Fiber-cement/gypsum laminate

Abstract

A building material (40) is provided comprising fiber-cement (10) laminated to gypsum (20) to form a single piece laminate composite. This single piece laminate composite exhibits improved fire resistance and surface abuse and impact resistance, but achieves these properties without the excessive weight and thickness of two piece systems. Additionally, because of the reduced thickness, the preferred laminate building material is easier to cut and is quicker and easier to install than two piece systems. Furthermore, forming the fiber-cement and gypsum into a single piece laminate eliminates the need to install two separate pieces of building material, thereby simplifying installation. In one embodiment, a ⅝″ thick laminate composite is provided comprising a ½″ thick gypsum panel laminated to a ⅛″ thick fiber-cement sheet, the laminate composite having a fire resistance rating of 1 hour when measured in accordance with ASTM E119.

Description

[0001] This application is a continuation of prior U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 437,344, filed May 13, 2003 which is a continuation of 09 / 685,637, filed Oct. 10, 2000, now U.S. Letters Pat. No. 6,562,444, and also claims the benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 158,600, filed Oct. 8, 1999, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] This invention relates to abuse resistant, impact resistant and fire resistant building materials, and more particularly, to a single piece laminate composite building material of fiber-cement and gypsum. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] The interior wallboard market has been dominated by the use of gypsum wallboard products for many years. The gypsum wallboard typically comprises thin paper layers wrapped around a gypsum core. For example, one paper layer covers the face and long edges of the board, and the second paper layer usually cove...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent text describes a new building material that has good resistance to abuse, impact, and fire. It is also lightweight, easy to manufacture, and compatible with standard building material sizes. The material has a fire resistance rating of at least one hour, which is important for applications that require surface abuse resistance. The new material is a single piece laminate composite made of fiber-cement and gypsum, which eliminates the need for separate pieces of building material and simplifies installation. The technical effects of this new material include improved durability, impact resistance, and fire resistance, while also being lightweight and easy to install.

Problems solved by technology

Gypsum has poor abuse resistance compared to other wallboard materials such as wood or masonry.

The paper surface of gypsum wallboard is easily damaged by impact such as scuffing, indentation, cracking or penetration with hard or soft body objects such as furniture, trolleys, toys, sports equipment and other industrial or residential furnishings.

Such wall abuse is typical in high traffic rooms such as corridors, family living areas, gymnasiums or change rooms.

One disadvantage of fiber cement by itself as a wall panel is that it does not have a fire resistance rating comparable to gypsum wall panels of equal thickness.

Another disadvantage of fiber cement by itself is that it is significantly heavier than gypsum wall panels of equivalent thickness.

This two piece system is disadvantageous because it is significantly heavier than single-layer gypsum wallboards.

Additionally, the 2-layer wallboards require nearly double the amount of labor for installation because two separate wall panels must be installed instead of a single panel.

Also, the extra thickness of the 2-layer systems (⅝″+¼″=⅞″) is not compatible with most door jamb widths.

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