A method for installing an insulating panel of a building and a corner element for realising the method

Abstract

 A method for installation of a wall insulation panelling (10) of a building (100), comprising a stage of arranging insulating panels (2) to form an insulation panelling (10) covering at least a part of a wall surface (101) of a building (100), characterised in that it comprises a stage, preceding the stage of arranging insulating panels (2), of associating at least a corner element (3) to a corner edge (102) of the wall surface (101), the corner element (3) being a conforming structural part of the insulating panelling (10) and further performing a function of positional reference for a following installation of insulating panels (2).

Description

[0001] The object of the present invention are a method for installing an insulating panel of building walls as well as a corner element necessary for realising the method.

[0002] In particular, the invention preferably relates to a method for heat insulation on the outside of the walls of a construction, generally known as external insulation.

[0003] External insulation of a building substantially consists in application, along a whole surface of the external walls, of a covering constituted by insulating panels covered with a layer of protective plaster. The complete covering of the opaque surfaces of the building determines an advantageous improvement in its thermal inertia and the elimination of undesirable thermal bridges which might be present in the wall structure. Application of the covering becomes, in effect, an improvement in energy efficiency of the building, i.e. a reduction of the energy required to adapt the internal climate to living needs or other needs.

[0004] Insulation by external panelling is especially done in the field of modernising buildings. This solution leads to excellent heat insulation with a non-destructive intervention which is relatively rapid and economically advantageous. Further, application is done outside and does not interfere with normal activities inside the building; nor does it reduce the internal area of the building.

[0005] The application process of an external panel insulation system generally comprises a stage of laying a base mixture of mortar on a back of the insulation panels, if necessary a stage of placing the panels in position using plugs, a stage of fixing a reinforcement grid, and finally a stage of spreading a layer of mortar on the panels and grids. Normally this is followed by sanding the mortar and applying layers of fixative and cladding.

[0006] A drawback of the known methods of external panel installation relate to the stage of placing the panels, which is especially critical in a case of imperfect planarity of the external wall to be covered. In this case adhesion of the panels to the underlying wall is not sufficient to guarantee verticality of the panels and overall planarity of the cladding. At each placing of a panel, the operator must therefore alternate the finishing operations, necessary for good adhesion of the element to the support wall, with checking operations on the verticality and planarity of the formed surface. This checking is made awkward by the lack of reference points at hand. For the cited reasons, the quality of the placing when the walls are uneven depends largely on the operator's skill, and leads in any case to an increase in costs and times of execution.

[0007] An aim of the present invention is to provide a method for associating an insulating panel for walls of a building which does not exhibit the above-described drawback.

[0008] An advantage of the method of the present invention relates to the simplicity and rapidity of application to buildings with external walls that are not perfectly planar.

[0009] A further advantage of the method of the present invention relates to the quality of the panelling finish obtained at the edges thereof.

[0010] A further advantage of the described method derives from the inexpensiveness of the materials and tools used in realising the method.

[0011] The above-cited aims and advantages are all attained by the present invention, as it is characterised in the appended claims.

[0012] Further characteristics and advantages will better emerge from the detailed description made herein below of a preferred embodiment thereof, made with reference to the figures of the drawings, included by way of nonlimiting example, in which:

figure 1 is a building in an initial state of the placing process using the method of the invention;

figure 2 shows the building of figure 1, in an intermediate state of the placing process using the method of the invention;

figure 3 is the building of figures 1 and 2, in a terminal stage of the positioning process using the method of the invention;

figure 4 is a superiorly-sectioned detail of the corner of a building in a terminal stage of the positioning process using the method of the invention;

figure 5 is a section detail of the corner of a building in a terminal stage of the positioning process using the method of the invention;

figure 6 is a section detail of the corner of a building in a first embodiment of the method of the invention;

figure 7 is a section detail of the corner of a building in a terminal stage of the positioning process in a second embodiment of the method of the invention;

figure 8 is a section detail of the corner of a building in a terminal stage of the positioning process in a third embodiment of the method of the invention.

[0013] With reference to the figures of the drawings, 100 denotes a building on which an insulating panel 10 can be placed, preferably following an external insulation method.

[0014] The method of the invention comprises the known stage of using insulating panels 2, to form the insulating panelling 10 covering at least a part of the wall surface 101 of the building. The method is further characterised in that it comprises a further stage, previous to the stage described, of associating at least a corner element 3 at a corner edge 102 of the wall surface 101. The angular elements 3 perform a structural function, as they form the cladding together with the panelling 10, and an auxiliary function in the placing operations, as they form a reference element for the subsequent arranging of the panels 2.

[0015] The corner element 3 is the object of the invention and exhibits at least a coupling surface 30 and at least a reference surface 31, flat and counterposed to the coupling surface 30; the insulating panels 2 used in the method described herein are prior-art panels, provided with a fixing surface 20 and an external surface 21 opposite thereto. In the stage of associating at least a corner element 3 to a corner edge 102, the coupling surface 30 of the element is coupled to the wall surface 101 at the corner edge 102. In the following stage of positioning the insulating panels 2, the fixing surface 20 of the panels is coupled to the wall surface 101, while the external surface 21 is arranged such as to be coplanar to at least one of the reference surfaces 31. Logically a reference surface 31 is used as a reference for the planarity of the plane, a corresponding coupling surface 30 thereof being coupled to the portion of wall surface 101 to which the panel couples. By portion of wall surface 101 is meant a tract of wall which is horizontally delimited by two consecutive corner edges 102.

[0016] The corner elements 3 preferably exhibit two reference surfaces 31, inclined to one another, and two coupling surfaces 30 opposite them; in the stage of associating a corner element 3 to a corner edge 102 the two coupling surfaces 30 of the corner element 3 are coupled to two portions of wall surfaces 101, distinct and separated by the corner edge 102.

[0017] In the preferred embodiment of the method of the invention, the insulating panelling 10 is an external insulation and consequently covers the wall surface 101, external of the edifice 100. In this embodiment, during the stage of associating the corner elements 3 to the wall surface 101, a corner element 3 is associated to each corner edge 102 of the wall surface, while during the stage of positioning the insulating panels 2 they are arranged, for each portion of the wall surface delimited by two corner edges 102, with their external surfaces 21 coplanar to the reference surfaces 31 opposite the coupling surface 30 coupled to the portion of wall surface 101.

[0018] The corner elements 3 are arranged at the corner edges 102 such that the reference surfaces 31 of two corner elements 3 corresponding to coupling surfaces 30 associated to the same portion of the wall are coplanar. This arrangement is facilitated by the constant thickness of the corner elements 3.

[0019] The corner elements 3 can also be associated at the openings 104 of any sort present in the wall surface, for example door or window openings. In this case, the corner elements 3 are associated by coupling the two coupling surfaces 30, one to the wall surface 101 in proximity of the opening, the other to the inner surface 104a of the opening itself. Positioning the corner elements 3 in proximity of the openings 104 is especially indicated when the panelling is being fixed on new buildings. In the case of modernising existing buildings, the habitual presence of frames makes application of the corner elements 3 at the openings impossible, and other known systems are used for connecting the new wall with the pre-existing one.

[0020] The positioning method of the above-described external insulation elements generally comprises stages of fixing the corner elements 3 as well as the insulating panels 2 to the wall surface 101.

[0021] The stage of fixing can comprise a stage of spreading an adhesive between the wall surface 101 and the element to be fixed. The glue used in this case is preferably mortar, which is applied on the fixing surface 20 of the insulating panel 2 and on the coupling surface 30 of the corner element. After application of the mortar, the corner elements 3 or the insulating panels 2 are made to adhere to the wall surface 101, for example by means of a slight manual pressure on the part of the operative. The positioning of the corner element 3 is done paying particular attention to the verticality of the reference surfaces 30 thereof, given that the surfaces are thereafter used for aligning the insulating panels 2. To facilitate the use of the reference surfaces 30 in the subsequent positioning of the panels, the method can comprise a stage of providing connecting elements, for example wires or rods, for connecting-up the reference surface 31 of a corner element to a corresponding reference surface 31 of a contiguous corner element 3 along the portion of wall surface 101 to be covered using panels. In this way, the connecting elements identify the lie plane for the external surfaces 21 of the insulating panels 2 to be laid. Stages of finishing and staging the positioned panels complete the stage of laying.

[0022] The fixing of the corner elements 3 and the insulating panels 2 can comprise a stage of application of anchoring plugs 8. This stage can also be alternative to the stage of laying the adhesive, but the two stages can also be combined for a better fixing of the insulating panelling 10. In the case of combined use of anchoring plugs 8 and adhesive, the stage of application of the plugs follows the staging as described above.

[0023] After the fixing stages are completed, there generally follows a stage of arranging a reinforcement grid 6 on the external surface of the insulating panels 2 and at least a part of the reference surface 31 of the corner elements 3. The reinforcing grid 6 serves to provide sufficient mechanical resistance to the insulating panelling 10. The method of the present invention advantageously comprises a stage of associating corner elements 7 for anchoring the reinforcement grid 6 and a stage of anchoring the reinforcement grid 6 to the corner elements 7. The corner element 7 is applied at the meeting point of the two reference surfaces 31 of each corner element 3 and is provided with holes for connecting up the links of the reinforcement grid 6.

[0024] The method further comprises a stage of application of a layer 4 of skim plastering on top of the external surface 21 of the insulating panels 2 and at least part of the reference surface 31 of the corner elements 3. The skim layer 4 is advantageously a layer of mortar applied with a spatula or another tool and then skimmed. The reinforcement grid 6 is generally sunk into the layer of mortar.

[0025] Three different embodiments of the method are represented in figures 6, 7 and 8. The different realisations can be used alternatively in consideration of the characteristics of the wall surface 101 to be covered. The first embodiment, in figure 6, comprises interruption of the skimming layer 4 at the corner element 7 and the spreading of the reinforcement grid 6 on the corner element 7. The second embodiment in figure 7 is characterised by the interruption of the skimming layer 4 and the reinforcement grid 6 at the periphery of the corner element 7. In the last of the embodiments, illustrated in figure 8, the skimming layer 4 is continuous, and the reinforcement grid 6 is fixed on it, and above that there is the corner element 7.

[0026] The method preferably comprises, after application of the skimming layer 4 and the hardening thereof, a stage of application of a fixative on the insulating panelling 10, and stages of application and finishing of an external cladding layer.

[0027] The corner element 3 of the present invention and predisposed for positioning an insulating panelling 10 according to the method described above, thus exhibits two coupling surfaces 30 which are inclined to one another and predisposed to couple to two portions of wall surface 101 that are distinct and separated from one another by a corner edge 102 and two reference surfaces 31 which are opposite and parallel to the coupling surfaces 30.

[0028] The element extends longitudinally and has a constant section exhibiting two centrally-connected wings forming an L. The corner formed by the two wings, i.e. the angle between the two coupling surfaces 30, can be a right angle or in any case equal to the internal angle defined by the wall surface 101 at the corner edge 102 to which the corner element 3 is coupled. The corner element 3 is preferably made of a thermally-insulated material.

Claims

1. A method for installation of a wall insulation panelling (10) of a building (100), comprising a stage of arranging insulating panels (2) to form an insulation panelling (10) covering at least a part of a wall surface (101) of a building (100), characterised in that it comprises a stage, preceding the stage of arranging insulating panels (2), of associating at least a corner element (3) to a corner edge (102) of the wall surface (101), the corner element (3) being a conforming structural part of the insulating panelling (10) and further performing a function of positional reference for a following installation of insulating panels (2).

2. The method for installation of a wall insulation panelling (10) of a building (100) of claim 1, characterised in that the corner element (3) exhibits at least a coupling surface (30) and at least a reference surface (31) which is flat and opposite the coupling surface (30), while the insulation panels (2) exhibit a fixing surface (20) and an external surface (21) opposite thereto; the coupling surface of the corner element (3) being coupled to the wall surface (101) at the corner edge (102) during the stage of associating at least a corner element (3) to a corner edge (102); the coupling surface of the corner element (3) being coupled to the wall surface (101) at the corner edge (102); the fixing surface (20) of the insulating panels (2) being coupled to the wall surface (101) during the stage of arranging the said insulating panels (2), the external surface (21) of the panels (2) being arranged coplanarly to at least one of the reference surfaces (31).

3. The method of claim 2, characterised in that each corner element (101) exhibits two reference surfaces (31), inclined to one another, and two coupling surfaces (30) opposite the reference surfaces (31); the two coupling surfaces (30) of the corner element (3) being coupled to two portions of wall surface (101) that are distinct and separated from the corner edge (102) during the stage of associating a corner element (3) to a corner edge (102).

4. The method of claim 3, characterised in that during the stage of associating at least a corner element (3) to a corner edge (102), a corner element (3) is associated to each corner edge (102) of the external wall surface (101) of the building (100); during the stage of arranging insulating panels (2), the insulating panels (2) being arranged, for each portion of the wall surface (101) delimited by two corner edges (102), with external surfaces thereof (21) coplanar to the reference surfaces (31) opposite to the coupling surfaces (30) that are coupled to the portion of the wall surface (101).

5. The method of claim 4, characterised in that during the stage of associating a corner element (3) to a corner edge (102) of the external wall surface (101) corner elements (3) are also associated to openings (104) in the wall surface (101), the two coupling surfaces (30) of the corner elements (3) being coupled, one to the wall surface (101) in proximity of the opening (104), another to an inner surface (104a) of the opening (104).

6. The method of any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises a stage of fixing the corner elements (3) to the wall surface (101) and a stage of fixing the insulating panels (2) to the wall surface (101).

7. The method of one of claims from 2 to 6, characterised in that it comprises a stage of arranging a reinforcement grid (6) on an external surface (21) of the insulating panels (2) and on at least a part of the reference surface (31) of the corner elements (3).

8. The method of claim 7, characterised in that it comprises a stage of associating a corner element (7) for anchoring the reinforcement grid (6) to the corner elements (3), and a stage of anchoring the reinforcement grid (6) to the corner elements (3).

9. The method of one of claims from 2 to 8, characterised in that it comprises at least a stage of application of a skimming layer (4) on the external surface (21) of the insulating panels (2) and on at least a part of the reference surface (31) of the corner elements (3).

10. A corner element (3) predisposed for installation of an insulating panelling (10) as in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it is made of a thermally-insulating material, in that it exhibits two coupling surfaces (30) inclined to one another and predisposed to couple two portions of wall surface (101) which are distinct and which are separated from one another by a corner edge (102) and two reference surfaces (31) which are opposite one another and parallel to the coupling surfaces (30).

Drawing