Fire resistant rigid foam construction panel

Abstract

A fire resistant rigid foam construction panel, includes a rigid foam insulation core. The rigid foam insulation core has an inside face, an outside face, a top edge, a bottom edge, a first end and a second end. At least one fire rated facing sheet is secured by adhesive to the inside face of the core. At least one fire rated facing sheet secured by adhesive to the outside face of the core. Fire rated cover strips are positioned at all joints, such that all of the inside face and all of the outside face of the core are covered by fire rated materials.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a rigid foam construction panel, which has sufficient fire resistance to obtain a fire rating.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,633,634 (Nemmer et al 1987) and 5,722,198 (Bader 1989), along with Canadian Patent 2,363,216 are examples of rigid foam construction panels. These panels have minimal fire resistance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a fire resistant rigid foam construction panel, which includes a rigid foam insulation core. The rigid foam insulation core has an inside face, an outside face, a top edge, a bottom edge, a first end and a second end. At least one fire rated facing sheet is secured by adhesive to the inside face of the core. At least one fire rated facing sheet secured by adhesive to the outside face of the core. Fire rated cover strips are positioned at all joints, such that all of the inside face and all of the outside face of the core are covered by fire rated materials.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to in any way limit the scope of the invention to the particular embodiment or embodiments shown, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view, in section, of a fire rated rigid foam insulation construction panel fabricated in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed top plan view, in section, of the fire rated rigid foam construction panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a truncated end elevation view, in section, of the fire rated rigid foam construction panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a detailed end elevation view of an end plate used with the fire rated rigid foam construction panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a detailed top plan elevation view of an abutting cover strip used with the fire rated rigid foam construction panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a detailed top plan elevation view of an inside corner cover strip used with the fire rated rigid foam construction panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a detailed top plan elevation view of an outside corner cover strip used with the fire rated rigid foam construction panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a detailed top plan elevation view of an abutting cover strip with a raised topographical profile used with the fire rated rigid foam construction panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a detailed top plan elevation view of an abutting cover strip with recessed topographical profile used with the fire rated rigid foam construction panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a detailed top plan elevation view of an abutting cover strip with recessed topographical profile used with the fire rated rigid foam construction panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a detailed top plan elevation view of an abutting cover strip with recessed topographical profile used with the fire rated rigid foam construction panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The preferred embodiment, a fire rated rigid foam insulation construction panel generally identified by reference numeral 10, will now be described with reference to FIG. 1 through 11.

Structure and Relationship of Parts:

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown fire resistant rigid foam construction panel 10, including a rigid foam insulation core 12 that has an inside face 14, an outside face 16, a first end 22, and a second end 24. A fire rated end plate 26 covers first end 22 and second end 24 of core 12. Referring to FIG. 3, core 12 also includes a top edge 18 and a bottom edge 20. A fire rated top plate 28 covers top edge 18 of core 12, and a fire rated bottom plate 30 covers bottom edge 20 of core 12. Referring again to FIG. 1 there are fire rated facing sheets 32 secured by adhesive to inside face 14 and outside face 16 of core 12. It is preferrable that each facing sheet 32 be made from a cementious material, which may be fibre reinforced for additional strength. In addition, fire rated cover strips 34 are positioned at all joints 36, such that all of inside face 14 and all of outside face 16 is covered by fire rated materials.

As depicted, more than one facing sheet 32 is used to cover each of inside face 14 and outside face 16, where facing sheets 32 are in end to end relation, with fire rated cover strip 34 covering joints 36 between facing sheets 32 being a fire rated abutting cover strip 34 secured by adhesive to core 12. Referring to FIG. 5, abutting cover strip 38 comprises a body 40 defining a first shoulder 42 adapted to engage an edge 44A of a first facing sheet 32A, a second shoulder 46 parallel and opposed to first shoulder 42, where second shoulder 46 is adapted to engage an edge 44B of second facing sheet 32B, a first wing 50 projecting beyond first shoulder 42 and adapted to underlie first facing sheet 32A when it is engaged with first shoulder 42, and a second wing 52 projecting beyond second shoulder 46 and adapted to underlie second facing sheet 32B when it is engaged with second shoulder 46.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, end plate 26, top plate 28, and bottom plate 30 each have an outer face 54, an inner face 56, a first peripheral side edge 58 and a second peripheral side edge 60. A fastener retaining backing material 61 is positioned along inner face 56 of each. End plate 26, top plate 28, and bottom plate 30 also have a first backing plate 62 spaced from first peripheral side edge 58 and extending perpendicularly from inner face 56. A first shoulder 64 is provided on inner face 56 between first peripheral side edge 56 and first backing plate 62. First shoulder 64 is adapted to engage an edge 44 facing sheet. A second backing plate 68 is spaced from second peripheral side edge 60 and extends perpendicularly from inner face 56. A second shoulder 70 is provided on inner face 56 end plate between second peripheral side edge 60 and second backing plate 68. Second shoulder 70 is adapted to engage an edge 44 of facing sheet 32.

Referring now to FIG. 6, inside face 16 in FIG. 1 includes an inside corner that is covered by an inside corner cover strip 74 secured by adhesive to core 12 acting as fire rated cover strip 34, and covers joint 36 between two facing sheets 32A and 32B in perpendicular relation. Inside corner cover strip 74 includes a body 76 defining a first shoulder 78 adapted to engage an edge 44A of first facing sheet 32A, and a second shoulder 80 parallel and perpendicular to first shoulder 78 and adapted to engage an edge 44B of second facing sheet 32B. A first wing 82 projects beyond first shoulder 78 and is adapted to underlie first facing sheet 32A when it is engaged with first shoulder 78, and a second wing 84 projects beyond second shoulder 80 perpendicular to first wing 82 and adapted to underlie second facing sheet 32B when it is engaged with second shoulder 80.

Referring now to FIG. 7, outside face 18 in FIG. 1 includes an outside corner that is covered by an outside corner cover strip 88 secured by adhesive to core 12 acting as fire rated cover strip 34, and covers joint 36 between two facing sheets 32A and 32B in perpendicular relation. Outside corner cover strip 88 includes body 90 defining a first shoulder 92 adapted to engage edge 44A of facing sheet 32A, a second shoulder 94 parallel and perpendicular to first shoulder 92 and adapted to engage edge 44B of second facing sheet 32B. A first wing 96 projects beyond first shoulder 92 and is adapted to underlie first facing sheet 32A when it is engaged with first shoulder 92, and a second wing 98 projects beyond second shoulder 94 perpendicular to first wing 96 and is adapted to underlie second facing sheet 32B when it is engaged with second shoulder 94.

Referring now to FIG. 8, abutting cover strip 38 may have a raised topographical profile 108 positioned between first shoulder 42 and second shoulder 46, such as an arcuate ridge as depicted. Referring now to FIGS. 9 through 11, abutting cover strip 38 can also have a recessed topographical profile 100 positioned between first shoulder 42 and second shoulder 46 shaped as an arcuate channel 104 as shown in FIG. 9, a rectangular channel 102 as shown in FIG. 10, or a “V” channel 106 as shown in FIG. 11.

As depicted in FIGS. 5 through 11, cover strips 34 are all recessed into core 12 such that a flush surface is provided. It will be understood that other methods are available that do not require recessing into core 12, however, it is believed that this feature provides a suitable balancing of interests between convenience, stability, and appearance.

Operation:

The use of fire resistant rigid foam construction panel 10 will now be discussed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 11. Referring now to FIG. 3, top edge 18 of rigid foam insulation core 12 is covered by fire rated top plate 28, bottom edge 20 by fire rated bottom plate 30, and, referring again to FIG. 1, first end 22 and second end 24 are each covered by fire rated end plates 26. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, end plate 26, top plate 28, and bottom plate 30 are attached to facing sheets 32 by abutting edge 44 to either a first shoulder 64 or a second shoulder 70, with first backing plate 62 or second backing plate 68 underlying facing sheet 32. Referring again to FIG. 1, facing sheets 32 are secured by adhesive to rigid foam insulation core 12. At each joint 36 of facing sheets 32, fire rated cover strips 34 are used. Referring to FIG. 5, abutting cover strip 38 is used if facing sheets 32A and 32B are abutting. First shoulder 42 engages edge 44A of facing sheet 32A, and first wing 50 underlies facing sheet 32A. Second shoulder 46 then engages 44B of facing sheet 32B, and second wing 52 underlies facing sheet 32B. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, inside corner cover strip 74 and outside corner cover strip 88 are used at joints 36 of facing sheets 32A and 32B at inside and outside corners, respectively. Inside corner cover strip 74 and outside cover strip 88 attach to facing sheets 32A and 32B in a manner similar to abutting cover strips 38.

Variations:

The preferred embodiment has been described with reference to rigid foam insulation core 12 that is formed before construction. It will be understood that an injection process may also be used to form insulation core 12, where facing sheets 32 are first attached to cover strips 32, end plates 26, top plate 28 and bottom plate 30, or as many are required to make a solid form, and then a polyurethane resin or the like is injected into the form. The injected resin will preferably have adhesive qualities, such that, when it cures, it will adhere to facing sheets 32, cover strips 32, and plates 26, 28, and 30. Also, fasteners may be required by the building code in addition to the adhesive depending on the location and use of the present invention.

Cautionary Warnings:

The preferred embodiment discloses end plates, a top plate, and a bottom plate. While these additional details are preferred, they are not essential. The top edge of the panel will always be covered in the course of construction, making the top plate non-essential. Similarly, the bottom edge of the panel will always be covered in the course of construction, making the bottom plate non-essential. Where there are abutting facing sheets, end plates are non-essential, as long as the joint between the facing sheets is covered with a fire rated cover strip. However, by having all surfaces of the panel covered with fire rated materials, one can be confident that the panels is suitable for all installations. This eliminates the possibility of errors being made by personnel during installation.

In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the illustrated embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined in the Claims.

Claims

1. A fire resistant rigid foam construction panel, comprising:

a rigid foam insulation core having an inside face, an outside face, a top edge, a bottom edge, a first end and a second end;

at least one fire rated facing sheet secured by adhesive to the inside face of the core;

at least one fire rated facing sheet secured by adhesive to the outside face of the core; and

fire rated cover strips positioned at all joints, such that all of the inside face and all of the outside face are covered by fire rated materials.

2. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 1, wherein a fire rated end plate covers each of the first end and the second end of the core.

3. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 1, wherein a fire rated top plate covers the top edge of the core.

4. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 1, wherein a fire rated bottom plate covers the bottom edge of the core.

5. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 1, wherein each facing sheet is made from a cementious material.

6. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 5, wherein the cementious material is fibre reinforced.

7. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 1, wherein there is more than one facing sheet covering each of the inside face and the outside face, the facing sheets being in end to end relation with the fire rated cover strips between the facing sheets being a fire rated abutting cover strip secured by adhesive to the core, the abutting cover strip comprising a body defining a first shoulder adapted to engage an edge of a first facing sheet, a second shoulder parallel and opposed to the first shoulder, the second shoulder being adapted to engage an edge of a second facing sheet, a first wing projecting beyond the first shoulder and adapted to underlie the first facing sheet when it is engaged with the first shoulder, and a second wing projecting beyond the second shoulder and adapted to underlie the second facing sheet when it is engaged with the second shoulder.

8. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 2, the end plate having an outer face, an inner face, a first peripheral side edge and a second peripheral side edge, a first backing plate being spaced from the first peripheral side edge and extending perpendicularly from the inner face of the end plate, a first shoulder being provided on the inner face of the end plate between the first peripheral side edge and the first backing plate, the first shoulder being adapted to engage an edge of one of the facing sheets, a second backing plate being spaced from the second peripheral side edge and extending perpendicularly from the inner face of the end plate, a second shoulder being provided on the inner face of the end plate between the second peripheral side edge and the second backing plate, the second shoulder being adapted to engage an edge of one of the facing sheets.

9. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 3, the top plate having an outer face, an inner face, a first peripheral side edge and a second peripheral side edge, a first backing plate being spaced from the first peripheral side edge and extending perpendicularly from the inner face of the top plate, a first shoulder being provided on the inner face of the top plate between the first peripheral side edge and the first backing plate, the first shoulder being adapted to engage an edge of one of the facing sheets, a second backing plate being spaced from the second peripheral side edge and extending perpendicularly from the inner face of the top plate, a second shoulder being provided on the inner face of the top plate between the second peripheral side edge and the second backing plate, the second shoulder being adapted to engage an edge of one of the facing sheets.

10. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 4, the bottom plate having an outer face, an inner face, a first peripheral side edge and a second peripheral side edge, a first backing plate being spaced from the first peripheral side edge and extending perpendicularly from the inner face of the bottom plate, a first shoulder being provided on the inner face of the bottom plate between the first peripheral side edge and the first backing plate, the first shoulder being adapted to engage an edge of one of the facing sheets, a second backing plate being spaced from the second peripheral side edge and extending perpendicularly from the inner face of the bottom plate, a second shoulder being provided on the inner face of the bottom plate between the second peripheral side edge and the second backing plate, the second shoulder being adapted to engage an edge of one of the facing sheets.

11. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 1, wherein the inside face includes an inside corner having two facing sheets in perpendicular relation, the fire rated cover strip being an inside corner cover strip secured by adhesive to the core, the inside corner cover strip comprising a body defining a first shoulder adapted to engage an edge of a first facing sheet, a second shoulder parallel and perpendicular to the first shoulder, the second shoulder being adapted to engage an edge of a second facing sheet, a first wing projecting beyond the first shoulder and adapted to underlie the first facing sheet when it is engaged with the first shoulder, and a second wing projecting beyond the second shoulder perpendicular to the first wing and adapted to underlie the second facing sheet when it is engaged with the second shoulder.

12. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 1, wherein the outside face includes an outside corner having two facing sheets in perpendicular relation, the fire rated cover strip being an outside corner cover strip secured by adhesive to the core, the outside corner cover strip comprising a body defining a first shoulder adapted to engage an edge of a first facing sheet, a second shoulder parallel and perpendicular to the first shoulder, the second shoulder being adapted to engage an edge of a second facing sheet, a first wing projecting beyond the first shoulder and adapted to underlie the first facing sheet when it is engaged with the first shoulder, and a second wing projecting beyond the second shoulder perpendicular to the first wing and adapted to underlie the second facing sheet when it is engaged with the second shoulder.

13. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 7, wherein the abutting cover strip has a recessed topographical profile positioned between the first shoulder and the second shoulder.

14. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 13, wherein the recessed topographical profile is selected from one of a rectangular channel, an arcuate channel, a “V” channel.

15. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 7, wherein the abutting cover strip has a raised topographical profile positioned between the first shoulder and the second shoulder.

16. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 15, wherein the raised topographical profile is an arcuate ridge.

17. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 8, wherein a fastener retaining backing material is positioned along the inner face of the end plate.

18. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 9, wherein a fastener retaining backing material is positioned along the inner face of the top plate.

19. The fire rated rigid foam construction panel as defined in claim 10, wherein a fastener retaining backing material is positioned along the inner face of the bottom plate.