The invention relates to an apparatus for anchoring ceramic tiles to external walls of buildings.
In recent times ceramic tiles have been frequently used for cladding the outside walls of buildings, especially large-size tiles, which are applied on external walls leaving a hollow free space of variable dimensions between the tiles and the walls.
The anchoring methods of the tiles to the walls vary from builder to builder, according to the sizes of the tiles and the type of application to be made.
In the case of large tiles the solutions chosen are relatively complex and not entirely reliable in terms of safety. In the attempt to prevent unsightly through-bolts and hooks, cavities are made in the tiles themselves, generally about half the depth of the tile, in which threaded rods are inserted and cemented. These are then fixed to metal frames constrained to the walls to be covered.
These cavities undoubtedly weaken the structure of the tiles; also, to fix the threaded rods to the metal frames special tools are needed for applying threaded nuts to the ends of the rods, an awkward operation and arrangement.
All of the foregoing obviously constitutes an obstacle to the use of large-size ceramic tiles for covering outside walls.
The main aim of the present invention is to provide an anchoring apparatus for ceramic tiles, especially to outside walls of buildings, which avoid the presence of hooks or other devices on the external surfaces of the tiles and which, at the same time, offer the greatest guarantee of safe anchoring.
A further aim of the invention is to provide an apparatus which enable ceramic tiles of various shapes to be anchored to walls of buildings safely and securely.
The above aims are attained through an apparatus for anchoring ceramic tiles to walls of buildings comprising: threaded rods constrained to supports which in turn are constrained by cementing, or by other means, to panels of overlaid ceramic tiles; shaped brackets which are fixable to the walls to be covered with support of the overlaid ceramic tile panels; blocks made of rubber material, having threaded holes for connection with the threaded rods, the blocks being shaped so as to suit the profile of the shaped brackets; and levers for rotating the rubber blocks about axes of the threaded holes, when the rubber blocks are positioned in the shaped brackets.
The levers for the rotation of the rubber blocks can advantageously be solidly constrained to the blocks themselves. They enable the rubber blocks to be constrained to the shaped brackets thanks to a rotation of about 90°. The levers can also be independent of the rubber blocks, and can be shaped so as to embrace the blocks on either side thereof for a sufficient tract to enable sufficient rotation torque to be established.
The stages relating to the manufacturing of the overlaid tile panels and the fixing of the shaped brackets to the walls to be covered are advantageously done at different times with respect to the actual anchoring stage.
The stage in which the rubber panels are connected to the tile panels can be carried out separately or at the same time as the anchoring stage.
The invention prevents structural weakening of the ceramic tiles, which is a characteristic of prior-art applications; further, the tile-to-wall anchoring operation is considerably simplified, while at the same time the anchoring obtained is safe and reliable over time.
These aims and advantages and more besides are all attained by the apparatus of the invention. Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will better emerge from the detailed description that follows of a preferred but non-exclusive embodiment of the invention, illustrated purely by way of a non-limiting example in the accompanying figures of the drawings, in which:
With reference to figure 1, the figure shows, in partial section, three ceramic tiles 11, 12 and 13, of moderate thickness, destined to be coupled one to another by cementing, in a configuration as shown in the figure, to form a single panel 10, a portion of which is illustrated in figure 2.
The tile denoted by 11 is the external tile in the panel 10. Tile 12, the intermediate of the tiles, is cemented to tile 13 which, in the final configuration, illustrated in figures 5 and 6, is the tile closest to the wall 30 to be covered.
As can be seen in figure 1, before coupling to the external tile 11, the intermediate 12 and internal 13 tiles are bored to made respective holes 14 and 15 therein, having a same axis 16. The hole 14 made in the intermediate tile 12 has a larger diameter than the hole 15 made in the internal tile 13. The hole 15 in the intermediate tile 12 has to serve as a housing for the support 17 of a threaded rod 18, while the other hole 15 has only to afford passage of the shaft 18, as shown in figure 2. In the illustrated embodiment, four shafts are positioned at four corners of the panel when the panel is constructed.
A rubber block 19 (illustrated in figures 3) is screwed onto the shaft 18 when the panel is being anchored to the walls of the building to be covered. The rubber block 19 exhibits a hole 20 having a threading for coupling with the shaft 18, and also exhibits two opposite channels 21 and 22, dimensioned and positioned so as to connect perfectly with tabs 23, 24 of a C-shaped bracket 25 (as illustrated in figure 4) which is used for creating a metal frame for supporting the tiles 10 to the wall to be covered.
The thickness of the rubber block 19 is smaller than the distance 26 between the two tabs 23, 24 of the bracket 25, so as to enable the rubber block 19 to be inserted, rotated by 90° with respect to the position illustrated in the figure, internally of the bracket itself. A subsequent rotation by 90° of the rubber block 19, about the axis of the hole 20, causes a precise jointing of the block 19 in the bracket 25. This is what occurs when the panel is anchored to the wall according to the process of the invention, in which, after screwing the rubber blocks 19 to the threaded rods 18 of a panel 10, the completed panel 10 is brought into its final, anchored position against the wall 30 and, after having positioned the blocks 19 so as to be able to insert them between the tabs 23, 24 of the brackets 25, the panel 10 is pushed into the final position illustrated in figure 6 and then blocked in this position by rotating the single rubber blocks 19 about their respective axes 27 until each is brought into the stable position illustrated in figure 5.
Each of the rubber blocks 19 is rotated by using special levers, which may or may not be made solid to the rubber blocks 19.
Figure 3 illustrates both possibilities: one with the lever 31 made solid to the block 19, the other with an independent lever 32. The independent lever 32 is forked to one end, acting on opposite sides of the rubber block 19 over a length thereof which guarantees the necessary degree of torque.
The two above solutions represent two possible variants of an apparatus developed according to the present invention for the actuation of the anchoring process as proposed by the invention.
The apparatus therefore comprises:
The apparatus further comprises levers for rotating the rubber blocks 19 about axes of the relative threaded holes when the blocks are positioned on the support brackets 25. The levers 31, 32 can be made solid with the blocks 19 or can be separate there-from.
Further innovative characteristics derive from the apparatus of the invention. In particular the innovations relate to the degree of safety which is achieved, as well as the introduction of a sufficiently-elastic coupling between the panels and the support frame.
The above-cited advantages are safeguarded even should further modifications and variations be applied to what is described above.
It is evident, for example, that the final anchoring operation of the ceramic panels to the wall can be in effect a rotation of the rubber blocks by angles which are not 90°, or indeed by using other rapid-attachment means of the blocks to the brackets, exploiting the elastically-deformable characteristics of the rubber blocks.
Obviously the shaped brackets could have a different shape from the one illustrated, and the rubber blocks could also be of a different shape.
The number of threaded rods 18 made solid to the panels could change according to the anchoring method used. The anchoring process described herein is specially designed for use with large tiles, but could easily be used for tiles of any shape or size.
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