Corner assembly for wall panels

Claim 1

In a corner and sealing assembly for the corner of a building of the type having a pair of panels angularly disposed in edge-to-edge relationship, each panel comprising an outer metal skin and an inner metal skin separated by and joined to an intermediate insulating body substantially filling the space between said skins, an exterior trim piece of V-shaped cross section having two panel type legs, the free vertical edges of which are turned back upon themselves to form a return bent portion; a supporting member for said exterior trim piece, said supporting member comprising first and second portions each of which is adapted to lie adjacent said legs of said exterior trim piece with the free vertical edges thereof received within the groove formed by said return bent portions of said exterior trim piece, said first and second portions being joined by a third portion at least a part of which is planar and lies in a plane which intersects said legs of said exterior trim piece in equal angles, said planar part of said third portion being provided with at least one opening; retaining means positioned in said opening of said planar part of said third portion of said supporting member; a clamping member having a central planar portion which lies in parallel relationship to said planar part of said third portion of said supporting member, said clamping member having panel type legs extending from either side of said central planar portion adapted to lie respectively in parallel spaced relationship to said panel type legs of said exterior trim piece and to said first and second portions of said supporting member, said central planar portion of said clamping member being provided with at least one opening which corresponds to said opening in said planar part of said third portion of said supporting member; the inner metal skin of one panel and the inner metal skin of the other panel defining a first included angle between said panels, said first and second portions of said supporting member defining a second included angle therebetween, said second included angle being less than said first included angle, and said panel type legs of said clamping member defining a third included angle therebetween, said third included angle being greater than said first included angle; and fastening means extending through said opening in said clamping member and said opening in said supporting member into said retaining means, whereby the tightening of said fastening means effects a structural tie between said pair of panels by squeezing action of said first and second portions of said supporting member and said legs of said clamping members upon said outer and inner metal skins of said panels, respectively, at the points of contact between said skins and said supporting and clamping members, with the force of said squeezing action being substantially equal to or exceeding the frictional forces between said supporting and clamping members and said outer and inner metal skins respectively, when intimate contact results therebetween.