A method for supporting a building element, and a building element

Abstract

 A method for supporting a building element, in which the building element comprises a thermally insulating core (10) and in which at least one supporting component (13) is provided on the first side of the building element. In the method, at least one supporting component (13) is supported by at least one auxiliary support (31) in a short section to a bearing structure (15) or an extension (15b) of a bearing structure on the other side of the building element. Furthermore, a building element is disclosed, which comprises a thermally insulating core (10) with a first side and a second side, and an auxiliary support (31) arranged to transmit a supporting force in a short section from the second side of the thermally insulating core (10) to the first side of the thermally insulating core. Furthermore, the building element comprises a supporting component (13) which is on the first side of the building element, and the auxiliary support (31) is arranged to transmit the supporting force in a short section from the second side of the building element (10) to the supporting component (13). The core (10) may be protected on its surface or surfaces with surface components (11, 12). The auxiliary support (31) may be shorter than the thickness of the core (10). The building element may comprise a joint sealing compound layer (92) on its side.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for supporting a building element, which building element is of the type presented in the preamble of the appended claim 1. The invention also relates to a building element which is of the type presented in the preamble of the appended claim 6.

[0002] It is known to use materials having a light weight, a sufficient strength and excellent thermal insulation properties as thermal insulation materials. Such materials include, for example, expanded polystyrene (EPS), mineral wool, polyurethane, and extruded polystyrene (XPS). Generally, the properties of these materials can be influenced particularly by the quantity of raw material used for the manufacture of the insulation material. The rest of the finished insulation material consists of air. Normally, the quantity of raw material does not significantly affect the thermal insulation properties, but the material becomes less expensive to manufacture when the quantity of the raw material (kg/m³) is small. However, this usually impairs the strength properties of the material. For example, the mechanical strength of an EPS board having a density of about 15 kg/m³ is about 70 kPa, whereas the mechanical strength of an EPS board having a density of 30 kg/m³ is about 200 kPa. The thermal conductivity of these materials is about 0.033 to 0.039 W/mK. A target level ascribed for the density of thermal insulation elements for a roof can be about 16 kg/m³. Roof elements of light weight are easier to handle at construction sites than heavy ones, and furthermore, elements of light weight set lower strength requirements than heavy roof elements for the other load-bearing structures. Consequently, the light weight of the roof elements reduces the building costs in many ways.

[0003] Insulation materials are used in buildings for insulating, for example, walls, the base floor, intermediate floors, and the roof. Particularly in the roof, the insulation structure must be strong because of deck, snow and other loads. Publications FI 108876B, FI U5148 and FI U5027 disclose roof element solutions in which a bearing edge beam is provided at the edges of the elements. In publications FI U3365 and FI U2575, such bearing beams are inside the element. Such an edge beam or a bearing beam inside the element provides poor thermal insulation and is therefore not the best solution in view of efficient thermal insulation. In view of thermal insulation, a better approach is to place the supporting structures underneath or on top of the insulation structure. Such a solution is presented, for example, in document DE 2750691 A1. According to the prior art, the supporting components are supported to the bearing wall structures underneath the element. Such supporting components may also be integrated in the surface component, as presented, for example, in the roof element of document IE 20060660 A1.

[0004] Supporting components may also be placed above the element. According to the prior art, such a supporting structure on top of the insulation element is supported to the surface component of the element and it reinforces the insulation element. A problem with such an arrangement is the fact that the forces effective on the supporting structures are also directed to the insulation element and thereby increase the stresses to which it is subjected. Consequently, the core material of the insulation element should be hard, and hard insulation materials are normally heavy.

[0005] It is an aim of the invention to present a method for supporting a building element and a building element, by which the above presented drawbacks of the prior art can be reduced. To achieve this aim, the method according to the invention is primarily characterized in what will be presented in the characterizing part of the appended claim 1. The building element according to the invention, in turn, is primarily characterized in what will be presented in the characterizing part of the appended claim 6.

[0006] The building element refers to an element in a roof, an intermediate floor or a base floor that contains a thermal insulation layer (a thermal insulation element) and is supported to a bearing structure underneath it. Consequently, the building element may refer to a thermal insulation element. Furthermore, the building element may refer to a roof element. In its typical use, the building element is substantially horizontal or inclined. The building element may comprise supporting components which are prefabricated in the element or placed in it during the installation.

[0007] It has been discovered that by providing auxiliary supports in exactly right locations for supporting the upper supporting components of the thermal insulation element directly to the bearing structures, these supporting components can also be utilized better to support the thermal insulation element of the base floor, the intermediate floor and the roof. This makes it possible to use an insulation material of lighter weight than before, which makes the insulation elements lighter in weight and easier to handle and less expensive. Furthermore, the bearing structures can be dimensioned for a lower roof load, and both the raw material costs and the manufacturing costs are reduced.

[0008] In an embodiment, a mechanically supporting structure is introduced through the building elements used on the roof and is supported at its lower part to a bearing structure and at its upper part to the rigid supporting component of the building element.

[0009] In another embodiment, a mechanically supporting structure is introduced through building elements used on the roof, and when loaded, it is supported at its lower part to a bearing structure and at its upper part to a rigid supporting component of the building element, but when substantially unloaded, a thermally insulating space is left at least at one end of the mechanically supporting structure.

[0010] In the following, the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the appended drawings, in which

Fig. 1

shows a roof element of prior art, supported from its both sides,

Fig. 2

shows a building element supported from its top and comprising auxiliary supports according to an embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 3

shows a vertical view of auxiliary supports according to some embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 4

shows a building element supported from both sides and comprising auxiliary supports according to an embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 5

shows a building element supported from its top and comprising auxiliary supports according to an embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 6

shows a building element supported from its top in its use,

Fig. 7

shows the use of a building element according to the invention in the roof, in an intermediate floor, and in the base floor of a building,

Fig. 8

shows bearing structures in a use of a building element according to the invention,

Fig. 9a

shows an end view of a building element comprising some auxiliary supports,

Fig. 9b

shows an end view of the building element of Fig. 9a under a load,

Fig. 10

shows a side view of a building element supported from its top, in its use,

Fig. 11

shows a side view of a building element according to Fig. 10, separately from its use,

Figs. 12a and 12b

show a building element supported from its top, in vertical and side views, and

Fig. 12c

shows an end view of a seam between two building elements.

[0011] In Figures 1 to 12, the same numerals or symbols are used for corresponding parts.

Detailed description of the invention

[0012] Figure 1 shows a thermal insulation element of prior art which is used on a roof, that is, a roof element with a thermally insulating core 10. The core is made of a thermally insulating material, it has a substantially board-like shape, and (being a board) it has two sides. A first surface component 11 is connected to the first side of the core, and a second surface component 12 to the second side. The function of the surface components it to protect the insulating core against, for example, mechanical stresses or moisture. The surface component or surface components may comprise, for example, plywood or glued laminated wood. The surface component is not necessarily uniform, but it may be, for example, glued from parts. The surface component or surface components may also consist of, for example, plywood or glued laminated wood. Furthermore, the surface component or surface components may be coated. The insulation element may comprise both surface components, only one of them, or neither of them. Furthermore, the structure has been reinforced by connecting supporting components 13 on top of the first surface component. In case the first surface component is lacking, the supporting component 13 can be connected directly to the first side of the core 10 of the insulation element. The structure can be further reinforced by adding such supporting components 14 to the second surface component 12 or, if this is lacking, to the second side of the core 10. Both supporting components 13 and 14 are not used in all roof elements, but in many cases, such supporting components are used at least on top of the roof element. At the building stage, such an element is connected to a bearing structure 15 which may be, for example, a roof ridge support, a wall, supporting structures in a wall, or extensions of such structures.

[0013] A problem in the construction of prior art lies in the fact that the upper surface component 11 and the supporting component 13 of the roof element do not reduce the loading on the roof element but increase it by their own mass. Thus, the supporting components 13 reinforce the structure but load the core of the insulation element with their own mass.

[0014] It has been discovered that the load on the core can be significantly reduced by supporting the supporting components 13 on top of the structure to a bearing structure. Thus, the requirements on the strength of the insulation element are reduced, and it becomes possible to use a thermal insulation element of lighter weight. The reduction in the weight of the insulation elements makes it easier to work at the site and reduces the strengths required of the bearing structures. Furthermore, it has been discovered that the thermal insulation capacity of such a building element can be improved in some uses by supporting the supporting components 13 on top of the structure to the bearing structure during loading only.

[0015] Figure 2 shows one embodiment of the invention. Here, the building element of prior art (Fig. 1) is shown on top of a bearing structure 15. For clarity, the building element is not shown in its use but merely in a principle view of the support of the board. In the invention, auxiliary supports 31 are provided between the supporting components 13 and the bearing structure 15 in such a way that the auxiliary supports transmit the supporting forces of the bearing structure to the supporting component 13 or to the surface component 11, from which the supporting force is transmitted further to the supporting component 13. Thus, the forces of the supporting components 13 are not directed to the core 10 of the thermal insulation element but they are transmitted by the auxiliary support 31 either directly, via the upper surface component 11, the lower surface component 12, or both the surface components 11 and 12, to the bearing structure 15. The auxiliary supports 31 are placed in only a short section between the supporting components 13 and the bearing structure 15. In other words, the auxiliary supports 31 are substantially shorter than the supporting components 13 in the direction of the supporting component 13. The auxiliary supports 31 can be rod-like, solid or hollow in shape, and they can extend in substantially different directions than the supporting components 13. Preferably, the auxiliary supports may be arranged transversely to the supporting components 13, as shown in Fig. 2. Thus, the auxiliary supports impair only slightly the thermal insulation capacity of the core. In Fig. 2, the auxiliary supports 31 are integrated in the thermal insulation element, and their one end surface is substantially flush with the outer surface of the surface component 12, wherein the auxiliary supports can be arranged in contact with the bearing structure 15, as shown in the figure. The auxiliary supports 31 can also be connected to the bearing structure, or they can be used to fix the insulation element to supporting beams or wall structures. It should be noted that both the supporting components 13 and the supporting components 14 can be installed first at the building stage, or they can be integrated in the building element.

[0016] The auxiliary supports 31 can be arranged to extend through the thermal insulation core 10 and possibly one or both of the surface components 11, 12, or the auxiliary supports 31 can be arranged outside the insulation element. This has been illustrated in Fig. 3, which shows a building element according to the invention, shown from above. Due to the viewing angle, only the first surface component 11 of the building element is visible. If the surface component 11 were missing, the core 10 would be visible. This is illustrated with the reference numeral 11/10. In Fig. 3, broken lines are used to show three supporting components 13a-13c and, by way of example, some possible shapes and locations for the auxiliary supports 31a-31f. The auxiliary support has preferably the shape of an elongated bar-like element which receives and bears a load in its longitudinal direction, and its cross-section may be angular 31 a, 31 b, 31 c, 31 d (at least triangular), circular 31 e, 31f, or oval (not shown). Furthermore, the auxiliary supports may be made of two or more different materials, or it may be hollow, as illustrated under reference numeral 31f. According to an advantageous embodiment, the auxiliary supports are made of wood with a cross-section of 50 mm × 100 mm. The auxiliary supports may also be made of plastic or plastic composite. The auxiliary supports 31 may be arranged either to extend through the core 10 of the thermal insulation element, as in the case of the auxiliary supports 31 a, 31 b and 31 c, or they may be arranged outside the core of the thermal insulation element, as shown with the reference numerals 31 d, 31e and 31 f. Furthermore, the auxiliary supports may be placed at the edge of the element, or partly outside the insulation element (not shown). It is also possible that one supporting component 13 is supported by several auxiliary supports 31; for example, in the case of Fig. 3, the supporting component 13b may be supported by both the auxiliary supports 31 b and 31 e, or only one of these.

[0017] Figure 4 shows an embodiment of the invention, in which the thermal insulation element is supported by both the upper and lower supporting components 13 and 14. The auxiliary supports 31 according to the invention are arranged to transmit the supporting force of the bearing structure 15 from the supporting component 14 through the insulation element to the supporting component 13. In this embodiment, the insulation element is very rigid because of the supporting components on both sides, but in all uses, it is not possible to apply the lower supporting components 14 because of their harmful effect on the appearance. It is possible that there are more lower supporting components 14 than upper supporting components 13. The lower supporting components 14 of the building element can be used, among other things, for connecting the building element to the lower supporting elements of the roof.

[0018] Figure 5 shows some other embodiments of the invention. As shown in Fig. 5, the auxiliary supports 31 do not necessarily extend through the surface component 11 or the surface component 12, because the supporting force is also transmitted through these rigid surface components. The insulation element shown in Fig. 5 comprises a surface component 11, and the auxiliary supports 31 h and 31 i in the insulation element are arranged in contact with the surface component 11. Thus, at the installation stage, the supporting component 13 is placed at that location of the surface component 11, to which the supporting force of the bearing structure 15 will be transmitted by the auxiliary support 31 h or 31 i. Preferably, the location for the auxiliary supports 31, and thereby also the location for installing the supporting component 13, is marked on the surface component 11, to facilitate the installation of the supporting components 13. The auxiliary support 31 g, in turn, extends through the surface component 11, wherein the surface of the auxiliary support 31 g is flush with the outer surface of the surface component 11. Thus, the auxiliary supports 31 can be arranged in contact with the supporting components 13. The auxiliary supports 31 can be arranged in contact with the supporting components 13, for example, by installing the supporting components 13 at the locations of the auxiliary supports 31. If the surface component 11 is missing from the insulation element, the surface of the auxiliary support 31 may be flush with the core 10 of the insulation element, wherein the auxiliary support 31 can be arranged in contact with the supporting component 13, as described above. Thus, on the first side of the building element, the end surface of the auxiliary support 31 is either flush with the outer surface of the surface component 11 (auxiliary support 31 g) or in a support transmitting contact with the inner surface of the surface component 11 (auxiliary supports 31 h and 31 i) or, if the building element does not comprise the surface component 11, the end surface of the auxiliary support is flush with the upper surface of the thermal insulation core 10. In a corresponding way, on the other side of the building element, the other end surface of the auxiliary support 31 may be flush with the outer surface of the surface component 12 or in a support transmitting contact with the inner surface of the surface component 12, or if the building element does not comprise the surface component 12, flush with the lower surface of the thermal insulation core 10.

[0019] The auxiliary supports 31g-31i shown in Fig. 5 may be, for example, rod-like, so that they have a first end surface and a second end surface. The first end surface is arranged to face the first supporting component 13, and the second end surface is arranged to face the bearing structure 15. In Fig. 5, the auxiliary support 31 g is arranged in the insulation element in such a way that its first end surface is in contact with the supporting component 13, and the second end surface is supported to the surface component 12. If the supporting component 13 is not ready in the building element, in the case of Fig. 5 the first end surface of the auxiliary support 31 g is flush with the insulation element. Furthermore, the surface component 12 is arranged in contact with the bearing structure 15, wherein the surface component 12 transmits the supporting force from the bearing structure 15 to the second end surface of the auxiliary support 31 g. The auxiliary support 31 h, in turn, is arranged in the roof element in such a way that its first end surface supports the surface component 11 and its second end surface is in contact with the bearing structure 15. The surface component 11 transmits the supporting force from the first end surface of the auxiliary support 31 h to the supporting component 13. If the supporting component 13 is not ready in the building element, the location of the auxiliary support 31 h can be advantageously marked in the surface component 13 for installation later on. The auxiliary support 31i, in turn, is arranged in such a way that its first end surface is in contact with the surface component 11 on the first side of the core, and its second end surface is in contact with the surface component 12 on the other side of the core. If the supporting component 13 is not ready in the building element, the location of the auxiliary support 31i can be advantageously marked in the surface component 13 for installation later on. In substantially all the alternatives, the auxiliary support 31g-31i is arranged between the supporting component 13 and the bearing structure to transmit supporting forces from the bearing structure 15 to the supporting component 13. If the supporting component 13 is not ready in the building element, the location for the supporting component 13 can be easily detected. The auxiliary support 31 may extend through the surface component 11, wherein the ends of the auxiliary supports 31 are visible, or the location for the supporting component 13 can be advantageously marked on the surface component. Furthermore, in exceptional cases, the auxiliary support may extend across the surface component 12 in the thickness direction of the insulation element. For example in a situation in which supporting components are in use on both sides, but there are no corresponding supporting structures 14 underneath the supporting components 13 (cf. Fig. 1), the auxiliary support should extend directly to the bearing structure on the other side of the insulation element.

[0020] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the supporting components 13 are clearly longer than the building element in the direction of the plane of the building element. Thus, the parts of the supporting components protruding outside the building element may be used as a structure for supporting the eaves of the roof in a building. Preferably, in this case the auxiliary supports 31 are also arranged inside the core of the insulation element in such a way that the core of the insulation element extends to the level of the outer wall of the building. Thus, the wall element and the roof thermal insulation element according to the invention are joined to each other sufficiently tightly, and the insulation thickness is sufficient also in the corner formed between the roof and the wall. This is illustrated in Fig. 6. Figure 6 shows the location of auxiliary supports 31 j, 31 k and supporting components 13j, 13k in a perspective view, and the location of different layers in the structures in a cross-sectional view. In Fig. 6, diagonal lines show the core 10 of the insulation element between the surface components 11 and 12 of the element. The supporting components 13j and 13k are connected to the upper surface component, the component 13k being closer to the viewer. The supporting component 13j extends across the core of the insulation element at location 60, all the way to the edge 61 of the eaves. In the same way, the supporting component 13k is longer than the insulation element. The outer wall of the building is formed by the insulation element 62 and the planking (not shown) to be built upon it. The inner wall or the structures 15a on the wall of the building act as a bearing structure. Figure 6 also shows an extension 15b to the bearing structure, by which the corner of the bearing structure can be fitted to the auxiliary supports 31j and 31 k. The auxiliary supports are shown with broken lines, because in this embodiment, they are left inside the insulation element 10. The auxiliary supports 31j and 31 k are supported to the extension 15b of the bearing structure, and they transmit the supporting force of the structure to the supporting components 13j and 13k, respectively.

[0021] Figure 7 illustrates other applications of the invention. In Fig. 7, the reference numeral 31I indicates one embodiment of the invention, in which the auxiliary support supports a building element applied on a roof. Reference numeral 31 m indicates an auxiliary support applied to support a building element for an intermediate floor, and reference numeral 31 n indicates an auxiliary support supporting a building element applied on a base floor. Furthermore, the figure shows an arrangement for connecting the building element to a bearing structure. In this embodiment, the auxiliary support 31 n is arranged at the edge of the building element, and it is fixed to the bearing structure 15n by a fixing means 71. The fixing means 71 may be, for example, a nailing strip.

[0022] Figure 8 shows some other embodiments for the invention. The figure shows a roof structure with a left building element (thermal insulation core 10p) and a supporting component 13p on top of it, as well as a right building element (thermal insulation core 10q) and a supporting component 13q on top of it. An auxiliary support according to the invention is provided in the building elements at a wall 15o, at an intermediate support 15p and at a roof ridge support 15q. At the wall 15o and at the intermediate support 15p, the auxiliary supports 31 o and 31 p extend through the core 10p of the insulation element. At the roof ridge support 15q, in turn, the auxiliary support 31 q is arranged at the edge of the roof element. Figure 8 also illustrates some advantageous directions for the auxiliary supports 31. In Fig. 8, the auxiliary supports 31 o and 31 q are provided in the insulation element in the direction of the forces caused by loads of the roof, whereas the auxiliary support 31 p is provided in a direction transverse to the building element. In their use, the auxiliary supports 31 o and 31 q parallel to the load forces are not subjected to significant shearing forces and they are thus resistant to greater loads than the auxiliary support 31 p transverse to the insulation element. On the other hand, the auxiliary support transverse to the insulation element may be easier to install in place, and such a solution may be better in view of the thermal insulation properties.

[0023] By way of example, it can be noted that the length of a thermal insulation element used in a roof is typically several meters, for example 5 to 8 m, and its width is, for example, 1200 or 2400 mm. The thickness of the thermal insulation element may be, for example, 250 to 500 mm, and the thickness of the surface components may be, for example, 12 to 30 mm. The supporting components 13 may be made of, for example, wood with a cross-section of 50 mm × 100 mm or 50 mm × 125 mm. However, it is obvious that these examples do not in any way limit the use of the invention in other applications as well. Because the insulation element is large in size, it is possible that the core 10 of the insulation element is composed of several smaller parts. It is also possible that the surface components 11 and 12 are not solid but they, too, are composed of parts connected to the core 10 of the thermal insulation element.

[0024] Further, Fig. 9a illustrates some embodiments for the auxiliary supports 31 used in the building element. In Fig. 9a, reference numerals 31 r and 31 s indicate auxiliary supports which are slightly shorter than the thickness of the core 10; in other words, the length of the auxiliary support 31 s, 31 r is smaller than the thickness of the core 10 of the building element. Thus, a space 90r is left between the auxiliary support 31 r and the surface component 12. In a corresponding manner, a space 90s is left between the auxiliary support 31 s and the surface component 11. In a known way, such a space insulates heat well, wherein the element insulates heat better than an element, in which said auxiliary support extends from the first surface of the core 10 to the other surface of the core. For example, the auxiliary support 31 may be made of wood, wherein its thermal conductivity is about 0.12 W/mK. The auxiliary support 31 may also be made of plastic or plastic composite. The thermal conductivity of plastics varies to a significant extent, but it may be, for example, about 2 W/mK (polycarbonate, Nylon, ABS, PMMA). In a corresponding manner, the space 90s may contain air, wherein the thermal conductivity of the space is about 0.027 W/mK. Thus, it is obvious that the space 90s or 90r insulates heat better than the auxiliary support 31 s or 31 r, wherein the space 90s, 90r is thermally insulating. When such an element is loaded, the core 10 is compressed. With some loading, the core may be compressed so much that the length of the auxiliary support 31 s, 31 r corresponds to the thickness of the core 10 of the building element. Such a compression is illustrated in Fig. 9b. The deformation of the core may be reversible. For example, expanded polystyrene can withstand a reversible deformation of a few percent. Thus, for example with a core thickness of 300 mm, the height of the space 90s or 90r may be, for example, about 5 mm. In a corresponding manner, the length of the auxiliary support 31 may be a few percent smaller than the thickness of the core. For example, the length of the auxiliary support may be 97 to 99 % of the thickness of the core. When unloaded, such an element insulates heat better than when loaded. The auxiliary support may also be significantly shorter, but in such a case the deformation of the core is not necessarily reversible. The length of the auxiliary support may also be equal to the thickness of the core, as described earlier.

[0025] With reference to Fig. 9b, the building element and thereby its core 10 can be compressed by a load L. The load may be caused by, for example, a snow load on the roof in the winter. The load may also be removed; for example, the snow can melt. After the core 10 has been compressed, the auxiliary support 31 s or 31 r may be in a support transmitting contact with both the surface component 11 and the surface component 12. If the surface component is missing, the auxiliary support 31 s or 31 r may be in a support transmitting contact with the bearing structure 15 and the auxiliary support 13. Thus, the element can withstand even heavy loads, thanks to the auxiliary supports 31 s and 31 r. In a corresponding manner, when loaded, the auxiliary support 31 may form a cold bridge from the first surface to the second surface of the element. After the load L has been removed, the deformations of the core may be reversed, wherein a space 90s or 90r may be left between the auxiliary supports 31 and the surface components 11 or 12, as illustrated in Fig. 9a. Thus, the thermal insulation capacity of the element at the auxiliary support 31 increases, thanks to the space 90s, 90r, and the cold bridge is removed, respectively. The auxiliary support 31 may also remain substantially in the middle between the surface components 11 and 12, wherein there may be a first space at the first end of the auxiliary space and a second space at the other end.

[0026] As shown in Figs. 9a and 9b, the insulation element can be used:

• when the element is loaded, for supporting the supporting component 13 by means of the auxiliary support to the bearing structure 15 (Fig. 9b), and
• when the element is substantially unloaded, for increasing the thermal insulation capacity of said building element at the auxiliary support 31, by means of the space 90s, 90r (Fig. 9a).

[0027] When the thermal insulation capacity of the element is increased at the auxiliary support 31 by means of the space 90s, 90r, the cold bridge formed by the auxiliary support 31 is simultaneously removed, as described above. Said space 90s or 90r may contain air, in which case the space is an air space. It is obvious that the building elements according to Figs. 9a and 9b may comprise both the surface components 11 and 12, only one surface component 11 or 12, or it is possible that the building element does not comprise any of the surface components 11, 12. If there is no surface component, in the unloaded building element the space 90s or 90r may be left between the auxiliary support 31 s or 31 r and the supporting component 13, or said space may be left between the auxiliary support 31 s or 31 r and the bearing structure 15. Preferably, auxiliary supports 31 are provided in the core of the building element exactly at the supporting components 13 in the direction of the surface of the element. It is also possible to use auxiliary supports that are shorter than the core in a building element that does not comprise any supporting components 13. Also in this case it is possible that the building element comprises the surface component 11 or the surface component 12 or both surface components 11 and 12, on which a location for at least one auxiliary support is marked. Thus, the supporting component 13 can be installed later on in the location marked at the auxiliary support 31.

[0028] Figure 10 shows a side view of an advantageous embodiment of the building element in its use as a roof element. In many respects, the element corresponds to that shown in Fig. 6, but the construction insulates heat better than the one shown in Fig. 6. The better thermal insulation capacity has been achieved by applying an auxiliary support 31 whose length is smaller than the thickness of the core 10 of the element. The thermal insulation capacity has been further improved by fitting the wall side end of the building element to the shape of the wall. In particular, the wall side end of the building element has been fitted to the substantially horizontal side 64 of the insulation element 62 of the outer wall. Furthermore, it should be noted that in this case, the surface component 12 does not extend through the insulation 62 of the outer wall, wherein the surface component 12 does not form a cold bridge through the insulation 62 of the outer wall.

[0029] The shape of the building element may be affected by the ridge angle α. The ridge angle refers to the angle between the roof and the horizontal plane. The ridge angle is typically 0° to 60° and preferably about 30°. As shown in Fig. 10, the ridge angle may define the angles occurring in the shape of the building element. The values 90 and 180 shown in Fig. 10 are degrees. The end of the building element on the ridge side may be fitted to the ridge angle α, as shown in the figure.

[0030] Also in this embodiment, the building element may comprise supports 13 which may extend across the core of the insulation element and all the way to the edge of the eaves, as shown in Fig. 6. The length of the element from the eaves to the ridge may vary to a great extent, and the hatched area 84 illustrates the middle part of the element whose length may vary in a way that is evident. The figure further illustrates an auxiliary support 31 arranged to transmit a supporting force from the surface component 12 to the surface component 11 when the building element is loaded.

[0031] Figure 11 shows a side view of the insulation element according to Fig. 10. The shape of the end 80 on the side of the outer wall has been fitted to the wall element, as described above. Furthermore, the shape of the end 82 on the side of the roof ridge has been fitted to correspond to the ridge angle (cf. Figs. 8 and 10). The length of the element may vary to a great extent, and the hatched area 84 illustrates the middle part of the element whose length may vary in a way that is evident.

[0032] Figure 12a shows yet another embodiment of the building element, seen from above. When seen from above, only the supporting components 13 and the surface component 11 are visible. At least one side of the supporting component 13 of the building element is provided with a layer of joint sealing compound to join two building elements to each other. The building element shown in the figure comprises a layer 92 of joint sealing compound on its one side parallel to the supporting component 13. Glue can also be used as the joint sealing compound. At their edges, the elements can be joined to each other with the joint sealing compound. The joint sealing compound may be a resilient compound, wherein the joint sealing compound allows the movement of the building elements adjacent to the seam with respect to each other. Furthermore, the resilient joint sealing compound layer 92 can be used to fix possible inaccuracies in the dimensions, such as possible inaccuracies in the dimensions of the building element or the joint sealing compound layer 92, wherein the joint sealing compound layer 92 can conform to unequal element gaps and make them functional and sufficiently tight (airtight) in view of thermal insulation. It is also possible to fix slight inaccuracies caused by the position of the element with the resilient joint sealing compound layer. Furthermore, the building element may comprise a protective film 94 provided to protect the joint sealing compound layer 92. The protective film 94 may comprise plastic, paper, siliconized paper, or metal foil, such as aluminium foil, suitable for the purpose, and it may be laminated. The protective film 94 may have such properties that it is not permeable to water or steam.

[0033] Figure 12b shows a side view of the building element according to Fig. 12a. Only part of the protective film 94 is shown to illustrate the joint sealing compound 92. A height h may be left between the edge of the joint sealing compound layer 92 and the first surface of the core 10, at which height the edge of the building element does not comprise joint sealing compound. The height h may be, for example, 10 to 50 mm. Such a solution is used to secure the ventilation of the seam formed; in other words, the seam can be ventilated with this solution. Figure 12c shows yet an end view of the seam between two such elements. Above the joint sealing compound 92, a space 99 has been left without the joint sealing compound, where the elements adjacent to the seam can be ventilated and thereby dried. The ventilation is important, because during the building, the building elements may get wet, for example as a result of rain.

Claims

1. A method for supporting a building element, where the building element comprises a first side and a second side, and the building element comprises a thermal insulation core (10) between the first side and the second side, and where at least one supporting component (13) is provided on the first side of the building element, characterized in that at least one supporting component (13) is supported by at least one auxiliary support (31) in a short section to a bearing structure (15) or to an extension (15b) of a bearing structure on the other side of the building element.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that in the method,

- when the building element is loaded, at least one supporting component (13) is supported by at least one auxiliary support (31) in a short section to the bearing structure (15) or to the extension (15b) of the bearing structure on the other side of the building element, and

- when the building element is substantially unloaded, the thermal insulation capacity of said building element is increased by means of a space (90s, 90r) at the auxiliary support (31).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one supporting component (13) is installed after the auxiliary support (31) on the first side of the building element.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the bearing structure is an intermediate support (15p), a ridge support (15q), or a part of a wall (15a).

5. The method according to any of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least one auxiliary support (31) is made of at least one of the following: wood, plastic, and plastic composite.

6. A building element comprising

― a thermal insulation core (10) with a first side and a second side, and

― an auxiliary support (31) arranged to transmit a supporting force in a short section from the second side of the thermal insulation core (10) to the first side of the thermal insulation core,
characterized in that the building element comprises

― a supporting component (13) which is provided on the first side of the building element, and

― the auxiliary support (31) is arranged to transmit the supporting force in a short section from the second side of the building element (10) to the supporting component (13).

7. The building element according to claim 6, characterized in that the supporting component (13) is longer than the building element in the direction of the plane of the building element, wherein part of the supporting component can be used, for example, as a structure to support the eaves.

8. The building element according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the length of the auxiliary support (31) is smaller than the thickness of the core (10) of the building element, wherein at least one end of the auxiliary support (31) is provided with a thermally insulating space (90s, 90r), and the auxiliary support (31) is arranged to transmit a supporting force in a short section from the second side of the building element (10) to the supporting component (13) during loading.

9. The building element according to any of the claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the building element comprises a surface component (11, 12) which reinforces the core (10) against mechanical stresses or moisture.

10. The building element according to claim 9, characterized in that the surface component (11, 12) comprises plywood or glued laminated wood.

11. The building element according to any of the claims 6 to 10, characterized in that the building element comprises on at least one side a joint sealing compound layer (92) for joining two building elements to each other.

12. The building element according to claim 11, characterized in that the joint sealing compound layer (92) comprises resilient joint sealing compound for fixing dimensional inaccuracies.

13. The building element according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that a height is left between the edge of the joint sealing compound layer (92) and the first surface of the core (10), at which height the edge of the building element does not comprise joint sealing compound, for ventilating the seam.

14. The building element according to any of the claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the building element comprises a protective film (94) to protect the joint sealing compound layer (92).

15. The building element according to any of the claims 6 to 14, characterized in that the shape of the building element is fitted to the horizontal side (64) of a wall element and to a ridge angle (α).

Drawing