Building wall structures and their components

Abstract

A rectilinear extruded plastic wall forming panel characterized being able to directly connect to next adjoining panels either by sliding adjoining panels together or by pushing them together. Also, if one of the panel walls is to become an exterior wall, it is preferably reinforced, for example with pultruded fiberglass or foamed PVC.

1 . A wall forming panel comprising an integral elongated enclosed extrusion of thermal plastic material, said panel having means for connecting to an adjoining panel on two sides thereof, said means comprising an inwardly projecting groove running the length of said panel at each side of said panel adjacent a first end of said panel, and having at each side of said panel at a second end of said panel a projecting arm having a measure of resiliency provided with an in-turned end or finger running the length of said panel, the arrangement being such that the fingers of said projecting arms are adapted to be received in the grooves of a next adjoining panel either by a sliding or pushing motion, and sealing means to prevent ingress of moisture and other agents into said wells. 
   
   
       2 . A wall forming panel as claimed in  claim 1  in which said sealing means comprises a projecting ridge adjacent each groove on which the projecting arms of an adjoining connected panel bear. 
   
   
       3 . A wall forming panel as claimed in  claim 2  in which said projecting ridge is an upward extension of the wall of the groove adjacent said first panel end. 
   
   
       4 . A wall forming panel as claimed in  claim 3  in which said ridge defines a wedging surface to cant the finger passing over said ridge outwardly from its in-turned position. 
   
   
       5 . A wall forming panel as claimed in  claim 1  having a wall which is to become an exterior wall when said panel is assembled with other panels reinforced. 
   
   
       6 . A wall forming panel as claimed in  claim 5  in which said exterior wall is reinforced with pultruded fiberglass. 
   
   
       7 . A wall forming panel as claimed in  claim 6  in which the pultruded fiberglass is a layer of pultruded fiberglass bonded to said exterior wall. 
   
   
       8 . A wall forming panel as claimed in  claim 6  in which the pultruded fiberglass comprises pockets of pultruded fiberglass bonded to said exterior wall. 
   
   
       9 . A wall forming panel as claimed in  claim 5  in which said exterior wall is reinforced with foamed PVC. 
   
   
       10 . A wall forming panel as claimed in  claim 2  wherein the panel is formed of one of the materials chosen from PVC or reprocessed thermoplastic, the length of the arms is in the range of about ½ inch to 1 inch, the thickness of the arms is in the range of about 0.08 inch to about 0.1 inch and the length of the fingers is in the range of about 0.110 inch to about 0.230 inch. 
   
   
       11 . A wall forming panel as claimed in  claim 10  wherein the length of the arms is about ¾ inch and the length of the fingers is in the range of about 0.130 inch to about 0.160 inch. 
   
   
       12 . A wall forming panel as claimed in  claim 2  which further comprises a locking arrangement between cooperating surfaces of the grooves and fingers.