A panel construction that facilitates edge-to-edge interlocking of panels, comprising:
- a first panel;
- said first panel having a flat top wall, a flat bottom wall, and a plurality of edge walls therebetween;
- an outwardly extending tongue member formed in a preselected edge wall of said panel, said tongue member being coextensive with said preselected edge wall and being positioned equidistantly from said top and bottom walls;
- said tongue member having a top wall, a bottom wall and an edge wall;
- a first thin, flexible sheet of metal disposed in overlying relation to said panel top wall;
- said first sheet of metal having a substantially right angle bend formed therein at said preselected panel edge wall, said first sheet having a downwardly extending part disposed in overlying relation to a part of said preselected panel edge wall above said tongue member top wall;
- a first trough member formed integrally with said downwardly extending part, said first trough member being disposed in overlying relation to said tongue member top wall;
- a second thin, flexible sheet of metal disposed in overlying relation to said panel bottom wall;
- said second sheet of metal having a substantially right angle bend formed therein at said preselected panel edge wall, said second sheet having an upwardly extending part disposed in overlying relation to a part of said preselected panel edge wall below said tongue member bottom wall;
- a second trough member formed integrally with said upwardly extending part, said second trough member being disposed in overlying relation to said tongue member bottom wall;
- a second panel;
- said second panel having a flat top wall, a flat bottom wall, and a plurality of flat edge walls therebetween;
- a third thin, flexible sheet of metal disposed in overlying relation to said second panel top wall;
- said third sheet extending outwardly beyond a preselected edge wall of said second panel in substantially coplanar relation to said second panel top wall;
- a substantially right angle bend being formed in said third sheet at a preselected distance from said second panel preselected edge wall, said third sheet having a downwardly extending part disposed in parallelism to said second panel preselected edge wall;
- said third sheet downwardly extending part including an integral, inwardly projecting curled distal free end;
- a fourth, thin flexible sheet of metal disposed in overlying relation to said second panel bottom wall;
- said fourth sheet extending outwardly beyond said preselected edge wall of said second panel in substantially coplanar relation to said second panel bottom wall and in parallelism to said third sheet;
- a substantially right angle bend being formed in said fourth sheet at a preselected distance from said second panel preselected edge wall, said fourth sheet having an upwardly extending part disposed in parallelism to said second panel preselected edge wall and in substantially coplanar relation to the downwardly extending part of said third sheet;
- said fourth sheet upwardly extending part including an integral, inwardly projecting curled distal free end;
- said downwardly extending parts of said first, second, third and fourth sheets being substantially equal in extent to one another;
- whereby edge-to-edge interlocking of said first and second panels is accomplished when said tongue member edge wall is placed into abutting relation to said preselected edge wall of said second panel.