Modular internal partition with fire-screening and like properties.

The present invention relates to a modular internal partition designed to sub-divide rooms of large dimensions.

Internal partitions designed to allow a single large room to be divided into smaller portions, so that a number of offices, or internal areas with different uses and so on, can, for instance, be separated, are very widely used in many building applications, particularly in the case of offices and the like.

These internal partitions are normally produced with a modular structure so that they can be erected at any time after the construction of the walls of the room in which they are located and can be readily dismounted if the internal sub-division is moved or modified.

Partitions of this type must have specific properties, including effective insulation against sound, dust and so on and must be able to house doors, transparent components, openings and the like and support brackets or must be thick enough to house shelves and the like thereby acting as a container as well as a partition.

In some cases these partitions must also be fire-resistant, i.e. they must remain structurally sound, shield against direct flames and provide insulation against heat and smoke for a certain time so that a fire occurring in an area bounded by these partitions can be prevented from rapidly spreading through these partitions into adjacent areas, allowing the occupants of these areas adjacent to the danger area to escape.

Other screening requirements which these partitions can provide are acoustic insulation, insulation against damp and radiation, resistance to mechanical drilling and the like.

Known partitions have, in this respect, a limited resistance, particularly as regards fire, since they generally have a bearing structure of metal alloy which undergoes structural change even at temperatures which are not very high, leading to the collapse of the partition in a very short period of time, and are not provided with components to insulate and shield against fire and smoke; although partitions with steel structures do exist for this purpose, their appearance is not very attractive and they are not very suitable for furnishing purposes or modular applications.

Partitions are also required to have an attractive appearance which fits in with the furnishings of the rooms which they bound; it must also be possible to assemble them rapidly with as little equipment and machining as possible during installation and to adapt them to the dimensions of the room in which they are to be installed.

A partition which offers very good properties of resistance, can be adapted to a variety of needs and is inexpensive is thus required.

These results are achieved by the present invention, which provides a modular internal partition, with screening properties, which is formed by a plurality of uprights and cross-bars connected in the form of a lattice within perimetral metal profiles rigid with the walls, which uprights bear panels and closure members on two opposite surfaces defining an inner space whose thickness is equal to the width of the uprights and cross-bars, in which the uprights and cross-bars, perimetral profiles and reciprocal connecting members are made of steel and shaped to provide seats for gaskets, screening components, slot connection means and the like, the space in the partition being provided with insulating materials and screening means, all designed to allow one side of the partition to be effectively separated from disturbances taking place on its other side, housings for cables and accessory connection lines also being provided.

The uprights and cross-bars are in particular formed by a tubular profile of folded and seamed sheet steel, forming grooves and recesses with undercut sides, in which elastic couplings for the connection of uprights and cross-bars, screening means, sealing gaskets and the like may be inserted.

In more detail, each of the two opposite larger surfaces of the tubular profile of the uprights and cross-bars is provided with a recess having undercut plane sides disposed in a median position in the surface, and the smaller surfaces are provided with grooves with undercut sides extending over the entire width of these surfaces, the recesses of the larger surfaces being designed to house means for the frictional connection of the cross-bars to the uprights and screening means, the grooves of the smaller surfaces being in turn designed to house sealing gaskets and hook profiles for external accessories, the plane portions of the larger surfaces at the sides of the recesses of the profile of the uprights being able to house pins for the connection of the uprights to the perimetral profiles and pins supporting the panelling of the partition.

The front surfaces of the profiles of the uprights and cross-bars, parallel to the closure panels, are provided with recesses extending over their entire width and bounded by outwardly curved thin sides, the majority of the front surface extension of the profiles, forming the base of the recesses, being spaced from the panels and slowing down the conduction of heat between the panels facing one another.

The cross-bars are frictionally connected in any position along the uprights.

The means for the frictional connection of the cross-bars to the uprights are formed by coupling members connected to the ends of the cross-bars and provided with fork-shaped projecting elastic portions having vertical lateral sides whose inclination with respect to the axis of the cross-bar is equal to the inclination of the sides of the recesses of the profile of the uprights, wherein the couplings can be inserted in the recesses of the uprights in a position rotated through 90° with respect to the final position and can be rotated, together with the cross-bars connected thereto, into the final position, with the larger surfaces of the cross-bars horizontal and with the elastic deformation of the fork-shaped portions of the couplings in contact with the sides of the recesses, so as to generate sufficient friction for the rigid connection of the cross-bar in any position along the upright.

In an embodiment of the invention, the panels are formed by plane components of rigid material, advantageously provided with properties of fire-resistance, with machined or covered surfaces depending on aesthetic requirements and having hooks for fastening to corresponding pins projecting from the larger surfaces of the uprights.

The screening means in this embodiment, in particular as regards fire, are formed by a steel plate which may be slotted into the grooves and recesses of the transverse surfaces of the upright and cross-bar profiles and which extends perpendicular to this surface over a section within the insulating material contained in the spaces between the panels facing one another.

These closure panels may be provided along their perimetral edges with expanding seals designed to expand and seal the spaces between adjacent panels in the event of fire; as an alternative, sealing gaskets of materials resistant to high temperatures may be provided between the uprights and cross-bars and closure panels.

In a further embodiment, the covering panels of the partition are made of metal plate and comprise labyrinth-shaped perimetral edges at least partially surrounding the sides of the recesses of the upright and cross-­bar profiles, thereby opposing the direct passage of flames and smoke from one surface of the partition to the other and providing an alternative form of screening means.

In the space between the opposite panels of the partition, as within the perimetral profiles, there are housed electricity, communication and like cables designed to supply equipment and components placed on the wall or on components connected thereto, associated terminal and attachment members and openings for passage through the panels, uprights and cross-bars being provided.

Further details are set out in the following description with reference to the attached drawings, in which: <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none"><li>Fig. 1 is a front view of a partition of the invention,</li><li>Fig. 2 is a section along the line II-II of Fig. 1,</li><li>Fig. 3 is a section along the line III-III of Fig. 1,</li><li>Fig. 4 is a section along the line IV-IV of Fig. 1,</li><li>Fig. 5 is a section along the line V-V of Fig. 1,</li><li>Fig. 6 is an exploded view of an upright connected to a cross-bar and the members for fixing it to the ground,</li><li>Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of one stage of the connection of a cross-bar to an upright,</li><li>Fig. 8 shows the final stage of the connection of the cross-bar to the upright,</li><li>Fig. 9 shows an alternative form of panelling of the partition,</li><li>Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic view of the electricity and communication lines within the wall,</li><li>Fig. 11 is a section along the line XI-XI of Fig. 10.</li></ul>

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the partition of the invention extends between a pair of walls 1 facing one another, a floor 2 and a ceiling 3 in order to separate a room of large size into two portions.

The partition substantially comprises a perimetral frame 4 connected to the walls 1, floor 2 and ceiling 3 to which frame there is connected a plurality of uprights 5 bearing respective cross-bars 6 defining sections of various size within which are disposed covering panels 7 of the opaque type and possibly transparent components 8, doors 9 and the like.

If opaque panels of suitable material are used to close these sections, the partition can be fire-resistant in accordance with regulations, so as to stop a fire and its smoke from spreading into the adjacent room portion for a certain period.

For this purpose, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6, the uprights 5 of the partition structure are formed by a steel profile 10, advantageously made of sheet folded and seamed into a tubular shape connected at the ends, via relative pins 11, to respective upper and lower brackets 12a, 12b provided with flanges 13 and having bent members 14 designed to fit above the profiles 15 forming the perimetral frame 4.

As shown in Fig. 3, the lower brackets 12a are provided with a threaded member 16 in which the threaded portion of a thrust pin 17, bearing within the groove 18 of the profile 14, is inserted, via which it is possible to adjust the height of each upright.

The cross-bars 6 are formed by the same profiles 10 connected to the upright profiles by coupling members 19 of metal with suitable properties, for instance sintered steel, connected to the ends of the cross-bars whose elastic portions 20 may be inserted and locked by friction within the grooves 21 of the profiles 10 of the uprights, having undercut sides 22, as shown in Fig. 5.

In this way the cross-bars can be located at the desired heights on the uprights, and are locked in position by friction since they are not subject to loads other than their own weight, which operation can be carried out without special tools.

Assembly can be carried out in a particularly rapid manner, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, by inserting the coupling 19, connected in advance to the relative cross-bar, within the groove 21 of the upright in the direction of the arrow F1 of Fig. 7, keeping the axis of the cross-bar rotated through 90° with respect to its normal position.

Subsequently, as shown by the arrow F2 in Fig. 8, the cross-bar is rotated through 90°, bringing it into the final position; this rotation determines the contact of the oblique lateral sides 20a of the elastic portions 20 with the undercut sides 22 of the groove 21 of the upright; in this position the portions 20 are elastically stressed generating a locking force which keeps the head surface of the cross-bar in forced contact with the side of the upright, thereby ensuring the rigidity of the unit.

The profiles 10 of the uprights also bear further pins 23, projecting transversely from one or both sides of the profile, to which the opaque covering panels 7 may be connected via respective hooks 24.

The profiles 10 are also provided with lateral recesses 25, having undercut sides 26, within which there may be housed sealing profiles 27 having flexible members 27a designed to bear against the inner surface of the panels 7 at the point of junction of adjacent panels thereby ensuring that the panels are dustproof and noiseproof.

Sealing is also carried out at the profiles 15 of the perimetral frame via a relative shaped seal 28, having flexible members bearing on the ground and against the end edge of the covering panels.

A skirting panel 7a, provided with snap-hooks 29 which may be inserted on the pins 11 for fastening the uprights to the brackets, is provided along the lower edge of the partition.

These skirting panels are provided such that they can be assembled independently of the other panels, thereby allowing access, prior to their assembly, to the pins 17 for the fine adjustment of the base height of the uprights so as to allow the edges of the adjacent panels to be aligned.

During this alignment, the upper brackets 12b can slide telescopically within the upper profiles 15 of the perimetral frame, thus allowing vertical adjustment via the pins 17 and offsetting any departures from horizontal or undulations in the ceiling.

Fire resistance properties are ensured, in the case of the structure described above, by the fact that the uprights and cross-bars, and the other bearing and reciprocal connection members therefor and the members for their connection to the walls, are made of steel and are therefore subject to structural collapse only at high temperatures substantially greater than the temperatures which can be withstood by the light alloy structures which are conventionally used. In addition, the gap between the opposite panels 7 is filled with a heat insulating and non-combustible material 30, for instance mineral wool; fire-­resistant profiles 31 of steel are further inserted in a snap-locking manner in the grooves 21: in this way the transmission of the high temperature or any flames on one side of the partition to the panels on the opposite side is considerably delayed, preventing its combustion for a long period. The mineral wool 30 provides heat insulation between the panels 7 of the two side of the partition, while the direct passage of flames from one side of the partition to the other in the zone of contact between the mineral wool 30 and the profiles 10 of the uprights and cross-bars is prevented by the profiles 31, embedded in the mineral wool, and creating a kind of labyrinth designed to prevent the passage of the flames.

The presence of the recesses 25 further spaces most of the surfaces of the sides of the profiles 10 opposite the flames, on one hand, and the panels to be preserved, on the other hand, exposing only a thin strip 32 and thus preventing the profiles, of heat conductive material, from transmitting the combustion temperature from one side of the partition to the other in a short period and triggering combustion of the panels on the side to be preserved in the zone of contact or proximity between the panels and the profiles of the uprights and cross-bars.

In order to prevent the passage of smoke through the partition in the case of fire, when the sealing profiles 27 are made of plastic material, in which case the combustion or melting of the latter occurs and they are unable to carry out their function in these conditions, expanding seals 33 designed to expand with increasing temperature until they seal the spaces between the adjacent panels 7 may also be provided along the entire sides of the panels 7.

If the sealing profiles are made of ceramic fibre or self-extinguishing material designed to withstand fire for the desired time, the use of expanding seals can be avoided.

As shown in Fig. 9, the panels 7 may be made of shaped steel plate instead of chip or synthetic conglomerate materials with a surface coating for aesthetic purposes having self-extinguishing properties or the like, for particular aesthetic, technical or economic reasons and to offer increased fire resistance: in this case the plate 34 has a member forming a groove 35 designed to receive a cylindrical seal 36 against which the edge 32 of the uprights and cross-bars bears and which thus extends with a flat edge 37; shaped recesses 38, shown in Fig. 6, are provided on the vertically disposed edges 37 and are designed to allow the panel to be hooked to the pins 23 for connection to the uprights of the partition; the elastic deformation of the seals 36 pressed against the edges 32 ensures a vibration-free connection.

The filling 30 of heat and sound insulating material may thus be inserted in the space between two panels of this type facing one another.

In the case of panels constructed in this way the profiles 31 may be omitted, since the grooves 35 formed by the plate 34 form a labyrinth which is sufficient to prevent, in the event of fire, the direct passage of flames and heat.

The plate 34 may thus be covered, painted or the like in accordance with requirements and may have dimensions and an external appearance which are compatible with and correspond to that of panels of the solid type, allowing, if desired, the simultaneous use of panels 7 of different types without any aesthetic discontinuity.

Rack profiles 39, formed by a U-shaped component provided with uniformly spaced holes 40, as shown in Fig. 6, may advantageously be connected, via screws or the like, within the recesses 25 of the profiles 10 of the uprights, which rack profiles make it possible to connect accessories of various types 41, via relative hooks 42, to the uprights, as shown in Fig. 6, for example brackets, cupboards, shelves and the like, without having to carry out any machining operations such as drilling or the like and such that the position and type of accessory can be changed at any time.

The profiles 39 are connected to the profiles 10, externally to the seals 27, via screws or the like.

The panels 7 leave a space between each other which can be used to house the filling 30 and which may also house a plurality of electric and connection cables 43, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11, which may extend either into the front face 44 of the partition, holes 45 ensuring a continuous passage for the cables being provided in the uprights for this purpose, or along the perimetral profiles 4 thus allowing, by relative connection points, located wherever desired along the path of the cables, the full connection of apparatus of all types, such as lighting plant, computers, telephones and the like, without the presence of external cables.

It is also possible to dispose transparent components 8 in the partition; the doors 9 which can be inserted in the structure can be constructed in a fire resistant way using suitable materials or can be of a non-­resistant type if this requirement is not needed.

If it is desired to provide a different type of screening, together with or as an alternative to the fire screening and its effects, such as screening against heat, smoke or the like, for instance the provision of soundproofing, insulation against humidity, radiation, screening against mechanical drilling and the like, screening members with appropriate properties can be inserted in the grooves 21 of the profiles of the uprights and cross-bars, selecting appropriate properties for the filling material 30.

If total screening against fire or other disturbances is not required, as mentioned above, or if a partial and local action is sufficient, the partition of the invention may be formed in different shapes, for example extending vertically over only a fraction of the overall height between floor and ceiling, or extending halfway into the room, or may be provided with communication openings and doors between separate rooms, etc; closure profiles should advantageously be provided in these embodiments, for aesthetic reasons, and may be of steel or other materials such as light alloys, plastic materials and the like.

The partition may also be connected, without aesthetic discontinuity, to partitions of different type, such as shelving partitions, or to furniture, desks, tables and the like, connected on one side, for instance, to the racks 39; even in these cases the continuity of the passage of electric and communication cables 43 may be ensured.

Many variants may be made without departing form the general scope of the invention.