U.S. patent application number 11/559634 was filed with the patent office on 2008-05-15 for light weight metal framing member.
Invention is credited to Robert Howchin.
Application Number | 20080110126 11/559634 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39402863 |
Filed Date | 2008-05-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080110126 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Howchin; Robert |
May 15, 2008 |
Light Weight Metal Framing Member
Abstract
The present invention provides for a lightweight metal framing
member having a plurality of depressions and a plurality of
reinforcing ribs on the surface thereof, the depressions and ribs
both being inwardly oriented and cooperating to aid in stiffening
of the metal stud. The present invention also provides a method of
manufacturing a metal framing member having a plurality of
depressions and a plurality of reinforcing ribs on the surface
thereof, the depressions and ribs both being inwardly oriented and
cooperating to aid in stiffening of the metal stud. The method
utilizes a cold roll forming apparatus having a first roller with a
plurality of projections on its surface and a second roller having
a surface provided with holes aligned with the projections on the
surface of the first roller to form the depressions in the surface
of the material having clearly defined edges generally aligned with
the plane of the metal sheet. A second roll forming apparatus is
used having a first roller with projections on its surface to form
the reinforcing ribs in the surface of the sheet material and a
second roller to allow for a softer transition between the surface
of the sheet material and the edges of the reinforcing ribs and so
as not to unduly deform the depressions formed in the first roll
forming step. A third roll forming apparatus is used having rollers
to form the metal stud or track.
Inventors: |
Howchin; Robert; (Milton,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Dennison Associates;Suite 301
133 Richmond Street West
Toronto
ON
M5H 2L7
omitted
|
Family ID: |
39402863 |
Appl. No.: |
11/559634 |
Filed: |
November 14, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/630 ;
52/717.06; 52/846; 72/379.2; 73/196 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04C 3/07 20130101; E04C
3/32 20130101; E04C 2003/0421 20130101; E04B 2/7457 20130101; E04C
2003/0434 20130101; E04C 2003/0473 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/630 ;
52/717.06; 52/733.2; 72/379.2; 73/196 |
International
Class: |
E04C 2/32 20060101
E04C002/32; E04C 3/32 20060101 E04C003/32; B21D 31/06 20060101
B21D031/06 |
Claims
1. A lightweight metal framing member formed from a sheet of metal
having a plurality of depressions and a plurality of reinforcing
ribs extending across on the surface thereof, the depressions and
ribs both being inwardly oriented and cooperating to aid in
stiffening of the metal framing member.
2. A lightweight metal framing member according to claim 1, wherein
the metal framing member is a metal stud having a generally
rectangular C shaped cross section with two parallel spaced apart
side walls and a central web bridging the side walls, said side
walls terminating in inturned ledges.
3. A lightweight metal stud according to claim 2, wherein each of
the depressions has a depth about 2 to 4 times the thickness of the
metal from which the stud is formed.
4. A lightweight metal stud according to claim 3, wherein each of
the depressions is round or knurled and has a diameter of about
0.10 inches.
5. A lightweight metal stud according to claim 4, wherein the
depressions are provided as a series of rows across the surface of
the metal sheet from which the stud was formed.
6. A lightweight metal stud according to claim 5, wherein the rows
of depressions are offset from each other so that the depressions
form a diamond pattern on the surface of the sheet material from
which the stud was formed and may be located closer together.
7. A lightweight metal stud according to claim 6, wherein 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.
8. A lightweight metal stud according to claim 7, wherein the ribs
are arranged diagonally across at least one half of the width of
the metal sheet from which the stud was formed.
9. A lightweight metal stud according to claim 8, wherein the ribs
have a width of about 0.20 to 0.3 inches wide, and a depth of about
0.05 to 0.15 inches deep.
10. A method of manufacturing a metal framing member having a
plurality of depressions and a plurality of reinforcing ribs on the
surface thereof, the depressions and ribs both being inwardly
oriented and cooperating to aid in stiffening of the metal framing
member, the method comprises a) passing a suitably dimensioned
metal sheet material through a cold roll forming apparatus having a
first roller with a plurality of projections on its surface and a
second roller having a surface provided with holes aligned with the
projections on the surface of the first roller to form the
depressions in the surface of the material having clearly defined
edges generally aligned with the plane of the metal sheet, b)
passing the sheet material through a second roll forming apparatus
having a first roller with projections on its surface to form the
reinforcing ribs in the surface of the sheet material and a second
roller to allow for a softer transition between the surface of the
sheet material and the edges of the reinforcing ribs and not unduly
deform or flatten any of the depressions formed in the first roll
forming apparatus, and c) passing the sheet material through a
third roll forming apparatus having rollers to form the metal
framing member.
11. A method of manufacturing a metal framing member according to
claim 10 wherein the reinforcing ribs extend diagonally across at
least one half of the surface of the sheet material and the first
roll forming apparatus and second roll forming apparatus are
aligned such that a row of depressions is formed at the apex of
each of the reinforcing ribs.
12. A lightweight metal stud formed from a sheet of metal having
rows of depressions and rows of reinforcing ribs extending across
the surface thereof, the depressions and ribs being inwardly
oriented and cooperating to stiffen said sheet, said metal stud
formed from said sheet having a generally rectangular C
cross-section having a central web between spaced side walls, said
side walls terminating in inturned ledges.
13. A lightweight metal stud as claimed in claim 12 in which said
central web comprises a main central section bordered by channel
shaped ribs extending longitudinally of said stud, said
longitudinal channel shaped ribs projecting beyond said main
central web section in a direction opposite to the inwardly
oriented rows of reinforcing ribs and projections.
14. A lightweight metal stud as claimed in claim 13 wherein each of
said depressions has a depth of about 2 to 4 times the thickness of
the metal from which the stud is formed.
15. A lightweight metal stud according to claim 14 wherein each of
the depressions is round and has a diameter of about 0.10
inches.
16. A lightweight metal stud according to claim 15 wherein the rows
of depressions are offset from each other so that the depressions
are closer together and form a diamond pattern on the surface of
the sheet material from which the stud was formed.
17. A lightweight metal stud according to claim 13 wherein 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.
18. A lightweight metal stud according to claim 17 wherein the ribs
are arranged diagonally across at least one half of the width of
the metal sheet from which the stud was formed.
19. A lightweight metal stud according to claim 18 wherein the ribs
at a width of about 0.20 to 0.3 inches, and a depth of about 0.05
to 0.15 inches.
20. A method as claimed in claim 10 in which said first roller in
step (a) forms said depressions in a diamond shaped
arrangement.
21. A method as claimed in claim 20 in which said first roller in
step (b) forms said reinforcing ribs so that they are at an angle
to a line drawn transversely of the width of said metal sheet.
22. A method as claimed in claim 20 in which said first roller in
step (b) forms said reinforcing ribs so that they have a
herringbone or quilted pattern.
23. A lightweight metal framing member according to claim 1,
wherein the metal framing member is a metal track having a
generally rectangular U shaped cross section with two parallel
spaced apart side walls and a central web bridging the side
walls.
24. A lightweight metal track according to claim 23, wherein each
of the depressions has a depth about 2 to 4 times the thickness of
the metal from which the stud is formed.
25. A lightweight metal track according to claim 24, wherein each
of the depressions is round or knurled and has a diameter of about
0.10 inches.
26. A lightweight metal track according to claim 25, wherein the
depressions are provided as a series of rows across the surface of
the metal sheet from which the track was formed.
27. A lightweight metal track according to claim 26, wherein the
rows of depressions are offset from each other so that the
depressions are closer together and form a diamond pattern on the
surface of the sheet material from which the track was formed.
28. A lightweight metal track according to claim 27, wherein 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.
29. A lightweight metal track according to claim 28, wherein the
ribs are arranged horizontally across a portion of the width of the
metal sheet from which central web of the track was formed.
30. A lightweight metal track according to claim 29, wherein the
ribs have a width of about 0.20 to 0.3 inches wide, and a depth of
about 0.05 to 0.15 inches deep.
31. A lightweight metal track according to claim 30, wherein the
ribs are evenly spaced along the length of the web of the track to
provide an indexing of the length of the track.
32. A lightweight metal framing member formed from a sheet of metal
having a plurality of depressions on the surface thereof, the
depressions being inwardly oriented to aid in stiffening of the
metal framing member and having 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.
33. A lightweight metal framing member according to claim 32,
wherein each of the depressions has a depth about 2 to 4 times the
thickness of the metal from which the framing member is formed.
34. A lightweight metal framing member according to claim 33,
wherein each of the depressions is round or knurled and has a
diameter of about 0.10 inches.
35. A lightweight metal framing member according to claim 34,
wherein the depressions are provided as a series of rows across the
surface of the metal sheet from which the stud was formed.
36. A lightweight metal framing member according to claim 35,
wherein the rows of depressions are offset from each other so that
the depressions form a diamond pattern on the surface of the sheet
material from which the framing member was formed and may be
located closer together.
37. A lightweight metal framing member according to claim 36,
wherein 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.
38. A method according to claim 10 wherein said second roller of
step (b) has a compressible surface.
39. A method according to claim 38 wherein said second roller of
step (b) is a polyurethane roller.
40. A method according to claim 10 wherein said second roller of
step (b) is provided with openings larger than the projections on
the surface of the first roller of step (b) to allow for air
bending of the ribs.
Description
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 one or more patterns of
projections to stiffen the material utilized in forming the metal
stud or track and to enhance screw gripping.
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, 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 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] Another problem with the use of metal framing members is
that as the screws are being driven into the metal framing member,
there is a tendency for the flange of the stud or track to deflect
from the screw tip pressure and the tip of the screw may slip along
the surface of the metal framing member and not be properly driven
through the metal framing member at a generally perpendicular
angle. Angular screw gripping is especially critical when applying
wall sheeting material since often when a screw is being installed,
the side of the stud or track may deflect as pressure is applied to
install the screw. The deflection of the side wall will create an
angle between the screw and the sidewall, even if the screw is
applied at right angles to the wall sheeting material. In the past,
manufacturers of metal studs have provided a dimpling on the
surfaces of the metal stud to capture the tip of the screw and
reduce the tendency of the screw to slip along the surface, but
such dimpling creates negligible increased stud strength.
[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 plurality of depressions and a plurality of
reinforcing ribs on the surfaces thereof, the depressions and ribs
both being inwardly oriented and cooperating to significantly aid
in stiffening of the metal framing member.
[0007] In an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
metal framing member having a plurality of inwardly oriented
depressions on the surfaces of the framing member to aid in
stiffening of the metal frame 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.
[0008] In an 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 reinforcing ribs.
[0009] 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 a plurality of reinforcing ribs.
[0010] 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.
[0011] 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.
[0012] In another aspect of the invention, each of the depressions
are round or knurled and have a diameter of about 0.10 inches.
[0013] In another aspect of the invention, the depressions are
provided as a series of rows across the surface of the metal
framing member.
[0014] 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.
[0015] 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.
[0016] In another aspect of the invention, the ribs on the surfaces
of the stud, except for the narrow edge ribs are arranged
diagonally across at least one half of the width and depth of the
stud.
[0017] In another aspect of the invention, the ribs have a width of
about 0.20 to 0.30 inches wide, preferably about 0.25 inches wide
and a depth of about 0.05 to 0.15 inches deep preferrably about
0.10 inches deep.
[0018] In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a
method of manufacturing a metal framing member having a plurality
of depressions and a plurality of reinforcing ribs on the surface
thereof, the depressions and ribs both being inwardly oriented and
cooperating to aid 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
plurality of projections on its surface to press into the sheet
metal material and form the depressions in the surface of the
material and a second roller having holes corresponding to the
projections of the first roller to provide well defined edges to
the depressions. The sheet material is then passed through a second
roll forming apparatus having a first roller with projections on
its surface to form the reinforcing ribs 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 reinforcing ribs as well as to not unduly deform the
depressions within the rib. The sheet material is then passed
through a third roll forming apparatus having rollers to form the
metal framing member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in
the attached drawings in which:
[0020] FIG. 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;
[0021] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment
of a lightweight metal stud of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second preferred
embodiment of a lightweight metal stud of the present
invention;
[0023] FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the capture of a
screw tip by the depression on the surface of the metal stud or
track;
[0024] FIG. 5 is a cross section view illustrating the capture of a
screw tip by the depression on the surface of the metal stud or
track;
[0025] FIG. 6 is perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a
lightweight metal track of the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the depression being applied
to the surface of the metal sheet which is to be formed into a stud
or track;
[0027] FIG. 8 is a side elevation view in cross-section
illustrating the forming of the depression on the surface of the
metal sheet;
[0028] FIG. 9 is a side elevation view in cross-section of the
metal sheet having the depressions formed therein;
[0029] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the reinforcing ribs which
extend across the metal sheet being applied to the sheet;
[0030] FIG. 11 is a side elevation view in cross-section
illustrating the forming of the reinforcing ribs in surface of the
metal sheet using a compressible surface roller;
[0031] FIG. 12 is a side elevation view in cross-section of the
metal sheet with the depressions and reinforcing ribs formed
therein; and
[0032] FIG. 13 is a side elevation view in cross section
illustrating the forming of the reinforcing ribs in the surface of
the metal sheet using an air bending roller.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0033] 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 FIG. 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.
[0034] As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, 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 longitudinal ribs 24b extend outwardly of the stud 10 and aid
in stiffening of the central web 24 of the stud 10.
[0035] The surface of the metal sheet from which the metal stud 10
or tracks 12 is formed is provided with a plurality of depressions
28 formed therein to aid in stiffening of the metal from which the
stud 10 or track 12 is formed. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, 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 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 FIGS. 4 and 5, 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.
[0036] In addition to the depressions 28, the metal from which the
stud 10 or track 12 is formed is also preferably provided with a
plurality of reinforcing projections such as ribs 30 which extend
across at least a portion of the sheet to further aid in stiffening
of the material from which the stud 10 or track 12 is formed. FIGS.
2 and 3 illustrate two preferred embodiments of studs of the
present invention with two different patterns of ribs on the
surface. The stud 10 illustrated in FIG. 2 has the ribs 30 arranged
in a herringbone or chevron pattern, while the stud 10 illustrated
in FIG. 3 has the ribs 30 arranged in a crossed diagonal or quilted
pattern. As explained below, other patterns may also be
utilized.
[0037] Each of the depressions 28 and the reinforcing ribs 30 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 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 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.
[0038] FIG. 6 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 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 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.
[0039] FIGS. 7 through 9 illustrate the first step in the
processing of the metal sheet from which the stud 10 or track 12 is
to be constructed. A metal sheet 38 of a suitable thickness is
passed through a cold roll forming apparatus having a first roller
40 with a plurality of projections 42 on its surface to press into
the sheet metal material 38 and form the depressions 28 in the
surface of the material. The second roller 44 of this roll forming
apparatus has a surface provided with holes 46 aligned with the
projections 42 on the surface of the first roller 40. In this way,
the depressions 28 being formed by the rollers 40 and 44 having
aligned projections 42 and holes 46 have clearly defined edges 48
generally aligned with the plane of the metal sheet 38. This is
illustrated in detail in FIG. 9 where it is shown that the edges 48
between the surface of the sheet material 38 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 38 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.
[0040] 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 possibility 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 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.
[0041] Once the depressions 28 are formed in the metal sheet
material 38, the metal sheet material 38 is then passed through a
second roll forming apparatus having a first roller 50 with
projections 52 on its surface to form the reinforcing ribs 30 in
the surface of the sheet material 38. This second apparatus also
has a second roller 54 which allows for a softer transition between
the surface of the sheet material and the edges of the reinforcing
ribs 30. As shown in FIG. 13, the second roller 54 could be
provided with an enlarged opening to allow for air bending of the
rib 30 or as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, it could be provided with a
compressible surface such as polyurethane. The use of such a second
roller 54 provides 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.
[0042] 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 a depth approximately 0.05 to 0.15 inches deep
preferrably about 0.1 inches deep.
[0043] 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.
[0044] While in the preferred embodiment illustrated, the
reinforcing ribs 30 which extend across the metal sheet from which
the stud 10 is formed are a herringbone or chevron shape or a
quilted pattern, 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
or on 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 eliminating the ribs 30 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.
[0045] The method and apparatus used to form the depressions and
reinforcing ribs 30 is usable with any size stud 10 or track 12
because of the orientation and pattern of the depressions 28 and
reinforcing ribs 30. In this way, separate apparatus are not needed
to produce the typical 15/8, 21/2 inch, 35/8 inch, 6 inch or 8 inch
studs and tracks. Rather, the feed fences for the apparatus are
adjusted such that the sheet material for forming the stud or track
is fed centered on the rollers of the roll forming apparatus.
[0046] 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, 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.
[0047] 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 spirit of the invention or scope
of the appended claims.
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