Structural panel

• US 4,035,539 A
• Filed: 05/12/1976
• Issued: 07/12/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sergius N. Ferris Luboshez
• Original Assignee: Sergius N. Ferris Luboshez
• Inventors: Luboshez, Sergius N. Ferris
• Primary Examiner(s): McCamish, Marion E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thibodeau, P. J.
• Application Number:
  US05/685,520
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• Field of Search: 428/181, 428/182, 428/46, 428/186, 428/203, 428/178, 428/461, 428/184, 428/913, 350/263, 350/264, 350/160 R, 350/164, 350/259, 264/282, 52/616, 52/618
• US Class Current: 428/178
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2255/205 Metallic coating
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/304 Insulating
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/414 Translucent
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2607/00 Walls, panels
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/28 characterised by a layer comprising a deformed thin sheet , i.e. the layer having its entire thickness deformed out of the plane, e.g. corrugated, crumpled B32B29/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 2/543 Hollow multi-walled panels with integrated webs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/913 Material designed to be responsive to temperature, light, moisture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24661 Forming, or cooperating to form cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24694 Parallel corrugations

Abstract

A panel of spaced, parallel, translucent, outer sheets of set plastic material with an inner sheet of corrugated sheet plastic disposed therebetween with the crests of the corrugations at the opposite faces of the corrugated sheet being engaged with, and secured in fixed relation to, adjacent outer sheets, respectively. Each corrugation has alternate show areas and shade areas. The show areas are coated with material which reflects light or impedes the passage of light therethrough. The shade areas are generally uncoated so that, relative to the show areas, their reflectivity is less and their light transmission is greater. The corrugations are so related to the outer sheets that, in the panel cross section, they define with the outer sheets right angle triangles with one side of each corrugation at a right angle to both outer sheets. The resultant panel is thus a truss structure, having high strength, desirable controlled light transmitting characteristics, and high heat insulating properties.

Claims

1. A structural unit comprising:

a first sheet of radiation transmitting material, at least part of which is translucent;

a second sheet of radiation transmitting material, at least part of which is translucent and part of which is radiation reflective;

said second sheet being corrugated to present at one face alternate corrugation crests and valleys with the bottoms of the valleys at each of its faces being the crests at the opposite of its faces;

said second sheet being disposed with said one face facing toward said first sheet and with said crests juxtaposed against said first sheet; and

a third sheet of radiation transmitting material, at least part of which is translucent, disposed with one face facing said opposite face of the second sheet and juxtaposed against the crests of the corrugations at said opposite face of the second sheet;

at least portions of said crests at said one face being fixedly bonded to said first sheet so as to form therewith a rigid trussed structure; and

at least portions of said crests of said opposite face of the second sheet being fixedly bonded to said third sheet so that the three sheets form a rigid trussed panel.

2. A structural unit according to claim 1 wherein said first and third sheets are smooth and planar.

3. A structural unit for buildings and comprising:

a pair of sheets of radiation transmitting material;

a corrugated spacer sheet of radiation transmitting material disposed therebetween and having at each face alternate corrugation crests and valleys, the crests at each face of the spacer sheet being at the bottoms of the valleys of the opposite face of the spacer sheet, and the crests at one face of the spacer sheet being juxtaposed against one sheet of said pair and the crests of the opposite face of the spacer sheet being juxtaposed against the other face of said pair;

the adjacent sides of each corrugation, in the cross section of the panel, defining with the sheet of said pair which engages its crests, substantially a right triangle with one side of the triangle being formed by said one sheet, and the other side and hypotenuse of the triangle being portions of the spacer sheet and extending from their intersection at said one sheet of said pair to the other sheet of said pair of sheets;

constraining means connecting the sheets together to form a panel.

4. The structural unit according to claim 3 wherein said constraining means are at at least portions of said crests, at at least one face of said spacer sheet, and are secured to the associated one of said pair of sheets so as to remain in fixed position relative thereto in directions transversely of the corrugations.

5. The structural unit according to claim 4 wherein said portions of the crests are bonded fixedly to the face of said associated one of said pair of sheets.

6. The structural unit according to claim 3 wherein at least portions of said corrugated spacer sheet are translucent, and other portions of the corrugated spacer sheet are opaque and light reflective.

7. The structural unit according to claim 3 wherein said right triangle is one of which the included angles are of different sizes from each other whereby the sides of the triangle are of different lengths, respectively, and the sheets are so disposed that the longer of the two sides of some of the triangles are formed by one sheet of said pair, and the longer of the two sides of the remainder of the triangles are formed by the other sheet of said pair.

8. The structural unit according to claim 7 wherein said included angles are about 30°

to 60°

, respectively.

9. The structural unit according to claim 3 wherein said corrugated sheet has show surface areas on the corresponding sides at one side of their crests, and shade surface areas on the corresponding sides at the other side of their crests, said areas being arranged so that the unit can be positioned to expose the show areas directly to radiations from a predetermined source, and, when so positioned, the show areas are disposed between said source and the shade areas;

and

said shade areas have greater radiation transmission capabilities than the show areas.

10. The structural unit according to claim 9 wherein the show areas are coated with material which imparts to them a higher degree of light reflectivity than that of the shade areas.

11. The structural unit according to claim 9 wherein the corrugated sheet is radiochromic.

12. The structural unit according to claim 3 wherein the constraining means include means which engage said pair of sheets at their peripheries and hold their peripheries in fixed relation to each other.

13. The structural unit according to claim 12 wherein said sheets and constraining means are such that each space between each two adjacent crests at the same face of the corrugated sheet and associated one of said pair of sheets at said face is isolated, throughout its entire boundary from the other like spaces at said face and from like spaces between the opposite face of the corrugated sheet and the other of said pair of sheets.

14. The structural unit according to claim 3 wherein the corrugated sheet is a combined light reflector and light transmitter, and has low heat conductive properties.

15. The structural unit according to claim 3 wherein said sheets of said pair are parallel to each other, and one side of each of the triangles extends substantially 90°

to said pair of sheets.

16. The structural unit according to claim 15 wherein said one side of each triangle is clear for passage of light therethrough, and at least a portion of the hypotenuse of the same triangle is a show area which impedes the passage of light therethrough.