Reinforced Thermal Insulation Construction Plate

The present invention relates to a reinforced thermal insulation construction plate manufactured as a sandwich with a sheet metal covering and a mineral fiber filling. Such plates are employed in the building industry as facade or roof panels. A process for manufacturing fireproof thermal insulation construction plates is known in the art, as well as a corresponding technological process for the production thereof. In prior art fireproof thermal insulation construction plates two buckled or plain iron sheets are employed as outer covering, between which lamellas or panels of thermal insulation filler are inserted, all three layers then being bonded together by means of a polyurethane or other convenient adhesive with a fire resistance from 30 to 180 minutes, a heat-transfer coefficient K = from 0.1 to 0.8 W/m2K, a thickness of 30 to 300 mm, and a filling density from 30 to ..00 kg/m3. Galvanized steel or non-ferrous sheet metal, aluminum or deep-drawing copper sheet is employed as sheet metal, with a thickness ranging from 0.2 to 1.5 mm. As thermal insulation filling rock or glass mineral wool is employed, either cut from blocks so that the direction of the fibers is perpendicular to the travel direction of the line and perpendicular to the outer sheet metal, or in the form of known mineral panels. i Fireproof thermal insulation panels known in the art, with their known mineral fiber core, are no longer meeting the project demands neither with regard to mechanical strength nor with regard to cost. To improve strength, all known panels have a core of generally vertical fibers, i.e. the fibers are mostly oriented from one sheet metal to the other. There has been a necessity to develop mechanically improved - reinforced fireproof thermal insulation construction plates permitting wider spans between supports, having lower production costs and allowing waste from the production of filling materials to be reused. The object of the invention is to manufacture a fireproof thermal insulation construction plate with an improved mechanical strength, a lower production cost and at least partially making use of lower quality or even waste filler materials . In accordance with the present invention, said object is achieved according to the independent patent claim. The invention shall hereinafter be described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof and illustrations representing: Figure 1: Perspective view of a facade panel embodiment of the inventive reinforced plate; Figure 2 : Perspective view of a roof panel embodiment of the inventive reinforced plate; Figure 3: Front view of the reinforcements, arranged according to a first embodiment; Figure 4: Front view of the reinforcements, arranged according to a second embodiment; Figure 5: Front view of the reinforcements, arranged according to a third embodiment; ' , Figure 6: Front view of the reinforcements, arranged according to a fourth embodiment; Figure 7: Front view of the reinforcements, arranged according to a fifth embodiment; Figure 8: Front view of the reinforcements, arranged according to a sixth embodiment;

As outer covering, the reinforced plates of the invention have two metal sheets which may be buckled or plain and between which an insulating filler of incombustible mineral fibers is placed and bonded to the covering. Said assembly constitutes a so-called panel. Between the metal sheets a filler consisting of mineral fibers and binder is placed, wherein reinforcements are inserted which are likewise made of mineral fibers and binder, but have a substantially greater density. Said reinforcements may be placed perpendicularly between the metal sheets, or at a determined angle from one side only, or in the form of plugs, lying on the metal sheet, or as a trapeziform filling. By means of such reinforcements the mechanical properties are substantially improved, the reinforcements as such being obtained from mineral fiber waste materials that are left over from cutting mineral fiber plates into lamellas, or from waste fibers generated in the process of manufacturing mineral fibers. Reinforcements may also be added to the edges of the fireproof thermal insulation construction plate, or to the lower and upper part of the panel. Figure 1 shows the inventive plate embodied as a facade panel. Between the metal sheets 1 and 2 there is a filler material 3 consisting of mineral wool. The filler is composed of segments, i.e. fragments of mineral wool panels, preferably of a rectangular shape. The fibers may be oriented either vertically or horizontally, i.e. the general mass of the fibers may either extend from one metal sheet to the other, or parallel to the metal sheets. While horizontal orientation of the fibers yields a lower compression strength, thus requiring more reinforcements, it is, however, less demanding from a technological standpoint. Between fillers reinforcements 4 are placed. In the embodiment of Figure 1, said reinforcements are high density mineral fiber panels, inserted vertically between the fillers 3 and the metal sheets 1 and 2. All elements of the plate are bonded together in a known manner by means of phenol, polyurethane, or other adhesives. The density of the mineral fiber filler is between 30 and 200 kg/m3. Figure 2 shows a plate of the invention fashioned as a roof panel. In this case, the metal sheet 5 is manufactured with bulging grooves. Said grooves may or may not be filled with filler 3 and reinforcements 4. In Figu're 2 the terminations 6 and 7 of the plate are shown as well, which are made of the same material as the reinforcements. Otherwise the panel is structurally similar to the facade panel. Figures 3 to 8 show the disposition of the reinforcements 4 and 8 between fillers 3. In Figures 7 and 8 reinforcements in the shape of bars are shown. Reinforcements 4, 8 may be placed between thermal insulation filler 3 sections in a straight line as per Figure 3, or in a fishbone arrangement according to Figures 4 and 8, evenly spaced-apart in a regular pattern as in Figure 5, or disposed randomly as in Figures 6 and 7. The reinforcements 4, 8 may extend from the upper metal sheet 1, 5 to the lower metal sheet 2, only to the upper metal sheet 1 and 5, only to the lower metal sheet 2, or throughout the entire core of the reinforced fireproof thermal insulation construction plate. The reinforcements may be shaped as panels, cylinders, elliptical cylinders or any other form. The reinforcements may be placed in the thermal insulation filler 3, in the bulge of the buckled metal sheet 5, or both in the thermal insulation filler 3 and in the bulge of the buckled metal sheet 5. By employing reinforced thermal insulation construction plates, a final product - panel - of substantially improved mechanical properties may be achieved. The reinforcements may be placed perpendicularly to the metal sheet, or at an angle of 45° to 90°. They may have contact with both, only one, or neither of the metal sheets. The reinforcements may have a circular, triangular, quadrangular, polygonal, or any other cross section. The reinforcements may also be placed parallel to the metal sheets. The reinforcements are inserted either between or inside the lamellas of the thermal insulation filler, or in the bulging portion of the metal sheet (5) , occupying from 0.1 vol. % to 100 vol. % of the volume in the bulging portion of the metal sheet (5) . The reinforcements of the invention occupy between 1 vol. % and 50 vol. %, preferably between 2 vol. % and 20 vol. % of the volume of the thermal insulation filler. The reinforcements are placed between or inside the insulating filler. The reinforcements are evenly spaced-apart, or arranged in a fishbone pattern, or randomly placed into the insulating filler. At least one edge of the fireproof thermal insulation plates may consist of reinforcements. The production and the material of the reinforcements are described in the patent application SI P-200200147. The reinforcements are made of granulated mineral fibers, to which other materials may be added, such as waste originating from the production of mineral fibers, filter dust, metal fragments, wood fragments, cellulose, glass fiber materials and/or oxides and binders with a volume weight from 250 kg/m3 to 2500 kg/m3, more specifically from 500 kg/m3 to 1500 kg/m3, and even more specifically from 700 kg/m3 to 1300 kg/m3. Generally, phenol formaldehyde resins, melamine resins and ureic resins are utilized as binders. The plate according to the invention substantially improves over prior art fireproof thermal insulation plates and the characteristics thereof. The reinforced' fireproof thermal insulation construction plates are structured so as to have two metal sheets as outer covering which may be buckled or plain and between which a thermal insulation filling of mineral fibers is placed - lamellas or panels. Reinforcements are placed between said thermal insulation filler lamellas or panels. Said reinforcements may be arranged vertically or horizontally. All three layers, i.e. both metal sheets and the thermal insulation filler with inserted reinforcements, are bonded by means of a polyurethane adhesive or other appropriate adhesive.