DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The first aspect of the present invention is directed to retarding the passage of terrestrial fluids through the joint between adjoining upper and lower wall panels. FIG. 1 depicts four adjacent wall panel mounting assemblies 50 a - d and the attached vertically oriented wall panels 54 a - d according to the first aspect of the present invention. Each wall panel mounting assembly 50 a - d includes a number of perimeter framing members 58 a - d , 62 a - d , 66 a - d and 70 a - d engaging each edge of the wall panels 54 a - d . Perimeter framing member 50 engages perimeter framing member 66 , and perimeter framing member 62 engages perimeter framing member 70 . As can be seen from FIGS. 1 B- 1 D, the upper perimeter framing members 66 are configured to interlock in a nested relationship with the lower perimeter framing members 58 . Referring to FIG. 1 A, at least one of the upper and lower perimeter framing members has a capillary break 74 and a plurality of drainage holes 78 a - c in communication with a gutter 83 (defined by the perimeter framing member).

[0033] The wall panels can be composed of a variety of materials, including wood, plastics, metal, ceramics, masonry, and composites thereof. A preferred composite wall panel is metal- or plastic-faced with a wood, metal, or plastic core. A more preferred wall panel is a composite of metal and plastics sold under the trademark “ALUCOBOND”.

[0034] Referring to FIGS. 1A, 2 and 3 , the upper and lower perimeter framing members 66 and 58 define a recess 82 . The capillary break 74 extends downwardly from the upper perimeter framing member 66 to divide the recess 82 into a circulating chamber 86 and an inlet 90 . The capillary break 74 is located nearer the wall panel 54 than the drainage holes 78 to block or impede the flow of droplets 94 entrained in the airstream 98 into the drainage holes 78 .

[0035] FIG. 3 depicts the operation of the capillary break 74 and circulating chamber 86 during a storm. The airstream or wind 98 forces droplets of water 94 against the wall panels 54 A film 102 of water forms on the exterior surfaces of the wall. The wind pressure forces entrained droplets of water 94 and the film 102 into the inlet 90 between the wall panels 54 . The capillary break 74 , which runs continuously along the length of the perimeter framing member 66 , decreases the cross-sectional area of air flow and therefore increases the velocity of the droplets 90 . As the entrained droplets 90 enter the circulating chamber 86 , the cross-sectional area of flow increases and therefore the velocity of the droplets 90 decreases forming a vortex 106 . As a result, the droplets 90 have insufficient velocity to remain entrained in the air and the droplets collect in the film 102 on the lower surface 110 of the recess 82 .

[0036] The degree of vortexing of the airstream depends, of course, on the increase in the cross-sectional area of flow as the airstream flows past the capillary break and into the circulating chamber. If one were to define the space between the free end 124 of the capillary break and the opposing wall (i.e., lower surface 110 ) of the recess as having a first vertical cross-sectional area and the space between the opposing walls of the circulating chamber (i.e., the distance “H _v ” as having a second vertical cross-sectional area, the second vertical cross sectional area is preferably at least about 125% of the first vertical cross sectional area and more preferably at least about 150% of the first vertical cross sectional area.

[0037] The rear surface 120 of the capillary break 74 has a concave or curved shape to facilitate the formation of the vortex 106 .

[0038] The relative dimensions of the capillary break 74 are important to its performance. Preferably, the height “H _C ” of the capillary break is at least about 100% and more preferably ranges from about 125 to about 200% of the distance “D _C ” between the free end 124 of the capillary break 74 and the opposing surface 110 of the recess 90 .

[0039] The locations of the drainage holes 78 relative to the capillary break is another important factor to performance. The drainage holes 78 are preferably located on the same side of the recess 82 as the capillary break 74 (i.e., in the upper portion of the recess 82 ) such that the wind does not have a straight line path from the inlet 90 to a drainage hole 78 . For a substantially horizontally oriented drainage hole 78 , the distance “D _H ” from the rear surface 120 of the capillary break 74 to the edge 128 of the drainage hole 78 must be sufficient to place the drainage hole outside of the vortex and more preferably is at least about 0.25 inches.

[0040] FIG. 4 depicts a second embodiment of a wall panel mounting assembly according to the first aspect of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the drainage holes 150 are located on a substantially vertical surface 154 of the lower perimeter framing member 158 . Because a vertically oriented drainage hole is more susceptible to the entry of fluids than the horizontally oriented drainage hole of FIG. 2 , the preferred minimum distance “D _H ” from the rear surface 162 of the capillary break 168 for the second embodiment is greater than the preferred minimum distance “D _H ” from the rear surface for the first embodiment. More preferably, the drainage hole 150 is located at least about 0.75 inches from the rear surface 162 of the capillary break. The center of the drainage hole 150 is located above the free end 124 of the capillary break 168 and more preferably the entire drainage hole 150 is located above the free end 124 of the capillary break 168 .

[0041] FIG. 5 depicts a third embodiment of a wall panel mounting assembly according to the first aspect of the present invention. In the third embodiment, the drainage holes 200 are located above the free end 204 of the capillary break 208 with an inclined surface 212 extending from the drainage holes 200 to a point below the capillary break 208 . The inclined surface 212 facilitates removal of fluids from the recess 216 and thereby inhibits build-up of fluids in a corner of the recess 216 .

[0042] FIG. 6A depicts a third embodiment of a wall panel attachment system according to a second aspect of the present invention. The system uses a flexible sheet interlock to seal adjacent perimeter framing members. At the joint between the upper perimeter framing members 66 a,b of adjacent wall panels 54 a,b , a flexible sheet interlock 250 inhibits fluid migration along the joint defined by the adjacent ends 254 a,b of the adjacent gutters of the perimeter framing members 66 a,b . The flexible sheet interlock 250 realizes this result by retaining fluids in the adjacent gutters 83 a,b . Accordingly, the interface between the flexible sheet interlock 250 and the gutter walls is substantially impervious to fluid migration. As can be seen from FIG. 6 B, the flexible sheet interlock has sufficient flexibility to conform to the “U”-shaped contour of the gutter.

[0043] Referring to FIGS. 6A and 7 , the interface 260 can include an adhesive 264 between the flexible sheet interlock 250 and each of the three gutter walls 268 a,b,c to retain the interlock 250 in position. Although the flexible sheet interlock 250 itself may possess adhesive properties, an adhesive, preferably having sealing properties, has been found to assist the formation and maintenance of an integral seal between the interlock 250 and the gutter walls 268 . The most preferred adhesive is a high performance compressed joint sealant that can “set up” or harden and bond to the gutter wall and the interlock. Examples of such sealants include silicone, urethane, and epoxy. Because the interlock 250 itself absorbs all of the thermal movement of the wall panels, there is no requirement for the adhesive 264 to stay resilient and move. The end result is a more economical system for sealing adjacent perimeter framing members that has a useful life equal to that of the exterior wall panel system.

[0044] As can be seen from FIG. 7 , when the perimeter framing members are expanded due to thermal or building movements (the perimeter framing member positions denoted by arrows 274 ), the portion 280 of the interlock 250 in the gap 284 between the adjoining perimeter framing members deforms and thereby absorbs the movement without a failure of the seal. When the perimeter framing members are in a relaxed state (the perimeter framing member positions denoted by arrows 288 ), the interlock 250 returns to its normal position.

[0045] Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 , the dimensions of the flexible interlock 250 are sufficient to prevent fluids from spilling over the sides of the interlock 250 before the fluid depth in the gutter 272 reaches the depth of the gutter. After installation in the gutter 272 , the heights “H _F ” of the sides 268 a,b of the interlock 250 are substantially the same as the heights “H _I ” of the corresponding (i.e., adjacent) side walls 268 a,c of the gutter.

[0046] FIGS. 8 - 9 depict a method for installating the interlock 250 across the adjacent ends of the gutters 272 a,b . The interlock 250 is pressed down in the gutters 272 until the interlock 250 substantially conforms to the shape of the gutter as depicted in FIG. 9 .

[0047] In FIGS. 10 - 13 , alternative methods are depicted for installing the flexible sheet interlock 250 in the gutters. In second method shown in FIGS. 10 - 11 , a substantially rigid insert 292 can be employed to protect the exposed edge 293 a,b of the interlock 250 during the lower perimeter framing member 294 of an adjoining wall panel 54 with the upper perimeter framing member 295 . As will be appreciated, in the absence of the insert the inner surface 296 of the lower perimeter framing member 294 can “roll up” the interlock 250 due to frictional forces during engagement of the upper and lower perimeter framing members 294 and 295 with one another. The “L”-shaped insert 292 , which can be any substantially rigid material such as metal or plastic, is received between the upper and lower perimeter framing members and inhibits the rolling up of the interlock when the perimeter framing members are placed into an interlocking relationship. The insert 292 and interlock 250 are positioned in a nested relationship as shown in FIG. 10 . To operate effectively, the height “H _A ” of the engaging surface 297 of the insert 292 has substantially the same length as the height “H _I ” of the corresponding (i.e., adjacent) gutter wall 298 . As will be appreciated, the insert 292 is not required to be an “L”-shape but can be any other shape that matches the inner contour of the gutter such as a “U”-shape. In a third method for installing the flexible sheet interlock 250 shown in FIGS. 12 - 13 , the inner surface 299 of the gutter 301 includes a lip 302 extending inwardly to protect the edges of the interlock during installation of the upper perimeter framing member 294 . The height of the lip “H _L ” is preferably at least the same as the thickness “T _I ” of the interlock 250 .

[0048] FIGS. 14 and 15 depict a preferred method for installing wall panel systems using the flexible sheet interlock 250 . The numbers on the wall panels (e.g., 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) denote the order in which the wall panels are attached to the wall support members. Although the conventional “stair step” method can also be employed with the interlock, the method of FIG. 15 is simpler, less expensive, and has more flexibility in installation.

[0049] The installation method will now be explained with reference to FIGS. 8 - 9 and 14 - 15 . In a first step, the wall panel system 500 a is attached to the wall support members. In a second step, the adhesive 264 is applied to either or both of a flexible sheet interlock 250 and adjoining gutter surfaces 268 a - c and the flexible sheet interlock 250 is engaged with each end 254 a,b of the wall panel system 500 a . In a third step, the wall panel systems 500 b,c are attached to the wall support members, and flexible sheet interlocks 250 are attached with the ends of the systems as described above. In a fourth step, the protruding end 504 of the interlock 250 is folded away from the edge of the wall panel system 500 a as shown in FIG. 14 and the wall panel system 500 d is attached to the wall support members. A flexible sheet interlock 250 is then attached to the end of the wall panel system 500 d . The above steps are repeated to install the remaining wall panel systems 500 e - l.

[0050] Referring to FIGS. 16 - 21 , a fourth embodiment according to a third aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The third aspect of the invention is used to attach the wall panels to the perimeter framing members. The wall panel assembly 300 includes a perimeter framing member 304 , a wedge-shaped member 306 , and an attachment member 308 (which is preferably a rigid or semi-rigid material such as metal). The attachment member 308 has an L-shaped member 312 that engages a grooved member 316 in the perimeter framing member 304 . The attachment member 308 has a cylindrically-shaped bearing surface 320 that is received in a groove 324 in the panel member 328 substantially along the length of the side of the panel member 328 . One end 336 of the wedge-shaped member 306 engages a step 332 in the perimeter framing member 304 and the other end 340 of the wedge-shaped member 306 engages a step 344 in the attachment member 308 . The wedge-shaped member 306 is suitably sized to cause the bearing surface 320 of the attachment member 308 to be forced against the groove in the panel member, thereby holding the panel member assembly 300 in position. The bearing surface 320 can have any number of desired shapes, including v-shaped, star-shaped, and the like.

[0051] The steps to assemble the panel member assembly 300 are illustrated in FIGS. 16 - 21 . In the first step illustrated by FIG. 16 , the panel member 328 is positioned in the pocket 350 of the perimeter framing member 304 . In FIG. 17 , the L-shaped member 312 is engaged with the grooved member 316 of the perimeter framing member 304 , and the bearing surface 320 is engaged with the groove in the panel member. In FIGS. 18 - 19 , the lower end of the wedge-shaped member 306 is engaged with the step 344 of the attachment member, and the upper end of the wedge-shaped member 306 is then forcibly engaged with the step 332 in the perimeter framing member. In FIGS. 20 - 21 , the edge of the panel member is bent at a 90 degree angle about a predetermined line in the panel member. Interlocking flanges of adjacent perimeter framing members can then be engaged to form the building surface.

[0052] FIGS. 22 - 28 depict a fifth embodiment according to the third aspect of the present invention. The wedge-shaped member 306 of the previous embodiment is replaced with a screw 404 or other fastener to hold the perimeter framing member 304 and attachment member 308 in position on the panel member 328 . The fastener passes through the attachment member and perimeter framing member.

[0053] The steps to assemble the panel member assembly 400 are illustrated by FIGS. 2328 , with FIG. 23 illustrating the first step, FIG. 24 the second step, FIGS. 25 - 26 the third step, and FIGS. 27 - 28 the last step. FIG. 22 depicts another configuration of this embodiment using differently configured perimeter framing members 420 a,b and attachment members 424 a,b . The perimeter framing members 420 a,b are in the interlocked position for mounting the panels on a support surface.

[0054] While various embodiments have been described in detail, it is apparent that modifications and adaptations of those embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and adaptations are within the scope of these inventions, as set forth in the following claims.