Compressible structural panel

A structural panel having an outer layer and a cellular structure wherein the cellular structure is made of a fiber glass material.

A structural panel having an outer sheet comprised of a plurality of interconnected strips and a cellular structure connected to said outer sheet.

A compressible panel comprising in combination:

• at least one outer sheet of material having an inner and outer face, and
• a plurality of compressible dividers that in a resting condition are expanded and secured to and protrude from said inner face, said dividers having at least one fold line such that a divider can be folded upon itself along said fold line into a double ply position, and wherein said dividers are made from a glass fiber material wherein the breaking radius of the glass fibers is less than double the thickness of the material.

A clip for closing one edge of a cellular structural panel wherein said panel has at least one outer sheet of material secured to a plurality of compressible dividers which form cells in the panel when the dividers are expanded, and wherein a portion of the outer sheet and a portion of the dividers have been compressed and are confinable in said clip to close open ends of the remainder of the dividers which are expanded in a cellular condition, said clip comprising:

• an elongated body of generally J-shaped transverse cross-sectional configuration having a long side, a short side separated from said long side by a connecting wall along one edge of the clip, and a lip projecting from the long side along an opposite edge of the clip from said connecting wall to define an open channel in said clip.

A structural panel and closure clip comprising in combination:

• a structural panel comprised of at least one outer sheet of material and a plurality of dividers secured to and protruding from one face of said outer sheet, said dividers being parallel with each other and movable from an expanded condition where they protrude from said outer sheet to a compressed condition where they are flattened in closely adjacent relationship with said outer sheet, said dividers in said expanded condition forming a plurality of parallel cells opening at opposite ends of the panel, and
• a closure clip having an elongated body of substantially J-shaped transverse cross-section so as to define a channel that is open along one side,
• wherein said dividers in said panel have been severed transversely along a line of severance adjacent to one of said ends of said panel and compressed between said line of severance and said one end, said compressed dividers and the outer sheet of material secured thereto being received in said open channel of said closure clip with the closure clip positioned so as to close the open ends of said cells at said one end of the panel.

A method of folding a panel along a fold line, said panel having an outer sheet and a plurality of individual elongated cells extending parallel to said fold line secured to said outer sheet and protruding from one face of said outer sheet, said cells being positioned closely adjacent to each other comprising the steps of:

• removing a cell from said outer sheet adjacent to said fold line, and
• folding the panel along said fold line.

A structural panel comprising in combination an outer sheet of material and a plurality of adjacent dividers secured to and protruding from the outer sheet, said dividers having fold lines therein allowing the dividers to be folded in either direction along said fold lines and when folded in one direction the dividers are compressible into closely adjacent relationship with said outer sheet but when folded in the opposite direction abut an adjacent divider to reinforce the adjacent divider and render the panel substantially incompressible, said dividers being made of a material that biases the material toward a flat orientation even after having been folded and the bias urging the dividers to fold in said opposite direction whereby the panel can be compressed by folding the dividers in said one direction but when allowed to decompress will effect folding of the dividers in the opposite direction to render the panel substantially incompressible.

A method of manufacturing a structural panel such that it is self expanding from a compressed condition to an expanded substantially incompressible condition, comprising the steps of:

• providing an outer sheet of material,
• providing a plurality of elongated dividers having fold lines therealong such that the dividers can be folded in either direction along said fold lines, said dividers being made of glass fibers that are bonded together with a mixture of thermoset and thermoplastic resin such that the dividers are biased toward a flat condition even after having been folded, and
• securing the dividers to the outer sheet along one side thereof in closely adjacent relationship such that when the dividers are folded in a first direction along said fold lines the panel can be compressed with the dividers in closely adjacent relationship to said outer sheet and when folded in an opposite direction the dividers abut adjacent dividers to reinforce the dividers rendering the panel substantially incompressible.

A compressible structural panel having a noise reduction coefficient in excess of 0.8 at 125 Hz.

A compressible structural panel having a noise reduction coefficient in excess of 0.9 at 250 Hz.

A compressible structural panel having a noise reduction coefficient in excess of 0.9 at 4000 Hz.

A compressible divider for use in a structural panel comprising:

• an elongated strip of material having fold lines therein such that said strip of material can be folded upon itself when compressed.