EP2497861A1 - Flexible, foldable and rollable sheet of bricks, and method for palletizing same - Google Patents
Flexible, foldable and rollable sheet of bricks, and method for palletizing same Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP2497861A1 EP2497861A1 EP10845130A EP10845130A EP2497861A1 EP 2497861 A1 EP2497861 A1 EP 2497861A1 EP 10845130 A EP10845130 A EP 10845130A EP 10845130 A EP10845130 A EP 10845130A EP 2497861 A1 EP2497861 A1 EP 2497861A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- bricks
- sheet
- rods
- openings
- rows
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 239000011449 brick Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 308
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 12
- 208000029154 Narrow face Diseases 0.000 description 10
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 10
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 description 6
- 230000001070 adhesive effect Effects 0.000 description 6
- 230000002787 reinforcement Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000003466 welding Methods 0.000 description 5
- 229910000831 Steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- 239000010959 steel Substances 0.000 description 4
- 230000014759 maintenance of location Effects 0.000 description 3
- 229920001296 polysiloxane Polymers 0.000 description 3
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 description 3
- 229920002994 synthetic fiber Polymers 0.000 description 3
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 239000004568 cement Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229910010293 ceramic material Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 239000013013 elastic material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920001971 elastomer Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000000806 elastomer Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 2
- 235000011837 pasties Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000003566 sealing material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000004575 stone Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920002430 Fibre-reinforced plastic Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229910001335 Galvanized steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000004677 Nylon Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000919 ceramic Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005260 corrosion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000007797 corrosion Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000011151 fibre-reinforced plastic Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000008397 galvanized steel Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010348 incorporation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002452 interceptive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910001092 metal group alloy Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000007769 metal material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229920001778 nylon Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 238000003825 pressing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000717 retained effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000010935 stainless steel Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910001220 stainless steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
- E01C—CONSTRUCTION OF, OR SURFACES FOR, ROADS, SPORTS GROUNDS, OR THE LIKE; MACHINES OR AUXILIARY TOOLS FOR CONSTRUCTION OR REPAIR
- E01C5/00—Pavings made of prefabricated single units
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
- E01C—CONSTRUCTION OF, OR SURFACES FOR, ROADS, SPORTS GROUNDS, OR THE LIKE; MACHINES OR AUXILIARY TOOLS FOR CONSTRUCTION OR REPAIR
- E01C5/00—Pavings made of prefabricated single units
- E01C5/04—Pavings made of prefabricated single units made of bricks
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
- E02B—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
- E02B3/00—Engineering works in connection with control or use of streams, rivers, coasts, or other marine sites; Sealings or joints for engineering works in general
- E02B3/04—Structures or apparatus for, or methods of, protecting banks, coasts, or harbours
- E02B3/12—Revetment of banks, dams, watercourses, or the like, e.g. the sea-floor
- E02B3/122—Flexible prefabricated covering elements, e.g. mats, strips
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E04—BUILDING
- E04F—FINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS
- E04F13/00—Coverings or linings, e.g. for walls or ceilings
- E04F13/07—Coverings or linings, e.g. for walls or ceilings composed of covering or lining elements; Sub-structures therefor; Fastening means therefor
- E04F13/08—Coverings or linings, e.g. for walls or ceilings composed of covering or lining elements; Sub-structures therefor; Fastening means therefor composed of a plurality of similar covering or lining elements
- E04F13/0862—Coverings or linings, e.g. for walls or ceilings composed of covering or lining elements; Sub-structures therefor; Fastening means therefor composed of a plurality of similar covering or lining elements composed of a number of elements which are identical or not, e.g. carried by a common web, support plate or grid
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E04—BUILDING
- E04F—FINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS
- E04F15/00—Flooring
- E04F15/16—Flooring, e.g. parquet on flexible web, laid as flexible webs; Webs specially adapted for use as flooring; Parquet on flexible web
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
- E01C—CONSTRUCTION OF, OR SURFACES FOR, ROADS, SPORTS GROUNDS, OR THE LIKE; MACHINES OR AUXILIARY TOOLS FOR CONSTRUCTION OR REPAIR
- E01C2201/00—Paving elements
- E01C2201/16—Elements joined together
- E01C2201/167—Elements joined together by reinforcement or mesh
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a flexible, foldable and rollable sheet of bricks, dry-manufactured and having tensile strength, suitable, for example, for building architectural elements, preferably of exposed brickwork, such as covers for terrains, floors, walls, roofs, etc., and the formation of ventilated walls.
- International patent application WO 2008139008 discloses a flexible sheet of bricks comprising a plurality of flexible interwoven rods forming a grid weave, and a plurality of bricks provided with fastening configurations coupled to at least some of said rods in order to retain said bricks in said grid.
- the rods are advantageously wavy to immobilize the crossing points thereof in the grid.
- the bricks have fastening configurations, for example in the form of a channel, at their ends and during the manufacturing process they are fastened to the rods forming the warp of the weave intercalated between the rods forming the weft, which act like positioning rods to bind the weave and restrict the movements of the bricks therein.
- the grid optionally includes reinforcement rods arranged as warp rods in the spaces between bricks.
- this sheet of bricks in a rod weave has offered excellent results and is useful in many applications, it does have, however, some limitations. For example, even though the sheet of bricks can be rolled up in the form of a reel on a core for storage and transport, the existence of the warp rods in the rod weave does not allow the sheet of bricks to be folded or doubled over, and this makes palletizing it difficult.
- Patent FR 2 744 471 describes a prefabricated element made with bricks with openings, stacked and placed in a staggered arrangement and with the openings aligned. Washers aligned with the openings of the bricks are intercalated between bricks to leave gaps corresponding to horizontal joints. Reinforcement bars run through the aligned openings of the bricks and washers and a sealing material is injected from the upper part of the architectural element into the aligned openings of the bricks and washers, immersing the reinforcement bars. The openings of the bricks are formed perpendicular to their larger faces since the prefabricated element is envisaged for working under compression.
- This prefabricated element is generally in the form of a straight wall length, though it is also envisaged that it can be, for example, in the form of a curved or angled wall length, a pillar, a bench, etc.
- it has the drawback of being rigid due to the existence of the sealing material adhered to the inner surfaces of the openings of the bricks and to the reinforcement bars, and it is therefore neither foldable nor rollable and its dimensions are necessarily limited due to storage, handling and transport requirements.
- Another drawback of this prefabricated element is that because of its very constitution, it requires a staggered arrangement or an open arrangement of the bricks and does not allow a grid arrangement.
- the tensile strength of the prefabricated element in a direction perpendicular to the reinforcement bars is limited to the tensile strength of the bricks because they are the only binding elements in that direction.
- the tensile strength of ceramic bricks is relatively low (for example compared with their compressive strength)
- the prefabricated element must be handled with certain precautions to prevent breaking it and its applications are significantly limited.
- a first aspect of the present invention contributes to solving the aforementioned and other drawbacks by providing a flexible, foldable and rollable sheet of bricks, comprising a plurality of bricks provided with openings and arranged in contiguous rows with said openings mutually aligned, spacing elements arranged to provide gaps between said rows of bricks, rods running through the aligned openings of said bricks, and retaining means for retaining said rods within the openings of the bricks.
- the rods are sized to rotate and slide freely within the openings of the bricks and said retaining means are configured to restrict movement of the rods in an axial direction with respect to the openings and to allow free rotation of the rods at least within the openings of the bricks in alternate rows.
- composition corresponds to a simple embodiment in which the bricks themselves, which must be in the sheet of bricks in either a compact or open staggered arrangement, cooperate with the rods to form a chain which can have a width of several rows of bricks and an indefinite length.
- the mentioned spacing elements can be formed in this case by washers through the holes of which the rods are inserted, or by projections formed on at least one of the faces of the bricks to contact with another adjacent brick.
- Another more complex embodiment of the sheet of bricks includes, in addition to the components described above in relation to the mentioned simple embodiment, a plurality of links adjacent to one or more of the rows of bricks.
- Each of said links has two holes through which two of the adjacent rods are inserted.
- the links and the bricks are arranged such that they cooperate with the rods to form a chain, where the links take on all or most of the tensile stresses in the longitudinal direction of the chain at least partly preserving the bricks from such stresses.
- This composition with links allows arranging the bricks in the sheet of bricks according to a grid arrangement, in addition to the compact staggered and open staggered arrangements mentioned above for the simple embodiment.
- the two holes of the links are separated by a specific distance according to the shape and dimensions of the bricks to provide gaps of a desired extension between the bricks of each row, and to allow doubling over or folding the sheet of bricks by means of a rotation of 90 degrees or more around any of the rods without the bricks interfering with each other.
- the mentioned spacing elements are formed by the links, which have, in at least regions around the holes, a thickness sized to provide gaps of a desired width between the rows of bricks.
- some links can be replaced with washers of equivalent thickness in one or more of the gaps between the rows of bricks provided that the remaining links and/or the bricks assure the functional and mechanical features of the sheet of bricks.
- the mentioned retaining means can be formed, for each rod, by a ring-shaped plug, preferably made from an elastic material, such as an elastomer, arranged between an outer surface of the end of the rod and an inner surface of the opening of the brick or hole of the link.
- the mentioned ring-shaped plug can be formed, for example, by injecting a sufficient amount of silicone in liquid or pasty state into the corresponding holes of the brick located in one or both side edges of the sheet of bricks. This ring-shaped plug has the advantage of allowing retention of the rod without it projecting from the hole of the brick.
- the retaining means comprise, in at least one side edge of the sheet of bricks, a connecting element arranged in the longitudinal direction and attached at its ends to ends of two adjacent rods projecting from the bricks.
- This connecting element can be fixed, for example by welding or adhesive, to the ends of the rods, or it can be formed integrally with the two adjacent rods, such that the two rods and the connecting element are obtained from a single bent U-shaped rod part.
- Another alternative form for the retaining means comprises, in at least one side edge of the sheet of bricks, a stop fixed at one end of the rod projecting from the brick.
- a link can be located adjacent to the outer face of the brick located in the side edge of the sheet of bricks, in which case said stop is fixed at one end of the rod projecting from the link.
- the stop will be sized, respectively in each case, so as to not pass through the opening of the brick or the hole of the link.
- the term "brick” is used throughout this description to generically refer to a body with an essentially orthoedric shape, primarily made from a ceramic material, cement material, or a stone material, although other materials are not discarded.
- the orthoedric-shaped bricks have two opposite wide faces and two opposite narrow faces elongated in the longitudinal direction and two other opposite narrow faces elongated in the transverse direction, and the openings extend parallel to the transverse direction and have orifices in both of said two opposite narrow faces elongated in the longitudinal direction.
- the sheet of bricks has a relatively thin general thickness, equivalent to the smaller dimension of the bricks, whereas the larger faces of the bricks are exposed. Nevertheless, bricks with a square base or cubic configuration, or even elongated in the transverse direction, are also within the scope of the present invention.
- the sheet of bricks preferably has a dimension in the longitudinal direction and a dimension in the transverse direction, where the rows of bricks are arranged parallel to said longitudinal direction and the rods are arranged parallel to the transverse direction.
- the sheet of bricks can be doubled over or folded in a zigzag arrangement around one or more of the rods to reduce the space it occupies in the longitudinal direction, which is especially advantageous when the longitudinal dimension is significantly longer than the transverse dimension, without overlooking that it can also be rolled up in the form of a reel on a core.
- a sheet of bricks with a square base or even with the transverse dimension longer than the longitudinal dimension is also within the scope of the present invention.
- the present invention provides a method for palletizing a flexible, foldable and rollable sheet of bricks.
- the method comprises first providing a sheet of bricks according to the simple embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention described above or a sheet of bricks according to the complex embodiment provided with links described above.
- the method then comprises placing a portion of the sheet of bricks on a pallet, and next doubling over or folding the sheet of bricks in a zigzag arrangement around one or more of the rods to form two or more lengths of sheet of bricks overlaid on said pallet.
- One way of carrying out to practice the method of the invention comprises vertically supporting the sheet of bricks with a lower edge thereof adjacent to a side edge of the pallet, and performing a vertical downward movement of the sheet of bricks in relation to the pallet in combination with horizontal back and forth movements of the sheet of bricks in relation to the pallet.
- the mentioned horizontal back and forth movements will logically have a width selected according to the dimensions of the pallet.
- a fork lift truck, a crane, or another similar machine can be used to vertically support the sheet of bricks and to make said vertical downward and horizontal back and forth movements of the sheet of bricks in relation to the pallet, although other means could alternatively be used to move the sheet of bricks, to move the pallet, or to move both.
- the mentioned sheet of bricks 10 comprises a plurality of bricks 1 generally identical to one another arranged in contiguous rows parallel to a longitudinal direction.
- Each of the bricks 1 ( Figures 3 and 6 ) has a body that has an essentially orthoedric shape elongated in said longitudinal direction and has two opposite wide faces 31 and two opposite narrow faces 32 elongated in the longitudinal direction and two opposite narrow faces 33 elongated in the transverse direction.
- Each brick 1 comprises a pair of through openings 1 a extending parallel to said transverse direction from one another of said two opposite narrow faces 32 elongated in the longitudinal direction.
- the bricks can have other openings, cavities or orifices in addition to the mentioned openings 1a.
- the rows of bricks 1 are arranged with the bricks 1 in a compact staggered arrangement
- the rows of bricks 1 are arranged with the bricks 1 in an open staggered arrangement, differing from the compact staggered arrangement in that it leaves considerably wide gaps between the opposite narrow faces 33 elongated in the transverse direction of the adjacent bricks 1 of the same row.
- These gaps between bricks of the same row are determined by the distance between the openings 1a in relation to the total length of the bricks 1, such distance between the openings 1a being longer in the open staggered arrangement than in the compact staggered arrangement for the same length of brick 1.
- the respective openings 1a of the bricks 1 of the adjacent rows are mutually aligned, and rods 2 run through these aligned openings 1a of the bricks 1.
- Retaining means are provided for retaining said rods 2 within the openings 1a of the bricks 1 and spacing elements are provided to provide gaps between the rows of bricks 1, which will be described in detail below.
- the rods 2 and the openings 1a of the bricks 1 are sized such that the rods 2 can rotate and slide freely within the openings 1a, and the mentioned retaining means are configured to restrict transverse movements of the rods 2, i.e., in the axial direction of the openings 1a, and to allow free rotation of the rods 2 at least within the openings 1a of the bricks 1 in alternate rows, such that the bricks 2 cooperate with the rods 2 to form a flexible chain with a width corresponding to a number of rows of bricks 1 and a length limited only by the handling possibilities of the sheet of bricks.
- This chain constitutes the sheet of bricks 10, which can be doubled over or folded around one or more of the rods 2 to adapt to different shapes, surfaces, contours and configurations.
- the flexibility capacity of the sheet of bricks 10 can be used to reduce the space it occupies in the longitudinal direction to facilitate handling and storage.
- the sheet of bricks 10 can be folded in a zigzag arrangement by means of a rotation of 90 degrees or more around several of the rods 2, or it can be rolled up around a core.
- the bricks 1 can include bevels 34 between one of the opposite wide faces 31 elongated in the longitudinal direction and the two opposite narrow faces 33 elongated in the transverse direction.
- each brick 1 comprises projections 7 formed in its opposite narrow faces 32 elongated in the longitudinal direction. These projections 7 are positioned to contact with one of the opposite narrow faces 32 elongated in the longitudinal direction of another brick 1 of an adjacent row. Therefore, the projections 7 act as the mentioned spacing elements to provide suitable gaps between the rows of bricks 1.
- the spacing elements are formed by washers 6, having a thickness corresponding to the desired gap, arranged between the rows of bricks 1.
- Each washer 6 has a hole aligned with the holes 1a of the adjacent bricks 1, and the rods 2 are inserted through the holes 1a of the bricks 1 and through the holes of the washers 6.
- a sheet of bricks 10 can alternatively be formed with a compact staggered configuration as shown in Figure 1 using washers 6 as spacing elements as shown in Figure 4 instead of the projections 7 in the bricks 1, and a sheet of bricks 10 can inversely be formed with an open staggered configuration as shown in Figure 4 using projections 7 in the bricks 1 as shown in Figure 1 as spacing elements instead of washers 6.
- the sheets of bricks 10 of the complex embodiments are similar to the sheets of bricks 10 of the simple embodiments described above except that the sheets of bricks 10 of the complex embodiments include, in addition to the bricks 1, rods 2, spacing elements (optional in this case) and retaining means, a plurality of links 3 adjacent to one or more of the rows of bricks 1.
- Each link (see Figures 10 and 14 ) has two holes 3a through which two of the adjacent rods 2 are inserted, such that the links 3 and the bricks 1 cooperate with the rods to form the chain constituting the sheet of bricks.
- the links 3 can be located between every two rows of bricks 1 and have a thickness suitable for acting as the spacing elements between the rows of bricks, or they can be arranged leaving empty spaces which can be occupied, for example, by washers 6 similar to those described in relation to Figures 4 and 5 to act as spacing elements in combination with links 3.
- the rows of bricks 1 are placed with the bricks 1 in a compact staggered arrangement, using bricks as shown in Figure 9 , which are similar to that described above in relation to Figure 3 but without the projections 7, in combination with links 3 as shown in Figure 10 , which have two holes 3a located at the same distance as the openings 1a of the brick 1 shown in Figure 9 .
- the rows of bricks 1 are placed with the bricks 1 in an open staggered arrangement, using bricks similar to those described above in relation to Figure 6 , in which the openings 1a are more separated from one another than in the brick 1 shown in Figure 9 , although both bricks have the same outer configuration, in combination with links 3 as shown in Figure 14 , which have the two holes 3a located at the same distance as the openings 1a of the brick 1 shown in Figure 6 .
- links 3 allows additionally placing the rows of bricks 1 with the bricks 1 in a grid arrangement like in the complex embodiment shown in Figures 15 and 16 , which cannot be done with the simple embodiments.
- Bricks 1 as shown in Figure 9 in combination with links 3 as shown in Figure 10 can be used to form this sheet of bricks 10 with a grid arrangement.
- links 3 cooperate with rods 2 to form the flexible chain constituting the sheet of bricks 10. It must be noted that by using the same bricks 1 of Figure 9 , the same links 3 of Figure 10 and the same rods 2 both the sheet of bricks 10 with the compact staggered arrangement of Figures 7 and 8 and the sheet of bricks 10 with the grid arrangement of Figures 15 and 16 can be formed by simply varying the placement of the bricks 1.
- bricks 1 as shown in Figure 13 can also be used to form the sheets of bricks 10 according to any one of the two simple embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 3 and 4 to 6 or of the three complex embodiments shown in Figures 7 to 10 , in Figures 11 to 14 and in Figures 15 and 16 .
- Said bricks 1 as shown in Figure 13 include a first pair of openings 1a located in positions suitable for the compact staggered arrangement and for the grid arrangement and a second pair of openings 1b located in positions suitable for the open staggered arrangement, which allows obtaining sheets of bricks having different arrangements with a single type of brick 1 by simply choosing the pair of openings 1a or 1b suitable for each case.
- the retaining means comprise, in at least one side edge of the sheet of bricks 10, a ring-shaped plug 4 arranged between an inner surface of the opening 1a of the brick 1 and an outer surface of the end of the rod 2.
- the ring-shaped plug 4 is preferably made from an elastic material, such as an elastomer, which adheres by friction to the surfaces of the rod 2 and of the opening 1a of the brick 1, and more preferably made from silicone applied by injecting silicone in a liquid or pasty state into the opening 1a in the presence of the rod 2.
- the ring-shaped plug 4 provides retention of the rod sufficient for most applications and has the advantage of retaining the rod 2 inside the opening 1a of the brick 1 without the rod 2 laterally projecting from the brick 1, as shown in Figure 20 .
- the ring-shaped plug 4 makes the free rotation of the rod 2 with respect to the brick 1 difficult, but this is not a drawback if ring-shaped plugs 4 are only installed in bricks 1 of alternate rows, or in bricks of the end rows if there is an uneven number of rows in the sheet of bricks 10, or in bricks of the end rows if retaining means of another type are installed at the opposite ends.
- the retaining means comprise, in at least one side edge of the sheet of bricks 10, a stop 5 fixed at one end of the rod 2.
- This stop 5 is larger than the openings 1a of the brick 1, such that it cannot pass through the corresponding opening 1a and retains the movement of the rod 2 in an axial direction without preventing its free rotation with respect to the brick 1.
- the stop 5a is provided by a washer 35 provided with a hole through which a projecting end of the rod 2 runs, and said washer 35 is fixed to the rod 2 by an adhesive or weld 36.
- the stop 5a is provided by a retaining washer 37 provided with a hole through which a projecting end of the rod 2 runs and with flexible pins 38 extending toward the inside of the hole and elastically pressing against the outer surface of the rod 2.
- This retaining washer 37 can be installed under pressure without the need for adhesive or welding and provides retention sufficient for most applications.
- Figure 17 shows a bent U-shaped rod part 39 defined by a pair of parallel rods 2 connected at their ends by a connecting element 2a having a length suited to the distance between the two openings 1a or 1b of the bricks 1.
- the two parallel rods 2 can therefore be used as two of the adjacent rods 2 in the sheet of bricks 10 and the connecting element 2a acts as the retaining means for retaining the two rods 2 against movements in an axial directions with respect to one or two bricks 1 in a side edge of the sheet of bricks 10.
- the connecting element 2a which is arranged in the longitudinal direction, acts as a spacing element when this side edge of the sheet of bricks 10 is placed adjacent to an opposite side edge of another sheet of bricks 10 from which the ends of the corresponding rods 2 do not project because they are, for example, retained by means of ring-shaped plugs 4 like those described above in relation to Figure 20 .
- the bent U-shaped rod part 39 can be applied to the sheet of bricks 10 according to any one of the simple or complex embodiments of the present invention.
- the two rods 2 and the connecting element 2a can alternatively be independent parts attached to one another, for example by adhesive or welding, instead of a single bent U-shaped rod part 39.
- Figures 7 , 11 and 15 show links 3 adjacent to the bricks 1 in one of the side edges of the sheet of bricks 1. These outer links can be fixed to projecting ends of the rods 2, for example by adhesive or welding, or by means of ring-shaped plugs similar to those described above in relation to Figure 20 arranged between an outer surface of the rod 2 and an inner surface of the hole 3a of the link 3, such that the outer links 3 act as connecting elements and retaining means in this side edge of the sheet of bricks 10.
- the connecting elements 2a will be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the sheet of bricks 10 and attached at its ends to ends of two of the adjacent rods 2.
- two holes 3a of the links 3 are separated by a specific distance according to the shape and dimensions of the bricks 1 to provide gaps of a desired extension between the bricks 1 of each row. These gaps must allow doubling over or folding the sheet of bricks 10 by means of a rotation of 90 degrees or more around any of the rods 2. In some applications, it may be appropriate for one or both holes 3a of each link 3 to be holes elongated in the longitudinal direction of the link 3 to allow certain play in the positions of the rods and the bricks.
- Figure 18 shows a link 3 according to an alternative configuration including a single elongated orifice encompassing the two holes 3a.
- This link 3 of Figure 18 can be formed, for example, by a suitably bent rod part and with the ends attached, for example, by adhesive or welding 40.
- Figure 19 shows a link 3 according to another alternative configuration provided for additionally acting as a spacing element to provide relatively wide gaps.
- the link 3 comprises an elongated body with two holes 3a separated by a required distance and thickened regions 41 around the holes 3a. These thickened regions 41 have a thickness sized to provide gaps of a desired width between the rows of bricks 1, whereas a connecting portion 42 between said thickened regions 41 only has the thickness necessary for assuring a required tensile strength.
- the bricks 1 can be made from a variety of materials, although a ceramic material, a cement material, or a stone material is preferred.
- the rods 2 can be made from relatively rigid materials, such as steel or other metal alloys, or optionally fiber-reinforced plastic or synthetic materials, or of relatively flexible materials, such as steel cables, nylon cables and the like.
- the material for the links 3 and the spacing washers 6, when there are any, will preferably be a metal material, such as steel or aluminum, or a plastic or synthetic material.
- the material of the rods and the links is preferably resistant to corrosion, such as for example stainless steel, galvanized steel, painted steel, aluminum, or a plastic or synthetic material.
- the method comprises placing a length of said sheet of bricks 10 on a pallet 8 and doubling over or folding the sheet of bricks in a zigzag arrangement 10 around one or more of the rods 2 to form two or more lengths of sheet of bricks 10 overlaid on said pallet 8.
- the sheet of bricks 10 can be vertically supported by lifting means such as, for example, a fork lift truck, a crane, or the like, and said lifting means can be operated first for placing a lower edge of the sheet of bricks 10 adjacent to a side edge of the pallet 8, and next for performing a vertical downward movement of the sheet of bricks 10 in relation to the pallet 8 in combination with horizontal back and forth movements of the sheet of bricks 10 in relation to the pallet 8 with a width selected according to the dimensions of the pallet 8 to deposit a first length of said sheet of bricks 10 on the pallet 8 and successive lengths folded in a zigzag arrangement overlaid on the first one.
- lifting means such as, for example, a fork lift truck, a crane, or the like, and said lifting means can be operated first for placing a lower edge of the sheet of bricks 10 adjacent to a side edge of the pallet 8, and next for performing a vertical downward movement of the sheet of bricks 10 in relation to the pallet 8 in combination with horizontal back and forth movements of the sheet of bricks 10 in
- a load bar 43 connected to lifting means (not shown), and hooks 44 fastened on one side to said load bar 43 and hooked on the other side to the last rod 2 of the sheet of bricks 10 are used to fasten the sheet of bricks 10 to the lifting means.
- the sheet of bricks 10 comprises links 3, and a group of end links 3 project from the end of the sheet of bricks 10 to support an auxiliary rod 2 which can be installed through the free holes 3a of the end links 3 to perform the handling operations of the sheet of bricks 10 and can be removed when it is no longer necessary.
- Figures 24, 25 and 26 show sheets of bricks 10 according to different embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention doubled over in a zigzag arrangement in four lengths overlaid and placed on respective pallets 8 according to the method for palletizing of the second aspect of the present invention.
- the sheet of bricks of Figure 24 has the bricks 1 arranged in a grid arrangement
- the sheet of bricks 10 of Figure 25 has the bricks 1 arranged in a compact staggered arrangement
- the sheet of bricks 10 of Figure 26 has the bricks 1 arranged in an open staggered arrangement, as described above.
- the palletized sheets of bricks 10 can be stored in an orderly fashion, occupying relatively little space, and can be comfortably handled by means of a fork lift truck.
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- Architecture (AREA)
- Civil Engineering (AREA)
- Structural Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
- Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Revetment (AREA)
- Road Paving Structures (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a flexible, foldable and rollable sheet of bricks, dry-manufactured and having tensile strength, suitable, for example, for building architectural elements, preferably of exposed brickwork, such as covers for terrains, floors, walls, roofs, etc., and the formation of ventilated walls.
- International patent application
WO 2008139008 discloses a flexible sheet of bricks comprising a plurality of flexible interwoven rods forming a grid weave, and a plurality of bricks provided with fastening configurations coupled to at least some of said rods in order to retain said bricks in said grid. The rods are advantageously wavy to immobilize the crossing points thereof in the grid. The bricks have fastening configurations, for example in the form of a channel, at their ends and during the manufacturing process they are fastened to the rods forming the warp of the weave intercalated between the rods forming the weft, which act like positioning rods to bind the weave and restrict the movements of the bricks therein. The grid optionally includes reinforcement rods arranged as warp rods in the spaces between bricks. - Although this sheet of bricks in a rod weave has offered excellent results and is useful in many applications, it does have, however, some limitations. For example, even though the sheet of bricks can be rolled up in the form of a reel on a core for storage and transport, the existence of the warp rods in the rod weave does not allow the sheet of bricks to be folded or doubled over, and this makes palletizing it difficult.
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Patent FR 2 744 471 - This prefabricated element is generally in the form of a straight wall length, though it is also envisaged that it can be, for example, in the form of a curved or angled wall length, a pillar, a bench, etc. However, regardless of its form, it has the drawback of being rigid due to the existence of the sealing material adhered to the inner surfaces of the openings of the bricks and to the reinforcement bars, and it is therefore neither foldable nor rollable and its dimensions are necessarily limited due to storage, handling and transport requirements. Another drawback of this prefabricated element is that because of its very constitution, it requires a staggered arrangement or an open arrangement of the bricks and does not allow a grid arrangement. Furthermore, the tensile strength of the prefabricated element in a direction perpendicular to the reinforcement bars is limited to the tensile strength of the bricks because they are the only binding elements in that direction. Given that the tensile strength of ceramic bricks is relatively low (for example compared with their compressive strength), the prefabricated element must be handled with certain precautions to prevent breaking it and its applications are significantly limited.
- A first aspect of the present invention contributes to solving the aforementioned and other drawbacks by providing a flexible, foldable and rollable sheet of bricks, comprising a plurality of bricks provided with openings and arranged in contiguous rows with said openings mutually aligned, spacing elements arranged to provide gaps between said rows of bricks, rods running through the aligned openings of said bricks, and retaining means for retaining said rods within the openings of the bricks. The rods are sized to rotate and slide freely within the openings of the bricks and said retaining means are configured to restrict movement of the rods in an axial direction with respect to the openings and to allow free rotation of the rods at least within the openings of the bricks in alternate rows.
- The aforementioned composition corresponds to a simple embodiment in which the bricks themselves, which must be in the sheet of bricks in either a compact or open staggered arrangement, cooperate with the rods to form a chain which can have a width of several rows of bricks and an indefinite length. The mentioned spacing elements can be formed in this case by washers through the holes of which the rods are inserted, or by projections formed on at least one of the faces of the bricks to contact with another adjacent brick.
- Another more complex embodiment of the sheet of bricks includes, in addition to the components described above in relation to the mentioned simple embodiment, a plurality of links adjacent to one or more of the rows of bricks. Each of said links has two holes through which two of the adjacent rods are inserted. The links and the bricks are arranged such that they cooperate with the rods to form a chain, where the links take on all or most of the tensile stresses in the longitudinal direction of the chain at least partly preserving the bricks from such stresses. This composition with links allows arranging the bricks in the sheet of bricks according to a grid arrangement, in addition to the compact staggered and open staggered arrangements mentioned above for the simple embodiment.
- The two holes of the links are separated by a specific distance according to the shape and dimensions of the bricks to provide gaps of a desired extension between the bricks of each row, and to allow doubling over or folding the sheet of bricks by means of a rotation of 90 degrees or more around any of the rods without the bricks interfering with each other. Here, the mentioned spacing elements are formed by the links, which have, in at least regions around the holes, a thickness sized to provide gaps of a desired width between the rows of bricks. Obviously, some links can be replaced with washers of equivalent thickness in one or more of the gaps between the rows of bricks provided that the remaining links and/or the bricks assure the functional and mechanical features of the sheet of bricks.
- Both in the simple embodiment without links and in the complex embodiment with links, the mentioned retaining means can be formed, for each rod, by a ring-shaped plug, preferably made from an elastic material, such as an elastomer, arranged between an outer surface of the end of the rod and an inner surface of the opening of the brick or hole of the link. The mentioned ring-shaped plug can be formed, for example, by injecting a sufficient amount of silicone in liquid or pasty state into the corresponding holes of the brick located in one or both side edges of the sheet of bricks. This ring-shaped plug has the advantage of allowing retention of the rod without it projecting from the hole of the brick. Alternatively, the retaining means comprise, in at least one side edge of the sheet of bricks, a connecting element arranged in the longitudinal direction and attached at its ends to ends of two adjacent rods projecting from the bricks. This connecting element can be fixed, for example by welding or adhesive, to the ends of the rods, or it can be formed integrally with the two adjacent rods, such that the two rods and the connecting element are obtained from a single bent U-shaped rod part. Another alternative form for the retaining means comprises, in at least one side edge of the sheet of bricks, a stop fixed at one end of the rod projecting from the brick. Optionally, a link can be located adjacent to the outer face of the brick located in the side edge of the sheet of bricks, in which case said stop is fixed at one end of the rod projecting from the link. The stop will be sized, respectively in each case, so as to not pass through the opening of the brick or the hole of the link.
- The term "brick" is used throughout this description to generically refer to a body with an essentially orthoedric shape, primarily made from a ceramic material, cement material, or a stone material, although other materials are not discarded. In a typical embodiment of the present invention, the orthoedric-shaped bricks have two opposite wide faces and two opposite narrow faces elongated in the longitudinal direction and two other opposite narrow faces elongated in the transverse direction, and the openings extend parallel to the transverse direction and have orifices in both of said two opposite narrow faces elongated in the longitudinal direction. This means that in this embodiment the sheet of bricks has a relatively thin general thickness, equivalent to the smaller dimension of the bricks, whereas the larger faces of the bricks are exposed. Nevertheless, bricks with a square base or cubic configuration, or even elongated in the transverse direction, are also within the scope of the present invention.
- The sheet of bricks preferably has a dimension in the longitudinal direction and a dimension in the transverse direction, where the rows of bricks are arranged parallel to said longitudinal direction and the rods are arranged parallel to the transverse direction. As a result of this arrangement, the sheet of bricks can be doubled over or folded in a zigzag arrangement around one or more of the rods to reduce the space it occupies in the longitudinal direction, which is especially advantageous when the longitudinal dimension is significantly longer than the transverse dimension, without overlooking that it can also be rolled up in the form of a reel on a core. It will nevertheless be understood that a sheet of bricks with a square base or even with the transverse dimension longer than the longitudinal dimension is also within the scope of the present invention.
- According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a method for palletizing a flexible, foldable and rollable sheet of bricks. The method comprises first providing a sheet of bricks according to the simple embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention described above or a sheet of bricks according to the complex embodiment provided with links described above. The method then comprises placing a portion of the sheet of bricks on a pallet, and next doubling over or folding the sheet of bricks in a zigzag arrangement around one or more of the rods to form two or more lengths of sheet of bricks overlaid on said pallet. One way of carrying out to practice the method of the invention comprises vertically supporting the sheet of bricks with a lower edge thereof adjacent to a side edge of the pallet, and performing a vertical downward movement of the sheet of bricks in relation to the pallet in combination with horizontal back and forth movements of the sheet of bricks in relation to the pallet. The mentioned horizontal back and forth movements will logically have a width selected according to the dimensions of the pallet. For example, a fork lift truck, a crane, or another similar machine can be used to vertically support the sheet of bricks and to make said vertical downward and horizontal back and forth movements of the sheet of bricks in relation to the pallet, although other means could alternatively be used to move the sheet of bricks, to move the pallet, or to move both.
- The aforementioned and other features and advantages will be better understood from the following detailed description of embodiments in reference to the attached drawings, in which:
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Figure 1 is a perspective view of a flexible, foldable and rollable sheet of bricks according to a simple embodiment of the present invention with bricks placed in a compact staggered arrangement, in a bent position; -
Figure 2 is a partial plan view of an enlarged detail of the sheet of bricks ofFigure 1 ; -
Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the bricks forming part of the sheet of bricks ofFigure 1 ; -
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a flexible, foldable and rollable sheet of bricks according to another simple embodiment of the present invention with bricks placed in an open staggered arrangement, in a bent position; -
Figure 5 is a partial plan view of an enlarged detail of the sheet of bricks ofFigure 4 ; -
Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the bricks according to a configuration useful for being part of either the sheet of bricks ofFigure 4 or the sheet of bricks ofFigure 11 ; -
Figure 7 is a perspective view of a flexible, foldable and rollable sheet of bricks according to a complex embodiment of the present invention with bricks placed in a compact staggered arrangement, in a bent position; -
Figure 8 is a partial plan view of an enlarged detail of the sheet of bricks ofFigure 7 ; -
Figure 9 is a perspective view of one of the bricks according to a configuration suitable for being part of either the sheet of bricks ofFigure 7 or the sheet of bricks ofFigure 15 ; -
Figure 10 is a perspective view of one of the links according to a configuration useful for being part of either the sheet of bricks ofFigure 7 or the sheet of bricks ofFigure 15 ; -
Figure 11 is a perspective view of a flexible, foldable and rollable sheet of bricks according to another complex embodiment of the present invention with bricks placed in an open staggered arrangement, in a bent position; -
Figure 12 is a partial plan view of an enlarged detail of the sheet of bricks ofFigure 11 ; -
Figure 13 is a perspective view of a brick according to an alternative configuration useful for being part of either the sheet of bricks ofFigure 7 , the sheet of bricks ofFigure 11 or the sheet of bricks ofFigure 15 ; -
Figure 14 is a perspective view of a link forming part of the sheet of bricks ofFigure 11 ; -
Figure 15 is a perspective view of a flexible, foldable and rollable sheet of bricks, according to yet another complex embodiment of the present invention with bricks placed in a grid arrangement, in a bent position; -
Figure 16 is a partial plan view of an enlarged detail of the sheet of bricks ofFigure 15 ; -
Figure 17 is a perspective view of a single bent U-shaped rod part provided by a pair of adjacent rods, a connecting element between them and retaining means that can be applied to the sheet of bricks according to any one of its simple or complex embodiments; -
Figures 18 and 19 are side and top views, respectively, of two links according to two alternative configurations useful for being part of the sheet of bricks according to any one of its complex embodiments; -
Figures 20, 21 and 22 are partial cross-section views of retaining means according to three alternative configurations that can be applied to the sheet of bricks according to any one of its simple or complex embodiments; -
Figure 23 is a perspective view illustrating a method for palletizing a flexible sheet of bricks according to the present invention; -
Figure 24 is a perspective view of a flexible sheet of bricks with a grid arrangement according to the present invention folded in a zigzag arrangement on a pallet; -
Figure 25 is a perspective view of a flexible sheet of bricks with a compact staggered arrangement according to the present invention folded in a zigzag arrangement on a pallet; and -
Figure 26 is a perspective view of a flexible sheet of bricks with an open staggered arrangement according to the present invention folded in a zigzag arrangement on a pallet. - Referring first to
Figures 1 to 3 andFigures 4 to 6 , two simple embodiments of a flexible, foldable and rollable sheet ofbricks 10 of the present invention are described. In both simple embodiments, the mentioned sheet ofbricks 10 comprises a plurality ofbricks 1 generally identical to one another arranged in contiguous rows parallel to a longitudinal direction. Each of the bricks 1 (Figures 3 and6 ) has a body that has an essentially orthoedric shape elongated in said longitudinal direction and has two opposite wide faces 31 and two oppositenarrow faces 32 elongated in the longitudinal direction and two oppositenarrow faces 33 elongated in the transverse direction. Eachbrick 1 comprises a pair of throughopenings 1 a extending parallel to said transverse direction from one another of said two oppositenarrow faces 32 elongated in the longitudinal direction. The bricks can have other openings, cavities or orifices in addition to the mentionedopenings 1a. - In the sheet of
bricks 10 shown inFigures 1 and 2 , the rows ofbricks 1 are arranged with thebricks 1 in a compact staggered arrangement, whereas in the sheet ofbricks 10 shown inFigures 4 and 5 , the rows ofbricks 1 are arranged with thebricks 1 in an open staggered arrangement, differing from the compact staggered arrangement in that it leaves considerably wide gaps between the oppositenarrow faces 33 elongated in the transverse direction of theadjacent bricks 1 of the same row. These gaps between bricks of the same row are determined by the distance between theopenings 1a in relation to the total length of thebricks 1, such distance between theopenings 1a being longer in the open staggered arrangement than in the compact staggered arrangement for the same length ofbrick 1. In both arrangements, therespective openings 1a of thebricks 1 of the adjacent rows are mutually aligned, androds 2 run through these alignedopenings 1a of thebricks 1. Retaining means are provided for retaining saidrods 2 within theopenings 1a of thebricks 1 and spacing elements are provided to provide gaps between the rows ofbricks 1, which will be described in detail below. - The
rods 2 and theopenings 1a of thebricks 1 are sized such that therods 2 can rotate and slide freely within theopenings 1a, and the mentioned retaining means are configured to restrict transverse movements of therods 2, i.e., in the axial direction of theopenings 1a, and to allow free rotation of therods 2 at least within theopenings 1a of thebricks 1 in alternate rows, such that thebricks 2 cooperate with therods 2 to form a flexible chain with a width corresponding to a number of rows ofbricks 1 and a length limited only by the handling possibilities of the sheet of bricks. This chain constitutes the sheet ofbricks 10, which can be doubled over or folded around one or more of therods 2 to adapt to different shapes, surfaces, contours and configurations. Several examples of retaining means will be described in detail below in relation toFigures 17 ,20, 21 and 22 . - Given that the sheet of
bricks 10 is elongated in the longitudinal direction, i.e., has a dimension in the longitudinal direction significantly longer than a dimension in the transverse direction, and given that the rows ofbricks 1 are arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction and that therods 2 are arranged parallel to the transverse direction, the flexibility capacity of the sheet ofbricks 10 can be used to reduce the space it occupies in the longitudinal direction to facilitate handling and storage. For example, the sheet ofbricks 10 can be folded in a zigzag arrangement by means of a rotation of 90 degrees or more around several of therods 2, or it can be rolled up around a core. To facilitate folding, thebricks 1 can includebevels 34 between one of the opposite wide faces 31 elongated in the longitudinal direction and the two oppositenarrow faces 33 elongated in the transverse direction. - In the simple embodiment shown in
Figures 1 to 3 , eachbrick 1 comprisesprojections 7 formed in its oppositenarrow faces 32 elongated in the longitudinal direction. Theseprojections 7 are positioned to contact with one of the oppositenarrow faces 32 elongated in the longitudinal direction of anotherbrick 1 of an adjacent row. Therefore, theprojections 7 act as the mentioned spacing elements to provide suitable gaps between the rows ofbricks 1. - In the other simple embodiment shown in
Figures 4 to 6 , the spacing elements are formed bywashers 6, having a thickness corresponding to the desired gap, arranged between the rows ofbricks 1. Eachwasher 6 has a hole aligned with theholes 1a of theadjacent bricks 1, and therods 2 are inserted through theholes 1a of thebricks 1 and through the holes of thewashers 6. - It will be understood that a sheet of
bricks 10 can alternatively be formed with a compact staggered configuration as shown inFigure 1 usingwashers 6 as spacing elements as shown inFigure 4 instead of theprojections 7 in thebricks 1, and a sheet ofbricks 10 can inversely be formed with an open staggered configuration as shown inFigure 4 usingprojections 7 in thebricks 1 as shown inFigure 1 as spacing elements instead ofwashers 6. - Referring now to
Figures 7 to 10 ,Figures 11 to 14 , andFigures 15 and 16 , three complex embodiments of the flexible, foldable and rollable sheet ofbricks 10 of the present invention are described. The sheets ofbricks 10 of the complex embodiments are similar to the sheets ofbricks 10 of the simple embodiments described above except that the sheets ofbricks 10 of the complex embodiments include, in addition to thebricks 1,rods 2, spacing elements (optional in this case) and retaining means, a plurality oflinks 3 adjacent to one or more of the rows ofbricks 1. Each link (seeFigures 10 and14 ) has twoholes 3a through which two of theadjacent rods 2 are inserted, such that thelinks 3 and thebricks 1 cooperate with the rods to form the chain constituting the sheet of bricks. Thelinks 3 can be located between every two rows ofbricks 1 and have a thickness suitable for acting as the spacing elements between the rows of bricks, or they can be arranged leaving empty spaces which can be occupied, for example, bywashers 6 similar to those described in relation toFigures 4 and 5 to act as spacing elements in combination withlinks 3. - In the complex embodiment shown in
Figures 7 and 8 , the rows ofbricks 1 are placed with thebricks 1 in a compact staggered arrangement, using bricks as shown inFigure 9 , which are similar to that described above in relation toFigure 3 but without theprojections 7, in combination withlinks 3 as shown inFigure 10 , which have twoholes 3a located at the same distance as theopenings 1a of thebrick 1 shown inFigure 9 . - In the sheet of
bricks 10 shown inFigures 11 and 12 , the rows ofbricks 1 are placed with thebricks 1 in an open staggered arrangement, using bricks similar to those described above in relation toFigure 6 , in which theopenings 1a are more separated from one another than in thebrick 1 shown inFigure 9 , although both bricks have the same outer configuration, in combination withlinks 3 as shown inFigure 14 , which have the twoholes 3a located at the same distance as theopenings 1a of thebrick 1 shown inFigure 6 . - The incorporation of the
links 3 allows additionally placing the rows ofbricks 1 with thebricks 1 in a grid arrangement like in the complex embodiment shown inFigures 15 and 16 , which cannot be done with the simple embodiments.Bricks 1 as shown inFigure 9 in combination withlinks 3 as shown inFigure 10 can be used to form this sheet ofbricks 10 with a grid arrangement. Here, in some sections only links 3 cooperate withrods 2 to form the flexible chain constituting the sheet ofbricks 10. It must be noted that by using thesame bricks 1 ofFigure 9 , thesame links 3 ofFigure 10 and thesame rods 2 both the sheet ofbricks 10 with the compact staggered arrangement ofFigures 7 and 8 and the sheet ofbricks 10 with the grid arrangement ofFigures 15 and 16 can be formed by simply varying the placement of thebricks 1. - Alternatively,
bricks 1 as shown inFigure 13 can also be used to form the sheets ofbricks 10 according to any one of the two simple embodiments shown inFigures 1 to 3 and 4 to 6 or of the three complex embodiments shown inFigures 7 to 10 , inFigures 11 to 14 and inFigures 15 and 16 . Saidbricks 1 as shown inFigure 13 include a first pair ofopenings 1a located in positions suitable for the compact staggered arrangement and for the grid arrangement and a second pair ofopenings 1b located in positions suitable for the open staggered arrangement, which allows obtaining sheets of bricks having different arrangements with a single type ofbrick 1 by simply choosing the pair ofopenings -
Figures 20, 21 and 22 show several alternative examples for the mentioned retaining means. In the example ofFigure 20 , the retaining means comprise, in at least one side edge of the sheet ofbricks 10, a ring-shapedplug 4 arranged between an inner surface of theopening 1a of thebrick 1 and an outer surface of the end of therod 2. The ring-shapedplug 4 is preferably made from an elastic material, such as an elastomer, which adheres by friction to the surfaces of therod 2 and of theopening 1a of thebrick 1, and more preferably made from silicone applied by injecting silicone in a liquid or pasty state into theopening 1a in the presence of therod 2. The ring-shapedplug 4 provides retention of the rod sufficient for most applications and has the advantage of retaining therod 2 inside theopening 1a of thebrick 1 without therod 2 laterally projecting from thebrick 1, as shown inFigure 20 . The ring-shapedplug 4 makes the free rotation of therod 2 with respect to thebrick 1 difficult, but this is not a drawback if ring-shapedplugs 4 are only installed inbricks 1 of alternate rows, or in bricks of the end rows if there is an uneven number of rows in the sheet ofbricks 10, or in bricks of the end rows if retaining means of another type are installed at the opposite ends. - In the examples shown in
Figures 21 and 22 , the retaining means comprise, in at least one side edge of the sheet ofbricks 10, astop 5 fixed at one end of therod 2. Thisstop 5 is larger than theopenings 1a of thebrick 1, such that it cannot pass through thecorresponding opening 1a and retains the movement of therod 2 in an axial direction without preventing its free rotation with respect to thebrick 1. In the example ofFigure 21 , the stop 5a is provided by awasher 35 provided with a hole through which a projecting end of therod 2 runs, and saidwasher 35 is fixed to therod 2 by an adhesive orweld 36. In the example ofFigure 22 , the stop 5a is provided by a retainingwasher 37 provided with a hole through which a projecting end of therod 2 runs and withflexible pins 38 extending toward the inside of the hole and elastically pressing against the outer surface of therod 2. This retainingwasher 37 can be installed under pressure without the need for adhesive or welding and provides retention sufficient for most applications. -
Figure 17 shows a bentU-shaped rod part 39 defined by a pair ofparallel rods 2 connected at their ends by a connectingelement 2a having a length suited to the distance between the twoopenings bricks 1. The twoparallel rods 2 can therefore be used as two of theadjacent rods 2 in the sheet ofbricks 10 and the connectingelement 2a acts as the retaining means for retaining the tworods 2 against movements in an axial directions with respect to one or twobricks 1 in a side edge of the sheet ofbricks 10. Furthermore, the connectingelement 2a, which is arranged in the longitudinal direction, acts as a spacing element when this side edge of the sheet ofbricks 10 is placed adjacent to an opposite side edge of another sheet ofbricks 10 from which the ends of the correspondingrods 2 do not project because they are, for example, retained by means of ring-shapedplugs 4 like those described above in relation toFigure 20 . The bentU-shaped rod part 39 can be applied to the sheet ofbricks 10 according to any one of the simple or complex embodiments of the present invention. - It will be understood that the two
rods 2 and the connectingelement 2a can alternatively be independent parts attached to one another, for example by adhesive or welding, instead of a single bentU-shaped rod part 39.Figures 7 ,11 and15 show links 3 adjacent to thebricks 1 in one of the side edges of the sheet ofbricks 1. These outer links can be fixed to projecting ends of therods 2, for example by adhesive or welding, or by means of ring-shaped plugs similar to those described above in relation toFigure 20 arranged between an outer surface of therod 2 and an inner surface of thehole 3a of thelink 3, such that theouter links 3 act as connecting elements and retaining means in this side edge of the sheet ofbricks 10. In any case, the connectingelements 2a will be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the sheet ofbricks 10 and attached at its ends to ends of two of theadjacent rods 2. - Generally, two
holes 3a of thelinks 3 are separated by a specific distance according to the shape and dimensions of thebricks 1 to provide gaps of a desired extension between thebricks 1 of each row. These gaps must allow doubling over or folding the sheet ofbricks 10 by means of a rotation of 90 degrees or more around any of therods 2. In some applications, it may be appropriate for one or bothholes 3a of eachlink 3 to be holes elongated in the longitudinal direction of thelink 3 to allow certain play in the positions of the rods and the bricks. -
Figure 18 shows alink 3 according to an alternative configuration including a single elongated orifice encompassing the twoholes 3a. Thislink 3 ofFigure 18 can be formed, for example, by a suitably bent rod part and with the ends attached, for example, by adhesive orwelding 40. -
Figure 19 shows alink 3 according to another alternative configuration provided for additionally acting as a spacing element to provide relatively wide gaps. To that end, thelink 3 comprises an elongated body with twoholes 3a separated by a required distance and thickenedregions 41 around theholes 3a. These thickenedregions 41 have a thickness sized to provide gaps of a desired width between the rows ofbricks 1, whereas a connectingportion 42 between saidthickened regions 41 only has the thickness necessary for assuring a required tensile strength. - In any of the simple and complex embodiments of the present invention, the
bricks 1 can be made from a variety of materials, although a ceramic material, a cement material, or a stone material is preferred. Therods 2 can be made from relatively rigid materials, such as steel or other metal alloys, or optionally fiber-reinforced plastic or synthetic materials, or of relatively flexible materials, such as steel cables, nylon cables and the like. The material for thelinks 3 and thespacing washers 6, when there are any, will preferably be a metal material, such as steel or aluminum, or a plastic or synthetic material. For applications in which therods 2 and thelinks 3 are exposed to the elements, the material of the rods and the links is preferably resistant to corrosion, such as for example stainless steel, galvanized steel, painted steel, aluminum, or a plastic or synthetic material. - Now in reference to
Figure 23 , there is described a method for palletizing a flexible, foldable and rollable sheet ofbricks 10 according to any one of the simple and complex embodiments of the present invention described above. The method comprises placing a length of said sheet ofbricks 10 on apallet 8 and doubling over or folding the sheet of bricks in azigzag arrangement 10 around one or more of therods 2 to form two or more lengths of sheet ofbricks 10 overlaid on saidpallet 8. To do so, the sheet ofbricks 10 can be vertically supported by lifting means such as, for example, a fork lift truck, a crane, or the like, and said lifting means can be operated first for placing a lower edge of the sheet ofbricks 10 adjacent to a side edge of thepallet 8, and next for performing a vertical downward movement of the sheet ofbricks 10 in relation to thepallet 8 in combination with horizontal back and forth movements of the sheet ofbricks 10 in relation to thepallet 8 with a width selected according to the dimensions of thepallet 8 to deposit a first length of said sheet ofbricks 10 on thepallet 8 and successive lengths folded in a zigzag arrangement overlaid on the first one. - In the example shown in
Figure 23 , aload bar 43 connected to lifting means (not shown), and hooks 44 fastened on one side to saidload bar 43 and hooked on the other side to thelast rod 2 of the sheet ofbricks 10 are used to fasten the sheet ofbricks 10 to the lifting means. In the example illustrated, the sheet ofbricks 10 compriseslinks 3, and a group ofend links 3 project from the end of the sheet ofbricks 10 to support anauxiliary rod 2 which can be installed through thefree holes 3a of theend links 3 to perform the handling operations of the sheet ofbricks 10 and can be removed when it is no longer necessary. -
Figures 24, 25 and 26 show sheets ofbricks 10 according to different embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention doubled over in a zigzag arrangement in four lengths overlaid and placed onrespective pallets 8 according to the method for palletizing of the second aspect of the present invention. The sheet of bricks ofFigure 24 has thebricks 1 arranged in a grid arrangement, the sheet ofbricks 10 ofFigure 25 has thebricks 1 arranged in a compact staggered arrangement, and the sheet ofbricks 10 ofFigure 26 has thebricks 1 arranged in an open staggered arrangement, as described above. The palletized sheets ofbricks 10 can be stored in an orderly fashion, occupying relatively little space, and can be comfortably handled by means of a fork lift truck. - Modifications and variations to the embodiments shown and described will occur to person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as it is defined in the attached claims.
Claims (15)
- A flexible, foldable and rollable sheet of bricks, of the type comprising:a plurality of bricks (1) provided with openings (1a) and arranged in contiguous rows with said openings (1a) mutually aligned;spacing elements arranged to provide gaps between said rows of bricks (1);rods (2) running through the aligned openings (1a) of said bricks (1); andretaining means for retaining said rods (2) within the openings (1a) of the bricks (1),characterized in that the rods (2) are sized to rotate and slide freely within the openings (1a) of the bricks (1) and said retaining means are configured to restrict movement of the rods (2) in an axial direction with respect to the openings (1a) and to allow free rotation of the rods (2) at least within the openings (1a) of the bricks (1) in alternate rows.
- The sheet of bricks according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes a plurality of links (3) adjacent to one or more of the rows of bricks (1), where each link has two holes (3a) through which two of the adjacent rods (2) are inserted, and where said links (3) and the bricks (1) are arranged forming a chain in cooperation with the rods (2).
- The sheet of bricks according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said bricks (1) have an essentially orthoedric shape.
- The sheet of bricks according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the sheet of bricks has a dimension in a longitudinal direction and a dimension in a transverse direction, where the rows of bricks (1) are arranged parallel to said longitudinal direction and the rods (2) are arranged parallel to said transverse direction, so the sheet of bricks can be doubled over or folded in a zigzag arrangement around one or more of the rods (2) to reduce the space it occupies in the longitudinal direction.
- The sheet of bricks according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the bricks (1) in the sheet of bricks are in an arrangement selected from compact staggered and open staggered arrangement.
- The sheet of bricks according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the bricks (1) in the sheet of bricks are in an arrangement selected from a grid, compact staggered and open staggered arrangement.
- The sheet of bricks according to claim 6, characterized in that the two holes (3a) of the links (3) are separated by a specific distance according to the shape and dimensions of the bricks (1) to provide gaps of a desired extension between the bricks (1) of each row, and to allow doubling over or folding the sheet of bricks by means of a rotation of at least 90 degrees around any of the rods (2).
- The sheet of bricks according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that said spacing elements are formed by the links (3), which have, at least in regions around the holes (3a), a thickness sized to provide gaps of a desired width between the rows of bricks (1).
- The sheet of bricks according to claim 5, characterized in that said spacing elements are selected from washers (6) through the holes of which the rods (2) are inserted and projections (7) formed on at least one of the faces of the bricks (1) to contact with another adjacent brick (1).
- The sheet of bricks according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said retaining means comprise, in at least one side edge of the sheet of bricks, a ring-shaped plug (4) arranged between an outer surface of the end of the rod (2) and an inner surface of the opening (1a) of the brick (1) or hole (3a) of the link (3).
- The sheet of bricks according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said retaining means comprise, in at least one side edge of the sheet of bricks, a connecting element (2a) arranged in the longitudinal direction and attached at its ends to ends of two adjacent rods (2) or formed integrally with the two rods (2) as a single bent rod part (39).
- The sheet of bricks according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said retaining means comprise, in at least one side edge of the sheet of bricks, a stop (5) fixed at one end of the rod (2), said stop (5) being sized so as to not pass through the corresponding opening (1a) of the brick (1) or hole (3a) of the link (3).
- A method for palletizing a flexible, foldable and rollable sheet of bricks, characterized in that it comprises the steps of:providing a sheet of bricks (10) comprising a plurality of bricks (1) provided with openings (1a) and arranged in contiguous rows with said openings (1a) mutually aligned, spacing elements arranged to provide gaps between said rows of bricks (1), rods (2) running through the aligned openings (1a) of said bricks (1); and retaining means for retaining said rods (2) within the openings (1a) of the bricks (1), where the rods (2) are sized to rotate and slide freely within the openings (1a) of the bricks (1) and said retaining means are configured to restrict movement of the rods (2) in an axial direction with respect to the openings (1a) and to allow free rotation of the rods (2) at least within the openings (1a) of the bricks (1) in alternate rows;placing a length of said sheet of bricks (10) on a pallet (8); anddoubling over or folding the sheet of bricks (10) in a zigzag arrangement around one or more of the rods (2) to form two or more overlaid lengths of sheet of bricks (10) on said pallet (8).
- The method according to claim 13, characterized in that it comprises vertically supporting the sheet of bricks (10) with a lower edge thereof adjacent to a side edge of the pallet (8), and performing a vertical downward movement of the sheet of bricks (10) in relation to the pallet (8) in combination with horizontal back and forth movements of the sheet of bricks (10) in relation to the pallet (8) with a width selected according to the dimensions of the pallet (8).
- The method according to claim 14, characterized in that it comprises using lifting means to vertically support the sheet of bricks (10) and to perform said vertical downward and horizontal back and forth movements of the sheet of bricks (10) in relation to the pallet (8).
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
ES200902100A ES2370435B1 (en) | 2009-11-03 | 2009-11-03 | FLEXIBLE, FOLDING AND ROLLABLE BRICKS SHEET AND PALETIZATION METHOD OF THE SAME. |
PCT/ES2010/000439 WO2011095648A1 (en) | 2009-11-03 | 2010-10-29 | Flexible, foldable and rollable sheet of bricks, and method for palletizing same |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP2497861A1 true EP2497861A1 (en) | 2012-09-12 |
EP2497861A4 EP2497861A4 (en) | 2017-03-15 |
Family
ID=44354992
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP10845130.3A Withdrawn EP2497861A4 (en) | 2009-11-03 | 2010-10-29 | Flexible, foldable and rollable sheet of bricks, and method for palletizing same |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP2497861A4 (en) |
ES (1) | ES2370435B1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2011095648A1 (en) |
Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE102019100498A1 (en) | 2019-01-10 | 2020-07-16 | Moeding Keramikfassaden Gmbh | Facade and / or wall construction |
WO2020144336A1 (en) | 2019-01-10 | 2020-07-16 | Moeding Keramikfassaden Gmbh | Façade construction and/or wall construction |
DE102019100486A1 (en) | 2019-01-10 | 2020-07-16 | Moeding Keramikfassaden Gmbh | Facade and / or wall construction |
DE102020118317A1 (en) | 2020-07-10 | 2022-01-13 | Moeding Keramikfassaden Gmbh | Façade and/or wall construction |
WO2023147614A1 (en) * | 2022-02-02 | 2023-08-10 | Arnold Peter | Installation and securing system for panels or discs on an underlying surface |
WO2024111166A1 (en) * | 2022-11-25 | 2024-05-30 | 株式会社吉光工業 | Attachment structure for wall surface decorative body |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN113494067A (en) * | 2020-04-02 | 2021-10-12 | 中国电建集团华东勘测设计研究院有限公司 | Anti-impact protection structure capable of being rapidly constructed and rapid construction method thereof |
ES2939334B2 (en) * | 2021-10-20 | 2024-04-03 | Univ Internacional De Catalunya Fundacio Privada | LATtice OF CERAMIC TUBES |
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FR1254131A (en) * | 1960-04-12 | 1961-02-17 | Impermeable coating with prefabricated slabs on site under dynamic compression or vibro-compression, especially for channel beds, river banks and the like | |
DE1658495B1 (en) * | 1967-06-10 | 1971-09-30 | Walter Lehnen | Bank revetment with all-round horizontal and vertical connection |
DE3212411A1 (en) * | 1982-04-02 | 1983-10-13 | Beton-Gandlgruber GmbH, 8261 Teising | Riprap permeable to water |
US4664552A (en) * | 1985-08-16 | 1987-05-12 | Cecil Schaaf | Erosion control apparatus and method |
AU594968B2 (en) * | 1985-08-23 | 1990-03-22 | Soil Filters Australia Pty. Ltd. | Protective mattress and method and apparatus for installing a protective mattress |
US4932927A (en) * | 1986-03-14 | 1990-06-12 | Envirex Inc. | High strength, non-metallic transmission chain |
US4911681A (en) * | 1989-07-17 | 1990-03-27 | Ashworth Brothers, Inc. | Ceramic conveyor belt connector rod end fixation |
US5197593A (en) * | 1992-02-10 | 1993-03-30 | Ashworth Bros., Inc. | Rod and edge link fixation for conveyor belts |
US5622449A (en) * | 1995-11-07 | 1997-04-22 | Essay, Jr.; Albert J. | Method and apparatus to control beach and sand dune erosion |
FR2744471B1 (en) | 1996-02-02 | 1998-04-17 | Pirarba Giacomo | PREFABRICATED HOLLOW BRICK ELEMENTS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CLADDING, SUPPORTING WALLS, NOISE WALLS, WALLS AND OTHER UNDER CONSTRUCTION |
US7029205B2 (en) * | 2002-11-21 | 2006-04-18 | Daigle Richard A | Apparatus for pipeline stabilization and shoreline erosion protection |
ES2322740B1 (en) | 2007-05-10 | 2010-04-06 | Asociacion Española De Fabricantes De Ladrillos Y Tejas De Arcilla Cocida, Hispalyt | FLEXIBLE BRICK SHEET FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS, AND MANUFACTURING PROCEDURE OF THE SHEET LAMINA. |
-
2009
- 2009-11-03 ES ES200902100A patent/ES2370435B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2010
- 2010-10-29 EP EP10845130.3A patent/EP2497861A4/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2010-10-29 WO PCT/ES2010/000439 patent/WO2011095648A1/en active Application Filing
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
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See references of WO2011095648A1 * |
Cited By (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE102019100498A1 (en) | 2019-01-10 | 2020-07-16 | Moeding Keramikfassaden Gmbh | Facade and / or wall construction |
WO2020144336A1 (en) | 2019-01-10 | 2020-07-16 | Moeding Keramikfassaden Gmbh | Façade construction and/or wall construction |
DE102019100486A1 (en) | 2019-01-10 | 2020-07-16 | Moeding Keramikfassaden Gmbh | Facade and / or wall construction |
DE102020118317A1 (en) | 2020-07-10 | 2022-01-13 | Moeding Keramikfassaden Gmbh | Façade and/or wall construction |
EP3943685A2 (en) | 2020-07-10 | 2022-01-26 | Moeding Keramikfassaden GmbH | Façade and/or wall construction with supporting structure of tension elements |
DE102020118317B4 (en) | 2020-07-10 | 2022-03-17 | Moeding Keramikfassaden Gmbh | Façade and/or wall construction |
EP4163455A1 (en) | 2020-07-10 | 2023-04-12 | Moeding Keramikfassaden GmbH | Facade and/or wall construction |
WO2023147614A1 (en) * | 2022-02-02 | 2023-08-10 | Arnold Peter | Installation and securing system for panels or discs on an underlying surface |
WO2024111166A1 (en) * | 2022-11-25 | 2024-05-30 | 株式会社吉光工業 | Attachment structure for wall surface decorative body |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
ES2370435A1 (en) | 2011-12-15 |
ES2370435B1 (en) | 2012-10-18 |
EP2497861A4 (en) | 2017-03-15 |
WO2011095648A1 (en) | 2011-08-11 |
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