Insulated service way

Abstract

An insulated service way for routing services and utility lines such as wires, pipes and ducts within a wall. The service way includes a front panel 10 spaced apart from a rear panel 20 forming a ca

Description

Field of Invention The present invention relates to service ways for routing services within a wall, panels for walls, and walls. Background Modern construction methods typically make use of prefabricated, modular wall panels to fix together to form either internal walls or party walls. An example of such a panel is given in GB2612403A1 which incorporated in its entirety herein by reference. Such wall panels are often provided with service ways to route services within walls. Service ways advantageously provide relatively narrow channels so that a service that is installed in a wall is limited in how far it can wander. These channels align with backboxes so that the services can only be located vertically above the backboxes. A user therefore knows where they can or cannot drill into the wall to avoid damage to the services. These service ways also aid in installation of the services since the services are guided to the backboxes, outlets, or other desired end points. Such service ways are known to be provided in cheap material such as cardboard. The prefabricated panel typically has separate layers of a wall face, insulation material, various pattresses, and another wall face. There are many components that need to be manufactured, transported, stored, and assembled. Additionally, since untreated cardboard is flammable, there is a chance that it could catch fire due to a faulty or naked service It is an object of the present invention to ameliorate issues with the existing prior art. Statements of Invention According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a service way for routing services within a wall. The service way comprises a front panel; a rear panel spaced away from the front panel forming a cavity therebetween; at least two transverse struts, spacers, or connectors, connected to the front and rear panel spanning substantially the height of the cavity thereby forming at least one channel; and in which the front panel, the rear panel, and preferably the at least two transverse struts are composed of, or comprise, insulation material. The insulation material may be sound insulation material, or fire insulation material, or both, or a material that is both sound and fire insulating. The service way may be a wireway. The services may be electrical wires, data wires, fibre optic cables, plumbing, or any other services that are desirable to route within a wall. The insulation material may be a mineral wool, glass wool, or stone wool. Advantageously, composing the service way with insulation material allows for a wall panel to be built using fewer components. This is because there is no need to provide a service way, insulation, and means for mounting both in the wall panel, instead only a service way and means for connecting the service way to the wall panel is required. This facilitates both manufacturing of the components of the wall panel as well as shipping and installation due to the reduced number of pieces. This also reduces the number of separate components or parts that need to be kept in a factory environment when manufacturing a wall panel with the present service way. An additional advantage is that composing the service way with insulation material allows for a wall panel to have fewer flammable components. The front panel may be composed of a lower density insulation material than the rear panel. Preferably, the transverse struts are composed of the same density insulation as the rear panel. Alternatively, the transverse struts may be composed of an insulation material having a different, third density. In an alternative embodiment, the front panel and rear panel, and optionally the transverse struts or spacers, are composed of the same density insulation material. Having the front and rear panel with two different densities of sound insulation material is found to have improved sound insulation compared to a similar panel with the same density of sound insulation material using in both the front and rear panel, whilst maintaining structural rigidity. The front panel may be composed of mineral wool, for example having a density of between 10-90 kg / m3. Alternatively, the front panel may be composed of a mineral wool having a density of between 15-50, 30-85, or 60-80 kg / m3. The rear panel may be composed of mineral wool, for example having a density of between 10-90 kg / m3. Alternatively, the front panel may be composed of a mineral wool having a density of between 15-50, 30-85, or 60-80 kg / m3. The front panel and rear panel may be composed of a glass or rock wool, the skilled person will recognise that different insulation material is equally envisaged. In the embodiment where the front panel and rear panel have the same density, the front and rear panel may be composed of a mineral wool, for example having a density of between 15-50, 30-85, or 60-80 kg / m3. When the front panel and rear panel do not have the same density, the front and rear panel may have substantially the same density. The skilled person will recognise that any appropriately relatively rigid insulation material having the desirable sound insulation and fire protection properties can equivalently be used. Alternatively, the mineral wool may be a glass wool having the same density. Advantageously, the density of the front and rear panel is high enough to provide a relatively rigid panel that can support its own weight whilst also providing desirable sound and fire insulation. Providing the front panel, rear panel, and transverse struts in the same insulation material is further advantageous because it allows a manufacturer to source a single type of insulation and reduce the amount of wasted insulation material. The at least two transverse struts may be five transverse struts, thereby forming four channels. Alternatively, the at least two transverse struts may be four transverse struts, thereby forming three channels. The channels may have substantially the same dimensions as each other. Providing this number of channels allows for standard off-the-shelf insulation panels, having typical width of 600mm, to be used while restricting how much a service can wander laterally within the service way to within the legal requirement. The front panel may have a cutaway for receiving a backbox, an outlet, or any such desirable endpoint, or an area marked for use as a cutaway (e.g., so that an installer can create the cutaway during installation). Having a cutaway for a backbox allows the user to install a backbox into the service way with greater ease without having to cut one out themselves. This reduces the time to install a backbox or outlet, de-skills the task, and creates less mess on a site that needs to be cleaned up. The cutaway may be located between two adjacent transverse struts. Two adjacent transverse struts may mean two transverse struts that form a channel with no transverse struts therebetween. Beneficially, having the cutaway be located between two adjacent transverse struts allows the channel to further limit how much the services can wander within the service way. This reduces the likelihood of the services becoming tangled, or damaged during installation and also reduces the risk of incorrect installation. Further advantageously, when a wall or a portion thereof is formed by tessellating a plurality of said panels, a user can create a cutaway at any point in the wall (or portion thereof) and find a channel that can be used as a service way. The service way may further comprise a frame. The frame optionally encases the edges of the front panel and / or rear panel. Encase may mean covering, by the frame, the edges of the front and / or rear panel as well as a portion of the panel. The edges that are generally vertically disposed in use may be surrounded or covered by the frame, or the edges that are generally horizontally disposed in use may be surrounded or covered by the frame, or most preferably all four edges of the frame surrounding the service way may be surrounded or covered by the frame. Providing a frame has the advantage that it protects the edges of the panels which are be more prone to wear and tear during transportation, installation, and general usage of the service way. The frame also enables, in use, adjacent service ways to be connected together via their frames. The frame may have a tongue along one upright edge and a complementary groove along the opposite upright edge, adapted to interlock with a tongue of an adjacent service way. The frame may further encase two of the at least two transverse struts. In this embodiment, there are two transverse struts proximal to the edges of the panels. Advantageously, encasing two struts within the frame provides reinforcement to the frame to help prevent any unwanted deformation of the frame. The frame may be composed of metal. More specifically, the frame may be composed of galvanised steel. Advantageously, galvanised steel is not flammable, is corrosion resistant, and is sufficiently sturdy. The edges of the front panel and rear panel may be encased by a bracket in the frame. The bracket may be substantially U-shaped, the edges and part of the panels may be locatable within the volume enclosed by the bracket. The bracket may be resiliently biased so as to apply a clamping force on the front and rear panels. Having the edges of the front and rear panel encased within a bracket further provides protection to the edges during transport, installation, and general use of the service way. The front panel and rear panel may be fixed to the bracket. The panels may be fixed to the bracket by way of screws, nails, adhesive, or adhesive tape. The skilled person will readily understand that other fixing means are equally envisaged. Fixing the panels to the bracket further increases the stability of the service way as a whole and prevents relative movement of the panel edges with respect to each other and with respect to the frame. A service way may itself be a partition wall, without the need for front and rear panels in front of or being the service way respectively. Alternatively, an additional front and / or rear sheet may be applied in use over the wall formed by the service way. The at least one channel may comprise a lining. The lining may be formed by one of: plastic; cardboard; and / or fleece. The lining may be mechanically adhered or chemically bonded to the insulation material during manufacture of the service way. Advantageously, providing a lining prevents insulation fibres from going airborne. The lining further prevents wires or other services being passed through the channel from snagging the insulation material. Where the lining of one channel is formed by a first of the above lining materials, the lining of a second channel may be formed by a second of the above lining material. It will be readily apparent that other lining materials may be equally envisaged. According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a prefabricated wall panel. The prefabricated wall panel comprises a rear wall panel; a front wall panel forming an internal face for a room, said front wall panel spaced away from the rear wall panel to form a wall cavity; and a first side stud and a second side stud, each side stud connected to the front and rear wall panels on opposing sides of the cavity; a service way according to the first aspect of the invention, the service way disposed within the wall cavity. The combined thickness of the front wall panel and the front panel of the service way may be at least 50mm. Beneficially, providing this thickness allows the wires that may be locatable within the service way to be at least as deep as the minimum legal requirement within the wall. An additional advantage to providing this thickness is that casual insertions into the wall (such as hammering picture hooks, pins, or nails into the wall) are unlikely to reach the wires in the wall because the insertion is often not more than 50mm. The rear wall panel may form part of a party wall. It is particularly beneficial to have the front panel of the service way in this embodiment as being composed of the lower density insulation as described in the first aspect of this invention so as to meet legal soundproofing requirements. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of erecting a wall having a service way according to the first aspect. The method comprises: mounting a first end of the service way to a floor where the wall is to be located; and fixing a second end of the service way to a ceiling located vertically above the floor where the first end is mounted. The service way may be fixed to the ground using a frame located around the service way. The service way may alternatively be fixed to the floor via rails already fixed to the floor. The skilled person will understand that any standard means to fix a part of a wall panel to the floor is equally envisaged. Advantageously, by fixing the service way to the floor and ceiling, a builder has installed both the service way and the insulation at the same time. This reduces the amount of work needed from the builder. The method may further comprise mounting a front wall panel over the front panel of the service way. Advantageously, this allows a builder to rapidly provide an inner face to a room that is being built. The method may further comprise mounting a rear wall panel over the rear panel of the service way. In some alternative embodiments, the rear wall panel is already located in situ and / or the rear wall panel is a party wall. In this alternative embodiment, the service way is mounted to the party wall. Advantageously, this allows a builder to rapidly provide an outer face to a room that is being built. Alternatively, it allows a builder to mount a service way to a party wall. The method may further comprise cutting a cutaway into the front wall panel and front panel of the service way; and installing a backbox within the cutaway. In an alternative embodiment, the cutaway is already provided in the front wall panel and / or front panel of the service way. In such alternative embodiments, the method comprises cutting a cutaway (if necessary) in the remaining of the front wall panel and / or front panel of the service way; and installing a backbox within the cutaway. Advantageously, this allows a builder to rapidly install a backbox within a wall. Providing a front wall panel and front panel of a service way with a cutaway already present further accelerates this process and de-skills the building operation. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of assembling a service way according to the first aspect of the present invention. The method comprises: fixing at least two transverse struts to a first of a front panel and a rear panel; and fixing the other of the front panel and the rear panel to the transverse struts. Fixing may mean attaching by way any sort of fixing means, such as screws, nails, adhesive, or adhesive tape. The skilled person will readily understand that other fixing means are equally envisaged. The front panel may be fixed to the at least two transverse struts using a first fixing means. The rear panel may be fixed to the at least two transverse struts using either the same fixing means or a different fixing means. The method may further comprise encasing the edges of the front and / or rear panel with the frame (for example by building a frame around the front and / or rear panel, or placing the service way within a frame that is already constructed). The frame may initially be provided as four separate pieces. Each of the four pieces may be separately fixed to the front and / or rear panel. Once fixed to the front and / or rear panel, overlapping portions of the four pieces may be fixed to each other to provide a rigid integral frame. Embodiments of the aspects may comprise any element of any embodiment of the other aspects of the invention. Brief Description of the Figures The invention is described in further detail below by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a photograph of a perspective view of a service way with a portion of the front face removed for convenience; Figure 2 shows a cross-section of a service way as viewed from above; Figure 3 shows an exploded view of a prefabricated wall panel; Figure 4 shows a cross-section of a prefabricated wall panel as viewed from above; and Figure 5 shows a cross-section of a first and second side stud. Detailed Description Figure 1 shows a photograph of a perspective view of a service way 1 for routing services within a wall. The service way 1 comprises a front panel 10, a rear panel 20, five transverse struts 30, and a frame 40. The front panel 10 is shown with a portion removed for convenience. The front panel 10 is a mineral wool insulation panel, such as glass wool or rock wool. The front panel 10 has a density of approximately 60-80 kg / m3, a thickness of 30mm, and width of 600mm. The rear panel 20 is partially shown below the front panel 20. The rear panel 20 is a mineral wool insulation panel, such as glass wool or rock wool, having a density of approximately 60-80 kg / m3, a thickness of 30mm, and width of 600mm. In principle, any suitable density of insulation panel can be used (for example 10-90 kg / m3). The front panel 10 and rear panel 20 have the same dimensions in order to form the service way 1. The height and thickness of the front panel 10 and rear panel 20 may be chosen according to the requirements of the wall that is being built. Typically the front and rear panel 10, 20, and consequently the service way 1, have a width of approximately 600mm. A typical height for the service way is 4m, however the skilled person will readily understand that different heights of service ways to accommodate the wall under construction can be provided. The front panel 10 and rear panel 20 are parallel to each other and spaced apart by the transverse struts 30. The transverse struts in this embodiment are elongate cuboidal strips of mineral wool insulation. In some embodiments, the transverse struts 30 are composed of the same insulation material as the front and / or rear panel 10, 20. The transverse struts 30 run substantially the length of the service way 1. The transverse struts 30 are substantially equally spaced apart and run parallel to each other. Some or all of the transverse struts 30 may be of more rigid material than the mineral wool, for example, may be made of wood, metal, or cardboard. The five transverse struts 30, front panel 10, and rear panel 20 form four channels 32. The channels 32 are voids that run the height of the service way 1 and provide space for services (not shown) to be fed through the service way 1. The channels 32 in this embodiment have substantially the same dimensions as each other, but they do not have to. In some embodiments, the channels are provided with a lining material 34 as shown in the left-most channel. The lining material 34 lines the portions of the front panel 10, rear panel 20, and transverse struts 30 that form the channel 32 to help avoid wires being snagged by the insulation material when being installed. In some embodiments, the lining material 34 can be selected from: plastic, cardboard, and / or fleece. In some embodiments, fleece is bonded to the front panel 10, rear panel 20, and transverse struts 30 so that the faces of said panels and struts forming the channels are lined with the fleece. Advantageously, the lining material 34 prevents fibres of the insulation material going airborne. In alternative embodiments, however, it has been realised by the inventors that providing a lining material 34 is not necessary and surprisingly the service does not snag on the insulation material when being installed. Furthermore, not having a lining material 34 is cheaper, and means that fewer parts are necessary to store in a parts inventory. The frame 40 is provided around the service way 1. The frame 40 is composed of metal section strips, presently galvanised steel, and forms a rectangle around the front panel 10 and rear panel 20. The frame 40 in this embodiment encases the edges and part of the faces of the front panel 10 and rear panel 20, but it does not have to in other embodiments. In the present embodiment, the frame 40 comprises four brackets 42. Each bracket is elongate and substantially U-shaped in its inwardly facing (relative to the front and rear panels 10, 20) cross-section. The cross-section defines an internal volume for receiving the edges and part of the faces of the front and rear panels 10, 20. The brackets 42 are arranged to form a rectangle with the internal volumes pointing inward so that the front panel 10 and rear panel 20 is locatable within the rectangle and the edges thereof is locatable within the internal volumes of the brackets 42. Whilst the frame 40 is presently composed of galvanised steel, the skilled person will understand that other materials are equally suitable such as aluminium. The brackets 42 are fixed to each other at the ends of the brackets 42 by way of screws 44. The front panel 10 and rear panel 20 can be attached to the frame 40 by way of screws or nails (not shown) through the brackets and the respective panels 10, 20. Turning to Figure 2, there is shown a cross-section of the service way 1 as viewed from above. The front panel 10 is labelled as being low density insulation. The rear panel 20 is labelled as being high density insulation. The front panel 10 is typically formed of a mineral wool having density approximately 60 kg / m3 and the rear panel 20 is typically formed of a mineral wool having density approximately 80 kg / m3. In the present embodiment, there are four transverse struts 30 forming three channels 32. The outermost transverse struts 30 are provided proximal to the edges of the front and rear panels 10, 20. Doing so allows the outermost transverse struts 30 to be located within the internal volumes of the brackets 42 (not shown in Figure 2). Whilst the embodiment shown in Figure 2 is described as having a low and high density insulation, the skilled person will equally recognise that both panels may be composed of the same or approximately the same density insulation whilst remaining within the scope of the present invention. Turning to Figure 3, there is shown an exploded view of a prefabricated wall panel 2. The prefabricated wall panel 2 comprises a front wall panel 12, a rear wall panel 22, a first side stud 50, a second side stud 52, and the service way 1 as described above. The front wall panel 12 and rear wall panel 22 are gypsum-based boards having substantially the same dimensions as the front and rear panels 10, 12. In use, the front wall panel 12 forms part of an internal face for a room. The rear wall panel 22 is spaced apart from the front wall panel 12 to form a wall cavity. The service way 1 is positioned inside this wall cavity. The wall cavity is sized so that, in use, the front panel 10 of the service way 1 abuts the front wall panel 12. Similarly, the rear panel 20 of the service way 1 abuts the rear wall panel 22. In the present embodiment, the first and second side studs 50, 52 form part of the frame 40. As will further be described with reference to Figure 4, the first side stud 50 has a first mating surface or tongue that corresponds with a second mating surface or groove on the second side stud 52 so that multiple prefabricated wall panels 2 can be lined up next to each other to form a wall. In use, a builder will cut holes in the front panel 10 and front wall panel 12 at points 14 and 16. A backbox or outlet (not shown) can then be installed in the service way 1. Beneficially, the transverse struts (not shown in Figure 3) are spaced so that the backbox or outlet is locatable within a single channel. A feed-wire can be fed through the hole at point 14 and pushed down through a channel of the service way 1 until it reaches the backbox or outlet. Then the service that needs installing within the wall can be attached to the end of the feed-wire that extends out of the hole at point 16. The feed-wire is pulled out of the backbox or outlet thereby pulling the service through the service way 1. The builder can then proceed to do the further work as required. Examples of services include electrical wire, data / internet cables, optical fibres, plumbing, or other general services that are desirable to have installed in service ways. Further advantageously, a builder can cut a hole 16 in the front panel 10 anywhere along the prefabricated wall panel 2 and find a channel that can be used as a service way. Turning to Figure 4, there is shown a cross-section of the prefabricated wall panel 2 as viewed from above. The front panel 10 is labelled as being low density insulation. The rear panel 20 is labelled as being high density insulation. In alternative embodiments, the front panel 10 and rear panel 20 may be provided with the same or approximately the same density insulation. In the present embodiment, there are four transverse struts 30 forming three channels 32. The outermost transverse struts 30 are provided proximal to the edges of the front and rear panels 10, 20. The front wall panel 12 abuts the front panel 10 and the rear wall panel 22 abuts the rear panel 20. The combined thickness of the front wall panel 12 and front panel 10 is 50mm. The first side stud 50 is shown having a mating surface with a vertical protrusion or tongue 51. The second side stud 52 is shown having a mating surface with a corresponding vertical recess or groove 53. The tongue 51 and corresponding groove 53 are arranged so that multiple prefabricated wall panels can be arranged together to form a wall. In some embodiments, the rear wall panel 22 is part of a party wall. Turning to Figure 5, there is shown a cross-section view of the first and second side stud 50, 52. The first and second side stud 50, 52 are provided with side walls 54 that are fixed to the front and rear panels of the service way (shown in Figures 1-4). Perpendicular to the side walls 54 is provided are stud faces 56. The stud faces 56 are configured to abut the edges of the front and rear panels of the service way (shown in Figures 1-4). The stud faces 56 of the first side stud 50 are spaced apart by a tongue 51 that protrudes laterally from the stud faces 56 with respect to the volume enclosed by the first side stud 50. The stud faces 56 of the second side stud 52 are spaced apart by a groove 53 that recedes laterally into the volume enclosed by the second side stud. Beneficially, the tongue 51 and groove 53 are configured to cooperate so that two or more adjacent service ways can be mounted next to each other and interlock thereby forming a wall. The above-described invention provides a service way and a prefabricated wall panel. The service way constrains cabling in defined channels. In this way the cables are more easily fed through the service way and corresponding prefabricated wall panel. Advantageously, the service way is composed of insulation material. In doing so, the service way need not contain any flammable material, provides increased sound insulation, and reduces the number of parts needed in the prefabricated wall panel. It can be appreciated that the various embodiments described above contain complimentary features that may be combined depending upon the need of the wall installer. Accordingly, the apparatuses described herein therefore provide a service way, internal wall, and party wall using prefabricated wall panels. From reading the present disclosure, other variations and modifications will be apparent to the skilled person. Such variations and modifications may involve equivalent and other features which are already known in the art of construction, and which may be used instead of, or in addition to, features already described herein.

Claims

1. A service way for routing services within a wall, comprising:a front panel;a rear panel spaced away from the front panel forming a cavity therebetween;at least two transverse struts connected to the front and rear panel spanning substantially the height of the cavity thereby forming at least one channel;characterised in that the front panel, the rear panel, and the at least two transverse struts are composed of insulation material.

2. The service way of claim 1, wherein the front panel is composed of a lower density insulation material than the rear panel.

3. The service way of claim 1, wherein the front panel is composed of the same density insulation material as the rear panel.

4. The service way of any preceding claim, wherein the front panel is composed of mineral wool having a density of between 10-90 kg / m3 and the rear panel is composed of mineral wool having a density of between 10-90 kg / m3.

5. The service way of any preceding claim, wherein the at least two transverse struts are five transverse struts, thereby forming four channels.

6. The service way of any preceding claim, wherein the front panel has a cutaway for receiving a backbox.

7. The service way of claim 6, wherein the cutaway is located between two adjacent transverse struts.

8. The service way of any preceding claim, wherein the service way further comprises a frame, the frame encasing the edges of the front panel and / or rear panel.

9. The service way of claim 8, wherein the frame further encases two of the atleast two transverse struts.

10. The service way of any of claims 8 to 9, wherein the frame is composed of metal.

11. The service way of any of claims 8 to 10, wherein the edges of the front panel and rear panel are encased by a bracket in the frame.

12. The service way of any of claims 8 to 11, wherein the front panel and rear panel are fixed to the bracket.

13. The service way of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one channel comprises a lining.

14. The service way of claim 13, wherein the lining is formed by one of: plastic;cardboard; and / or fleece.

15. A prefabricated wall panel comprising:a rear wall panel;a front wall panel forming an internal face for a room, said front wall panel spaced away from the rear wall panel to form a wall cavity; anda first side stud and a second side stud, each side stud connected to the front and rear wall panels on opposing sides of the cavity;a service way according to any previous claim disposed within the wall cavity.

16. The prefabricated wall panel of claim 15, wherein the thickness of the front wall panel and the front panel of the service way is at least 50mm.

17. The prefabricated wall of claim 15 or 16, wherein the rear wall panel forms part of a party wall.

18. A method of erecting a wall having a service way according to any of claims 1 to 14, the method comprising:mounting a first end of the service way to a floor where the wall is to be located; andfixing a second end of the service way to a ceiling located vertically above the floor where the first end is mounted.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising mounting a front wall panel over the front panel of the service way.

20. The method of any of claims 18 to 19, further comprising mounting a rear wall panel over the rear panel of the service way.

21. The method of any of claims 19 and 20 when dependent on claim 19, further comprising:cutting a cutaway into the front wall panel and front panel of the service way; andinstalling a backbox within the cutaway.

22. A method of assembling a service way according to any of claims 1 to 14, the method comprising:fixing at least two transverse struts to a first of a front panel and a rear panel; andfixing the other of the front panel and the rear panel to the transverse struts.

23. The method according to claim 22 further comprising:encasing the edges of the front panel and / or rear panel with the frame.A

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