Oosea/31 Maasa by 1%-A- 7%Retc., 16-Ce Ya 47%Ily 3,562,985 United States Patent Office Patented Feb
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Feb. 16, 1971 J. A. NICOSA 3,562,985 REINFORCED SYNTHETIC RESIN STRUCTURAL PANELS Original Filed Oct. 23, l965 RSSSSK2 S 12 INVENI ()R. oosea/31 Maasa BY 1%-a- 7%retc., 16-ce Ya 47%ily 3,562,985 United States Patent Office Patented Feb. 16, 1971 2 ing panels constructed in accordance with the present in 3,562,985 vention; REINFORCED SYNTHETIC RESEN FIG. 2 is an elevational side view taken along the lines STRUCTURAL PANELS Joseph A. Nicosia, 819 N. Thatcher Ave., II-II of FIG. 1; River Forest, III. 60305 FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the building board of Continuation of application Ser. No. 503,736, Oct. 23, FIGS. 2 and 3; 1965. This application Jan. 13, 1969, Ser. No. 793,225 FIG. 4 is a plan elevational view of part of the panel Int, C. E04c 2/46 of FIGS. 1-3; U.S. C. 52-24 4 Claims FIGS. 5 and 6 are top plan views similar to that of O FIG. 3, of two alternative constructions of the panels. As shown on the drawings, the structural boards and ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE panels of the present invention are made from any suit A building structure comprising a plurality of inter able foamed synthetic resin i.e. foamed polystyrene beads connecting barriers, said barriers comprising a plurality such as Pelaspan 8 and Pelaspan 18, polystyrene flakes, of interconnecting panels, said panels comprising a rigid epoxy resin, polyurethane of the polyester and polyure molded synthetic resin foam having embedded therein a thane of the polyether type. Ureafoam may also be used. plurality of longitudinally extending tubular shaped pas The load bearing panels of the present invention are formed by conventional methods of forming and molding sages formed by a plurality of tubular mesh screens. synthetic resins. The panels will be constructed either 20 by batch hand pour, mechanically mixed or froth foam This application is a continuation of my now abandoned and will be cured by the room temperature or elevated application Ser. No. 503,736 filed Oct. 23, 1965. temperature methods. The elevated temperature methods This invention generally relates to a building board or will use internal heating elements such as steam, hot panel and the method of making the board and more par oil or electrical means within the mold or the external ticularly to a board and the method of making it of 25 methods with a box or batch type oven. The density foamed synthetic resin. of the molded foam synthetic resin board with the rein Foamed synthetic resins, such as polyurethane, are forcement embedded therein is between 1.7 to 15 pounds per cubic foot. known to have excellent insulating properties as well as A preferred synthetic resin for the structural board excellent abrasion and wear resistance. These foams have 30 been primarily used in the building field as fillers for of the present invention is polyurethane. The panel is building materials. Usually the building material, such as formed by preparing an essentially homogeneous foam plywood, sandwiches the polyurethane foamed resin. This able mixture of polyisocyanate, an active hydrogen con took advantage of the excellent insulating properties of taining organic substance capable of forming polyure polyurethane foam resin. However, the plywood was thane structure with said polyisocyanate, and a foam necessary because the foamed polyurethane lacked the 35 blowing agent. Pouring this mixture, which contains a structural strength necessary to withstand the stresses it sufficient blend for generating a resultant body of foam would encompass if used as the sole building material. that will exert positive pressure on the mold surface, Therefore, the prior building manufacturers use plywood into the mold. Permitting foaming and curing of the or other building material to supply the necessary struc 40 blend in the mold whereby the resultant positive pres tural strength to molded foam synthetic resins. Sure forms a smooth-skinned article, and removing from Polyurethane and other synthetic foam resins have the mold an article of smooth appearance having a been molded to form a wallboard. These molded foams, foamed core structure. however, are brittle and as Stated before, lack any de For foaming and curing of the product it has been gree of structural strength. These boards, however, are preferred to use an enclosing mold having the reinforc not used for example, as a curtain wall but are used ing means attached in place in the mold and overcharg mainly where strength and brittleness are not a factor ing the mold with reactant mix, i.e., there is more mix merely as a wall covering such as plasterboard. poured into the mold than would be necessary to just fill The present invention utilizes a foamed synthetic resin the total mold cavity with foam. The excess charge of building board which has the beneficial abrasion resist mix results in a foam that exerts a positive pressure, that ance properties, wear resistance properties, insulating is, about 2 to 20 p.s. i., on all mold surfaces which helps properties of foamed synthetic resins and also has the produce a skin on the molded article and enhances its necessary strength rigidity to withstand the stresses en final appearance as discussed above. A bleeder may be used to control mold pressure. countered by load bearing building boards such as cur The panel may also be produced by use of a froth tain walls. 5 5 foaming method whereby a gun has a mixing nozzle so that It is therefore an object of the present invention to pro as the material may be mixed and discharged into the vide a reinforced foamed synthetic resin building board. panel mold. Still another object of the present invention is to pro A board of the present invention is provided by tak vide a foamed synthetic resin building board which may ing a formable mixture of 100 parts by weight resin and be used as a curtain wall of a house or similar building 60 Structure. 87 parts by weight of prepolymer, and vigorously agitat It is still another object of the present invention to ing at 78 F. The mixture is then poured into a mold. The provide a method of forming a foam polyurethane struc mold is capped and locked. After the foaming action tural building board. has stopped and subsequently cured, the mold is disman It is still another object of the present invention to tled, the plugs removed, and the finished smooth, curtain provide a polyurethane foam reinforced building board. wall panel is ready for installation. Other objects, features and advantages of the present Either the semi-prepolymer or the one-shot formula invention will be apparent from the following detailed tion technique is acceptable for preparing the polyurethane description taken in conjunction with the accompanying (polyester or polyether) foamable mixture for use in this figures of the drawings. invention. In the semi-prepolymer process the total poly On the drawings: isocyanate called for in the formulation is premixed with FIG. 1 is an elevational front view of installed build less than all of the active hydrogen-containing compound 3,562,985 3 4 of the final product, the reaction is allowed to take place of the instant invention as being used as a curtain wall, between these two components. This resulting semi-pre it is of course understood that these various embodiments polymer is then vigorously blended with the remaining are merely to exemplify our invention and is in no way formulary ingredients plus the rest of the active hydrogen meant to limit the boards for use as curtain walls. The containing compound to form a foamable mixture. boards and panels of the present invention are advanta In the one-shot technique all the ingredients called geously used also as a ceiling, flooring, outside walls, and for in the formula are initially vigorously mixed so that in any manner that building boards and panels are gen conversion of raw ingredients to a foamable mixture is ac erally used. complished in a single stage. With either technique a homo Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a curtain wall gen geneous mixture of foamable ingredients is made. Either erally indicated by the numeral 10. The wall 10 is com technique dyes or pigments can be added during the proc 10 posed of a plurality of reinforced foam synthetic resin essing of the raw materials. After vigorous mixing, the wall panels 11 constructed in accordance with the present resulting mixture will be colored in a uniform manner in invention. The panels 11 are fastened to a ceiling Support correspondence with these dyes, stains, pigments, or com 12 and a floor support 13 by rectilinear U-brackets 14. bination thereof. Therefore, the foamable nixtures may The U-brackets 14 are fastened to the floor and ceil be the color of the formulary ingredients or that of a ing by any suitable attaching means, such as the screws pigment or dye addition. 15 shown in FIG. 2. The panel 1 has laterally extending Any polyurethane foam type is suitable for the mak stepped top and bottom ends with steps 16 and 7, re ing of a board of the present invention, i.e., rigid, semi spectively. The steps 16 and 17 are formed so that panel rigid, or flexible. In this connection, organic compounds 20 may suit in flush contact with the U-brackets 14, and containing active hydrogen include those wherein such present a relatively even surface therewith. hydrogen content is small, resulting in minimal polymer The panel 11, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, is of a cross-linkage and those of greater active hydrogen con solid rather than of a hollow type construction.