WO2007142589A1

WO2007142589A1 - Connection member and method for connecting dynamic bodies by means of the connection member

Info

Publication number: WO2007142589A1
Application number: PCT/SE2007/000564
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ingemar Johansson; Måns MANNERFELDT
Original assignee: BURSERYD INNOVATION I KONKURS AB
Current assignee: BURSERYD INNOVATION I KONKURS AB
Priority date: 2006-06-09
Filing date: 2007-06-08
Publication date: 2007-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 2008-12-09
Also published as: SE0602247L; SE530048C2

Abstract

A connection member for massive dynamic bodies (13) comprising a longitudinal body (1) having a cross section that includes two base plates (2) aligned in opposite directions adapted to extend along the bottom sides (14) of two adjacent dynamic bodies (13), wherein the base plates (2) are provided with projections (3) directed upwards; an upright shank (4) with two shank legs (5), the shank legs (5) transforming into the respective base plates (2); two spring arms (7) extending out from the upper body (6) of the shank (4) essentially parallel to the base plates (2), wherein the spring arms (7) are bent upwards and bent inwards towards the shank (4) such that a lower section (8) is essentially parallel to an upper section (9), each respective upper section (9) of the spring arms (7) being provided with a projection (10) directed upwards; and a supporting head (11) arranged on top of the upper body (6) of the shank (4) in a mounted position, and a method of connecting dynamic bodies such as wood pieces where at least two wood pieces (13) having circumferential recesses (14, 16) are connected to at least one connecting member.

Description

CONNECTION MEMBER AND METHOD FOR CONNECTING DYNAMIC BODIES BY MEANS OF THE CONNECTION MEMBER

The present invention relates to a connection member and a method of connecting dynamic bodies. The invention is primarily directed, although not limited, to massive wooden floors, so-called genuine parquet, i.e. parquet made of massive wood and not of lamellar/laminate floor. The invention is also directed to the connection of pieces of wood into modules and/or floors, which are not to be detachably connected.

Background

The first parquet floors were laid in French castles and manors during the middle ages. Parquet floors were introduced in Sweden at the end of the 16th century. During the 17th century, Kapuziner monks from Vienna developed block parquet floors of herringbone pattern.

Parquet-floor layers of that time produced each block on the spot in a craftsmanlike manner. At the beginning of the 20th century, the laying of parquet was facilitated as the parquet-floor layers themselves began to manufacture hand-cranked grooving machines. In 1918, the first polishing machines were imported to Sweden.

During the beginning of the 20th century, a plurality of parquet manufacture plants were established in Sweden. Of these, only Burseryd remains today which was opened in 1935. Originally, Burseryd was comprised of a proprietary sawmill with drying plants for the parquet manufacturing. Today, Burseryd has been focused on the purchase of parquet work pieces, having drying as well as manufacture of their own. Facts

Block parquetry is laid manually even today, block by block, which together form different kinds of patterns. Each parquet block is made of massive wood. Patterns - regardless of design - require block parquetry in accordance with the requirements below. If any of the parameters are incorrect, "errors or displacements" occur and the pattern "falls apart".

Block parquetry requirements: -Proportions

The length of the parquet block is a multiple of its width.

- Moisture ratio/drying

In order to make the parquet withstand the variations of climate between dry winters and damp summers, our parquet block is dried to a specific moisture ratio.

-Tolerances

Accuracy during the manufacture provides parquet blocks of proper tolerances: orthogonal angles and proper length, width and thickness, and also making the block straight.

Laying methods

The block parquet is fixed upon its base either by nailing each block fixedly onto the base, connected (typically groove and tenon) to the "neighbouring block" which then already has been nailed/fixed onto the base, or by gluing each block fixedly onto the base connected to the "neighbouring block" which then has been glued onto the base already.

The method of glued parquet block The gluing method is preferable, among other things depending on The floor withstands expansion and compression well It can be laid rapidly and easily

The method of nailed parquet block

The method has the advantage that nailed floors are more easily repaired in the case of, e.g., water damages etc.

Presentation of the problem

Total economy

A skilled floor-layer is capable of completing approx. 20 square meters of floor in a working day. The floor can be initially utilised only after the grinding and surface treatment - a process typically taking no more than yet another day. That is not much as compared to what can be accomplished with surface-treated lamellar/laminate floors which are, e.g., "snapped together" and laid "floating"

(i.e. not fixed upon the base). "Anyone" applies nearly 60 square meters of lamellar floor in a working day.

Here, a short laying duration provides a minimization of the occupation of working site during construction or renovation. The house owner's capital expenses decrease and the contractor's fines for delays, if any, are minimized.

Within the field of lamellar/laminate floors, solutions are available for easily connecting and disconnecting large pieces of floor having a thin top layer of wood or plastic intended to provide the appearance of wood. For example, the supporting part may be a sheet of particle board, i.e. wood fibres compounded by means of a joint material such as a glue. Typically, these large pieces are patterned as parquet, for example having a "falling lengths" pattern. These large pieces may be detachably connected by means of a snapping system where the large pieces are provided with a tongue along two sides and recesses along the remaining two sides.

There are also connection members adapted to detachably connect the large pieces. One is disclosed in US 6 460 306. Herein, a connection member, a path, is disclosed preferably of equal length as the panel to be detachably connected to further panels to form a temporary or permanent laminate floor. The panels never abut against the base, but the connection members protrude under the panels such that the floor rests thereon. This provides a resilient floor with considerable resonance such that the impact sound becomes loud.

SE 513 189 discloses a connection member for laminate floors. The object of the invention is to provide a vertically mountable laminate floor. The floor-layer does not have to operate standing on his knees and insert the panels into one another. The connection member is preferably made of plastic extruded into lengthy lengths advantageously extending over the entire floor length in order to minimise the risk of gaps occurring between the panels. In order to enable the shanks of this connection member to engage the side recesses of the panels, they must be able to flex several millimetres, i.e. be made of a very flexible material thereby not capable of carrying great forces.

Laminate and lamellar floors are carried by particle boards and similar materials having a limited coefficient of moisture expansion as compared to massive wood. Thereby, the use of the connection members proposed above has not caused any problems. However, wood is a very dynamic material. Massive pieces of wood, such as genuine parquet blocks, easily absorb moisture and expand considerably or release moisture (dry) and thereby shrink, depending on the environmental climate. It is therefore important that the wood pieces are pre-treated and dried to a moisture ratio suitable for the climate at which they are to be used, in order to avoid drying cracks and gaps or inversely buckles and surging floors.

In one example, the moisture content of wood pieces adapted for the Swedish climate with dry winters and relatively damp summers, is less than 7%. Wood pieces adapted for the European continent should have a moisture content of approx. 9-10% instead. If a floor is laid with "European wood pieces", this floor will dry and crack during the first winter.

The expansion is the greatest widthwise. In one example, the difference between the width of a floor during summer and winter in Sweden is approx. 1,5 cm for a floor of 4 m width. Such a great width expansion results in very great forces. If a floor has been laid tight against the walls in its "narrow" state, it may, if prevented from surging upwards, move walls. Corresponding forces arise when the wood pieces contract by drying, e.g. during the winter. Then, the wood pieces contract such that gaps occur between the wood pieces, or in the worst case they crack.

Summary of the invention

All the shown embodiments of the invention are intended to rationalize installation and floor-laying using new technique and new methods. The optimal solution

A genuine parquet floor with its advantages - and with the advantage of the lamellar floor, i.e. rapid inlaying. The problems of using such a dynamic material as massive wood pieces has been solved by means of a connection member and a method according to the appended claims.

The flexing capability within the connection member combined with the connecting method is the solution. For example, the shank with its shank legs is in a mounted position adapted to absorb forces arising from dimensional changes of the adjacent wood pieces by flexing, such that the adjacent wood pieces stay connected and at the same time do not break as a result from the dimensional change forces.

The known connection members for laminate floors are practically stiff in their capability of absorbing side forces arising due to dimensional changes. They work in the intended technical field for laminate floors at a small occurring dimensional change, but cannot be applied in the technical field of dynamic bodies, such as massive wood pieces.

The connection member according to the present invention allows for rapid and simple connection of two or more dynamic bodies, such as parquet blocks. The parquet blocks can thus be laid in patterns. The connection member fix the wood pieces mutually at a proper level, i.e. the surface is smooth also during spot loading on or next to a wood piece junction. The connection member allows dynamic bodies, such as the wood pieces, to expand without resulting in displacements at wood piece junctions. The connection member has tensioned and elastic "grips" that pull or keep the dynamic bodies together at the wood piece junctions during compression. This implies that the entire floor "floats" upon the base.

Brief description of the drawings By way of example, the present invention will now be described in more detail by means of a preferred embodiment and with reference to the appended drawings, in which

Fig. 1 shows a sectional view of an embodiment of a connection member according to the present invention,

Fig. 2 shows the connection member when interacting with two adjacent wood pieces,

Fig. 3 shows a typical locked parquet pattern, the mill pattern,

Fig. 4 shows a typical open parquet pattern, the square,

Fig. 5 shows another open parquet pattern, the herringbone pattern,

Fig. 6 shows a proposed connection of three wood pieces by means of three connection members forming a falling parquet pattern, and Fig. 7 shows grooves and recesses in a dynamic body adapted to be connected by means of a connection member according to the present invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments A preferred embodiment of a connection member for connecting dynamic bodies, such as massive wood pieces, e.g. genuine parquet blocks, according to the present invention, is shown in cross-section in fig. 1. The connection member comprises a longitudinal body 1 having a cross-section with two base plates 2 aligned in opposite directions, adapted to extend, in a mounted position, along the bottom sides 14 of two adjoining wood pieces 13, see fig 2.

The base plates 2 are provided with first projections 3 aligned upwards in a mounted position. Centrally, the connection member 1 comprises an upright shank 4 having two shank legs 5, the shank legs 5 transforming into the respective base plates 2. From the upper body 6 of the shank 4, two spring arms 7 extend outwards essentially parallel to the base plates 2.

The spring arms 7 are bent upwards and bent inwards towards the shank 4 at a distance from the shank 4 so as to form a recumbent U-form. A lower section 8 of each respective spring arm 7 is essentially parallel to an upper section 9 of the respective spring arm 7. Each upper section 9 of the spring arms 7, respectively, is provided with a second projection 10 aligned upwards in a mounted position.

A supporting head 11 is arranged on top of the upper body β of the shank 4 in a mounted position, to support an upper lip 23 of the adjacent wood pieces 13 which in a mounted position are arranged over the connection member 1. Shoulders 12 are preferably arranged at the transition between each respective shank leg 5 and base plate 2, the shoulders 12 being arranged to rest upon the base and interact with the supporting head 11. The connection member fix the parquet blocks mutually at a proper level, i.e. the surface is smooth also at spot loading on or next to a parquet block junction by means of the supporting head 11, among other things.

Preferably, the dynamic bodies, such as the wood pieces

13, to be connected as a floor, are provided with a recess

14, 16 along its sides, at the bottom side corresponding to the height of the base plates 2 and the shoulders 12, such that the shoulders 12 are at the same level as the free bottom sides 15 of the wood pieces 13. In other words, both of the wood pieces 13 and the shoulders 12 rest upon the base.

The angle between each respective base plate 2 and its associated shank leg 5 should be somewhat less than 90 degrees, such that the base plates 2 provide a spring force directed upwards in a mounted state, whereby the first projections 3 can be engaged with the bottom side 14 of each respective wood piece 13 and simultaneously exert a uniting force between two adjacent dynamic bodies, such as wood pieces 13. Preferably, in order to facilitate the engagement of the first projection 3 with the wood piece 13, the wood pieces 13 to be connected as a floor are provided with a groove 16 along its edges on the bottom side, in which the first projections 3 can engage, preferably behind a ridge 17. The shank 4 with its shank legs 5 is resilient such that they in a mounted position absorb forces arising from dimensional changes of the adjacent wood pieces 13, such that the adjacent wood pieces 13 stay connected and at the same time do not break as a result from the dimensional change forces.

Preferably, the spring arms 7 provide a vertical spring force in the mounted position. The upper 9 and lower 8 sections of the spring arms 7 are forced towards each other essentially in a vertical direction in the mounted position as the spring arms 7 are inserted in side grooves 18 along the side edges of the wood pieces 13. The lower section 8 abuts at least partly against a lower surface 20 in the side groove 18 and the upper section 9 abuts at least with its projection 10 against an upper surface 19 in the side groove 18.

Preferably, the transition between the upper body 6 of the shank 4 and the respective spring arm 7 is also provided with a step 21 adapted to abut against a lower lip 22 of the wood piece 13 in the mounted state. During expansion of the wood piece 13, the upper section 9 will flex further downwards and during drying of the wood piece 13, the upper section 9 will flex back again upwards wherein the adjoining wood pieces 13 are contracted.

The connection member is preferably produced as extruded aluminium that are cut into desirable lengths. Certain strong but tough plastics might also be used, as well as other metals. In the preferred embodiment, the forces and flexings in the different parts of the connection member cooperate in order to allow expansion and contraction of the dynamic bodies without resulting in displacements. A dynamic body, such as a wood piece, is equipped with a number of connection members depending on how the pattern is to be laid but preferably at least one per side. Each short side of the wood pieces should be equipped with a connection member according to the present invention in order to accomplish the highest quality of the floor. See the examples in fig. 6. These wood pieces are not fixed to the base.

The dynamic bodies, such as the wood pieces 13 made of massive wood, are uniformly milled out roundabout, i.e. milled out in the same manner on all four sides. See fig. 7. In this way, the wood pieces 13 are provided with groove recesses, side grooves 18, in their side edges and a recess 14, 16 underneath along the side edges, wherein the side grooves 18 and the lower recesses 14, 16 are adapted for receiving connection members, as described above .

Instead of delivering dynamic bodies, such as wood pieces piece by piece, and for piece by piece connection, premounted modules of dynamic bodies are delivered, such as wood pieces where the modules (not each body) are connected during the laying of, e.g., the parquet floor. The result involves an increased number of laid square meters per working day.

For example, the parquet modules may be designed according to known patterns. There are a number of known patterns characterised by that a number of parquet blocks are mounted together such that the pattern becomes "locked". By means of this invention, a smooth and rigid parquet module can be obtained. By way of example, the mill pattern is shown in fig. 3.

There are also a number of known patterns characterised by that a number of parquet blocks are mounted together without any parquet block locking another one. These are also called open patterns. Two different examples are shown in fig's 4 and 5, respectively.

All of the open patterns lack the complete angular lock. In spite thereof, it is possible to accomplish "locked" parquet modules by means of the inventive connection member, with no risk of falling apart during transport to the working site.

In order to test the invention, wood pieces having a moisture ratio of 12% are connected together according to the invention, and are then placed in a dry space and thereafter in a damp environment. In spite of this severe treatment, the floor has survived without cracks and has been able to expand and decrease in relation to the moisture ratio in the wood pieces.

Claims

1. A connection member for connecting dynamic bodies (13), such as massive wood pieces, e.g. genuine parquet blocks, comprising a longitudinal body (1) having a cross section that includes an upright shank (4) with two shank legs (5), the shank legs (5) transforming into two base plates (2); said base plates (2) being aligned in opposite directions adapted to extend in a -mounted position along the bottom sides (14) of two adjoining dynamic bodies (13), wherein the base plates (2) are provided with first projections (3) directed upwards in the mounted position; two spring arms (7) extending out from the upper body (6) of the shank (4) and the respective spring arms (7) being essentially parallel to the respective base plate (2), wherein the spring arms (7) are bent upwards and bent inwards towards the shank (4) at a distance from the shank (4), displaying a recumbent U-form, such that a lower section (8) of each respective spring arm (7) is essentially parallel to an upper section (9) of the respective spring arm (7), each respective upper section (9) of the spring arms (7) being provided with a second projection (10) directed upwards in the mounted position; and a supporting head (11) arranged on top of the upper body (6) of the shank (4) in the mounted position.

2. A connection member according to claim 1, in which the angle between the respective base plate (2) and its associated shank leg (5) is somewhat less than 90 degrees such that the base plates (2) provides a spring force directed upwards in the mounted state, wherein the first projections (3) can engage the bottom side (14) of the respective dynamic bodies (13) and at the same time exert a uniting force between two adjacent dynamic bodies (13).

3. A connection member according to claim 1 or 2, in which the shank (4) with its shank legs (5) is resilient such that they in a mounted position can absorb forces arising from dimensional changes of the adjoining dynamic -bodies (13), such that the adjoining dynamic bodies (13) stay connected and at the same time do not break as a result from the dimensional change forces.

4. A connection member according to claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the spring arms (7) provide a vertical spring force in the mounted position.

5. A connection member according to any of the previous claim, in which the supporting head (11) is arranged to support the sections (23) of the adjoining dynamic bodies (13) that in the mounted state are arranged above the connection member.

6. A connection member according to claim 5, in which shoulders (12) are provided at the transition between the respective shank leg (5) and base plate (2), the shoulders (12) being arranged to rest upon the base and interact with the supporting head (11).

7. A method of connecting dynamic bodies, such as massive wood pieces, e.g. genuine parquet blocks, characterised in that at least two dynamic bodies (13) having circumferential recesses (14, 16, 18) are connected to at least one connecting member according to any of the claims above, thereby obtaining modules of dynamic bodies.