Sheet Metal Joint For Panels And Sheets

Abstract

A sheet metal joint for wall and ceiling panels, roofing and sidewall sheets, etc. The joint may be between wall or ceiling panels and an attaching strip, or between adjoining roofing or sidewall sheets. One member has an open tubular flange at one side edge and there is a channel at the adjacent edge portion of the other member, the channel having a restricted throat into which the open tubular flange is snapped and locked. The wall and ceiling panels are formed of spaced metal sheets with a heat and cold insulation such as polyurethane therebetween.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to sheet metal joints for wall and ceiling panels, roofing and sidewall sheets and the like.

2. Description of the Prior Art

It is known that sheet metal joints have been made in which a flange or bead on the edge of one member fits into a channel on the adjoining edge of the other member, but it is not known that such a joint has been proposed in which an open tubular flange on the edge of one member snaps and locks into a channel with restricted throat on the edge of another member.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In general terms, the invention may be described briefly as a sheet metal joint for metal wall and ceiling panels or for roofing and sidewall sheets.

The wall and ceiling panels are each formed of two spaced metal sheets having a heat and cold insulation filler such as polyurethane foam therebetween. Channels with restricted throats are formed near the side edges of the panels. An attaching strip is provided with an open tubular flange formed at each side edge thereof for snapping into the channels and locking the panels to the attaching strip.

The roofing and sidewall sheets may be directly connected to each other without the interposition of an attaching strip. An open tubular flange is formed along one edge of a sheet and adapted to be snapped into a channel with restricted throat formed on the adjacent edge of a similar sheet. In this form of the invention, the restricted throat is formed in the channel by an inturned angular terminal flange, the edge of which contacts the open tubular flange.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the invention to provide a sheet metal joint of the character referred to in which there is a channel with restricted throat at the edge of one member and an open tubular flange at the adjacent edge of an adjoining member, adapted to be snapped into and locked in said channel.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a sheet metal joint in which the channels are in wall or ceiling panels and the open tubular flanges are formed upon an attaching strip.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sheet metal joint of this type in which the open tubular flange is formed at one edge of a roofing or sidewall sheet and the channel is formed at the opposite edge thereof.

The above objects together with others which will be apparent from the drawings and following description, or which may be later referred to, may be attained by constructing the improved sheet metal joint for panels and sheets, in the manner hereinafter described in detail and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded transverse sectional view of a joint between two wall or ceiling panels including attaching and connecting strips;

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view through such a joint taken as on line 2-2 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation looking in the direction of the arrows 3-3, FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a section of a channel with restricted throat formed at one edge of a roofing or sidewall sheet;

FIG. 5 is a section of an open tubular flange formed at the opposite edge of a roofing or sidewall sheet;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view through a joint formed of the open tubular flange of FIG. 5 inserted into the channel of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a section, on a smaller scale, through adjoining portions of two roofing or sidewall sheets connected by the sheet metal joint to which the invention pertains; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view through a joint which is attached to a framing member by means of a clip.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring first to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, inclusive, portions of two identical side wall or ceiling panels are indicated generally at 1. Each panel is formed of spaced parallel outer and inner metal sheets 2 and 3, respectively. A filler 4 of heat and cold insulation material such as polyurethane foam is located between the metal sheets 2 and 3.

Opposite edges of the sheets 2 and 3 are bent toward each other at right angles as indicated at 5 and 6, respectively, to protect the corners of the polyurethane foam filler. Near opposite edges of each panel the metal sheet 2 is formed into a channel 7 with restricted throat 8. Each such channel may include a straight side wall 9, a bottom wall 10 and a curved side wall 11.

Each metal sheet 3 is also formed into similar channels 7a, preferably at points further spaced from the side edges of the panel than the channels 7. Each channel 7a is of the same form as the channels 7 and has a restricted throat 8a.

An attaching strip 12 is provided for connecting the outer sides of adjoining panels 1 together and to a frame member such as indicated at 13 in FIGS. 2 and 3. While the frame member is shown as a metal structural member and the attaching strip is shown as welded thereto at 14, it should be understood that the attaching strip 12 may be fastened to wooden studs or the like by means of nails or screws.

Each side edge of the attaching strip 12 is bent at a right angle, as shown at 15, and terminates in an open tubular flange 16, the terminal edge portion of which is inclined generally in the direction of the right angle bend 15 as indicated at 17.

After the attaching strip 12 has been connected to the framing member 13, the abutting edge portions of two panels 1 are connected thereto, as shown in FIG. 2. As seen in this figure the open tubular flanges 16 of the attaching strip are received in the channels 7 of the two panels 1. The tubular flanges 16 have passed through the restricted throats 8 of the channels 7 and snapped into place therein locking the two panels 1 to the attaching strip 12.

As shown in FIG. 2 the attaching strip 12 is spaced outward from the adjoining edge portions of the panels 1 providing room for the heads of nails or screws if the attaching strip is attached to a wooden stud or the like.

In order to hold the inner side edges of the panels 1 tightly together and provide a finished appearance for the joint, the inner connecting strip 18 is provided. The connecting strip 18 is of the same construction exactly as the attaching strip 12 except it is wider to compensate for the distance between the channels 7a, and has at each side edge an open tubular flange 19 exactly like the open tubular flange 16 above described.

When the open tubular flanges 19 of the inner connecting strip 18 are snapped into place as shown in FIG. 2, it will be seen that the surface of the strip 18 is in the same plane as the surfaces of the inner sheets 3 of the panels 2. This is because the inner surfaces 20 of the panels 2, between the channels 7a and the abutting edges of the panels, are inset the thickness of the connecting strip 18.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 the inner connecting strip 18 covers both of the channels 7a leaving only two tightly closed longitudinal joints 21 between opposite side edges of the connecting strip 18 and the straight sidewalls of the channels 7a.

In FIGS. 4 to 8, inclusive, is shown an embodiment of the invention as applied to sheet metal roofing or sidewall sheets. For this purpose one edge portion of a sheet 22 has a channel 23 formed thereon by bending this portion of the sheet to form the sidewalls 24 and 25 and the bottom wall 26. The channel 23 has a restricted throat 27 formed by bending the terminal portion of the sidewall 25 toward the sidewall 24 as shown at 28 and then downwardly at an angle as indicated at 29.

As shown in FIG. 5, the outer edge portion of the sheet 22 is bent at an angle, which may be a right angle as indicated at 30, and formed into an open tubular flange 31 terminating in the inclined portion 32.

To attach sheets 22 together the open tubular flange 31 at the edge of one sheet is inserted into the channel 23 at the edge of an adjoining sheet as shown in FIG. 6, the springlike open tubular flange 31 passing through the restricted throat 27 of the channel 23 and snapping into place as shown in FIG. 6, the inclined terminal portion 32 of the tubular flange 31 being located against the edge of the inclined flange 29 in the channel.

As shown in FIG. 7, the sheets 22 may be provided with spaced ribs 33. The bottom wall 26 of the channel 23 may be welded to a frame member 34 as indicated at 35 and the bottom walls 36 of certain of the ribs 33 may be welded to frame members 34 as shown at 36a. If the sheets 22 are to be attached to wooden studs or the like, the bottom walls 26 and 36 may be attached to the support members by nails or screws.

In FIG. 8 is shown a clip for attaching the joint between sheets 22 to a frame member. For the purpose of illustration, the frame member is shown as a wooden stud 37 to which the clip indicated generally at 38 is attached by a screw or nail 39. The clip is formed of sheet metal and comprises the attaching flange 40 in contact with the frame member 37, at the inner end of the clip, and the oppositely bent portion 41 at its other end, which extends over the portion 28 of the channel. The clip is then bent at an angle at 42 fitting over the terminal flange 29 in the channel, and then formed into the curved portion 43 to receive the open tubular flange 31, and terminates in the straight flange 44 which is located between the sidewall 24 of the channel and the portion 30 of the open tubular flange.

It will be understood that in cases where the clip is used to attach sheet joints to metal support members, the attaching flange 40 of the clip would be welded to the metal support member.

The panels 1 may be made into acoustical panels by forming apertures 45 in the metal sheets 3 and the insulation material 4, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Claims

I claim:

1. A sheet metal joint for wall and ceiling panels, roofing and side wall sheets comprising two members, a channel adjacent one side edge of one member, said channel having a straight sidewall and a convex sidewall forming a restricted throat, and a springy open tubular flange at one side edge of the other member, said open tubular flange at one side edge of the other member, said open tubular flange at its widest point being larger than the restricted throat of the channel whereby said open tubular flange may be snapped into said channel to lock the two members together.

2. A sheet metal joint as defined in claim 1 in which the open tubular flange is of generally oval shape.

3. A sheet metal joint as defined in claim 1 in which the channel is formed in a panel and the springy open tubular flange is formed on an attaching strip.

4. A sheet metal joint as defined in claim 3 in which the attaching strip has springy open tubular flanges at opposite side edges for snapping into channels in adjacent edge portions of two similar panels.

5. A sheet metal joint for wall and ceiling panels, roofing and sidewall sheets comprising two sheet metal members, a channel adjacent one side edge of one member, said channel being formed by bending said side edge portion of the sheet to form a first sidewall, a bottom wall and a second sidewall, and then bending the terminal portion of the second sidewall toward the first sidewall and then at an angle toward the bottom wall terminating in an angular terminal flange at a point spaced from the bottom wall and the first sidewall forming a restricted throat in said channel, and a springy open tubular flange at one side edge of the other member, said open tubular flange at its widest point being larger than the restricted throat of the channel, whereby said open tubular flange may be snapped into said channel to lock the two members together.

6. A sheet metal joint as defined in claim 5 in which the edge of said terminal flange contacts the open tubular flange.

7. A sheet metal joint as defined in claim 5 in which the sidewalls of said channel are parallel.

8. A sheet metal joint as defined in claim 5 in which the sidewalls of said channel converge toward said bottom wall.

9. A sheet metal joint as defined in claim 5 including an attaching clip having means for connecting it to a support member and a curved flange on the attaching clip located within the channel and receiving the open tubular flange on the other member.