Structural panels

Abstract

An improved structural panel, apparatus for producing the panel and method for producing the panel are disclosed. The improved panel structure is essentially a three dimensional panel structure having two essential planar face surfaces with a plurality of tapered walled cells lying intermediate the two faces and supporting the faces of the panel structure. Each of the tapered walled cells opens outwardly from the face surfaces of the panel with approximately one-half of the cells opening outwardly on one face surface of the panel and the other half opening outwardly from the other face surface of the panel structure. The walls of the tapered walled cells form a rigid and strong support for the face surfaces of the panel structure. The cross-sectional areas of the tapered walled cells are essentially curvilinear and taper upwardly and outwardly from one face of the structure such that the cross-sectional area of the tapered walled cell is greater at a point removed from its apex than the cross-sectional area near its apex. A shoulder member is formed by the tapered walled structure by a decrease in the cross-sectional area of the tapered walled cell cross-section adjacent the face of the wall structure furthest removed from the apex. The tapered cells have common walls and produce a sealed structure from one face of the panel structure to the other. The disclosed method and apparatus for producing the improved panel structures include a unique mold apparatus wherein two mold halves are utilized. The two mold halves have deformable mold fingers whereby the material the panel structure is to be made from can be placed between the mold halves and the mold halves are closed. The deformable mold fingers are in a non-aligned orientation when the mold halves are closed. Upon closing of the mold halves, the mold fingers can be deformed to produce the tapered wall structures. The deformation of the mold fingers can be by pressure of the mold halves coming together with the material the panel is produced from sandwiched between or by internal pressure that is exerted on the interior of the mold fingers to thereby partially inflate such mold fingers. Following the formation of the structural panels having the tapered walled cell structure, the mold fingers are allowed to return to their undeformed state and are removed from the tapered wall cell structure. The disclosed method and apparatus are especially useful in the production of improved structural panels such as cement type panels that are reinforced with fibrous materials such as asbestos, fiberglass and the like.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.