FR3148246A1 - Cladding cassette, and assembly comprising such cladding cassettes. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a cladding cassette (1) comprising: at least two connectors (10) each comprising a first longitudinal wall and a second longitudinal wall, each of said longitudinal walls being extended by a side wall (113) adjacent to a blade having curved edges forming a clamp with said longitudinal walls, each of said curved edges being positioned to form a cavity, said blade being adjacent to two edges (115) forming a clamp, each of said edges (115) having two protrusions forming a groove, at least two facade plates (3) each comprising a protrusion (31) intended to be housed in one of said cavities (C) of said connector, at least two covers comprising a longitudinal covering wall (501) and two side covering walls (502), said longitudinal covering wall (501) being fixed to said connector (10) by fixing means intended to be housed in said groove. [Fig. 4]

Description

Cladding cassette, and assembly comprising such cladding cassettes. Field of invention

The field of the invention is that of materials used in fixed land or sea constructions.

More specifically, the invention relates to a cladding cassette, and an assembly comprising such cladding cassettes.

Prior art

Cassettes are commonly used in fixed land constructions, such as buildings, to create façades that meet one or more criteria that may be aesthetic or functional. Facades may include transparent cassettes to provide light, or cassettes made of a specific material, such as polycarbonate, to enhance the thermal or sound insulation of a building.

In particular, polycarbonate cassettes intended to be mounted on a building facade element are well known to those skilled in the art, as shown in patent application EP0940517A1.

The cassettes according to the prior art can be assembled together by means of retaining structures, and thus form a facade, which may be a building facade. These structures are generally made of metal, and have the disadvantage of being unattractive. Indeed, the skeleton of the retaining structure is generally visible between two neighboring cladding cassettes.

In particular, it is known to those skilled in the art that cassettes comprise an additional part, such as a cover positioned at the spaces between the cassettes. These covers make it possible to partially conceal the fixing of the cassettes on their holding structures and to improve the aesthetics of the facade.

Such covers have the disadvantage of not sufficiently hiding the elements of the structure, in particular the aluminum elements. In addition, these covers do not guarantee thermal insulation, and consequently, thermal bridges frequently appear in the solutions of the prior art.

Furthermore, the cassettes according to the prior art are particularly difficult to assemble, due to the additional parts to be assembled to ensure their attachment to the support structure.

Objectives of the invention

The invention aims in particular to propose an improved connector for a cladding cassette, while overcoming the drawbacks of the prior art.

One objective of the invention is to provide cladding cassettes allowing better thermal or acoustic insulation compared to prior art solutions.

Another objective of the invention is to provide solid cladding cassettes, which are quick and easy to assemble.

The invention also aims to propose constructions comprising cassettes whose thermal bridges are limited.

Presentation of the invention

• au moins deux connecteurs comprenant chacun une première paroi longitudinale et une deuxième paroi longitudinale, chacune des première et deuxième parois longitudinales étant prolongée par une paroi latérale adjacente à une lame présentant des bords incurvés formant pince avec les première et deuxième parois longitudinales, chacun des bords incurvés étant positionnés pour former une cavité avec la paroi longitudinale qui lui fait face, la lame étant adjacente à deux bords sensiblement parallèles l’un à l’autre et formant pince, chacun des bords présentant deux excroissances formant une rainure,
• au moins deux plaques de façade, chacune des plaques de façade comprenant une excroissance destinée à se loger dans une des cavités du connecteur, chacun des connecteurs étant positionné sur l’une des deux extrémités des plaques de façade, et
• au moins deux capots, chacun des capots comprend une paroi de recouvrement longitudinale et deux parois de recouvrement latérales adjacentes à la paroi de recouvrement longitudinale, la paroi de recouvrement longitudinale étant fixée au connecteur par l’intermédiaire de moyens de fixation destinés à se loger dans la rainure, et chacune des parois de recouvrement latérales étant positionnée contre la paroi interne de l’une des plaques.

These objectives, as well as others that will appear later, are achieved using a cladding cassette comprising:

• at least two connectors each comprising a first longitudinal wall and a second longitudinal wall, each of the first and second longitudinal walls being extended by a side wall adjacent to a blade having curved edges forming a clamp with the first and second longitudinal walls, each of the curved edges being positioned to form a cavity with the longitudinal wall facing it, the blade being adjacent to two edges substantially parallel to each other and forming a clamp, each of the edges having two protrusions forming a groove,
• at least two faceplates, each of the faceplates comprising a protrusion intended to be housed in one of the cavities of the connector, each of the connectors being positioned on one of the two ends of the faceplates, and
• at least two covers, each of the covers comprising a longitudinal covering wall and two lateral covering walls adjacent to the longitudinal covering wall, the longitudinal covering wall being fixed to the connector by means of fixing means intended to be housed in the groove, and each of the lateral covering walls being positioned against the internal wall of one of the plates.

Such cassettes are advantageously easy to assemble on a structure, each of the cassettes being able to be easily slid onto the holding structure.

In particular, the cassette connectors make it possible to easily assemble the cassettes relative to each other, and to reduce the spaces separating two neighboring cassettes. As a result, when the cassettes are assembled on a facade, the connectors are less visible than the holding structures of the prior art. It is therefore not necessary to add a cover to conceal the cassette connectors. In addition, the thermal bridges between the cassettes are reduced.

In addition, the combination of plates, connectors and covers makes it possible to obtain a solid cassette with better thermal and sound insulation.

The connector also offers the possibility of fixing an additional element inside the cassette itself, such as a plate. To do this, one end of this plate can be held at the edges forming a clamp.

Preferably, the facade plates are made of translucent material, the material preferably being polycarbonate.

Preferably, each connector is made of a material having a Young's modulus at least equal to or greater than 69500 MPa, and is preferably made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

Advantageously, the cassette further comprises at least one thermal comfort plate.

Advantageously, the cassette further comprises at least one acoustic comfort plate.

Advantageously, the edges have two protrusions forming a housing.

• au moins deux cassettes telles que définies précédemment,
• une patte de fixation destinée à être fixée sur un support et présentant une forme de « T », la patte de fixation comprenant une paroi de support, une paroi centrale adjacente à la paroi de support, et une paroi de maintien adjacente à ladite paroi centrale et présentant deux extrémités incurvées présentant une forme complémentaire aux bords incurvés de la pièce de liaison,

These objectives are also achieved using an assembly comprising:

• at least two cassettes as defined above,
• a fixing lug intended to be fixed on a support and having a “T” shape, the fixing lug comprising a support wall, a central wall adjacent to the support wall, and a retaining wall adjacent to said central wall and having two curved ends having a shape complementary to the curved edges of the connecting piece,

characterized in that at least two of the cassettes are juxtaposed to each other such that the second lower longitudinal walls of the juxtaposed cassettes form a housing.

Preferably, the housing is intended to accommodate a seal.

Such assemblies have improved thermal insulation compared to existing solutions.

List of figures

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description of an example of implementation, given as a simple illustrative and non-limiting example, and the appended figures comprising:

: there illustrates a schematic top view of a cladding cassette according to one embodiment of the invention, in which the covers of the cladding cassette are not shown.

: there illustrates a schematic view of the assembly of a connector and two ends of cladding cassettes according to an embodiment of the invention, in which the covers of the cassettes are not shown;

: there illustrates a schematic top view of the connector assembly and cladding cassettes of the , additionally comprising a thermal comfort plate and being fixed to a facade element;

: there illustrates a schematic view of a cladding cassette comprising a thermal comfort plate according to one embodiment of the invention;

: there illustrates a schematic profile view of one end of the cladding cassette of the , being fixed on facade elements.

Detailed description of the invention

There illustrates a cladding cassette according to one embodiment of the invention.

In the embodiment shown, the cassette is made up of two plates, extending longitudinally in directions substantially parallel to each other, preferably rectangular, of two connectors positioned on each of its ends, and of two covers. These two connectors 10 make it possible to assemble the two plates 3 of the cassette 1, and to connect the neighboring cassettes together.

In this description, “substantially parallel” means directions or planes which are parallel to each other within plus or minus 3°.

Similarly, "substantially perpendicular" means directions or planes that are perpendicular to each other within plus or minus 3°.

Figures 2 to 4 illustrate a connector according to the invention.

In the embodiment shown, the connector 10 comprises a first longitudinal wall 111 and a second longitudinal wall 112. Each of these first 111 and second 112 longitudinal walls is extended by a side wall 113, so that the two side walls 113 are oriented in directions substantially parallel to each other.

In this description, the term “extended” means a single part consisting of two parts of the same piece.

The connector 10 also comprises a blade 114 which is adjacent and oriented in a direction substantially perpendicular to the directions of the side walls 113. This blade 14 has curved edges 1141 facing the longitudinal walls 111 and 112. In this way, each of these curved edges 1141 is arranged so as to form a cavity with the second longitudinal wall 112 or the first longitudinal wall 111 facing it. Each cavity is intended to accommodate an element to be fixed, such as a plate, and is sized so as to be able to hold the element to be fixed, in the manner of a clamp. Preferably, the plate to be fixed has, on at least one of its ends, a protrusion whose dimensions allow it to be fixed at the cavity formed by the curved edge.

The blade 114 is adjacent to two edges 115 which are oriented in directions substantially perpendicular to the direction of the blade 114. Thus, these edges 115 form a clamp which has dimensions allowing the edge of a plate to be accommodated. As examples, these edges 115 may have dimensions allowing the edge of a plate to be accommodated with a width of between 500 and 1000 millimeters. This clamp may for example accommodate a plate with a width of 560 or 860 millimeters.

Each of the edges 115 may also comprise two protrusions 1151 oriented towards the plates 3. These protrusions 1151 are curved and form a groove 1152. This groove may accommodate fixing means, such as screws, in order to fix a cover 50 in the upper or lower part of the cassette 1.

THE and 5 respectively illustrate a schematic view and a schematic profile view of a cladding cassette according to an embodiment of the invention. In the embodiment shown, each cover 50 comprises a longitudinal covering wall 501 adjacent to two lateral covering walls 502. The longitudinal covering wall 501 extends in a plane substantially perpendicular to the planes of the plates 3, and at least partially covers the ends of the plates 3.

The longitudinal covering wall 501 of the cover 50 can be fixed to a connector by fixing means, such as two screws 5010. More precisely, each of the screws 5010 is housed in a groove formed by the protrusions 1151. By this positioning, the cover 50 forms a translational stop for the cassette 1 along the longitudinal axis of the connector 10.

The cover 50 extends longitudinally, so that the longitudinal covering wall 501 covers the upper or lower part of the plates 3, and so that the lateral covering walls 502 run along the internal walls of the plates 3. The lateral covering walls 502 then extend in directions substantially parallel to the planes including the plates 3. When the cover 50 extends over the entire length of the plates 3 of a cassette, it can be fixed, by fixing means, to the connectors positioned on the two ends of the cassette.

As illustrated by the , a cover 50 can be positioned on the upper or lower part of a cassette. The interior volumes 30 of a cassette can thus be partially or completely closed when one or more covers 50 cover the upper part and/or the upper part of the cassette.

Optionally, a shock absorbing element, such as foam, may be placed between the cover and the plates, and/or between the cover and the connector in order to absorb potential shocks between these elements.

The cover 50 can furthermore be connected to fixing elements, making it possible to fix the upper or lower end of the cassette to a facade element, such as the upper facade element 40.

Optionally, the lower surface of the cassette 1 is housed in an additional support S.

The cassettes as described in the present description can be assembled and juxtaposed with each other by means of fixing lugs. More precisely, a fixing lug is capable of fixing two connectors belonging to two juxtaposed cassettes.

The fixing lug 12 comprises a support wall 121, a central wall 122 and a retaining wall 123.

The support wall 121 is longitudinal and has a flat external face, so that it can be applied to a fixed element, such as a building facade element.

In this application, the term “external face” refers to any face directed towards the outside of a part. Conversely, the term “internal face” refers to any face directed towards the inside of a part or cavity.

The central wall 122 is adjacent to the support wall 121, and is oriented in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the support wall 121 extends. On its other end, the central wall 122 is adjacent to a retaining wall 123 which has curved ends 1231. These curved ends 1231 are oriented towards the support plate 121 and have a shape complementary to the curved edges 1141 of the connecting piece 1.

A single fixing lug can be assembled to two connectors. Figures 2 to 3 show constructions in which two connectors 10 are assembled to a fixing lug 12. More precisely, the connectors 10 are positioned on either side of the fixing lug 12. In this way, the longitudinal walls 111 and 112 of the connectors 10 are positioned face to face.

Each of the second longitudinal walls 112 has a recess at the central part of the external face which is opposite the neighboring longitudinal wall 112. Thus, when the connectors 10 face each other, the recesses of the longitudinal walls 112 create a housing. It is thus possible to add a seal in this housing, in order to limit the passage of air at the connectors 10.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the housing created by the second longitudinal walls 112 has a width substantially identical to the space between the first longitudinal walls 111. Thus, a space intended to house the fixing lug 12 is created between the first longitudinal walls 111.

Preferably, the housing created by the longitudinal walls has a width of between 1.5 and 2.5 millimeters. Even more preferably, this housing has a width of 2 millimeters.

When the cassette is assembled, the plates and connectors delimit an interior volume 30 into which at least one optional element can be introduced. Depending on the needs and desired effects, this optional element can occupy only part or all of the interior volume 30 of the cassette.

According to one embodiment, the cassette comprises an acoustic comfort plate positioned between the internal faces of the two plates of the cassette, and oriented in a direction parallel to the directions of the two plates. This acoustic comfort plate is longitudinal in shape and its interior is solid. The acoustic comfort plate may in particular be made of polycarbonate or glass.

According to another embodiment, the cassette comprises a thermal comfort plate positioned between the internal faces of the two plates of the cassette, and oriented in a direction parallel to the directions of the two plates. Such thermal comfort plates 5 are partially illustrated in top view on the . These thermal comfort plates are longitudinal and have a hollow interior made up of alveoli. The thermal comfort plate can, for example, be made of alveolar polycarbonate.

Cladding cassettes can be used on all types of buildings. The term “building” is understood with a broad acceptance, and includes fixed land or sea constructions.

It is possible to construct buildings from these cassettes with facades that have improved thermal insulation and aesthetic appearance, thanks to the use of connectors that allow neighboring cassettes to be brought together.

It is also possible to improve various physical aspects of the cassettes used. For example, these cassettes can undergo infrared treatments, UV treatments, or even anti-reflective treatments.

Claims (8)

Cladding cassette (1) comprising:

• at least two connectors (10) each comprising a first longitudinal wall (111) and a second longitudinal wall (112), each of said first and second longitudinal walls (111, 112) being extended by a side wall (113) adjacent to a blade (114) having curved edges (1141) forming a clamp with said first and second longitudinal walls (111, 112), each of said curved edges (1141) being positioned to form a cavity (C) with the longitudinal wall (111, 112) facing it, said blade (114) being adjacent to two edges (115) substantially parallel to each other and forming a clamp, each of said edges (115) having two protrusions (1151) forming a groove (1152),
• at least two facade plates (3), each of said facade plates (3) comprising a protrusion (31) intended to be housed in one of said cavities (C) of said connector, each of said connectors (10) being positioned on one of the two ends of the facade plates (3), and
• at least two covers, each of the covers comprising a longitudinal covering wall (501) and two lateral covering walls (502) adjacent to said longitudinal covering wall (501), said longitudinal covering wall (501) being fixed to said connector (10) by means of fixing means intended to be housed in said groove (1152), and each of said lateral covering walls (502) being positioned against the internal wall of one of said plates (3).

Cladding cassette according to claim 1, characterized in that said facade plates (3) are made of translucent material, said material preferably being polycarbonate. Cladding cassette according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each connector is made of a material having a Young's modulus at least equal to or greater than 69500 MPa, and is preferably made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Cladding cassette according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises at least one thermal comfort plate (5). Cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it further comprises at least one acoustic comfort plate. Cladding cassette according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said edges (115) have two protrusions forming a housing. Assembly including:

• at least two cassettes as defined according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
• a fixing lug (12) intended to be fixed on a support and having a “T” shape, said fixing lug (12) comprising a support wall (121), a central wall adjacent (122) to said support wall, and a holding wall (123) adjacent to said central wall and having two curved ends (1231) having a shape complementary to said side walls (113) adjacent to the blades (114) having said curved edges (1141) forming clamps with said first and second longitudinal walls (111, 112) and being positioned to form said cavities (C),

characterized in that at least two of said cassettes are juxtaposed to each other such that said second longitudinal walls (112) of said juxtaposed cassettes form a housing. Assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that said housing is intended to accommodate a seal.