Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1133674
Thi~ inven~ion relates to prefab building structures and,
more particularly, to prefab building panel~ of the type
adapted to be joined together to form walls and partitlons
of a building.
It i8 an ob~ect of the present invention to provide a
prefab building psnel structure of the above type wlth both
faces provided with sheathing thereon lncluslve of an alr space
ln the interior sheathlng, thus mlnimizing the labor and skill
requirement on the building site.
It is another object of the present invention to provlde
a prefab building panel structure of the above type, wherein
furrlng is positioned horizontally to resist torsion Or the
panels.
It is a further ob~ect of the present invention to
provide a prefab building panel structure pf the above type
with a 30int thst includes a strip or run of pla~tlc sealant to
readily and automatlcally ~eal the panele one to another upon
edgewise assembly of one to another at msting edges.
It 18 still another ob~ect of the present invention
to provide prefab building panels readily msde in standard
lengths, preferably in multiples of four feet, such as of
four, eight, twelve feet, or more and that are constructed
and arranged to conveniently use building panels of standard
snd ~ingle size, such as of the current 4' by 0' size,
without having to cut them and waste portions thereof.
It is another ob~ect of the present invention to
provide prefab building panels that include electrical
wiring that is factory installed in them for faster
erection of buildings and saving on electricians.
~û It is a stlll further objsct of the present inuention
to prouide prefab building panels that embody box-like
header beams along the upper edge to prouide a strong support
for loading thereon and good heat insulation. Yet another
object of thH present inusntion is to provide building
panels some of which form box-like corner posts for good
heat insulation and resistance to torsion.
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The above and other object8 and advantages of the pr~eent
invention will be better under~tood with reference to the
following detailed descrlption of ~ eferred embodiments
thereof which are illustrated, by way of examples, in the
accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 i8 a cros~-sectional view taken vertically
through an outside wall and roof section o~ a 2-storey
building con~tructed of prefab panels accdrding to a fir~t
embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a floor plan of a house layout illustrating
the use o~ prefab building panel structures according to
the present invention to build the house;
F$gure 3 is an elevation view of a pair of prefab
building panels according to a second embodiment of the
present invention in the process o~ being assembled edgewise
one to the other;
Figures 4 and 5 are horizQntal cross-eectlong through
the mating edges of th panels o~ Figure 5 in detached and
attached positione, respectively;
Figurs 6 i8 a horizontal croes-section through a
prefab building panel according to a third embodiment
of the present invention in edgewise abutment against
other panels o~ the present invention;
Figure 7 i9 a hor$zontal cross-section through a
prefab building panel according to a fourth embodiment of
the present invention;
figure fl io a horizontal cros~-section through a
prefab building panel according to t~e second embodiment
illuetrated in Figures 3, 4, and 5; and
Figure 9 is a horizontal cross-eection through a
prefab building panel structure forming a corner according
to the preeent invention.
:~133674
The twD-stOrey building ~tructure in figure l i~
characterized by the use o~ prefab bullding panels l
according to one embodiment of the present invention.
The prefab building panels 1 constitute out~ide wall-
Pormlng panel~ and they rest upright on thé edge of the
corresponding ~loors 2 and 3. The detalls Or constructlon
of floor~ 2 and 3 and ar the roof do not form part of
the present in~ention and need not be derined in details.
Each panel l comprises a core ~ormed o~ a wood
frame with ineulation in the spaces defined by the frame.
The frame o~ each panel l includes a sole plate 4, studs 19
projecting sndwlse upright ~rom the sole plate, a header
beam 5, fixed on the upper end Or the studs, and a double
top plate 6 fixed on the header beam 5 and extending
therewlth co-extenslve with the sole plate 4. The core
also includes insulation 7 filling the spaces between the
studs. The header beams 5 are of box-like construction as
shown in Figure 1, the hollow lnterlor of which i8 filled
with insulation 7'.
2û Each penel l is also prefabricated with sh3athing
against each Or the two opposite races Or the core.
The sheathing on the outside face of the core is made Or one
or more sheets 8, of plywood, partiele board, in~ul board,
or the like, in edgewise engagement one with another.
The sheathing on the inside face of the core is formed
o~ an insulation sheet 9 secured againet the rrame, ~urring
10 laid horizontally against the insulation sheet 9 and a
plaster board ll secured against the rurring 10 and
cooperati~ely forming an air space 12 between the sheets 9
and ll.
The prefab building panal 13, ehown in Figures 3~ 4,
and S, are prefab wsll panels almilar to the pre~ab wall
panels l but without header beam S and additionally including
a bullt-in electrical wiring. The latter comprises a
conventional wall outlet box 14, properly and conventionally
mounted to havo its race outwardly extending through the
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1133674
ingide ghesthing. The electrical wiring also includes a wall
switch unit 15, also adequately installed, and electrical
conductors or wire816 and 17 interconnecting the electric
outlet box 14 and the wall switch unit 15 and connecting the
latter through the top plsts 5 to an external connactor l~.
The latter allow~to connsct the electric wiring of each
prefab panel, such as 13, to an electrical power supply
system hooked to a conventional electric entrance panel.
As shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5, but also applicable
to the other prefab build$ng panels of the present invention,
the sheathing on one side i8 offset edgewise in one direction,
while the sheathing on the other side is offset edgewise in
the opposite direction horizontally but preferably also
vertically. ~igure 4 particularly illustrates the ovor-
lapping at a vertical joint between two panels 13 produc3d
by the afore-mentioned offsetting of the sheathing relative
to the studs 19 along the vertical ~oint. A strlp, or run
o~ plastlc sealant 20, 18 provlded against and along one of
the studs 19. As shown in figure 5, upon edgewise assembly of
two prefab panels 13, the sealant automatically flows
between the two adjoining studs 19 to form an air seal
between them. Then, the sheathing ~ of one panel overlaps
the stud 19 along the edge of the other panel, while the
sheath~ng 9-11 overlaps in the other direction~ that is the
stud lg of the first panel.
The prefab panel 21, shown in figure 6, constitutes a
partition panel including a core with sheathing ~gainst its
opposite faces. The core in this case is merely formed of
a non-insulated frame includlng studs 19. The sheathlng on
each slde i8 alike and merely lncludes a plaeterboard psnel
or sheet 22. A plpe section 23 is held upright in the
partition panel 21 to form a convenient passage for electrical
wlring or piping. In panel 21, the offset sheathing has been
trimmed at each end for flat abutment of the outmost atuds 19
against the panels againat which the panel 21 stops.
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113~674
The prafab building panel 24 in Figure 7 al~o congtitutsg
a part$tion panel including a non-insulated ~rame repres~nted
by the studs 19 and plasterboard 22 ~orming the sheathing on
each of its opposlte faces. For ths rema~nder, the panel 24
includes an electrical wiring 14, 15, 16, 17, and 1~, es a~ore~
descrd~ed ln relation to the wall panel 13 of Figures 3, 4, and 5.
In Figure ~, there is shown a prerab bullding panel
similar to the wall panel 13 shown in Fig4re~ 3, 4, and 5,
except that it does not include electrical wiring.
In Figure 9, there i9 shnwn an outside corner
according to the prssent 1nvention and made with wall panels,
of any construction, as in Figures 1, 3 or 8. Thus, these
wall panels also include a ~rame with studs 19, insulation 7
between the studs, external shsathing~ 8 and internal
sheathing 9-11. One of these pansls is mads at ons end to
provide ordinary or conventional studding arrangement.
The other o~ said pan~l~ forme a box-like corner post
consisting of studs 19' and 19" arranged in a U ~illed with
insulation 7". The sheathing, inside and outside, is also
prefabricated with appropriate and complementary edgewise
offsetting to properly lap both inside and outside, as
shown. A metal plate 25 is preferably secured to hold the
corner joint in firm engagement. The box-like corner past
provides better insulation than a solid post while it gives
at least equal resistance to torsion.
The frames o~ each panel i8 preferably made 4' or a
multiple of 4', such that the sheathing can be made also with
sheets of that 6tandard width to minimize cutting and wastage
o~ sheathing material.
The floor plan o~ Flgure 2 may be con~tructed with 1!
wall panels 1 and 13 and wall corners, aa in Figure 9, and
the partition6 may bè made with any combination o~ the part-
ition panels 21 and 24.
The box-like header beams 5 can also be used as lintels
~or door and window openings.
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