Insulated building panel and method

Abstract

Disclosed is a building system with an unusual combination of foam plastic and common structural members. Flanged steel structural members are inserted through openings in wire trusses and the resulting assembly is fused together with foam plastic inside a large mold. Multiple copies of said assemblies are molded into a single large block of polystyrene. This method provides for subsequent separation of the panels using conventional hot wire cutting equipment. The separated assemblies have flat flanges that project toward the panel faces but are hidden under a thin layer of foam plastic. Access to these flanges allows mechanical attachment of panel-joining membranes and a wide variety of surface finish materials. This method simultaneously provides smooth polystyrene surfaces for adhesive attachment of some finishes, including those that utilize glass fiber mesh.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A structural building panel and the method of simultaneously manufacturing multiple copies of it wherein multiple assemblies of wire trusses and steel reinforcing members are embedded inside a foam plastic block in large molds.  
     
     
         2 . The building panel of  claim 1 , wherein the wire trusses are comprised of multiple triangles made of round wire with the wide segment on each triangle and the apex of an adjacent triangle having straight wires welded across them to form multiple aligned triangles into a longitudinal truss, and the reinforcing members comprising flanged structural members with the correct dimensions to fit into and through the truss triangles to form a structural assembly with the structural members being strategically spaced to strengthen the triangle at its point of widest span, and the reinforcing member flanges positioned for use as a screw base when attaching siding to both panel faces.  
     
     
         3 . The building panel of  claim 1 , wherein the wire trusses are comprised of “H” or “ladder” trusses made of round wire with each segment having multiple straight wires welded across them to form multiple rectangles of a longitudinal truss, and with flanged reinforcing members of correct dimensions to fit into and through the truss openings, with the reinforcing members positioned to strengthen the truss at the point of widest span, and the reinforcing member flanges situated for use as a screw base when attaching siding to both panel faces.  
     
     
         4 . The building panel of  claim 1 , wherein the multiple copies of said structural assembly are placed inside a mold, separated and held in position from each other by spacer blocks made of the same foam plastic in a cured state, and fused inside a molded block of foam plastic.  
     
     
         5 . The building panel of  claim 1 , wherein the foam plastic molding machinery is comprised of the common and widely distributed machinery used in factories to make large blocks of foam plastic.  
     
     
         6 . The building panel of  claim 1 , wherein the multiple copies of said panels are separated from each other by the same methods and equipment routinely used to cut foam plastic blocks into marketable segments.  
     
     
         7 . The building panel of  claim 1 , comprising a separated panel with concealed structural members inside, said members being wire trusses and reinforcing members with 2 flanges projecting toward the 2 faces of the panel, said flanges being hidden under a thin layer of foam plastic, the foam plastic being configured with smooth surfaces.  
     
     
         8 . The building panel of  claim 1 , comprising a method of joining separate panels together in a building structure by adhesively attaching 1 or more layers of a membrane such as glass fiber mesh over the smooth faces of the foam plastic and onto adjacent panels, the membrane, adhesive and process developing the full strength of the membrane and exceeding the tensile strength of the foam plastic, said adhesive and membrane also comprising a weather barrier.  
     
     
         9 . The building panel of  claim 1 , comprising a method of joining separate panels to adjacent panels in a building structure by mechanically attaching steel mesh or other membrane to multiple reinforcing member flanges on the panels using a plurality of mechanical fasteners such as self-tapping screws, the membrane being capable of resisting stresses at least equal to the design loads of the end use configuration of the panel in the building structure.  
     
     
         10 . The building panel of  claim 1 , wherein the locations of the hidden flanges are identified by markings using a stencil on both faces of the panel.  
     
     
         11 . The building panel of  claim 1 , comprising the adaptation and joining together of 4-inch-deep wire triangular trusses with nominally 16 inch spacing on the wide segment of the triangles, and common steel “C” studs, 3⅝ inches wide, both said trusses and said studs being manufactured and widely used for different and separate functions, and fusing the joined assembly with multiple copies of it together with foam plastic in a mold.  
     
     
         12 . The building panel of  claim 11 , wherein the multiple copies of said panels are separated from each other by the same methods and equipment routinely used to cut foam plastic blocks into marketable segments  
     
     
         13 . The panel configuration of  claim 11 , wherein the finish system on  1  face of the panel is gypsum wall board, and the finish on the other face is stucco, and providing temporary mechanical attachment of a weather barrier on the face receiving stucco, such as asphalt-impregnated paper, and providing for permanent attachment of exterior finish system components such stucco lath, woven wire netting or diamond mesh by inserting sheet metal screws through the mesh, weather barrier and the concealing layer of foam plastic into the hidden stud flanges.  
     
     
         14 . The building panel of  claim 11 , comprising a method of joining a separate panel to adjacent panels by mechanically attaching steel mesh or other membrane to multiple stud flanges on the panels using a plurality of fasteners such as self-tapping screws, the membrane being capable of resisting stresses at least equal to the design loads of the end use configuration of the panel in the building structure.  
     
     
         15 . The building panel of  claim 11 , comprising a method of joining panels together by adhesively attaching  1  or more layers of a membrane such as glass fiber mesh over the smooth faces of the foam plastic and onto adjacent panels, the adhesive and process developing the full strength of the membrane and exceeding the tensile strength of the foam plastic, said adhesive and membrane also comprising a weather barrier.  
     
     
         16 . The building panel of  claim 11 , wherein the locations of the hidden flanges are identified by markings using a stencil on both faces of the panel.