WET ROOM MODULE

Abstract

 The invention concerns a module (1) comprising a floor and at least one wall arranged to provide the module with a wet area interior. The at least one wall comprises a prefabricated one-piece wall element (11) which constitutes the planned outlay and size of the wall, wherein the wall element is constituted by a glass fiber reinforced board with an integrated layer of tiles positioned so that the layer of tiles faces the wet area interior (20). The floor comprises a prefabricated one-piece floor element which constitutes the planned outlay and size of the floor, wherein the floor element is constituted by a plate structure (3) and a glass fiber reinforced board with an integrated layer of tiles (6), wherein the plate structure is made of polystyrene and is configured with an inclined surface (4) sloping towards a drain (5), wherein the inclined surface faces the wet area interior and the glass fiber reinforced board with the integrated layer of tiles is positioned on plate structure with the layer of tiles facing the wet area interior. The invention also comprises a method for manufacturing a module provided with a wet area interior.

Description

[0001] The invention concerns a module comprising a floor and at least one wall arranged to provide the module with a wet area interior, as well as a method for manufacturing a module provided with a wet area interior.

[0002] It is well known within the technical field of construction and building housing to prefabricate building modules having a bathroom compartment or other wet area interiors to be installed in a building on site. These prefabricated modules may also of course be installed in ships or other places with a need for a wet area space.

[0003] The manufacturing of wet room modules have the obvious advantages of cost saving by producing a large number of modules in a batch and reducing the construction period on the building site. By producing a series of wet room modules there is the additional advantage of developing improved manufacturing procedures which ensures wet room spaces with a fairly uniform standard.

[0004] Compared to the on site building of a room, the serial production of wet room modules may prompt the provision of improved technical solutions which may prove more efficient than the traditional building of a wet rom on site. The improved technical solutions may prove more reliable in fulfilling the various requirements for a wet room.

[0005] The object of the current invention is to provide a module with a wet area interior which is easy to manufacture and assemble. It is further an object to produce the parts making up the modules in a simplified production process and to assure a certain level of quality in all the parts that make up the module.

[0006] The object of the invention is obtained by the invention as defined in the independent claims and the belonging dependent claims.

[0007] A module in accordance with the invention comprises a floor and at least one wall arranged to provide the module with a wet area interior, wherein the at least one wall comprises a prefabricated one-piece wall element which constitutes the planned outlay and size of the wall. The wall element is constituted by a glass fiber reinforced board with an integrated layer of tiles positioned so that the layer of tiles faces the wet area interior. The floor comprises a prefabricated one-piece floor element which constitutes the planned outlay and size of the floor. The floor element is constituted by a plate structure and a glass fiber reinforced board with an integrated layer of tiles, and the plate structure is made of polystyrene and is configured with an inclined surface sloping towards a drain, wherein the inclined surface faces the wet area interior and the glass fiber reinforced board with the integrated layer of tiles is positioned on plate structure with the layer of tiles facing the wet area interior.

[0008] The prefabricated glass fibre reinforced board may have a matrix of resin. The layer of tiles may be integrated in the glass fiber reinforced board by moulding.

[0009] The module in accordance with the invention includes the provision of wall element(s) and floor element(s), each made up by a prefabricated glass fiber reinforced board constituted by reinforced layers of glass fibers for instance in a matrix of resin. A layer of tiles is integrated in the glass fiber reinforced boards by a moulding process or any other manufacture process which ensures an easy and satisfactory prefabrication process. Each wall element and floor element comprises the glass fiber reinforced board with the integrated layer of tiles which is measured so that each of the boards has the size and outlay fitted to the planned size of the floor or a wall of the module.

[0010] In one embodiment the module may comprise four wall elements, each making up one of four walls, and one floor member making up the floor.

[0011] The module may also include a frame structure to support the glass fiber reinforced boards making up the walls and a bottom frame for supporting the glass fiber reinforced board making up the floor. The frame structure may be arranged exterior from or outside the at least one wall element, that is on the other side of the wall element away from the wet area interior. The frame structure may comprise at least one support stud and at least one corner support stud. In one embodiment the frame structure may comprise four corner support studs and at least one support stud arranged intermediate the four corner support studs.

[0012] The floor element may be arranged with a surrounding side wall projecting essentially vertical from the floor element. The floor element may be positioned on a bottom structure and in this embodiment the surrounding side wall is arranged raising from the bottom structure.

[0013] An upper end portion of the side wall is arranged for the connection of the frame structure to the side walls. The upper end portion of the side wall may comprise a top surface to support the frame structure and a side surface vertically oriented on the top surface for positioning and anchorage of the frame structure to the side walls.

[0014] The module may be made up by positioning an end portion of the at least one wall element on the floor element in contact with the side wall and attaching the at least one wall element to the framing structure. The at least one wall element may be attached to the frame structure by the use of an adhesive.

[0015] In one embodiment of the module a floor tray may be provided as an additional barrier to the module. The floor tray may be provided comprising walls and a bottom part. The walls of the floor tray may be positioned between the side walls and the wall element of the module and the bottom part may be arranged in between the plate structure and the glass fiber reinforced board (having an integrated layer of tiles).

[0016] As the floor and the at least one wall element have essentially the exact size to fit with each other by this process, the installment process is rapid and is carried out with little interruptions, as there is no need for trimming the boards before attaching them to make up the module.

[0017] To fulfill the requirements for making a wet room it is usually necessary to apply a membrane beneath the tiles to ensure that the moist does not enter the building structure. But the use of glass fiber reinforced boards this step is made redundant, as the material quality of glass fiber reinforced boards prevent the water from entering the boards and has the function of a membrane. The joints in the corners of walls and floor need to be sealed, but other than that there is no need for finishing after the at least one wall element and a floor element have been installed. The prefabrication of integrating or modeling the tiles in the glass fiber reinforced boards saves the step of filling the gaps between the tiles with grout, thereby saving time when building the module.

[0018] When making a prefabricated module, it is essential to develop an expedient procedure for manufacture in order to save time and produce uniform products. Another important aspect is the weight of the module, and the use of glass fiber reinforced boards which contributes to a reduced weight of the module, compared to the use of traditional materials. The glass fiber reinforced boards have low weight and a satisfactory solidity which makes it an advantageous structure in this field of use.

[0019] In order to fufill the wet room requirement of providing the floor with an inclined orientation toward the drain, the floor in accordance with the invention also include the plate structure which is made of polystyrene or alternatively another light weight and water resistant material. The plate structure is configured with an inclined surface providing a slope towards a drain, and is positioned underneath the glass fiber reinforced board with the integrated layer of tiles to make up the floor.

[0020] Compared to the traditional use of a concrete element to obtain the necessary inclination of the bathroom floor, the inclusion of the plate structure of polystyrene in the floor is favourable in several aspects. The polystyrene is suitable for shaping into an inclined structure which fits with the drain. The production of the plate structure in polystyrene does not require the use of a form or mould and the subsequent shaping of the plate structure in order to obtain the requested inclination towards the drain is also avoided. The plate structure may be carried out by extrusion or any other suitable production method.

[0021] In addition to the beneficial effects due to the mode of production, the plate structure in polystyrene has superior isolation characteristics compared to the traditional concrete elements. Also the total weight of the module benefits from the provision of the plate structure in polystyrene.

[0022] The frame structure for supporting the wall elements of glass fiber reinforced board with the layer of tiles may include at least one support stud and at least one corner support stud. The profile of the corner support stud may comprise two intersectional C-shaped box sections configured so that and inner side of the profile provides an essentially right angled corner for the joining of two wall elements and an outer side of the profile is arranged for supportive contact with structure elements at installation on site. The two box shaped C- sections which may be connected forming an inner corner surface for the support of two meeting wall elements each made of glass fiber reinforced boards with a tiled layer. The profile of the corner support stud is also configured with outer surfaces that are arranged parallel to the inner corner surface. These outer surfaces will face the compartment in which the module will be installed on site. The described configuration of this corner stud makes a solid corner stud capable of providing strength to the glass fiber reinforced board with the layer of tiles. The configuration of the profile of the corner stud may be provided by the bending of steel plates to obtain the necessary solidity of the profile.

[0023] The invention also includes a method for manufacturing a module provided with a wet area interior, wherein the method comprises the following steps:

• starting with a floor element which is provided with a side wall raising from the floor element, wherein the floor element comprises a glass fibre reinforced board with an integrated layer of tiles to be facing the wet area interior,
• connecting a frame structure on to an upper end portion of the side walls,
• placing at least one wall element with an integrated layer of tiles on the floor element so that the integrated layer of tiles faces the wet area interior and attaching the at least one wall element to the frame structure.

[0024] In accordance with the inventive method it further comprises attaching the at least one wall element to the frame structure using an adhesive method such as gluing.

[0025] Further the step of connecting a frame structure on to an upper end portion of the side walls may comprise the following steps:

• placing the frame structure on a top surface of the sidewall,
• positioning the frame structure on the top surface by the use of a side surface oriented vertically on the top surface,
• anchoring of the frame structure to the side surface(s) of the side walls.

[0026] In an embodiment of the method a moulding process for providing the glass fibre reinforced board with an integrated layer of tiles comprises the following steps;

• placing the tiles with front surface facing downward in a mould,
• applying resin on to the back surface of the tiles,
• applying at least one sheet of glass fiber,
• applying resin on to each sheet of glass fiber.

[0027] An example of one embodiment of the invention is to be described in the following with reference to the figures, wherein

Fig 1 is an overall view of an embodiment of the invention.

Fig 2 is an enlarged view of the section A.

Fig 3 is a planar view of a corner section of the module.

Fig 4 is a planar view showing the frame structure of the corner section.

[0028] The module 1 in accordance with the invention is shown in fig 1. A bottom structure 2 for instance a frame girder supports a plate structure 3 which has an inclined surface 4 arranged with a slope towards the drain 5. A membrane of fiberglass 50 is applied on the bottom surface 50 of the plate structure 3. The plate structure 3 may be provided in polystyrene, such as for instance Styrofoam.

[0029] A glass fiber reinforced board with an integrated layer of tiles 6, is positioned on the top of the plate structure 3. The tiled glass fiber reinforced board 6 and the plate structure 3 may be prefabricated as a one piece floor element to be arranged onto the bottom structure 2. The bottom structure 2 is provided with a surrounding side wall 7 that raises vertically from the bottom structure 2. The side wall 7 may be a steel profile.

[0030] The side wall has a top surface 8 with an horizontal orientation and a side surface 9 is vertically oriented on the top surface 8. The frame structure 10 is supported on the top surface 8 and is anchored to the side surface 9 thereby providing a solid rigid support for wall elements 11 to be attached to the frame structure 10.

[0031] One wall element 11 makes up one wall of the module, so that if the module is built having four walls, four wall elements each with an outline for making up one of the walls will be provided. The wall element 11 is prefabricated in one piece constituting a glass fiber reinforced board with an integrated layer of tiles. The layer of tiles is illustrated in figure 1 by the groutings 13. An epoxy based grouting material may comprise the grouting.

[0032] A floor tray 30 with watertight characteristics provides an additional barrier to the module 1. The floor tray 30 has walls 31 positioned in between the side walls 7 and the wall element 11 and a bottom part 32 is arranged in between the plate structure 3 and the tiled glass fiber reinforced board 6. The arrangement of the floor tray provides an additional barrier in the case leakage should occur through the joint of the wall element 11 and the floor element.

[0033] When installing the wall element 11, the wall elements are positioned so that its lower portion rests on the floor element. The wall element 11 is attached to the frame structure 10 and the side wall 7 by gluing.

[0034] A roof panel 14 is shown connected to the frame structure 10 by a screw 15. A membrane of fiberglass 16 may be provided on the outside top surface of the roof panel 14 and an additional membrane of fiberglass 17 may provided on the bottom surface of the roof panel facing the interior 20 of the module 1.

[0035] Fig 3 shows a planar cross section of module 1 illustrating the arrangement of the frame structure seen in a top view. The frame structure comprises a number of corner support studs 40 (in fig 3 only one corner stud is illustrated) and a number of support studs 50 arranged in between the corner studs. The corner support 40 is made up by bent plate structures providing a solid and rigid structure. The profile of the corner support as shown in the fig 3 has an inner corner surface 41 for supporting the wall elements in a corner joint and outer surfaces 42 arranged in contact with walls 60 of the compartment where the module 1 is to be installed.

[0036] Figure 4 illustrates the frame structure 10 showing the detailed configuration of the corner support stud 40 and the support stud 50. Figure 4 also show the wall element 11 attached to the corner support stud 40 and the support stud 50 by an adhesive layer 60. The adhesive may be glue or other suitable material capable of attaching the wall element to the corner support stud 40 and the support stud 50.

Claims

1. A module comprising a floor and at least one wall arranged to provide the module with a wet area interior, wherein

- the at least one wall comprises a prefabricated one-piece wall element which constitutes the planned outlay and size of the wall and the wall element is constituted by a glass fiber reinforced board with an integrated layer of tiles positioned so that the layer of tiles faces the wet area interior,

- the floor comprises a prefabricated one-piece floor element which constitutes the planned outlay and size of the floor and the floor element is constituted by a plate structure and a glass fiber reinforced board with an integrated layer of tiles, wherein the plate structure is made of polystyrene and is configured with an inclined surface sloping towards a drain, wherein the inclined surface faces the wet area interior and the glass fiber reinforced board with the integrated layer of tiles is positioned on the plate structure with the layer of tiles facing the wet area interior.

2. A module in accordance with claim 1, comprising a frame structure provided for supporting the at least one wall element and being arranged exterior the at least one wall element.

3. A module in accordance with claim 1 or 2, wherein the floor element is arranged with a surrounding side wall projecting essentially vertical from the floor element.

4. A module in accordance with claim 3, wherein the surrounding side wall raises from a bottom structure and the floor element is positioned on the bottom structure.

5. A module in accordance with claim 3 or 4, wherein a floor tray comprising walls and a bottom part provides an additional barrier to the module, wherein the walls of the floor tray is positioned between the side wall and the wall element and the bottom part is arranged in between the plate structure and the glass fiber reinforced board with an integrated layer of tiles.

6. A module in accordance with one of the preceding claims 2-5, wherein an upper end portion of the side wall is arranged for the connection of the frame structure to the side walls.

7. A module in accordance with claim 6, wherein the upper end portion of the side wall comprises a top surface to support the frame structure and a side surface vertically oriented on the top surface for positioning and anchorage of the frame structure to the side walls.

8. A module in accordance with one of the preceding claims 2-7, wherein an end portion of the at least one wall element is positioned on the floor element in contact with the side wall and attached to the framing structure.

9. A module in accordance with one of the preceding claims 2-8, wherein the at least one wall element is attached to the frame structure by the use of an adhesive.

10. A module in accordance with one of the preceding claims 2-9, wherein the frame structure comprises at least one support stud and at least one corner support stud.

11. A module in accordance with one of the preceding claims, comprising four wall elements and one floor member.

12. A module in accordance one of the preceding claims 2-11, wherein the frame structure comprises four corner support studs and at least one support stud arranged intermediate the four corner support studs.

13. A module in accordance with claim 12, wherein the at least one corner support stud has a profile of two intersectional C-shaped box sections configured so that and inner side of the profile provides an essentially right angled corner for the joining of two wall elements and an outer side of the profile is arranged for supportive contact with structure elements at installation on site.

14. A module in accordance one of the preceding claims, the prefabricated glass fibre reinforced board has a matrix of resin.

15. A module in accordance one of the preceding claims, wherein the layer of tiles is integrated in the glass fiber reinforced board by moulding.

16. A method for manufacturing a module provided with a wet area interior, wherein the method comprises the following steps:

- starting with a floor element which is provided with a side wall raising from the floor element, wherein the floor element comprises a glass fibre reinforced board with an integrated layer of tiles to be facing the wet area interior,

- connecting a frame structure on to an upper end portion of the side walls,

- placing at least one wall element with an integrated layer of tiles on the floor element so that the integrated layer of tiles faces the wet area interior and attaching the at least one wall element to the frame structure.

17. Method in accordance with claim 16, wherein attaching the at least one wall element to the frame structure using an adhesive method such as gluing.

18. Method in accordance with claim 16 or 17, wherein the step of connecting a frame structure on to an upper end portion of the side walls comprises the following steps:

- placing the frame structure on a top surface of the side wall,

- positioning the frame structure on the top surface by the use of a side surface oriented vertically on the top surface,

- anchoring of the frame structure to the side surface(s) of the side walls.

19. Method in accordance with one of the claims 16-18, wherein providing the glass fibre reinforced board with an integrated layer of tiles by a moulding process comprising the following steps;

- placing the tiles with front surface facing downward in a mould,

- applying resin on to the back surface of the tiles,

- applying at least one sheet of glass fiber,

- applying resin on to each sheet of glass fiber.

Drawing