Insulating tile or brick structure

Abstract

 An insulating brick structure comprises a body portion (1a) on one side thereof a spaced covering plate portion (3a) is provided in such a way as to cooperate with the body portion (1) to define an interspace (4) effective to be filled with a thermal insulating material (5).

Description

[0001] This invention relates to an insulating tile or brick structure.

[0002] A problem of the day is that of providing buildings with an adequate thermal insulation, substantially to meet the requirements of recently applied regulations aimed at reducing energy consumption.

[0003] This special situation, which is rapidly becoming a major issue, has initiated and is pressing a considerable amount of research and experimental work to materialize the directions established in such regulations.

[0004] Thus, while on one side new materials have been investigated, through an obviously more expensive process, on the other side efforts have been made to at least significantly improve previously known products.

[0005] In the former direction, the attempts made besides being quite expensive proved so far virtually fruitless, whereas the latter has shown it to be more advantageous or economical to achieve the goal by combining materials whose properties and effectiveness were known already, to thus provide a product which is traditional in outward appearance but exhibits improved technical features.

[0006] In the light of the above considerations, this invention sets out to provide an insulation tile product which has improved thermal insulation properties, i.e. can limit the rate of thermal exchange and reduce the thermal bridges between two walls at different temperatures.

[0007] Within the above general aim, it can be arranged that the tile product of this invention can be formed from conventional and currently marketed materials.

[0008] It is further possible to arrange that the insulation tile product according to the invention can be manufactured on the same equipment already employed by the industry, without involving any expensive modifications of such equipment.

[0009] It is further possible to arrange that the tile product of this invention is unvaried construction-wise, thereby its utilization procedures or laying methods are unaffected.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an insulating brick structure, characterized in that it comprises a body portion, at least on one side thereof a covering plate portion at a distance from said body portion to form an interspace therebetween and an insulating material within said interspace connecting said body portion with said covering plate portion.

[0011] Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, as illustrated by way of example and not of limitation in the accompanying drawing, where:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an exemplary portion of a building wall as erected with the tile product according to the invention; and

Figure 2 is a top plan view of another tile product according to the invention, intended for forming building floors.

[0012] With reference to the drawing figures, the numeral 1 designates the insulation tile product of this invention.

[0013] Said tile product is construction-wise similar to conventionally marketed tile products, and has a body portion 1a with a plurality of hollow regions 2 arranged along several directions of lay to define a geometrically regular pattern.

[0014] The building wall indicated at 3 formed of covering plate portions 3a, is substantially an inner wall of the building, formed from materials coating or covering that befit the interior such as covering plates, slabs or flags, and is associated with an insulation intermediate chamber or interspace 4.

[0015] Said insulation chamber creates a separation between the tile product 1 and inner wall 3, and is filled with a material having high insulating properties, such as high density polyurethane foam 5. This filling of the intermediate chamber 4 imparts to the product insulating capabilities with a marked reduction of the thermal exchange rate and heat dissipation to the outside.

[0016] To provide a close fit between any element and its contiguous one, as well as those directly overlying and underlying it, provision is made for forming, during the injection of the polyurethane into a suitable mold, in which previously the covering plate or slab or flag forming the wall 3 has been laid at a distance from the clay brick or tile 1, a flange or raised shoulder 6. This raised shoulder, which projects beyond the periphery of the clay brick 1, additionally to improving the mutual connection or fit of the individual blocks, also accommodates the thickness of the concrete or mortar layer which creates the bond between the individual blocks, and which cannot leak towards the coating plates of wall 3, preventing thereby the thermal bridge which otherwise would form by the mortar.

[0017] Both on the body-portion 1a and on the slab or plate 3 ridges, not shown, may be provided on the mutually facing surfaces, effective to increase adherence thereon of the polyurethane foam and to increase the connecting strength thereof.

[0018] Figure 2 also shows how the tile product of this invention achieves its objects when applied to the construction of floors.

[0019] In fact, the intermediate chamber 7 of foamed polyurethane is here interposed between the tile wall and outer slab 8 of a different coating material.

[0020] It will be appreciated, therefore, that a novel insulation tile product has been provided, through the utilization of currently employed equipment, to thus further reduce the overall costs.

[0021] Obviously, the only variations to the constructive process will concern the arrangement of the insulation chambers and successive lining floors.

[0022] It should be noted how the invention objects have been achieved without altering the product utilization procedures, which brings about a higher degree of versatility and convenience.

[0023] An added, and not negligible, advantage is that of having provided an intermediate insulation chamber, thus limiting the thermal exchange with the outside and imparting to the product good sound insulation properties as well as thermal.

[0024] A not unimportant advantage is that of having provided a peripheral flange or ridge which ensures a perfect contact between the individual tile products, thus minimizing potential thermal bridges or heat dissipation paths.

[0025] Finally, the advantage has been secured of making this tile product from readily available materials, to thus reduce production costs.

[0026] In practicing the invention, it may, of course, become necessary to modify some details of it, and the materials and dimensions may be any ones depending on individual application requirements without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An insulating brick structure, characterized in that it comprises a body portion (1a), at least on one side/thereof a covering plate portion (3a) at a distance from said body portion (1a) to form an interspace (4) therebetween and an insulating material (5) within said interspace (4) connecting said body portion (1a) with said covering plate portion (3a).

2. A structure according to Claim 1, characterized in that said covering plate portion (3a) extends beyond the periphery of said body portion (1a) to form a flange (6) therearound determining between two contiguous brick structures a second interspace for cementitious material bonding together the contiguous brick structures.

3. A structure according to Claims 1, 2, characterized in that said body portion (1a) is an extruded clay element (1) having a plurality of hollow regions (2) arranged in multiple rows, at least one side of said element, preferably that side thereof which upon installation of the tile structure is facing the inside of a building, being coated with said insulating material, said insulating material being a closed cell foam material (5) having high thermal properties, means being further provided for increasing adherence between said side of said element with said closed cell foam material.

4. An insulation tile product according to Claims 1-3, characterized in that said clay element (1) is provided, on at least one side thereof, with a flat and constant thickness slab (8) spaced apart from said side, thereby said interspace (4) is defined.

5. An insulation tile product according to Claims'1-4, characterized in that high density closed cell polyurethane foam (5) is an injected foam in said intermediate chamber (4).

6. An insulation tile product according to Claims 1-5, characterized in that said slab (8) has ridges projecting into said interspace (4) effective to increase adherence between said insulating material and said slab.

Drawing