Structural honeycomb panel building system

• US 6,253,530 B1
• Filed: 08/25/1997
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert L. Timbrook, Tracy Price
• Original Assignee: Robert L. Timbrook, Tracy Price
• Inventors: Timbrook, Robert L., Price, Tracy
• Primary Examiner(s): Canfield, Robert
• Application Number:
  US08/916,900
• Time in Patent Office: 1,408 Days
• Field of Search: 527/931, 527/79, 523/091.5, 527/941, 525/921, 525/924, 527/841.4, 527/841.5, 523/091.4, 527/931.1, 522/70, 428/116, 156/920, 156/71
• US Class Current: 52/793.1
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/12 the elements consisting of other material
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/6145 with recesses in both frontal surfaces co-operating with an additional connecting element
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2001/2684 with metal connectors
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 7/20 Roofs consisting of self-supporting slabs, e.g. able to be loaded
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 2/365 by honeycomb structures
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 3/28 of materials not covered by groups E04C3/04 - E04C3/20
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24149 Honeycomb-like

Abstract

A structural honeycomb panel building system including fabrication methods and equipment provides integrated, modular structural components such as floors, walls, ceilings, trusses and roof members that can replace materials conventionally used in frame buildings. The panels are substantially impervious to moisture and other environmental hazards and may be inexpensively fabricated and assembled at the building site. The structural panels are fabricated, oriented depending upon the load bearing characteristics of each individual panel, interfitted and assembled to provide an assembly of structural panels with predetermined load bearing properties.

Claims

1. A modular structural panel system which includes individual modular interconnectable panels to assemble floors, interior and exterior walls, ceilings and roofing members for erecting buildings, houses and other structures without the need for conventional framing members, said system comprising:

a plurality of essentially identical structural panels, each panel of said panels including;

a first skin having a first surface and a second surface on opposing sides thereof;

a second skin having a first surface and a second surface on opposing sides thereof, wherein at least one of said first and second skins further comprises a water resistant, green board gypsum sheet;

a honeycomb core comprising a thermally expanded paper web which is impregnated with a phenolic resin and providing a plurality of honeycomb cells and having first and second sides corresponding to opposing sides of said honeycomb cells;

a first adhesive layer bonding the first surface of the first skin to said first side of said honeycomb core; and

a second adhesive layer bonding the first surface of said second skin to said second side of said honeycomb core, said first and second adhesive layer each comprising a moisture-cured application of a non-volatile adhesive which is curable under ambient temperatures;

at least one of said first and second adhesive layers being substantially continuous over the associated first surface having a thickness of approximately five millimeters and having been cured under pressure distributed evenly over said first surface;

in which;

each of said honeycomb cells further comprises a plurality of web members, each of said web members further including first and second opposing surfaces and first and second opposing ends thereof;

said first adhesive layer further comprising a first plurality of adhesive welds bonding a substantial portion of each of said first and second web surfaces to said first surface of said first skin, said adhesive weld being disposed substantially at said first end of each said web;

said second adhesive layer further comprising a second plurality of adhesive welds bonding a substantial portion of each of said first and second web surfaces to said first surface of said second skin, each adhesive weld being disposed substantially at said second end of each said web; and

each weld of said first and second plurality of adhesive welds including a fillet having an approximate depth of at least one-sixteenth ({fraction (1/16)}) of an inch;

wherein a structural member having significant resistance to creep between each of said first and second face skins and said honeycomb core as provided by said first plurality and said second plurality of adhesive welds.

2. The structural panel system as claimed in claim 1 in which:

said first and second adhesive layer each comprise a moisture-cured application of a one component adhesive.

3. The structural panel system as claimed in claim 2 in which:

said one component adhesive is urethane based.

4. The structural panel system as claimed in claim 1 in which:

said first and second adhesive layer each comprise a cured two component application of epoxy resin and hardener.

5. The structural panel system as claimed in claim 1 in which:

each of said plurality of honeycomb cells includes a first dimension directed along a first direction and a second dimension directed along a second direction;

said first and said second directions are substantially orthogonal with respect to each other; and

said first dimension is larger than said second dimension in a substantial number of said plurality of honeycomb cells;

wherein a structural member having augmented structural strength in a predetermined direction is provided by substantially aligning said second dimension of each of said honeycomb cells in said predetermined direction.

6. The modular structural panel system as claim 1 in which:

an elongate portion of said honeycomb core of a first panel of said structural panels extends beyond edges of said first and second skins providing a tongue;

wherein said tongue engages and is adhesively bonded to a channel in a second panel of said structural panels.

7. The modular structural panel system as claimed in claim 1 in which:

a portion of said honeycomb core is removed from between said first and second skins of a first panel of said structural panels thereby providing a channel

wherein said channel engages and is adhesively bonded to a tongue of a second panel of said structural panels.

8. The structural panel system as claimed in claim 1 further including:

insulation disposed within a number of said honeycomb cells.

9. A modular structural panel system which includes individual modular interconnectable panels to assemble floors, interior and exterior walls, ceilings and roofing members for erecting buildings, houses and other structures without the need for conventional framing members, said system comprising:

a plurality of essentially identical structural panels, each panel of said panels including

a first face sheet having a first surface and a second surface on opposing sides thereof;

a second face sheet having a first surface and a second surface on opposing sides thereof at least one of said first and second face sheets further comprises a water resistant gypsum sheet;

a honeycomb core impregnated with a phenolic resin and comprising a plurality of honeycomb cells;

each of said plurality of honeycomb cells further comprising a plurality of web members, each of said web members further including a first edge and a second edge thereof;

a first plurality of adhesive welds bonding each of said first web edges to said first surface of said first face sheet; and

a second plurality of adhesive welds bonding each of said second web edges to said first surface of said second face sheet;

each weld of said first and second plurality of adhesive welds comprising moisture curing, non-volatile adhesive cured under ambient temperature and between 5 and 10 pounds per square inch pressure distributed evenly over exterior surfaces of said first and second face sheets in an approximate depth of {fraction (1/16)} of an inch;

wherein a building panel having significant resistance to creep between each of said face sheets and said honeycomb core is provided by said first plurality and said second plurality of adhesive welds.

10. The structural panel system of claim 9 in which:

said first plurality of adhesive welds and said second plurality of adhesive welds each comprise a moisture-cured application of a one component adhesive.

11. The structural panel system of claim 10 in which:

said one component adhesive is urethane based.

12. The structural panel system of claim 9 in which:

each of said plurality of honeycomb cells further includes a first dimension directed along a first direction and a second dimension directed along a second direction;

said first and said second directions being substantially orthogonal with respect to each other;

said first dimension is larger than said second dimension in a substantial number of said plurality of honeycomb cells;

wherein a structural building panel having augmented structural strength in a predetermined direction is provided by substantially aligning said second dimension of each of said honeycomb cells in said predetermined direction.

13. The modular structural panel system as claimed in claim 9 in which:

an elongate portion of said honeycomb core extends beyond the edges of said first and second skins of a first panel of said structural panels providing a tongue;

wherein said tongue engages and is adhesively bonded to a channel in a second panel of said structural panels.

14. The modular structural panel system as claimed in claim 9 in which:

a portion of said honeycomb core is removed from between said first and second skins a first panel of said structural panels thereby providing a channel;

wherein said channel engages and is adhesively bonded to a tongue of a second panel of said structural panels.

15. The structural panel system of claim 9 in which:

said first plurality of adhesive welds and said second plurality of adhesive welds each comprise a cured two component application of epoxy resin and hardener.