Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02584677 2007-04-13
J J-13 160CA
TITLE: LIGHT WEIGHT METAL FRAMING MEMBER
FIELD OF THE INVENTION:
[0001] The present invention relates to metal framing members for use
in constructing partition walls. In particular, the invention relates to metal
studs and tracks for use in partition walls wherein the stud or track is
provided with non-symmetrical patterns of structures to stiffen the material
utilized in roll forming the metal stud or track and wherein the stud or track
is also provided with longitudinally extending ribs to reduce or eliminate the
tendency of the metal from which such stud or track is roll formed to shrink
and twist.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
[0002] It is common practice in residential and many commercial
buildings to separate the various rooms by partition walls to define the space
of the room. Such partition walls are generally load bearing and have in the
past been constructed of wood members including top and bottom plates and
bridging studs. The use of wood members has its shortcomings, the supply of
lumber is getting scarce, and costs have increased during recent years. In
addition, wood can warp and go out of shape when it becomes wet as well as
being susceptible to fire damage and attack by vermin of various kinds.
[0003] In recent years, partition walls framed with sheet metal
members have been employed. The use of sheet metal members provides
advantages of dimensional stability, ease of manufacturing and conservation
of natural resources among others. However, the use of sheet metal framing
members has not gained widespread acceptance for various reasons. For
example, the cost of the materials utilized to form metal studs has been
increasing and the price advantages of metal studs over wood studs is
decreasing. There have been attempts in the past to reduce the cost of the
material utilized to form the metal stud by providing stiffening structures to
the metal to allow a thinner and less expensive metal to be used for a
particular duty. For example, Swiss Patent CH486281 describes a sheet
material having rows of alternating projections and depressions, the rows of
the projections and depressions offset such that the projections and
depressions alternate along the length of the material. Similarly, Canadian
1
CA 02584677 2007-04-13
JI 13 160CA
Patent Application No. 2, 149,914 describes a stud for use in partition walls
where the sheet material to form the stud is provided with projections on
opposite surfaces of the material to leave a corresponding depression at the
opposite face of the material, the positions of the projections and
depressions
at each surface of the material being such that lines drawn on the surface of
the material between adjacent rows of projections and depressions are not
rectilinear. While this arrangement is said to allow the production of studs
from a thinner starting material, the manufacturing process required two
offset rollers each being provided with projections to form the projections
and
depressions on opposite sides of the metal sheet.
[0004] In our previously filed application, a lightweight metal framing
member having a plurality of depressions and a plurality of reinforcing ribs
on the surfaces thereof was described. The depressions and ribs were both
inwardly oriented and cooperated to aid in stiffening of the metal framing
member. During roll forming production of metal framing member having
non symmetrical reinforcing structures, that is reinforcing structures which
do not extend across the entire width of the framing member, a tendency of
the studs to twist was observed. It is believed this is due to uneven
shrinkage
in the length of the member across its width caused by the localized shrinkage
of the metal as a result of the formation of the reinforcing structures in
only a
portion of the width of the metal from which the metal framing member is
formed. While the twisting does not affect the structural integrity of the
metal
framing member, it does detract from the appearance of the stud and makes
the storage and installation of the metal framing member more difficult.
[0005] There still remains a need for a lightweight metal framing
member which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention provides for a lightweight metal framing
member having a central web and two parallel spaced apart side walls
extending upwardly from the sides of the web. The framing member has at
least one longitudinally oriented rib extending the length of the web of the
framing member to aid in reducing shrinkage and twisting of the framing
2
I N
CA 02584677 2007-04-13
JJ 13 160CA
member when non symmetrical reinforcing structures which do not extend
across the width of the framing member are formed in the framing member.
[0007] In an aspect of the present invention, the metal framing member
is provided with a plurality of inwardly oriented depressions on the surfaces
of the framing member to aid in stiffening of the metal framing member and
enhance screw tip capture. Each of the depressions are formed with clearly
defined edges to enhance screw tip capture of a screw entering the depression
irrespective of the angle of entry into the depression of the screw tip.
10008] In another aspect of the invention, the framing member is
provided with a plurality of non symmetrical reinforcing ribs in the web of
the framing member, the non symmetrical reinforcing ribs being inwardly
oriented and cooperating with the depressions to significantly aid in
stiffening of the metal framing member.
[0009] In another aspect of the invention, the metal framing member is
a stud having a generally rectangular C shaped cross section with two parallel
spaced apart side walls and a central web bridging the side walls with the
side walls terminating in inturned flanges or ledges. Each of the side walls,
ledges and central web are provided with the plurality of depressions and the
web is provided with the longitudinaly extending rib and non symmetrical
reinforcing ribs.
10010] In another aspect of the invention, the metal framing member is
a track having a generally rectangular U shaped cross section with two
parallel spaced apart side walls and a central web bridging the side walls.
Each of the side walls and central web are provided with the plurality of
depressions and the web is provided with the longitudinaly extending rib and
a plurality of non symmetrical reinforcing ribs.
[0011] In another aspect of the invention, the central web bridging the
side walls is in the form of a main central section bordered by raised narrow
channel shaped edge ribs.
[0012] In another aspect of the invention, each of the depressions has a
depth about 2 to 4 times the thickness of the metal from which the framing
member is formed.
3
CA 02584677 2007-04-13
J 13 160CA
[0013] In another aspect of the invention, each of the depressions are
round or knurled and have a diameter of about 0.10 inches.
[0014] In another aspect of the invention, the depressions are provided
as a series of rows across the surface of the metal framing member.
[0015] In another aspect of the invention, the rows of depressions are
offset from each other so that the depressions form a diamond pattern on the
surface of the sheet material such that the rows can be moved closer together,
increasing the number of depressions for reinforcement and screw
attachment.
[0016] In another aspect of the invention, the spacing between the rows
of depressions is about 0.10 inches and the spacing between the depressions
in each row is about 0.20 inches.
[0017] In another aspect of the invention, the non symmetrical
reinforcing ribs on the web of the metal framing member, are arranged
diagonally across at least one half of the width of the web.
[0018] In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of
manufacturing a metal framing member having a longitudinally extending rib
along the web, and a plurality of non symmetrical reinforcing structures on
the surface thereof, the non symmetrical reinforcing structures being
inwardly oriented and aiding in stiffening of the metal framing member. The
method comprises passing a suitably dimensioned sheet material through a
cold roll forming apparatus having a first roller with a circumferential
projection on its surface to press into the sheet metal material and form the
longitudinally extending rib on the surface of the material and a second
roller
having a groove corresponding to the projection of the first roller. The sheet
material is then passed through a second roll forming apparatus having a first
roller with a pluarality of projections on its surface to form the non
symmetrical reinforcing structures in the surface of the sheet material and a
second roller having a surface to allow for a softer transition between the
surface of the sheet material and the edges of the non symmetrical reinforcing
structures. The sheet material is then passed through a third roll forming
apparatus having rollers to form the metal framing member.
4
CA 02584677 2007-04-13
JJ 13 160CA
[0019] In another aspect of the invention, the method of manufacturing
the metal framing member includes the additional step of providing a
plurality of inwardly oriented depressions on the surface of the metal framing
member. The plurality of inwardly oriented depressions are formed in a step
before the formation of the longitudinally extending rib by passing the sheet
material through a roll forming apparatus having a first roller with a
plurality
of projections on its surface and a second roller having holes aligned with
the
projections of the surface of the first roller to form depressions with
clearly
defined edges in the surface of the sheet material.
[0020] In another aspect of the invention, the sheet material after
having the longitudinally extending ribs and non symmetrical reinforcing
structures placed therein, is passed through an additional roll forming
apparatus to form the final metal framing member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
[0021] Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the
attached drawings in which:
[0022] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wall constructed utilizing a
preferred embodiment of the lightweight metal stud and track of the present
invention being used to frame a partition wall;
[0023] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a
lightweight metal stud of the present invention;
[0024] Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating the capture of a screw
tip by the depression on the surface of the metal stud or track;
[0025] Figure 4 is a cross section view illustrating the capture of a
screw tip by the depression on the surface of the metal stud or track; and
[0026] Figure 5 is perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a
lightweight metal track of the present invention; and
CA 02584677 2013-09-18
JJ-13 160CA
[0027] Figure 6 is a side elevation view in cross-section of the
lightweight metal stud of Figure 2 with the depressions, longitudinally
extending ribs and non-symmetrical reinforcing ribs formed therein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0028] The present invention is directed to metal framing members
such as metal studs 10 and tracks 12 utilized in framing partition walls 14 as
illustrated in Figure 1. The partition walls 14 are framed from a metal track
12
forming the top plates 12a and bottom plates 12b that are bridged by the
parallel spaced apart metal studs 10. The spacing between the metal studs 10
is that typically utilized in construction of walls generally at 16 inches on
center although other spacing such as 24 inches on center may be utilized.
The studs 10 are attached to the top plate 12a and bottom plate 12b through
the use of suitable screws 16. Once the partition wall 14 is framed utilizing
the studs 10, top plate 12a and bottom plate 12b, a suitable wall covering
material such as wall board 18 is attached to the partition wall utilizing
suitable screws 20.
[0029] As illustrated in Figures 2, the metal stud 10 has a generally C-
shaped rectangular cross-section with two parallel spaced apart side walls 22
and a central web 24 bridging the side walls 22. The side walls 22 terminate
in inwardly turned ledges 26. The central web 24 has a main central section
24a bordered by channel shaped ribs 24b extending longitudinally of the stud
10. The central web of the stud 10 is displaced inwardly of the longitudinal
ribs 24b which aids in stiffening of the central web 24 of the stud 10.
[0030] The surface of the metal sheet from which the metal stud 10 or
tracks 12 is formed is provided with a plurality of reinforcing structures to
aid
in stiffening of the metal from which the stud or track is formed. In one
embodiment, the plurality of reinforcing structures include depressions 28
formed therein. The depressions may be provided non-symmetrically, on
only selected surfaces of the stud such as the flanges. Preferably, the stud
10
is provided with the depressions 28 across the entire surface of the metal
from
which the stud is manufactured. As illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the
depressions 28 also aid in preventing slipping of a screw 20 as it is being
driven into the metal stud 10 or track 12 irrespective of the direction in
which
6
CA 02584677 2007-04-13
JJ 13 160CA
the screw tip enters the depression 28. Typically as a screw 20 is being
driven
into the flange or side wall 22 of a stud 10 or track 12, the pressure of the
screw tip tends to deflect the sidewall, allowing the screw tip to slip along
the
surface. As illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the shaping and dimensions of the
depressions 28 capture the screw tip, even when the sidewall 22 is deforming
and significantly reduces or elimates the possibility of screw tip slippage.
[0031] In addition to the depressions 28, the metal from which the stud
or track 12 is formed is also preferably provided with a plurality of other
non symmetrical reinforcing structures. The term non symmetrical
reinforcing structure refers to reinforcing structures which do not extend the
entire width of the framing member, but rather are only placed within a
portion of the width of the surface of the framing member. In the
embodiment illustrated, these structures are reinforcing projections such as
ribs 30 which extend across at least a portion of the sheet from which the web
of the framing member will be formed to further aid in stiffening of the
material from which the stud 10 or track 12 is formed. The stud 10 illustrated
in Figure 2 has the ribs 30 arranged in an interupted herringbone or chevron
pattern, however, other patterns of the ribs such as a crossed diagonal or
quilted pattern are also possible.
[0032] In this embodiment the ribs 30 are provided as chevron shapes
and are formed only within the main central section 24a of the central web 24.
The ribs 30 do not extend into either the channel shaped ribs 24b nor the
sidewalls 22 and inwardly turned ledges 26. The sidewalls 22 of this
embodiment of the stud 10 are provided with longitudinally extending ribs
29 which are inwardly directed to aid in stiffening of the sidewall 22.
[0033] The stud 10 is provided with longitudinally extending ribs 31 in
the main central section 24a of the central web 24. These longitudinally
extending ribs 31 are formed in the stud 10 prior to the formation of the non
symmetrical reinforcing structures such as the ribs 30. In this embodiment of
the stud 10 the ribs 30 are in a general Chevron shape. However they are
separated into three sections, sections 30a, 30b and 30c interrupted by the
longitudinally extending rib 31. The non symmetrical reinforcing structures
do not extend into the longitudinally extending ribs in order that the
longitudinally extending rib will hold the metal as the non symmetrical
reinforcing structures are being stretched into the material. As explained
7
CA 02584677 2007-04-13
)J 13 160CA
below, other patterns of the ribs 30 other than those illustrated may also be
utilized.
[0034] The number and placement of the longitudinally exending ribs
31 in the main central section 24a is selected based on the completed size of
the stud. For example a 1 5/8 "stud may be provided with one such
longitudinally extending rib 31, a 2 1/2" stud may be provided with either one
or two such ribs. As illustrated in Figure 4 preferrably a 3 5/8" or 4" stud
is
provided with two such ribs while a 6" or 8" stud would be provided with
three or four such ribs.
[0035] Each of the depressions 28, the non symmetrical reinforcing ribs
30 and the longitudinly extending ribs 29 in the sidewalls are formed on the
same surface of the material from which the stud 10 or track 12 is to be
formed such that the depressions 28, longitudinly extending ribs 29 and
reinforcing ribs 30 are oriented to the inside of the formed metal stud 10 or
track 12. In this way, the depressions 28 and longitudinally extending ribs 29
and non symmetrical reinforcing ribs 30 do not interfere with the placing of
the metal stud 10 within the top 12a and bottom plates 12b nor do they
interfere with the placement of the covering materials 18 on the formed walls
14. An additional benefit of the provision of the depressions 28 on both the
stud 10 and track 12 is that as the stud 10 is placed within the track 12, the
depressions 28 of the stud 10 and track 12 interlock to help hold the stud 10
in
the desired location within the track 12 during the framing of the partition
walls 14.
[0036] Figure 5 illustates a typical track 12 of the present invention
which is utilized as a top track 12a or bottom track 12b in forming a
partition
wall 14. Track 12 has a generally rectangular U shape with two parallel
spaced apart side walls 32 and a central web 34 bridging the side walls 32.
Similar to the stud 10, the track 12 is provided with a plurality of
depressions
28 formed therein to aid in stiffening of the metal from which the track 12 is
formed. In addition to the depressions 28, the metal from which the track 12
is formed is also provided with a plurality of non symmetrical reinforcing
projections such as ribs 30 which extend across a portion of the central web
34
to further aid in stiffening of the material from which the track 12 is
formed.
Preferably, the ribs 30 are centrally located in the central web 34 and have a
length of about 1 to 2 inches. As explained further below, the ribs 30 may
also
8
CA 02584677 2007-04-13
JJ 13 160CA
be utilized for indexing of the track length for ease of cutting the track 12
in
the field to the desired length as well as for placement of the studs 10 at
the
proper spacing within the track 12. By providing the ribs 30 across only a
portion of the central web 34 of the track 12, the ribs 30 do not interfere
with
the placement of the studs 10 within the track 12.
[0037] The processing of the metal sheet from which the stud 10 or
track 12 is to be constructed will now be described. A metal sheet of a
suitable thickness is passed through a cold roll forming apparatus having a
first roller with a plurality of projections on its surface to press into the
sheet
metal material and form the depressions 28 in the surface of the material. The
second roller of this roll forming apparatus has a surface provided with holes
aligned with the projections on the surface of the first roller. In this way,
the
depressions 28 being formed by the rollers having aligned projections and
holes have clearly defined edges 48 generally aligned with the plane of the
metal sheet. This is illustrated in detail in Figure 6 where it is shown that
the
edges 48 between the surface of the sheet material and the depressions 28 are
clearly defined sharp corners. The provision of the clearly defined edges 48
generally aligned with the plane of the metal sheet allows a screw tip to be
captured in the depression 28 at all angles and reduces or virtually
eliminates
any slipping of a screw 16 or 20 as it is being driven into the framing
member.
[0038] The number, size, spacing and shape of the depressions 28 is
selected to provide the desired reinforcement to the sheet material from
which the stud or track will be formed. Preferrably, as illustrated in the
figures, the depressions 28 are provided as a series of rows offset from each
other so that the depressions 28 form a diamond pattern on the surface of the
sheet material. By offsetting the rows of depressions 28, the depressions 28
can be placed closer together, providing a larger number of depressions 28 on
the metal sheet 38 increasing the reinforcement of the metal sheet 38 as well
as
further reducing the possibffity of screw tip slippage. The spacing between
the rows of depressions 28 is typically on the order of about 0.10 inches and
the depressions 28 are spaced apart in the row about 0.20 inches. Thus, the
depressions 28 adjacent each other in adjacent rows would be spaced apart
about 0.144 inches. While these dimensions are preferred, variations of the
dimensions may be used. While various shapes of the depressions can be
selected such as circular, oval or diamond, preferrably, each of the
depressions 28 is circular in shape having a diameter of approximately 0.10
9
1.
CA 02584677 2007-04-13
JJ 13 160CA
inches and a depth of approximately 0.03 to 0.06 inches deep, preferrably
about 0.04 to 0.05 inches deep. For a typical metal sheet 38, this results in
the
projections on the opposite side of the metal sheet 38 having a thickness of
approximately 2 4 times the thickness of the metal sheet material.
[0039] After the depressions 28 are formed in the metal sheet, the metal
sheet is passed through a second roll forming apparatus to form the
longitudinally extending ribs 31. This roll forming apparatus is provided
with a first roller having a circumferential projection to form the
longitudinally extending rib 31. The second roller has a circumferential
groove aligned with the circumferential projection of the first roller to form
the ribs 31. In the embodiments illustrated, reinforcing rib 31 projects to
the
opposited side of the metal sheet as the depressions 28, however, reinforcing
rib 31 may also be formed to project to the same side of the metal sheet as
the
depression 28.
[0040] Once the depressions 28 and longitudingly extending ribs 31 are
formed in the metal sheet material, the metal sheet material is then passed
through a third roll forming apparatus having a first roller with projections
on its surface to form the reinforcing ribs 30 in the surface of the sheet
material. This second apparatus also has a second roller which allows for a
softer transition between the surface of the sheet material and the edges of
the
reinforcing ribs 30. The second roller could be provided with an enlarged
opening to allow for air bending of the rib 30 or it could be provided with a
compressible surface such as polyurethane. The use of such a second roller
provides that the reinforcing ribs are not deformed and also that any of the
depressions 28, especially those which are within the ribs 30 are not unduly
deformed or flattened out as would be the case if the second roller was a hard
material. Rather the depressions 28 remain generally intact within the
interior
of the reinforcing rib 30. This provides for further reinforcement to the
metal
sheet material 38 as well as retaining the screw gripping property of the
depressions 28 within the rib 30. Preferably, to fully retain the screw
gripping property of the rib 30, the rollers of the second apparatus are
oriented such that a row of screw gripping depressions 28 will be present and
formed in the apex of every rib 30.
[0041] As illustrated in the figures, preferrably the ribs 30 have a width
approximately 0.20 to 0.3 inches wide, preferably about 0.25 inches wide and
CA 02584677 2007-04-13
JJ 13 160CA
a depth approximately 0.05 to 0.15 inches deep preferrably about 0.1 inches
deep.
[0042] Once the sheet material 38 has been passed through the roll
forming apparatus to form the depressions 28 and reinforcing ribs 30 in the
surface, it is then passed through the typical roll forming apparatus to form
the final C channel shape of the metal stud 10 or U channel shape of the track
12. During this operation, the longitudinally extending ribs 29 are formed in
the flange of the stud if desired.
0043] While in the preferred embodiment illustrated, the reinforcing
ribs 30 are a herringbone or chevron shape, other shapes of reinforcing ribs
30
may also be provided which will provide for the required stiffening of the
sheet material 38. For the track 12, preferably the ribs 30 extend
horizontally
across only a portion of the surface of the material 38 from which the central
web 34 of the track 12 is formed and do not extend to the sidewalls 32. The
absence of ribs 30 adjacent to the sidewalls 32 of the track 12 allows for a
better fit between the stud 10 and track 12 and better interlock of the stud
and
track depressions 28. By providing only depressions 28 in the vertically
oriented sidewalls 32 of the track 12, the stud 10 and track 12 will interlock
on
assembly and the depressions 28 on the stud 10 and track 12 being equally
spaced will also interlock providing free standing stud location until the
screws 16 are applied to firmly join the stud 10 and track 12. In addition, by
the proper spacing of the ribs 30, the ribs 30 may also be utilized for
indexing
of the track length for ease of cutting the track 12 in the field to the
desired
length as well as for placement of the studs 10 at the proper spacing within
the track 12. For example, the ribs 30 could be provided every 1 inch along
the length of the track 12 to provide a built in indexing ruler for the track.
In
addition, the length of the ribs 30 on the track may vary to provide an
additional indexing. As the spacing of studs is generally either 16 or 24
inches
on center, every fourth rib could be of a different length. For example, with
ribs spaced every inch along the track, every fourth rib could be shorter than
the other ribs to provide a 4 inch measure along the track. Alternatively,
every fourth rib could be larger than the other rib.
E0044] The metal framing members of the present invention provide for
a metal stud and track having increased strength compared to metal studs
and tracks made from plain sheet material of the same thickness. In addition,
11
CA 02584677 2013-09-18
JJ-13 160CA
the provision of the depressions on the surface of the metal framing member
as well as the shaping of the depressions allows for capture of the tip of the
screw as it is being driven through the metal framing member reducing the
likelihood of the screw slipping along the surface of the metal framing
member irrespective of angle at which the screw tip encounters the sidewall
as a result of the sidewall deflection during assembly causing an angular
intersection between the screw tip and the sidewall.
[0045] The provision of the longitudinally extending ribs in the web of
the metal framing member such as a stud or track aids in reducing or
eliminating the tendancy of the metal from which the metal framing member
is formed to shrink locally as non-symmetrical reinforcing structures are
being formed in the metal framing member. The shrinkage of the length of
the metal as a result of the displacement of the metal into the non-
symmetrical reinforcing structures gives rise to a tendancy of the metal
framing member to become twisted. By providing the longitudinally
extending ribs prior to the forming of the non-symmetrical reinforcing
structures, the metal is not able to shrink locally causing a non-even
shrinkage
in length of the framing member. Rather, the reinforcing structures are
instead stretched into the material. ,The material is held in place by the
longitudinally extending ribs, thus maintaining the dimensional stability of
the metal and reducing or eliminating the tendancy of the metal framing
member to have localized shrinkage and become twisted.
[0046] Although various preferred embodiments of the present
invention have been described herein in detail, it will be appreciated by
those
skilled in the art that variations may be made thereto without departing from
the scope of the appended claims.
12
