Technical Field

The invention relates to wall panels and has been designed especially, but not exclusively to such wall panels that includes two containment members which are spaced apart and which are designed for the receipt of a poured in filling of concrete or like settable material. However, it is to be appreciated that in some aspects, the invention has broader application and as such is not limited to that use.

Background Art

Composite building walls that are formed on site by pouring a settable material (such as concrete) between two spaced containment members are known. Filling is necessarily dense to give substance to the finished wall and is necessarily fluid when being put in place. Whilst walls constructed using this technique offer considerable advantages over walls formed from fully pre¬ fabricated panels, or from other traditional walling systems installed on site such as block or stud walls, there is a continuing need to provide improvements to facilitate installations and/or performance of the walls.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect, the invention provides a wall panel comprising two containment members formed from sheet material, and spacers disposed between the containment members and affixed thereto so as to prevent separation of the members, the wall panel being arranged to be filled with settable material and wherein the containment members have a main portion and an upper portion, wherein the upper portion of at least one of the containment members diverges outwardly from its associated main portion so as to form an enlarged head region in the wall panel. A wall panel according to the above form has substantial practical benefit. By incorporating the enlarged head region on the panel provides a larger bearing surface on the upper edge of the panel. In addition, the enlarged head provides better access to enable a pump head to be introduced into the cavity disposed between the containment members so as to facilitate filling of the panel with the settable material. In the past, these considerations have necessitated the use of a thicker planar panel than required solely for other structural or acoustic considerations. Accordingly, with the panel of this aspect of the present invention, the thickness of the main portion of the panel may be reduced which may result in significant reduction in the amount of settable material required. In one form, the upper portion of at least one of the containment members is integrally formed with the main portion of that member. In another form, the upper portion is formed separately. In one arrangement according to this latter form, the upper portions are interconnected to form a head element and the main portions are interconnected to form the main body of the wall panel . In one form, the head element is operative to be mounted to the main body of the wall panel in one position. In another form, however, the head element is mountable to the body of the wall panel in a plurality of positions so as to allow the height of the panel to be varied. The ability to be able to adjust the height of the wall panel has substantially benefit, particularly in installation of the panel. If the panel is of a fixed height in installation, it is often necessary to pack the bottom of the panel so that the upper edge is at the exact required height. With a height adjustable panel it is possible to fix the panel to its base plate and merely adjust the head element until it is in position (typically as measured by a laser level) and then secure the head element in that position to the main portion of the wall panel. In one form, one of the body or the head element of the panel incorporates a cavity in which the other part is receivable. In one form, where the head element is mountable to the body of the wall panel in a plurality of positions, these two parts of the wall panel are arranged to telescope one within the other to adopt any one of the plurality of positions. In one form, the upper portions of each containment member is mounted to each associated main portion by fasteners. In one form, the upper portions of at least one of the containment members includes a first and second mutually inclined parts, and wherein the first part extends in a direction generally parallel with the main portion of the panel, whilst the second part extends outwardly from the main portion. The containment members are made from any suitable materials. A particular requirement of the containment member is that it is able to withstand the hydrostatic pressure induced on filling the cavity with the settable material. Such suitable materials include fibre cement, steel, plastics and composite construction. In addition, in the arrangement where upper portion is formed separately from the main portion, these portions may be constructed from the same material as the main portion made from different material or be formed with a different profile. In one form, at least the main portion of the containment members are formed from sheet material such as sheet metal. In that particular embodiment, the sheets are profiled to have linear stiffening formations extending in a first direction to resist outward bowing of the containment members in planes extending in the first direction. In a further form, the spacers may be mounted to the containment members so as to resist bowing of the containment members in planes extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The linear stiffening formations may be corrugations, ribs, pleats or the like, such that a cross-sectional profile of the containment member displays a regular wave form with crests and troughs displaced from the centre plane of the sheet. The wave form may be smoothly curved throughout or it may comprise straight portions meeting at relatively abrupt angles, or a combination of both these possibilities. In one arrangement, the upper portion of the containment member is formed in a similar manner to the main portion of the containment member. As such, in this arrangement, if the main portion of the containment sheet includes the linear stiffening formations, then so do the upper portions. However, it is to be appreciated that the upper portion of the containment members does not need to resist as high hydrostatic pressure as the lower ends of the containment members. Accordingly, the upper portion may be made from a lower strength material or profile. The construction of the spacers may take various forms. In one embodiment, the spacers are in the form sheet metal studs, the studs are channel shaped and include a web and a pair of flanges. In one form, these flanges are generally linear. In that embodiment, fastener means fix the containment member to the flanges of the stud preferably adjacent the web so as to inhibit torsional strain at the junction of the flanges and the web. In a second form, the studs include hollow flange elements that are integral with and spaced apart by the web. In one form, the flanges are positioned and shaped to reduce torsional strain at the junctions between the flange elements and the web. Spacers having this construction are disclosed in more detail in the applicant's co-pending International application PCT/AU02/01605 (WO03/046312) , the contents of which are incorporated by cross reference. In another form, the spacer includes a plurality of spaced apart anchorage devices affixed to opposing faces of the containment sheets. In one form, each device on one sheet is in register with a corresponding anchorage device on the other sheet and a plurality of connector elements, wherein the anchorage device and the connector elements have cooperating coupling formations such that each connector element may be coupled to an anchorage device on one containment sheet and the corresponding anchorage device on the other containment sheet. Spacers in this form are disclosed in more detail by the applicant's co-pending application International PCT/AU2004/001835 the contents which are herein incorporated by this reference. In one form, the wall panel further includes at least one rigid batten which is secured to an outer surface of one or both of the containment members. The purpose of the batten is to provide a basis on which facing sheets can be secured to the wall panel. In one form, the rigid battens extend across both the main portion and the upper portion. In this arrangement therefore, facing sheets can be secured to the batten to provide a smooth facing across the wall panel and thereby cover any surface irregularity formed in the wall panel at the junction between the upper portion and the main portion and to hide the enlarged head region. To enable the battens to extend across the upper portion, clips may be secured to the main portion that mount the battens in spaced relation to the panel . In a further aspect, the invention provides a wall panel comprising a first part having spaced apart opposite major surfaces, and a second part mountable to an edge of the first part of the panel, the second part including opposite walls that form an extension of the major surfaces of the first part when the second part is mounted to the first part, wherein the second part is mountable to the first part in a plurality of positions so as to allow the size of the wall panel to be varied. This aspect of the invention may be utilised in a wide range of wall panels including panels which are fully prefabricated or those which are partially made onsite such as those described in respect of the earlier aspect of• the invention where a settable material is introduced between opposite containment members. In one form, the major surfaces of the first and second parts are substantially aligned when the parts are mounted together. In another form, at least one of the major surfaces of the second part is configured to extend at an angle to the major surface of the first part. In this latter arrangement, when the second part is mounted at the top of the first part, the second part may also be introduced to increase the bearing surface or to form a corbal in the wall panel. In one form, the first and second parts are mounted together through one of the parts of the panel incorporating a cavity in which the other part is receivable. In a further aspect, the invention relates to a building wall formed using a panel as described in any form above. In yet a further aspect, the invention relates to a method of forming a wall comprising the steps of: providing a wall panel, the panel being formed from first and second panel sections that are movable relative to each other, mounting the wall panel to an underlying structure to form at least part of the wall; adjusting a dimension of the panel by relative movement of the first section relative to the second section, and fixing the first section to the second section. In one form, the dimension of the panel that is adjusted is the height of the panel. In yet a further form, the panel comprises first and second sheets that are spaced apart to define a cavity, and the method further comprises the step of filling the cavity between the sheets with a settable material. In yet a further form, the method comprises the step of providing a plurality of panels and installing those panels in edge to edge relationship. Brief Description of the Drawings It is convenient to hereinafter describe embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be appreciated that the particularity of the drawings is to be understood as not superseding the generality of the preceding broad description of the invention. In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a partial perspective view of a modular wall panel; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the modular wall panel of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a end elevation of the modular wall panel of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a end elevation of a variation of the modular wall panel of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a partial perspective view of a second embodiment of a further embodiment of a modular wall panel; Fig. 6 is a end elevation of the modular wall panel of Fig. 5 with the head element in a first position; Fig. 7 is the end elevation view of Fig. 6 with the head element in a second position; Fig. 8 is a end elevation view of a variation of the panel of Fig. 5; Fig. 9 is a end elevation view on a further variation of panel of Fig. 5; Fig. 10 is a further embodiment of the wall panel; and Fig. 11 is a cross-section end view of the panel of Fig. 5 with facing sheets applied thereto. Detailed Description of the Drawings

The panel 10 illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 comprise two containment members 11 that are spaced apart and are interconnected via five generally upright spacers, namely end spacers 14 and 15 and intermediate spacers 16. With this arrangement, a cavity 13 is formed between the containment members 11 which is operative to be filled with a settable material such as concrete. Each of the containment members is formed from a coated sheet steel and incorporates corrugations with the corrugations extending horizontally from one vertical edge of the sheet to the other, as indicated diagrammatically via the parallel lines appearing in Fig. 1. Such a profile rigidifies this sheet in respect of bowing in horizontal planes. Other rigidifying profiles characterised by elongated zones of the sheet displaced horizontally from its mid plane may also be used if desired. Similarly, the containment members may be formed from other material which has sufficient strength to resist the hydrostatic forces imparted on filling the cavity 13 with the settable material. These spacers 14, 15, 16 are formed as channel section studs which comprise a web 17 and sheet flanges 18 which extend it from edge margins of the web. Typically, the studs 14, 15 and 16 are pressed or rolled from sheet metal strip, for example a strip of steel coated with a protective coating of an alloy of aluminium and zinc. It will be noted that the stud 14 projects outboard of the adjacent vertical edge of the containment member 11 by a distance approximating one half of the width of the flange of that stud. It will also be noted that the stud 15 is disposed inboard of the vertical edges of the member 11 adjacent to the same extent. This feature facilitates the location and alignment of adjacent panels during their assembly into a finished wall . The containment members 15 are secured to the studs 14, 15 and 16 via, for example closely spaced self-tapping screws, pop rivets or other conventional fastening means. The preferred option is self-drilling, self-tapping screws 19. Preferably these screws are positioned to extend through the flanges 18 at a location which is immediately adjacent the web 17 of the respective stud. The advantage of this position is that the line of action of the fasteners 19 is closed to the centre plane of the web 17 so as to substantially reduce torsional stress induced in these studs. The studs 14, 15 and 16 also include clearance holes 24 in the web 17. These clearance holes allow the passage of services such as cables or pipes through the panel cavity 13. In addition, a planar grid (not shown) of reinforcing rods may be provided and supported in these openings. Such an arrangement is disclosed in the applicant's previous application (WO03/046312) , the contents of which are herein incorporated by cross reference. In the illustrated form, the containment members 11 include an upper portion 20 which forms an enlarged head region on the panel. This head region 20 is best illustrated in Fig. 3 and includes diverging walls 21 integrally formed as part of the members 11 but which diverge outwardly from the main portion 22 of the containment members 11. To fully support the diverging walls 21, the web 17 of the studs 14, 15, 16 are also enlarged so that the studs engage the diverging walls 21. With the incorporation of the head region 20, the upper end 23 of the panel is able to provide a larger bearing surface for the panel 10. In addition, the head region 20 provides a larger opening to receive the settable material thereby facilitating the filling of the panel cavity 30. In particular, the enlarged opening in the head 20 facilitates location of a concrete pump in the cavity 13 to fill the cavity 13 with concrete. Fig. 4 illustrates a variation of the embodiment in Fig. 1 wherein the enlarged head 20 is formed by only one of the containment members incorporating a diverging wall 21. The other wall member in this arrangement remains substantially planar so as to provide a corbal in one side only of the wall panel 10. Figs. 5 to 7 illustrates a further embodiment of the panel 10. As the panel 10 includes many of the features of the earlier embodiment, like features have been given like reference numerals. The main difference between the embodiment of Fig. 4 and that of Fig. 1 is that the head element 20 is formed separately from the major portion 30 of the panel 10. In the illustrated form, the main part of the panel 30 includes the containment sheets 11 and studs 14, 15 and 16. In the illustrated form, the upper end 31 of the studs 14 terminate below the upper end 32 of the containment members 11. This provides a recess 33 at the upper end of the main part 30 of the panel 10 which is operative to receive the head region 20. The head region 20 which is formed separately includes opposite walls 34 which are interconnected by studs 35. Typically these studs align with the main studs 14, 15 and 16 of the main part 30 of the wall panel 10. However, it is to be appreciated that these studs do not necessarily have to correlate with the studs of the main part. In the embodiments of Figs. 4 to 6, the walls 34 include a lower part 36 which are arranged with the wall portion 32 extending generally parallel . This lower portion 36 is designed to be received within the recess 33 formed in the upper end of the main part 30 of the panel 10. An upper portion 37 of the head 20 is enlarged relative to the lower end 36 and includes diverging wall portions 38. One of the features of the arrangement of Figs. 5 to 7 where the head element 20 is formed separately is that the head element 20 can be mounted to the main part 30 of the panel 10 in various positions. Typically, the head element 20 is fixed to the containment members 11 by any suitable fasteners, such as pop rivets, or self-tapping screws. With this arrangement, the head element can be located with the lower part 36 fully located within the recess 33 or alternatively, the head element 20 can project further from the main part 30 as illustrated in Fig. 6. This arrangement thereby provides a simple adjustment mechanism to be able to adjust the height of the wall panel 10. Further, the main structural requirement of the head element 20 and the fasteners securing that head element to the containment sheets 11 is to resist the hydrostatic pressures induced on filling the panel cavity 13. Once the settable material has hardened in the cavity, that material provides the main structural element of the panel . As the head element is located at the upper end of the panel, the hydrostatic pressure is not as high as it is at the lower end of the panel. Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate variations on the panel 10 of Fig. 5. In the embodiment of Fig. 8, the head element 40 includes only one diverging wall 41 whereas the other wall 42 remains parallel. In the embodiment of Fig. 9, the head element 50 and the opposite walls 51, 52 are parallel. As such, the head element 50 sits within the envelope of the containment members 11. With this arrangement the head 50 is designed solely to introduce a mechanism to allow height adjustment of the panel 10 rather than provide an enlarged head to provide easier access for filling of the cavity and/or to provide a larger bearing surface at the upper end of the wall panel 10. Fig. 10 illustrates a further embodiment. In the embodiment of Fig. 10, the panel 60 is designed to be fully prefabricated and as such is not designed to be filled with a settable material. The panel again includes a main part 61 and a head region 62. The main part of the panel includes opposite wall surfaces 63, 64 and may be formed from any suitable material or materials. In one example, the panel is made from a composite structure having a foam core and a metal skin forming the outer surfaces 63, 64. The head region 61 is locatable at an upper end 65 of the main part 61 and includes a recess 66. The head element 62 includes a lower projection 67 and an upper portion 68. The projection 67 is receivable within the recess 66 and is typically secured to the main part 65 by fasteners 69 which extend through the major surfaces 63, 64 into the projection 67. In this way, the size of the panel 60 is able to be adjusted by regulating the position of the head region 62 relative to the main part 61. In use, the panels are located into a base plate and are installed in edge to edge relationship so as to form a continuous wall surface. A particular advantage of embodiments of the panel which incorporate a separate head element is that it allows for height adjustment of panel after the main portion of the panel has been fixed into the base plate. Previously, height adjustment of a panel was achieved by introducing packing under the panel. In addition, embodiments of the panel where a head is incorporated, that head may be designed to span multiple panels which may strengthen the join between adjacent panels and/or facilitate correct alignment of the panels. Once the panels have been installed, facing sheets may be applied to the individual panels. Fig. 11 illustrates a facing assembly applied to the panel 10 illustrated in Figs. 5 to 7. In the illustrated form, the facing assemblies 100 include facing sheets 101, which are typically plaster board or fibre cement sheet which are mounted on battens 102 which in turn are secured to the main portion of the panel 30 through clips 103. These clips 103 are fastened to the main portion 30 but project outwardly therefrom so as to locate the battens in a spaced relationship to the outer surface of the main portion 30 of the wall. By spacing the battens 102 from the main portion of the wall, allows the battens to extend beyond the enlarged head element 20 as the spacing provides sufficient clearance for the battens 102. The facing panels 101 are then secured to these battens up to the upper end of the panel 10 thereby providing a continuous surface to the wall and concealing the joint formed between the head portion 20 and the main portion 30. A suitable clip 103 for use in this application is described in the applicant's co- pending international application PCT/AU2004/001312 entitled "An Acoustic Partition and Clip for Use in Same" , the contents of which are herein incorporated by cross reference. An additional benefit of spacing the battens from the main portion 30 of the wall is that it allows space for the provision of services between the wall panel 30 and the battens 102 and also improves acoustic performance of the resulting wall. Insulation blanket (not shown) is typically also included between the facing panel 101 and the main portion 30 of the panel 10. Accordingly, an improved wall panel and resulting wall is provided which in a preferred form is able to provide for easier installation of wall structures allowing height adjustment. Further panels according to preferred forms, where an enlarged head region is provided also allows for a reduction in material usage whilst still maintaining adequate area at its upper end and also allowing for easy filling of concrete or other settable material into the panels when formed in situ. In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, ie to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention. It is to be appreciated the variations and/or modifications may be made to parts previously described without departing from the spirit or ambient of the invention.