Self-draining porcelain stoneware tile
The invention concerns the production of draining porcelain stoneware tiles and method of production thereof. The invention concerns a tile with rectangular quadrilateral shape and edges with thickness (S), with a planar outer surface on which a series of variable geometry grooves are provided according to a drainage direction on the outer surface. The geometry of said groove can be triangular, trapezoidal or elliptical section. The vertexes of these embodiments form the bottom of said groove with height h, and said height h increases according to said drainage direction generating an inclined drainage plane of said groove. The invention also concerns a method of manufacturing a tile according to the invention; by moulding during the pressing phase of the ceramic powders with the use of punch/pad preformed with pattern according to the required geometry of the water drain grooves; by mechanical action by incision of the green pressed ceramic powder slab, dried or not, and not yet fired; or by incision of the fired tile.
1. A draining porcelain stoneware unit, comprising:
a tile having a rectangular shape; and
a substantially planar outer surface with a plurality of grooves formed therein, parallel to edges of the tile;
wherein:
each of the plurality of grooves has a triangular cross-section, a base of the triangular cross-section is placed at the substantially planar surface, and the vertex of the triangular cross-section forms a bottom of the groove;
a height h between the base and the vertex increases from a first end of the groove to a second end of the groove;
wherein: a central axis of the tile extends between a first pair of parallel edges of the tile and drainage directions are defined as extending from the central axis toward a second pair of parallel edges of the tile, perpendicular to the first pair of parallel edges;
each of the plurality of grooves extends from the first end to the second end in one of the drainage directions, parallel to the first pair of parallel edges; and
the plurality of grooves are a first plurality of grooves, and the tile further comprises a second plurality of grooves, each of the second plurality of grooves extending in a diagonal direction with respect to the drainage direction from a second end of one of the first plurality of grooves to a first end of another one of the first plurality of grooves.
2. A draining porcelain stoneware unit, comprising:
a tile having a rectangular shape; and
a substantially planar outer surface with a plurality of grooves formed therein, parallel to edges of the tile;
wherein:
each of the plurality of grooves has a triangular cross-section, a base of the triangular cross-section is placed at the substantially planar surface, and the vertex of the triangular cross-section forms a bottom of the groove;
a height h between the base and the vertex increases from a first end of the groove to a second end of the groove;
wherein:
a first diagonal axis extends diagonally across the tile between a first pair of corners of the tile, a second diagonal axis extends diagonally across the tile between a second pair of corners of the tile, such that the second diagonal axis is perpendicular to the first diagonal axis;
drainage directions are defined as extending from one of the first diagonal axis and the second diagonal axis toward an edge of tile; and
each of the plurality of grooves extends from the first end to the second end thereof in one of the drainage directions.
3. A draining porcelain stoneware unit, comprising:
a tile having a rectangular shape; and
a substantially planar outer surface with a plurality of grooves formed therein, parallel to edges of the tile;
wherein:
each of the plurality of grooves has a trapezoidal section, the trapezoidal section has a major base disposed at the substantially planar surface and a minor base, smaller than the major base forming a bottom of said groove;
a height h between the major base and the minor base increases from a first end of the groove to a second end of the groove;
a central axis of the tile extends between a first pair of parallel edges of the tile and drainage directions are defined as extending from the central axis toward a second pair of parallel edges of the tile, perpendicular to the first pair of parallel edges;
each of the plurality of grooves extends from the first end to the second end in one of the drainage directions, parallel to the first pair of parallel edges; and
the plurality of grooves are a first plurality of grooves, and the tile further comprises a second plurality of grooves, each of the second plurality of grooves extending in a diagonal direction with respect to the drainage direction from a second end of one of the first plurality of grooves to a first end of another one of the first plurality of grooves.
4. A draining porcelain stoneware unit, comprising:
a tile having a rectangular shape; and
a substantially planar outer surface with a plurality of grooves formed therein, parallel to edges of the tile;
wherein:
each of the plurality of grooves has a trapezoidal section, the trapezoidal section has a major base disposed at the substantially planar surface and a minor base, smaller than the major base forming a bottom of said groove;
a height h between the major base and the minor base increases from a first end of the groove to a second end of the groove;
a first diagonal axis extends diagonally across the tile between a first pair of corners of the tile, a second diagonal axis extends diagonally across the tile between a second pair of corners of the tile, such that the second diagonal axis is perpendicular to the first diagonal axis,
drainage directions are defined as extending from one of the first diagonal axis and the second diagonal axis toward an edge of tile, and
each of the plurality of grooves extends from the first end to the second end thereof in one of the drainage directions.
5. A draining porcelain stoneware unit, comprising:
a tile having a rectangular shape; and
a substantially planar outer surface with a plurality of grooves formed therein, parallel to edges of the tile;
wherein:
each of the plurality of grooves has a semi-elliptical cross-section, a semi-axis of the semi-elliptical cross-section is disposed at said substantially planar surface, and an opposite vertex of the semi-elliptical cross-section forms a bottom of the groove;
a height h between said semi-axis and the bottom vertex increases from a first end of the groove to a second end of the groove;
a central axis of the tile extends between a first pair of parallel edges of the tile and drainage directions are defined as extending from the central axis toward a second pair of parallel edges of the tile, perpendicular to the first pair of parallel edges;
each of the plurality of grooves extends from the first end to the second end in one of the drainage directions, parallel to the first pair of parallel edges; and
the plurality of grooves are a first plurality of grooves, and the tile further comprises a second plurality of grooves, each of the second plurality of grooves extending in a diagonal direction with respect to the drainage direction from a second end of one of the first plurality of grooves to a first end of another one of the first plurality of grooves.
6. A draining porcelain stoneware unit, comprising
a tile having a rectangular shape and
a substantially planar outer surface with a plurality of grooves formed therein, parallel to edges of the tile;
wherein:
each of the plurality of grooves has a semi-elliptical cross-section;
a semi-axis of the semi-elliptical cross-section is disposed at said substantially planar surface, and an opposite vertex of the semi-elliptical cross-section forms a bottom of the groove;
a height h between said semi-axis and the bottom vertex increases from a first end of the groove to a second end of the groove;
a first diagonal axis extends diagonally across the tile between a first pair of corners of the tile;
a second diagonal axis extends diagonally across the tile between a second pair of corners of the tile, such that the second diagonal axis is perpendicular to the first diagonal axis;
drainage directions are defined as extending from one of the first diagonal axis and the second diagonal axis toward an edge of tile; and
each of the plurality of grooves extends from the first end to the second end thereof in one of the drainage directions.
7. The unit according to claim 3 , wherein the bottom of each of the plurality of grooves has an inclination gradient of between 0.3% and 5.0% from the first end to the second end thereof.
8. The unit according to claim 7 , wherein the trapezoidal cross-section is isosceles between the minor base and the major base and a ratio between a length of the minor base and a length of the major base between 1:3 and 1:6; and an isosceles angle of the trapezoidal cross-section is between 70° and 15°.
9. The unit according to claim 1 , wherein the triangular cross-section is isosceles, an isosceles angle of the triangular cross-section is between 700 and 15° and the bottom of each of the plurality of grooves an inclination gradient of between 0.3% and 5.0% from the first end to the second end thereof.
10. The unit according to claim 5 , wherein the bottom of each of the plurality of grooves has an inclination gradient between 0.3% and 5.0% from the first end to the second end thereof.
11. The unit according to claim 4 , wherein the bottom of each of the plurality of grooves has an inclination gradient of between 0.3% and 5.0% from the first end to the second end thereof.
12. The unit according to claim 4 , wherein the trapezoidal cross-section is isosceles between the minor base and the major base and a ratio between a length of the minor base and a length of the major base between 1:3 and 1:6; and an isosceles angle of the trapezoidal cross-section is between 70° and 15°.
13. The unit according to claim 2 , wherein the triangular cross-section is isosceles, an isosceles angle of the triangular cross-section is between 70° and 15° and the bottom of each of the plurality of grooves an inclination gradient of between 0.3% and 5.0% from the first end to the second end thereof.
14. The unit according to claim 6 , wherein the bottom of each of the plurality of grooves has an inclination gradient between 0.3% and 5.0% from the first end to the second end thereof.