U.S. patent application number 11/905431 was filed with the patent office on 2008-10-16 for light weight metal framing member.
This patent application is currently assigned to Bailey Metal Products Limited. Invention is credited to Robert Howchin.
Application Number | 20080250738 11/905431 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39852460 |
Filed Date | 2008-10-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080250738 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Howchin; Robert |
October 16, 2008 |
Light weight metal framing member
Abstract
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 member when non-symmetrical
reinforcing structures are found in the framing member.
Inventors: |
Howchin; Robert; (Milton,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DENNISON ASSOCIATES
133 RICHMOND STREET WEST, SUITE 301
TORONTO
ON
M5H 2L7
CA
|
Assignee: |
Bailey Metal Products
Limited
Concord
CA
|
Family ID: |
39852460 |
Appl. No.: |
11/905431 |
Filed: |
October 1, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/235 ;
52/745.09 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04B 2/789 20130101;
E04C 2003/0473 20130101; E04C 3/07 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/235 ;
52/745.09 |
International
Class: |
E04B 2/58 20060101
E04B002/58 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 13, 2007 |
CA |
2584677 |
Claims
1. A lightweight metal framing member formed from a sheet of metal
having a plurality of non-symmetrical reinforcing structures on the
surface thereof, the framing member having at least one
longitudinally oriented rib extending the length of the framing
member to aid in reducing localized shrinkage of the framing member
at the non-symmetrical reinforcing structures.
2. A lightweight metal framing member according to claim 1 wherein
the 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.
3. A lightweight metal framing member 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 framing member is formed.
4. A lightweight metal framing member 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 framing member according to claim 4, wherein
the depressions are provided as a series of rows across the surface
of the metal sheet from which the framing member was formed.
6. A lightweight metal framing member according to claim 6, 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.
7. A lightweight metal framing member according to claim 7, 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 framing member according to claim 7, 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, the longitudinally extending
ribs being provided in the web of the stud.
9. A lightweight metal stud according to claim 8 wherein the stud
is provided with rows of non-symmetrical reinforcing ribs extending
across a portion of the web thereof, the ribs being inwardly
oriented and cooperating to stiffen said metal stud.
10. A lightweight metal stud according to claim 9, wherein the web
is provided with a plurality of non-symmetrical reinforcing ribs
arranged across at least one half of the width of the web.
11. A lightweight metal stud according to claim 10, 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.
12. A lightweight metal stud as claimed in claim 11 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.
13. A lightweight metal stud according to claim 12 wherein the ribs
are arranged diagonally across the main central section of the
web.
14. A lightweight metal stud according to claim 14 wherein said
reinforcing ribs have a herringbone or quilted pattern.
15. A lightweight metal framing member according to claim 7,
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.
16. A lightweight metal track according to claim 15 wherein the
track is provided with rows of non-symmetrical reinforcing ribs
extending across a portion of the web thereof, the ribs being
inwardly oriented and cooperating to stiffen said metal stud.
17. A lightweight metal track according to claim 16, 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.
18. A lightweight metal track according to claim 17 wherein the
ribs are arranged horizontally across a central section of the
web.
19. 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, passing the
sheet material 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, and
passing the sheet material through a third roll forming apparatus
having rollers to form the metal framing member
20. The method of manufacturing the metal framing member according
to claim 19 which 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 being 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.
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 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 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 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.
[0008] 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 intumed
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.
[0010] 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.
[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.
[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] 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;
[0023] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a
lightweight metal stud of the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 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] FIG. 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] FIG. 5 is perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a
lightweight metal track of the present invention; and
[0027] FIG. 6 is a side elevation view in cross-section of the
lightweight metal stud of FIG. 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 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.
[0029] As illustrated in FIGS. 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 longitudinal
ribs 24b extend outwardly of the central web of the stud 10 and aid
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 FIGS. 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 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. 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 10 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 FIG. 2 has the ribs 30 arranged in an interrupted
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 below, other patterns of the ribs 30
other than those illustrated may also be utilized.
[0034] The number and placement of the longitudinally extending
ribs 31 in the main central section 24a is selected based on the
completed size of the stud. For example a 15/8'' stud may be
provided with one such longitudinally extending rib 31, a 21/2''
stud may be provided with either one or two such ribs. As
illustrated in FIG. 4 preferably a 35/8'' 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] FIG. 5 illustrates 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 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 FIG. 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. Preferably, 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,
preferably, 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, preferably 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, preferably 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
preferably 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.
[0044] 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.
[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 spirit of the invention or scope
of the appended claims.
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