This invention relates to a scotching or supporting wedge for filling in a space between two constructional parts, as for example in scotching of building components, installation of thermal windows, or placement between floorboards and underlying joists as support for parquet flooring, in which such scotching is commonly effected using two wedges, the faces of which are provided with transverse and transversally-oriented teeth having predominantly a serrated profile with serrations pointing towards the thickest end of the wedge, and in which each wedge face is provided throughout its length with guide mechanisms so that in the scotched position the two wedge faces are securely locked together by means of the transverse teeth and the guide mechanisms.

Such scotching wedges are known for example from Danish patent application no. 861/72, and from Danish publications no. 141414 and 144280. Danish patent application no. 861/72 relates to a supporting wedge made of plastic, with wedge faces constructed as alternate projections and recesses in order to save on material and increase lightness and sound insulation when installed. Danish publication no. 141414 relates to a wedge which is similar, but which by slightly offsetting the centre row of blocks of serrated teeth, prevents transverse displacement of the complemental wedge during scotching. Finally, Danish publication no. 144280 relates to a scotching wedge of basic wedge shape, in which transverse displacement of the complemental wedge is prevented by means of guide mechanisms constructed as a longitudinal profile in the wedge face.

Whereas the first of the three known wedge constructions referred to above does not contain guide mechanisms to prevent transverse displacement of two complemental wedges during erection thereof, the two other constructions mentioned each evidence solutions to this problem. The drawback with both these solutions, however, is that - particularly in the event of a slight transverse displacement of one wedge relative to the other - there is the possibility that the guide mechanisms for preventing such displacement may at the same time also prevent a number of transverse serrated teeth from locking firmly with the corresponding serrated teeth in the complemental wedge due to "riding" of the teeth on the guide mechanisms. This leads to a defective interlock between two wedge faces in those areas of these faces where the serrated teeth are prevented from engaging. This causes slightly distorted scotching of the relevant constructional parts during erection, and in the case of for example parquet flooring this may therefore give rise to floor creaking which is often very annoying and difficult to remedy.

It is therefore the object of this invention to establish a scotching or supporting wedge of the aforementioned type which remedies the described drawbacks associated with usage of the wedge while retaining the otherwise well-known advantages of such wedges. This object is realised by means of a wedge of the type which is described in the introduction to claim 1 and which is characterised by the features specified in that claim.

A further special feature of the wedge according to the invention is stated in claim 2. A more detailed explanation of the invention will be given below with reference to the diagram in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective picture of a wedge, and

Fig. 2 shows a scaled-up detail of Figure 1, also in perspective.

Figure 1 shows a wedge (1) in which each face is provided with transverse and transversally-oriented serrated teeth (2, 5) which point toward the thick end (4) of the wedge. The wedge faces embody at least one longitudinal slot (3) which acts as a guide mechanism for a corresponding slot in a complemental wedge face.

The transverse profile of the slot (3) is of rectangular construction, cf. Figure 2, and has a depth which is equal to n , where A is the height of a serrated transverse tooth (2, 5), and a width which is equal to X-A, where X > 0 and in practice will often be around 1.5. The construction of the slot (3) means that serrations 2 and 5 respectively engage corresponding serrations in the complemental wedge face as guide mechanisms in established fashion when two wedge surfaces are placed against each other during erection, thus preventing longitudinal displacement. At the same time, according to this invention their respective, outer, upward- and downward-facing serration parts in a groove between two serrations on the complemental wedge face descend on either side of the half-height serration slot in this wedge face, as the top parts of the opposed vertical end faces on each serration (2, 5) make contact with the similarly vertical, side faces of the slot in the complemental wedge face, thus preventing relative sideways displacement of the wedges. The construction of the wedge according to this invention will thus always ensure that two complemental wedge faces with serrated teeth are fully interlocked with each other on their common contact surfaces.