Panel and a system of panels having improved dimensions

Abstract

A panel and a system of panels having improved dimensions are provided. The panel may be a plywood panel, oriented strand board panel, or the like. The panel has a length of about 144 inches and a width of about 32 inches. The system of panels may have similar dimensions and may include, for example, edge profiles which are complimentary, such as a tongue and groove arrangement. The dimensions of the panel may allow, for example, more convenient cutting, handling, carrying, and support spacing options. Edge profiling along the panel may allow a system of panels to be assembled conveniently while offering optimal structural properties.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to a panel and a system of panels having improved dimensions. More specifically, the panel may be a plywood panel, oriented strand board panel, or the like. The panel typically has a width of approximately 32 inches and a length of approximately 144 inches. These dimensions provide the panel with desirable properties with respect to placement of joists, for example, or other construction requirements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Oriented strand board (“OSB”) has been manufactured since 1978 and typically includes three to four layers of wood flakes or strands which are compressed to create a sheet. Similarly, plywood is comprised of sheets of veneers which are arranged such that adjacent layers are non-parallel to each other. Both oriented strand board and plywood are cut to form a panel 2, such as that illustrated in FIG. 1 and drawn to scale. The panel 2 has a width 6 of 48 inches and a length 4 of 96 inches. The size of the panel 2 does not allow an individual to, for example, place an arm across the panel 2, or otherwise carry the panel 2 in a convenient manner. Often, two individuals are required to transport the panel 2 in a safe manner.

Once the panel 2 is brought to a construction site, additional problems can develop. For example, during construction of a roof, a truss or rafter must be attached to the panel 2 to provide support to the panel 2. Typically, the rafters are attached to the panel 2 at spacing intervals of 16 and/or 24 inches. Measuring and placement of rafters at intervals of 19.2 inches is also an option, but can be a tedious and time-consuming task. Often a building is sized such that a substantial number of whole panels cannot be installed for a particular roof. Trimming of the 4-foot-by-8-foot panel 2 then provides an undesirable amount of waste product. Another problem associated with prior art panels 2 is attachment of adjacent panels 2. To interlock two tongue-and-groove panels, an individual must physically position themselves on a first panel or on the rafters. The individual must then reach across a second panel to the far side of the second panel and pull the second panel toward the first panel to interlock the tongue and groove portions. This is a tedious, dangerous and labor-intensive task.

A need, therefore, exists for a panel and a system of panels having improved dimensions which allow an individual to utilize the panel in a construction project in a more convenient manner than conventionally sized panels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a panel and a system of panels having improved dimensions. The panel may be constructed from plywood, oriented strand board, or other engineered wood product. The panel has a length of about 144 inches and a width of about 32 inches. The smaller width in comparison to prior art panels allows a user greater convenience in, for example, carrying and installing the panel. The greater length in comparison to prior art panels allows greater convenience in, for example, spacing of joists to be attached to the panel for support. A system based on a plurality of panels may have complimentary edge profiles to enable the panels to interlock.

In an embodiment, the oriented strand board panel has a plurality of layers wherein each of the layers have a plurality of strands aligned in a general direction. Adjacent layers have a plurality of strands which are aligned in directions which are non-parallel. Each of the layers has a width of about 32 inches and a length of about 144 inches.

In another embodiment, the plywood panel has a plurality of layers wherein each of the layers comprises a veneer sheet aligned in a general direction. Adjacent layers are aligned in directions which are substantially non-parallel to each other. Moreover, each of the layers has a width of about 32 inches and a length of about 144 inches.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a system is provided. The system has a first panel having a width of about 32 inches and a length of about 144 inches. A first edge profile is formed on at least one side of the panel. The system also has a second panel having a width of about 32 inches and a length of about 144 inches. A second edge profile is formed on at least one side of the panel. The first edge profile and the second edge profile are complimentary.

It is, therefore, an advantage of the present invention to provide a panel and a system of panels having improved dimensions wherein the panel allows a user to space joists in a more convenient manner in comparison to known panels.

It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide a panel and a system of panels having improved dimensions wherein the panel is more convenient to transport than known panels.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the detailed description of the present embodiments and from the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front plan view of a panel according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a front plan view of a panel in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a system of panels in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C are top plan views of systems of panels having different edge profiles in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a panel and joist system illustrating end spans and interior spans;

FIG. 6 is a table showing a comparison between panels of the present invention and those of the prior art;

FIG. 7 is a table showing a comparison between panels of the present invention and those of the prior art;

FIG. 8 is a table showing a comparison between panels of the present invention and those of the prior art; and

FIG. 9 is a table showing a comparison between panels of the present invention and those of the prior art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a panel and a system of panels having improved dimensions. The panel may be constructed from plywood, oriented strand board, or other engineered wood product. The panel may have a length of about 144 inches and a width of about 32 inches. These dimensions allow a user greater convenience in carrying, cutting and installing the panel. The system of panels may have a number of panels having the previously described dimensions. In addition, the panels may have complimentary edge profiles to enable the panels to interlock.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts, FIG. 2 illustrates a panel 20 according to the present invention. The panel 20 may be a plywood panel, oriented strand board panel, or the like. A plywood panel may be constructed according to known methods, such as, for example, arranging of layers or sheets of veneers wherein adjacent layers are non-parallel to each other. An oriented strand board panel may be constructed from known methods, such as, for example, alignment of layers of wood strands wherein adjacent layers are non-parallel. Other engineered wood products from which the panel may be constructed may be, for example, TIMBERSTRAND®, manufactured by Weyerhaeuser Company, laminated veneer lumber, laminated strand lumber, fiberboard, particleboard, wood/plastic composites and the like. The panel 20 has a length 22 which is approximately 144 inches. The panel 20 has a width 24 which is approximately 32 inches. The panel 20, as illustrated, is drawn to scale with respect to length 22 and width 24; however, any suitable thickness 23 is contemplated.

FIG. 3 illustrates a system 50 having panels 52, 54 which have a length 56 of approximately 144 inches. The panels 52, 54 may be constructed from plywood, oriented strand board, or the like. The panels 52, 54 have a width 58 of approximately 32 inches. The panels 52, 54 may have a thickness 23 in a range from ⅜ inches to 1 and ⅛ inches, for example. The panels 52, 54 may have edge profiles which may be complimentary. For example, in an embodiment, the panel 52 may have a tongue 60. The panel 54 may have a groove 62 which is sized to receive the tongue 60. A tongue and groove profile is not typically placed, in prior art panels 2, on ½ inch or narrower panels due to complexity of installation. However, the narrower width of the panel 20 allows the addition of the tongue and groove profile to become physically simpler to install and a feasible alternative edge profile for both roof and wall sheathing applications. The system 50 may have a better distribution of nails throughout the roof and by virtue of the interconnectedness of the panels, create a higher integrity roof to resist uplift forces due to wind.

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C illustrate other embodiments in which the panels 52, 54 may have edge profiles. For example, in FIG. 4A, the panel 52 may have an opening 64 and the panel 54 may have an opening 66. A sheet 67 may be inserted between the openings 64, 66. The sheet 67 may be constructed from wood, plastic, metal or the like, and may be rigid. In an embodiment, the sheet 67 may be attached to the panels 52, 54 via an adhesive. In other embodiments, the sheet 67 may stand freely between the panels 52, 54. Ends 69 of the sheet 67 may contact inner surfaces 71, 73 of the panel 52 and inner surfaces 75, 77 of the panel, thereby providing a resistive force and preventing the panels 52, 54 from becoming dislodged from their position.

FIG. 4B illustrates another embodiment in which the panels 52, 54 each have a ridge 81, 83, respectively. The ridge 81 on the panel 52 may have a height 82 which is sized to extend to and contact the panel 54. The ridge 83 on the panel 54 may have a height 84 which is sized to extend to and contact the panel 52. The ridges may provide additional resistive forces to prevent dislodging of the panels 52, 54. For example, if a force 86 were applied to panel 52, the ridge 81 may contact the sheet 67 and prevent further movement of the panel 52. Likewise, if a force 88 were applied to the panel 54, the ridge 83 may contact the sheet 67 and prevent further movement of the panel 54.

FIG. 4C illustrates an embodiment in which the panels 52, 54 have interlocking male and female edge profiles. More specifically, a male member 90 may extend from a single location along a length of the panel 54. In other embodiments, the male member 90 may extend along a substantial portion of the length. The male member 90 may have a bulb portion 92 which is sized to correspond to a groove 94 in the panel 52. The bulb portion 92 may be attached to the male member 90 or may be integrally formed. The shape of the bulb portion 92 may allow interlocking with the groove 94. For example, a surface 96 of the bulb portion 92 may contact a surface 98 of the groove 94. The contact may provide a resistive force to prevent dislodging between the panels 52, 54.

Similar to the prior art panel 2, the panel 20 of the present invention has an area of 32 square feet. However, the panel 20 enables more convenient cutting, handling, carrying, and support spacing options. A tongue and groove edge profile, or other complimentary edge profile system, may allow easier installation of a number of panels. For example, a worker may physically reach across a width of the panel 20 to, for example, draw a tongue into a groove. This would allow a fully supported edge as compared to conventional square-edged sheathing which typically has no support along the long edge except at rafter locations. An adhesive applied to the tongue and groove edge profile system may provide additional panel to panel shear capability which is typically only provided by installing wood blocking on the underside or backside of the panels and nailing the panels to the blocking. In some embodiments, the panel 20 of the present invention may be implemented utilizing a horizontal orientation as compared to a vertical orientation on walls. For example, the panel 20 may be implemented within a wall sheathing application requiring walls of varying heights or non-conventional heights. Accordingly, the panel 20 could be installed in a sideways position to provide an individual with flexibility with respect to dimensional requirements of a room. The end result may be less trim waste and/or end nailing during assembly of a floor or wall.

Further, the panel 20 of the present invention limits instances where edges of panels terminate over a truss, joist, or rafter where a greater number of fasteners is required. This, in turn, limits the number of fasteners required to install the sheathing. The panel 20 of the present invention also limits trim loss at hips and valleys on roofs as the run of cut is reduced from 48 inches to 32 inches. The panel 20 is also easier to physically cross cut in the field, as the reach is reduced from 48 inches to 32 inches.

Moreover, the size of the panel 20 provides greater efficiency with respect to trim loss when the length of the surface to be covered with panels is not an integer multiple of the rafter or joist spacing. In an example, the span rating on most panels requires that the panels be of sufficient length to span no less than twice the rafter spacing. A roof with trusses or rafters placed 24 inches on center would require a panel which is at least 48 inches in length. A building having a length which is not an integer multiple of four feet (48 inches in the present example), such as 22 feet will typically have a number of trim pieces which are less than four feet in length and cannot be used. A panel measuring twelve feet in length may be cut such that overall length requirements can be achieved while having a sufficient length remaining in the trim pieces to be used, for example, for subsequent courses of the installation.

FIG. 5 illustrates a typical panel and joist system 100 in which a panel 102 is supported by joists 104. This arrangement provides end spans 106 and interior spans 108. For purposes of strength and/or stiffness measurement, a load 110 may be placed on the panel 102 at various points and may exert a force 112 on the panel 102. An amount of deflection of the panel at various spans may provide an indication of the strength and/or stiffness of the panel 102.

FIGS. 6-9 contain data regarding comparison testing between experimental panels (“EP”), also referred to as panels of the present invention, and prior art panels, or control panels (“CP”). Systems such as that in FIG. 5 were created and load-tested. More specifically, a standard panel testing machine from TECO® was slightly modified to handle the parameters of the test series. The load head was moved to allow both end span and interior span loading conditions. The clamp bars were modified with removable pins to accurately simulate the nailing patterns anticipated in the field. Each testing protocol was repeated 3 times using three different control panels and three different experimental panels.

FIG. 6 summarizes the findings of tests conducted on 48 panels representing 6 different panel configurations and load placements. In the vast majority of these cases, the end span condition failed at a lower ultimate load and deflected more under a similar load. This is advantageous to the longer length attributes of the experimental panels as an assembly of panels constructed will have a significantly lower percentage of end span conditions as compared to the shorter control panels thereby creating a generally higher overall performance to the assembly of panels.

FIG. 7 summarizes the findings of tests conducted on 24 panels comparing an EP with a CP under similar loading and edge profile conditions. The generally mixed results indicate that there is no change in the panel performance solely attributed to the difference in width of the two panels. This is counterintuitive to the theory that a narrower board will exhibit less strength and less stiffness than a prior art board.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a comparison between prior art panels and panels of the present invention in which the experimental panels have a tongue-and-groove connection while the control panels are without tongue-and-groove connections. In FIG. 8, the experimental panels show substantially less deflection and are able to bear a heavier load than control panels. Moreover, the panels of the present invention maintain less deflection in comparison to prior art panels connected by clips, as seen in FIG. 9. Overall, these results are enhanced even further as it is favorable to implement panels which are 144 inches in length rather than 96 inches as they would lend themselves to a system having a greater number of interior spans which are stronger and deflect significantly less than exterior spans. Ultimately, the narrower and longer panels of the present invention create system installation and structural assembly performance benefits that cannot be achieved with the prior art panel of similar area but of wider and shorter dimensions.

While the embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the embodiments. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A panel having a width of about 32 inches and a length of about 144 inches wherein the panel is constructed from an engineered wood product.

2. The panel of claim 1 further comprising:

a tongue formed along the length.

3. The panel of claim 1 further comprising:

a groove formed along the length.

4. An oriented strand board panel comprising:

a plurality of layers wherein each of the layers have a plurality of strands aligned in a general direction wherein adjacent layers have a plurality of strands which are aligned in directions which are substantially non-parallel to each other and further wherein each of the layers has a width of about 32 inches and a length of about 144 inches.

5. The oriented strand board panel of claim 4 further comprising:

a tongue formed on at least one side of one of the layers.

6. The oriented strand board panel of claim 4 further comprising:

a groove formed on at least one side of one of the layers.

7. A plywood panel comprising:

a plurality of layers wherein each of the layers comprises a veneer sheet aligned in a general direction wherein adjacent layers are aligned in directions which are substantially non-parallel to each other and further wherein each of the layers has a width of about 32 inches and a length of about 144 inches.

8. The plywood panel of claim 7 further comprising:

a tongue formed on at least one side of one of the layers.

9. The plywood panel of claim 7 further comprising:

a groove formed on at least one side of one of the layers.

10. A system of panels comprising:

a first panel having a width of about 32 inches and a length of about 144 inches and further having a first edge profile formed on at least one side of the panel; and

a second panel having a width of about 32 inches and a length of about 144 inches and further having a second edge profile formed on at least one side of the panel wherein the first edge profile and the second edge profile are shaped to secure the first panel adjacent to the second panel.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the first panel is an oriented strand board panel.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the first panel is a plywood panel.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the first edge profile is a tongue and the second edge profile is a groove.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the first edge profile is a male portion having a bulb and the second edge profile is a groove sized to correspond to a shape of the bulb.

15. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

a rigid sheet between the first panel and the second panel wherein the first edge profile is a groove and the second edge profile is a groove and wherein the sheet extends into the first edge profile and into the second edge profile.