Rock facade panel and methods of manufacturing a rock facade panel

Abstract

The invention provides a building panel having a simulated natural rock face, for use as a rock facade in wall construction applications, and methods of manufacturing same. The wall panel is manufactured in a mold containing a masonry-permeable mesh, preferably flexible. In one embodiment the bottom of the mold is provided with the profile of the rock facade and the masonry permeable mesh is positioned on the mold, and a settable material is poured into the mold, creating the rock facade and simultaneously embedding the mesh in each simulated rock face to integrate the panel. In a further embodiment the mesh is placed on a mold, the settable material is poured over the mesh, and the rock facade pattern is pressed or stamped into the top surface of the settable material to create the desired pattern. Optionally the panel has a backing board having holes, the settable material intruding through the holes to anchor the rock façade (and embedded mesh) to the backing board. In a preferred embodiment the panel is provided with top and bottom edges having complementary profiles containing a repeating pattern so that panels can be laid against one another in either a linear or a staggered (overlapping) fashion, and the side edges of the panel are complementary and fit into the repeating portion of the top and bottom edge profile, so that the building panels can be laid either vertically or horizontally.

1 . A construction panel for applying a simulated rock facade to a structure, comprising: 
 a settable material having an exterior face formed to a desired appearance, and    a mesh permeable to the settable material, embedded in the settable material,    whereby the mesh integrates a plurality of simulated rock faces, and a plurality of panels can be installed in contiguous abutting relation to simulate a rock wall.    
   
   
       2 . The construction panel of  claim 1  in which the mesh is flexible.  
   
   
       3 . The construction panel of  claim 1  in which the rock faces and mesh are anchored to a backing board.  
   
   
       4 . The construction panel of  claim 3  in which backing board comprises a foam insulation board.  
   
   
       5 . The construction panel of  claim 3  in which the backing board comprises holes generally aligned with the simulated rock faces.  
   
   
       6 . The construction panel of  claim 1  in which the settable material forms grout lines between simulated rock faces.  
   
   
       7 . The construction panel of  claim 1  in which each panel has complementary top and bottom edges, each of said edges comprising a repeating profile whereby a plurality of panels can be installed in contiguous abutting relation with either an entire top edge of one panel abutting an entire bottom edge of an adjacent panel or a portion of a top edge of one panel abutting a portion of a bottom edge of another panel.  
   
   
       8 . The construction panel of  claim 7  wherein the repeating profile is a periodic curve that is preserved by the transformation comprising an inversion operation and a phase shift equal to half the length of the repeating profile.  
   
   
       9 . The construction panel of  claim 8  wherein each panel has complementary side edges, each of said side edges comprising the repeating profile whereby a plurality of panels can be installed in contiguous abutting relation with a portion of a top, bottom or side edge of one panel abutting a portion of a top, bottom, or side edge of another panel.  
   
   
       10 . The construction panel of  claim 7  wherein the panel comprises a cutting profile complementary to the top or bottom edge of the panel and comprising the repeating profile, such that the panel may be cut along the cutting profile to produce a panel with a new top or bottom edge that can be installed in contiguous abutting relation with an adjacent panel, with at least a portion of either the new top or bottom edge of said panel abutting at least a portion of a bottom or top edge of the adjacent panel.  
   
   
       11 . The construction panel of  claim 9  wherein the panel comprises a cutting profile complementary to the top, bottom, or side edge of the panel and comprising the repeating profile, such that the panel may be cut along the cutting profile to produce a panel with a new top, bottom, or side edge that can be installed in contiguous abutting relation with an adjacent panel, with at least a portion of the new top, bottom, or side edge of said panel abutting at least a portion of a top, bottom, or side edge of the adjacent panel.  
   
   
       12 . The construction panel of  claim 7  in which each panel has side edges each having a profile corresponding to at least a portion of the repeating profile of one of the top or bottom edges whereby a plurality of panels can be installed in contiguous abutting relation with a side edge of one panel abutting a portion of top or bottom edge of another panel  
   
   
       13 . The construction panel of  claim 12  in which the settable material forms a half grout line around a periphery of the panel.  
   
   
       14 . A kit of parts for constructing a rock façade comprising a plurality of construction panels of  claim 1  and one or more accessory panels having at least one flat edge for finishing an edge of the rock façade.  
   
   
       15 . A method of casting a construction panel, comprising the steps of: 
 a. providing a mold comprising a negative profile of a rock façade;    b. placing a masonry permeable mesh on the mold; and    c. pouring a settable material into the mold to at least a level of the mesh; 
 whereby the settable compound sets in the negative rock façade profile to create a plurality of simulated rock faces and simultaneously embeds the mesh in each simulated rock face to integrate the panel.  
   
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising, before step c., the step of laying on the mesh a backing board having holes generally aligned with the simulated rock faces, and wherein step c. comprises pouring a settable material into the mold to at least a level of the backing board.  
   
   
       17 . A method of casting a construction panel, comprising the steps of: 
 a. laying a mesh on a mold;    b. pouring a settable material into the mold to above a level of the mesh; and    c. before the material sets, pressing or stamping a rock façade pattern into the settable material to create the simulated rock façade pattern.    
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17  further comprising, before step a., the step of placing on the mold a backing board having holes generally aligned with the simulated rock faces, and wherein step a. comprises placing the mesh on the backing board.  
   
   
       19 . A construction panel for applying a simulated rock façade to a structure, comprising: 
 a settable material having an exterior face formed to a desired appearance, and    at least one connector embedded in the settable material,    whereby the at least one connector integrates a plurality of simulated rock faces, and a plurality of panels can be installed in contiguous abutting relation to simulate a rock wall.    
   
   
       20 . The construction panel of  claim 19  in which the connector is a flexible, masonry-permeable mesh embedded in a plurality of rock faces in a panel.  
   
   
       21 . The construction panel of  claim 20  in which the connector is a flexible, masonry-permeable mesh embedded in every one of the plurality of rock faces in a panel.  
   
   
       22 . The construction panel of  claim 19  in which the connector is a mesh provided with a plurality of anchors that are embedded within the plurality of rock faces.  
   
   
       23 . The construction panel of  claim 22  in which at least some of the plurality of anchors is formed integrally in the mesh.  
   
   
       24 . The construction panel of  claim 22  in which at least some of the plurality of anchors is formed separately from the mesh.  
   
   
       25 . The construction panel of  claim 19  in which the rock faces and at least one connector are anchored to a backing board.  
   
   
       26 . The construction panel of  claim 25  in which the backing board comprises holes generally aligned with the simulated rock faces.  
   
   
       27 . The construction panel of  claim 19  in which the settable material forms grout lines between simulated rock faces.  
   
   
       28 . The construction panel of  claim 19  in which each panel has complementary top and bottom edges, each of said edges comprising a repeating profile whereby a plurality of panels can be installed in contiguous abutting relation with either an entire top edge of one panel abutting an entire bottom edge of an adjacent panel or a portion of a top edge of one panel abutting a portion of a bottom edge of another panel.  
   
   
       29 . The construction panel of  claim 28  wherein the repeating profile is a periodic curve that is preserved by the transformation comprising an inversion operation and a phase shift equal to half the length of the repeating profile.  
   
   
       30 . The construction panel of  claim 29  wherein each panel has complementary side edges, each of said side edges comprising the repeating profile whereby a plurality of panels can be installed in contiguous abutting relation with a portion of a top, bottom or side edge of one panel abutting a portion of a top, bottom, or side edge of another panel.  
   
   
       31 . The construction panel of  claim 29  wherein the panel comprises a cutting profile complementary to the top or bottom edge of the panel and comprising the repeating profile, such that the panel may be cut along the cutting profile to produce a panel with a new top or bottom edge that can be installed in contiguous abutting relation with an adjacent panel, with at least a portion of either the new top or bottom edge of said panel abutting at least a portion of a bottom or top edge of the adjacent panel.  
   
   
       32 . The construction panel of  claim 30  wherein the panel comprises a cutting profile complementary to the top, bottom, or side edge of the panel and comprising the repeating profile, such that the panel may be cut along the cutting profile to produce a panel with a new top, bottom, or side edge that can be installed in contiguous abutting relation with an adjacent panel, with at least a portion of the new top, bottom, or side edge of said panel abutting at least a portion of a top, bottom, or side edge of the adjacent panel.  
   
   
       33 . The construction panel of  claim 29  in which each panel has side edges each having a profile corresponding to at least a portion of the repeating profile of one of the top or bottom edges whereby a plurality of panels can be installed in contiguous abutting relation with a side edge of one panel abutting a portion of top or bottom edge of another panel  
   
   
       34 . The construction panel of  claim 33  in which the settable material forms a half grout line around a periphery of the panel.  
   
   
       35 . A kit of parts for constructing a rock façade comprising a plurality of construction panels of  claim 19  and one or more accessory panels having at least one flat edge for finishing an edge of the rock façade.  
   
   
       36 . A method of casting a construction panel, comprising the steps of: 
 a. providing a mold comprising a negative profile of a rock façade;    b. placing at least one connector on the mold; and    c. pouring a settable material into the mold to at least a level of the at least one connector; 
 whereby the settable compound sets in the negative rock façade profile to create a plurality of simulated rock faces and simultaneously embeds the at least one connector in each simulated rock face to integrate the panel.  
   
   
   
       37 . The method of casting a construction panel of  claim 36 , wherein the step of placing at least one connector spaced on the mold comprises the step of placing a masonry permeable mesh on the mold.  
   
   
       38 . The method of casting a construction panel of  claim 36 , wherein the step of placing at least one connector on the mold comprises the step of placing a mesh provided with anchors on the mold, such that the anchors are generally oriented toward the negative profile.  
   
   
       39 . The method of  claim 37 , further comprising the step of providing anchors on the masonry permeable mesh such that the anchors are generally oriented toward the negative profile when the mesh is placed on the mold.  
   
   
       39 . The method of casting a construction panel of  claim 36 , wherein the step of placing at least one connector on the mold comprises the step of placing at least one staple on the mold.  
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the step of pouring a settable material into the mold is executed prior to the step of placing at least one connector, and the step of placing the at least one connector comprises the step of embedding at least a portion of at least one connector in each simulated rock face.  
   
   
       41 . The method of  claim 37  further comprising, before step c., the step of laying on the mesh a backing board having holes, and wherein step c. comprises pouring a settable material into the mold to at least a level of the backing board.  
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 38  further comprising, before step c., the step of laying on the mesh a backing board having holes, and wherein step c. comprises pouring a settable material into the mold to at least a level of the backing board.  
   
   
       43 . A method of casting a construction panel, comprising the steps of: 
 a. placing at least one connector on a mold;    b. pouring a settable material into the mold to above a level of the at least one connector; and    c. before the material sets, pressing or stamping a rock façade pattern into a surface of the settable material to create a simulated rock façade pattern.    
   
   
       44 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the step of placing at least one connector on a mold comprises the step of laying a mesh on the mold.  
   
   
       45 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the step of placing at least one connector on a mold comprises the step of laying a mesh provided with anchors on the mold, such that the anchors are generally oriented toward the surface of the settable material.  
   
   
       46 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the step of placing at least one connector on a mold comprises the step of placing at least one staple on a mold, such that the staple interconnects two adjacent faces in the rock façade pattern stamped in step c.  
   
   
       47 . The method of  claim 43  further comprising, before step a., the step of placing on the mold a backing board having holes, and wherein step a. comprises laying the at least one connector on the backing board.  
   
   
       48 . A construction panel comprising a simulated rock façade for application to a structure, the panel being installable in contiguous abutting relating to simulate a rock wall, the panel comprising an integrated plurality of connected, simulated rock faces, wherein: 
 the panel comprises complementary top and bottom edges, each of said edges comprising a repeating profile whereby a plurality of panels can be installed in contiguous abutting relation with either an entire top edge of one panel abutting an entire bottom edge of an adjacent panel or a portion of a top edge of one panel abutting a portion of a bottom edge of another panel.    
   
   
       49 . The construction panel of  claim 48  wherein the repeating profile is a periodic curve that is preserved by the transformation comprising an inversion operation and a phase shift equal to half the length of the repeating profile.  
   
   
       50 . The construction panel of  claim 49  wherein the panel has complementary side edges, each of said side edges comprising the repeating profile whereby a plurality of panels can be installed in contiguous abutting relation with a portion of a top, bottom or side edge of one panel abutting a portion of a top, bottom, or side edge of another panel.  
   
   
       51 . The construction panel of  claim 48  wherein the panel comprises a cutting profile complementary to the top or bottom edge of the panel and comprising the repeating profile, such that the panel may be cut along the cutting profile to produce a panel with a new top or bottom edge that can be installed in contiguous abutting relation with an adjacent panel, with at least a portion of either the new top or bottom edge of said panel abutting at least a portion of a bottom or top edge of the adjacent panel.  
   
   
       52 . The construction panel of  claim 50  wherein the panel comprises a cutting profile complementary to the top, bottom, or side edge of the panel and comprising the repeating profile, such that the panel may be cut along the cutting profile to produce a panel with a new top, bottom, or side edge that can be installed in contiguous abutting relation with an adjacent panel, with at least a portion of the new top, bottom, or side edge of said panel abutting at least a portion of a top, bottom, or side edge of the adjacent panel.  
   
   
       53 . The construction panel of  claim 48  in which each panel has side edges each having a profile corresponding to at least a portion of the repeating profile of one of the top or bottom edges whereby a plurality of panels can be installed in contiguous abutting relation with a side edge of one panel abutting a portion of top or bottom edge of another panel