, of the panel 1 , and the cover 2 defines the other of the two faces, or main surfaces, of the panel 1 .

[0049] In particular, when the panel 1 is installed, the cover 2 preferably defines the upper (or alternatively lower) surface, which in particular is particularly flat, of the panel 1 ; and the base 3 preferably defines the lower (or alternatively upper) surface, which in particular is flat, of the panel 1 .

[0050] The base 3 is preferably provided with a peripheral side wall 31 . The peripheral wall 31 , in particular, substantially extends along the entire periphery of the panel 1 . In particular, the peripheral side wall 31 substantially defines the side surface of a rectangular parallelepiped.

[0051] In particular, the base 3 preferably comprises or is formed by a flat portion 30 from which the peripheral side wall 31 extends transversely, preferably orthogonally. Preferably, the cover 2 is a flat plate or slab or, in other words, the cover 2 preferably consists of a flat plate or slab.

[0052] The base 3 and the cover 2 are parallel or substantially parallel to each other. In particular, the cover 2 is parallel or substantially parallel to the flat portion 30 of the base 3.

[0053] The peripheral side wall 31 is fixed, in particular by means of glue, to the cover 2. Glue is preferably present between the peripheral wall 31 and the cover 2.

[0054] Preferably, the base 3 and the cover 2 are made of aluminum or aluminum alloy. Although aluminum or an aluminum alloy is preferable, the base 3 and the cover 2 can be made of other metal, e.g., steel.

[0055] The cover 2 is preferably made from a plate or foil which preferably has a thickness from 0.5 to 5 mm, e.g., from 0.5 to 3 mm; and / or the base 3 is made from a plate which preferably has a thickness from 0.5 to 5 mm, e.g., from 0.5 to 3 mm.

[0056] In all embodiments, it is particularly preferable that the aforesaid peripheral side wall 31 of the base 3 is formed by folding, in particular with respect to the flat portion 30, the plate from which the base 3 is made, or in other words the peripheral side wall 31 is formed by folding, in particular with respect to the flat portion 30, the peripheral portion of the plate. In other words, in all embodiments, it is particularly preferable that said peripheral side wall 31 forms a, single piece, in particular monolithic, with said flat portion 30. In particular, said peripheral side wall 31 comprises or is formed by four portions 31 a, 31 b, 31 c, 31 d, a first portion 31 a and a third portion 31 c of which are substantially parallel to each other, and a second portion 31 b and a fourth portion 31 d are substantially orthogonal to the first portion 31a and the third portion 31 c.

[0057] Preferably, the panel 1 is substantially parallelepiped-shaped. In particular, the base 3 and the cover 2 preferably have a substantially rectangular section.

[0058] In all embodiments, it is particularly preferable that the polymer sheet 4 is a preformed component, in particular produced before the base 3 and the cover 2 are assembled to each other to form the hermetically sealed casing 10.

[0059] In particular, the polymer sheet 4 is electrically and thermally insulating.

[0060] Preferably, the polymer sheet 4 has a thickness from 5 to 100 mm, e.g., from 5 to 50 mm.

[0061] The polymer sheet 4 is preferably made of a polymer foam, preferably PET (polyethylene terephthalate) foam. Alternatively, the polymer sheet 4 can be made of other polymer materials. By way of mere non-limiting example, the polymer sheet 4 can be made of any of the following materials, preferably in the form of polymer foam: PVC (polyvinyl chloride), EPDM (Ethylene-Propylene Diene Monomer), EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate), EPS (sintered expanded polystyrene), PE (polyethylene), PC (polycarbonate), ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene), Phenols.

[0062] The polymer sheet 4 is preferably in contact, in particular directly in contact, with the base 3 and / or the cover 2.

[0063] The panel 1 , in particular, substantially forms a sandwich structure.

[0064] The panels 1 can advantageously be arranged mutually side by side on the same surface. For example, tiles or other elements adapted to define the walkable surface of a ship floor can be fixed on the panels 1 .

[0065] In all embodiment, the panel 1 can optionally comprise at least one electric heating element, adapted to generate heat when electrically powered, arranged between the polymer sheet 4 and the cover 2, preferably in contact with the cover 2. In this case, the peripheral side wall 31 of the base 3 is preferably provided with at least one opening crossed by the heating element and / or a power cable of the heating element, and said opening is completely plugged, in particular partly by sealing material (in particular glue) and partly by the heating element and / or said power cable.

[0066] Optionally, the panel 1 comprises at least one temperature probe, or at least one tube suitable for housing a temperature probe, passing through a respective opening of the peripheral side wall 31 of the base 3; said respective opening being completely plugged, in particular, partly by the respective temperature probe or tube, and partly by sealing material, in particular glue.

[0067] In any case, all possible openings or notches in the casing 10 are completely plugged, in particular with glue.

[0068] The invention further relates to a method for making a panel 1 comprising the steps of: a) arranging a polymer sheet 4, in particular a preformed polymer sheet, on the base 3; b) arranging the cover 2 on the polymer sheet 4; c) hermetically sealing the base 3 and the cover 2 to each other by means of glue so as to form said hermetically sealed casing 10; in particular, wherein step b) follows step a), and step c) follows step b).

[0069] The method preferably comprises a step wherein, in order to obtain the base 3, the peripheral portion, in particular the entire peripheral portion, of a metal plate is bent to obtain the aforesaid peripheral wall 31 .

[0070] The invention further relates to a ship provided with a plurality of panels 1 , in particular arranged side-by-side on the same surface.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A panel (1 ) for a ship floor, comprising- a metal base (3);- a metal cover (2);- a polymer sheet (4), arranged between the base (3) and the cover (2); wherein the base (3) and the cover (2) form a hermetically sealed casing (10); wherein said polymer sheet (4) is arranged in said hermetically sealed casing (10); wherein said casing (10) is hermetically sealed by means of glue.

2. A panel (1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the base (3) is provided with a peripheral side wall (31 ) fixed, in particular by means of glue, to the cover (2).

3. A panel (1 ) according to claim 2, wherein the base (3) comprises a flat portion(30) from which said peripheral side wall (31 ) extends transversely, preferably orthogonally.

4. A panel (1 ) according to claim 3, wherein said peripheral side wall (31 ) forms a single piece with said flat portion (30); in particular, wherein said peripheral side wall(31 ) comprises four portions (31 a, 31 b, 31 c, 31 d), a first portion (31 a) and a third portion (31 c) of which are substantially parallel to each other, and a second portion (31 b) and a fourth portion (31 d) of which are substantially orthogonal to the first portion (31 a).

5. A panel according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein glue is present between the peripheral side wall (31 ) and the cover (2).

6. A panel (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the base (3) and the cover (2) are made of aluminum or aluminum alloy.

7. A panel (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said polymer sheet (4) is made of a polymer foam.

8. A panel (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said polymer sheet (4) is made of PET foam.

9. A panel (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said polymer sheet (4) is in contact, in particular directly in contact, with the base (3) and / or the cover (2).

10. A panel (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said polymer sheet (4) is a preformed component, in particular produced before the base (3) and the cover (2) are assembled to each other to form the hermetically sealed casing (10).

11. A panel (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover (2) is made from a plate having a thickness from 0.5 to 5 mm; and / or wherein the base (3) is made from a plate having a thickness from 0.5 to 5 mm.

12. A panel (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the polymer sheet (4) has a thickness from 5 to 100 mm.

13. A panel (1 ) according to any one of the proceeding claims, comprising an electric heating element arranged between the polymer sheet (4) and the cover (2).

14. A ship provided with a plurality of panels (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims.

15. A method for making a panel (1 ) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, comprising the steps of: a) arranging a polymer sheet (4), in particular a preformed polymer sheet, (4) on the base (3); b) arranging the cover (2) on the polymer sheet (4); c) hermetically sealing the base (3) and the cover (2) to each other by means of glue so as to form said hermetically sealed casing (10); in particular, wherein step b) follows step a), and step c) follows step b).

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