Method for fabricating double-skin foam core construction panels
First Claim
1. A method of fabricating a foam filled construction panel which comprises a liner sheet, a facing sheet, and a foamed-in-place foam core, the two sheets having central webs, first edges and second edges, said method including:
- aligning the two sheets with the central webs thereof in confronting relation;
joining the two sheets by means of a resilient strip connection along adjacent first edges thereof;
diverging the two sheets along second edges thereof remote from said resilient strip connection, thereby to provide an opening therebetween;
introducing foamable foam forming ingredients through said opening between the second edges of the two sheets and onto at least one of the sheets;
converging the two sheets along the second edges thereof to position the central webs thereof in confronting relation, while the foam forming ingredients therebetween are actively foaming and increasing in volume; and
retaining the two sheets in the confronting relation until the foam forming ingredients have completed their foaming and volume expansion, and provide a foamed-in-place core which connects the two sheets.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of fabricating double-skin foam filled construction panels wherein the two sheets are joined along adjacent first edges by a resilient strip connection; the two sheets are separated along adjacent second edges remote from the resilient strip connection to provide an opening therebetween; foam forming ingredients are introduced through the opening and distributed across the width of and along the length of one of the sheets; the sheets are aligned with the central webs thereof in confronting relation; and the sheets are retained in the aligned relationship until the foam forming ingredients have completed their foaming and volume expansion, and provide a foamed-in-place core which connects the two sheets. Apparatus is described for fabricating the construction panels.
41 Citations
8 Claims
-
1. A method of fabricating a foam filled construction panel which comprises a liner sheet, a facing sheet, and a foamed-in-place foam core, the two sheets having central webs, first edges and second edges, said method including:
- aligning the two sheets with the central webs thereof in confronting relation;
joining the two sheets by means of a resilient strip connection along adjacent first edges thereof;
diverging the two sheets along second edges thereof remote from said resilient strip connection, thereby to provide an opening therebetween;
introducing foamable foam forming ingredients through said opening between the second edges of the two sheets and onto at least one of the sheets;
converging the two sheets along the second edges thereof to position the central webs thereof in confronting relation, while the foam forming ingredients therebetween are actively foaming and increasing in volume; and
retaining the two sheets in the confronting relation until the foam forming ingredients have completed their foaming and volume expansion, and provide a foamed-in-place core which connects the two sheets.
- aligning the two sheets with the central webs thereof in confronting relation;
-
2. The method of claim 1 including the step of applying a closure element to the leading end of one of the sheets prior to introducing said foamable foam forming ingredients through said opening.
-
3. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the sheets advances rectilinearly (a) during divergence of the two sheets, (b) during the introduction of said foam forming ingredients, and (c) during convergence of the two sheets.
-
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said foam forming ingredients are distributed along the length and across the width of said one of the sheets by plural dispensing means.
-
5. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the two sheets is pivoted about said resilient strip connection during divergence and during convergence of the two sheets.
-
6. The method of claim 3 wherein the two sheets are generally horizontally disposed one above the other.
-
7. The method of claim 1 wherein divergence of the two sheets commences along the leading edge of the facing sheet and progresses along the length thereof;
- and wherein convergence of the two sheets commences at the leading edge of the facing sheet and progresses along the length thereof.
-
8. A method of fabricating a foam filled construction panel which comprises a liner sheet, a facing sheet, and a foamed-in-place foam core, the two sheets having central webs, first edges and second edges, said method including:
- a. joining the two sheets by applying a resilient strip to adjacent first edges thereof, thereby to provide a resilient strip connection;
b. presenting the two sheets with the second edges thereof remote from said resilient strip connection in spaced-apart relation, thereby to provide an opening therebetween;
c. introducing foamable foam forming ingredients through said opening and onto one of the two sheets;
d. aligning the two sheets to position the central webs thereof in confronting relation while the foam forming ingredients therebetween are actively foaming and increasing in volume;
e e. retaining the two sheets in the confronting relation until the said foam forming ingredients have completed their foaming and volume expansion, and provide a foamed-in-place core which connects the two sheets; and
f. recovering a foam filled construction panel including said resilient strip connection.
- a. joining the two sheets by applying a resilient strip to adjacent first edges thereof, thereby to provide a resilient strip connection;
Specification