Wall Structure

Abstract

A wall structure which is adapted to form a dividing wall or partition within a building. The construction consists of upper and lower support members which extend along the length of the wall. One or more wall panel members are detachably connected to the supports and are supported thereby. Each panel consists essentially of a flat pressed-steel sheet having a flange or ledge arrangement extending around the perimeter thereof. The ledge along the upper edge of the panel supports one or more substantially U-shaped clips which are adapted to engage a downwardly extending flange of the upper support member and detachably locate the upper edge of the panel. The ledge along the lower edge of the panel forms an inverted channel which engages a complementary channel along the lower support member to locate and support the panel. The ledges or flanges along the vertical edges of the panel provide rigidity to the panel and also provide means whereby adjacent panels may be interlocked when a wall consists of more than one panel. The wall may consist of two rows of the above described panels, the rows being spaced apart in a transverse direction to provide a central cavity therebetween.

Description

This invention relates to wall structures and more particularly to a wall structure adapted for use as a dividing wall or partition within a building.

The conventional method of providing dividing walls has disadvantages in that it requires a number of skilled tradesmen to do the work and moreover, much time is utilized in the actual construction. It is usual for skilled carpenters to install a timber or metal framework and when the framework is completed skilled plasterers install the finished surface which usually takes the form of plaster board or similar lining material. Any electrical wiring or pipe work must, of course, be installed before the lining material is fixed in place.

It is therefore apparent that the cost of providing dividing walls by this known method is relatively high due to the use of skilled labor and in some circumstances much inconvenience and waste of time results because of unavoidable delays which occur between the completion of work by one tradesman and the commencement of work by another.

In addition to the above it is usually necessary during the construction of conventional dividing walls to have the wall surfaces painted and this further adds to the cost involved.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a wall structure which may be readily installed by relatively unskilled labor thus avoiding one or more of the abovementioned disadvantages.

It is a further object to provide a wall structure which, in its preferred form, may be readily dismantled at any time after construction to allow installation of electrical wiring, ducting, piping etc., within the wall.

Accordingly, this invention provides a wall structure or partition comprising a plurality of wall panels arranged in contiguous co-planar relationship, each panel extending between upper and lower support members extending along the length of the wall structure or partition, each said panel being curved to provide a ledge along the lower edge thereof, said ledge being inclined upwardly in a direction away from the panel and being provided with a downwardly depending lug along the free edge thereof, said ledge and lug providing an inverted channel along the bottom of the panel for detachably engaging a complementary surface provided on said lower support member, and means on the upper edge of each panel for detachably engaging said upper support member such that each panel may be installed on said support members by engaging said means with said upper support member, raising said panel slightly so that said inverted channel is over said complementary surface, and allowing said panel to drop into engagement with said complementary surface, said panels including flanges along the vertical edges thereof for providing structural rigidity to the panel and for allowing adjacent panels to be interlocked.

The invention is hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein,

FIG. 1 is a sectional end elevation through a dividing wall in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a portion of a panel of the wall of FIG. 1 showing means whereby the top of the panel is detachably connected to an upper support member,

FIG. 3 shows an exploded section of the bottom support member of the wall according to FIG. 1 and,

FIG. 4 is a section along the lines 4--4 of FIG. 1 showing the interlocking arrangement between adjacent wall panels.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly FIG. 1, the dividing wall is shown to have a plurality of substantially flat panels 5 extending between upper and lower support structures designated generally at 6 and 7, respectively. Panels 5 are provided along each side of the support structures 6 and 7 and are spaced apart in a transverse direction to define a cavity 8 therebetween.

Each panel 5 is provided with an upper ledge 9 and a lower ledge 10 extending along the upper and lower edges thereof, respectively. The ledges 9 and 10 extend inwardly towards the central plane of the wall. The upper ledge 9 is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the panel 5 whereas the lower ledge 10 is inclined inwardly and upwardly to the horizontal. The innermost part of each ledge is formed as a downwardly depending lug 11 extending along the length of each panel 5. The lower ledge 10 and lug 11 combine to form a non-symmetrical inverted V-section which provides means for demountably supporting the panel 5 on the lower support structure 7. A complementary surface is provided on the lower support structure 7 to co-operate with the inverted V-section and hold the panel 5 firmly in place.

The vertical edges of each panel 5 are provided with flanges 27 and 28 as shown in FIG. 4. The flange 27 along one vertical edge of a panel 5 differs from the flange 28 along the other vertical edge of the same panel 5 in that it has an additional ledge 29 therealong. It is apparent that adjacent panels 5 on the same side of the wall are interlocked by means of mutual engagement of the flanges 27 and 28. The flanges 27 and 28 also serve to strengthen the panel 5 and provide structural rigidity.

As shown in FIG. 2 the upper lug 11 of panel 5 has a generally U-shaped clip 12 rigidly connected thereto. A number of clips 12 may be spaced along the length of the panel 5. The number of clips will depend on the panel size and the particular installation of the wall. In use the clips 12 serve to detachably connect the upper edge of the panel 5 to the upper support member 6.

In many applications of the invention it will be necessary to erect a dividing wall or partition on a floor surface which is non-uniform and it is therefore important that the lower support structure 7 be capable of providing a level datum to support the panels 5. To this end the lower support structure consists of a first channel member 13 which is rigidly fixed to the floor 14, by any suitable means, and hence follows any inconsistency in the level of the floor 14. A second channel member 15 is disposed directly above the first channel member 13 and is connected thereto by way of a series of downwardly depending clips 16 (FIG. 3). The clips 16 engage the sides of the first channel member 13 and temporarily hold the second channel 15 in position. A clip 16 may comprise a galvanized steel plate spotwelded to the sides of the channel 15 and having a hole 17 therein. Whilst the second channel 15 is temporarily held in position it may be readily adjusted into a perfectly level position. When a level datum has been obtained the plates 16 are rigidly connected to the first channel 13. The connection is achieved by drilling holes through the sides of the first channel 13 in alignment with the holes 17 of the plates 16 and screwing wood screws 23 into timber blocks 18 pre-arranged within the first channel 13.

In order to complete the lower support structure 7 and provide the complementary surface to co-operate with the lower edge of the panel 5, a skirting board member 19 is hung along each side of the second channel 15. The skirting board members 19 extend along the length of the lower support structure 7 and hang from the upwardly projecting sides 22 of the second channel 15. The upper edge 20 of each skirting board member 19 is angled upwardly, along the length thereof, at the same angle as the bottom ledge 10 of the panels 5. A downwardly depending lug 21 on the upper edge 20 of the skirting board members 19 is hooked over the sides 22 of the channel 15 to hold the skirting board member 19 in position.

The upper support structure 6 comprises an inverted channel 24 supported directly beneath the ceiling 25 along the length of the wall to be constructed. The channel 24 may be rigidly connected to the bottom of an I-beam 26, which I-beam is rigidly connected to the underside of the roof structure. The outwardly extending flanges at the bottom of the I-beam 26 also serve as a means to support the ceiling 25 of the rooms on each side of the wall. In multi-storey installations wherein the ceiling 25 may comprise a concrete slab, the channel 24 may be connected directly to the underside of the ceiling and no I-beam is then required.

In constructing a wall structure according to the above described embodiment the first step is to position the I-beam 26 and attached channel 24 beneath the roof structure along the length of the wall to be constructed. A plumb-bob or other suitable means is used in order to position the lower support structure 7 directly beneath the upper structure 6. When in position the lower support structure 7 is attached to the floor 14 and levelled in the manner described hereinabove and the skirting board members 19 are hung in position.

Each panel 5 may now be installed by firstly placing the upper U-clips 12 about a downwardly extending side of the channel 24. The panel 5 is then lifted slightly and the inverted V-section of the lower edge is positioned in engaging relationship with the complementary surface of the skirting board 19. The panel 5 is then allowed to drop into position and bears on the upwardly directed edge of the skirting board 19. A further panel is placed in contiguous coplanar relationship with the first in a similar manner and the flanges 27 and 28 are interlocked to provide additional strength to the wall surface. Further panels 5 are added as required in a similar manner to the above until a wall of the required length has been formed. Panels 5 are placed along the other side of the support structures 6 and 7 and a double panelled wall is thus formed having a central cavity 8 therein, as shown in FIG. 1. The cavity 8 is extremely useful for the positioning of wiring, piping, ducts, etc. within the wall and it is apparent that the width of the cavity 8 may be varied by varying the width of the channels 13, 15 and 24.

The components which go together to form the wall of the above-described embodiment are formed from steel. The panels 5 are formed from sheet steel which is rolled pressed or folded to provide the required shape and the outwardly directed surfaces thereof have a vinyl coating thereon to enhance the appearance of the wall and provide a durable surface.

It is apparent from the above described embodiment that a wall according to the present invention may be quickly and easily installed, during or after construction of a building, by relatively unskilled labor. Because the panels 5 are demountably fitted in place, additional wiring, piping, ducting, etc. may be conveniently installed within the wall at any time after the wall has been completed, simply by temporarily removing the panels.

It is also apparent that modifications to the above embodiment may be readily effected by persons skilled in the art. For example, it is not essential that the panels 5 and support structures 6 and 7 be formed from steel as other suitable materials may be used. Furthermore, in some installations it may only be required to install a single wall structure and in such cases the supporting structures may be modified to comprise L-section members which only support a single row of panels 5. This embodiment is extremely useful in installations wherein it is required to provide a wall in close proximity to another wall. In such an installation it may be impossible to see the back of the wall and therefore a double panelled wall would be superfluous.

According to a further embodiment of the invention the panels 5 are formed from plaster board. The panels 5 comprises a steel perimeter frame having the ledge and flange arrangement described above. Plaster board sheets are glued or otherwise attached to the perimeter frame to form the panels 5 of this embodiment.

According to a further embodiment the panels 5 are provided with a lining material on the inner surface thereof. The lining may serve to provide additional rigidity to the panel 5 or may be formed from sound absorbing material to reduce the sound transmission efficiency of the wall.

According to a further embodiment of the panel 5 the clips 12 comprise a continuous clip which extends along the upper edge of the panel 5. The continuous clip may be formed integral with the panel 5 by bending the lug 11 to form a U-shaped groove along the length of the panel 5.

In a modification of the lower support structure 7 the lower channel is replaced by a timber member connected directly to the floor. The width of the timber member is identical to that of the channel 15 and the clips 16 are connected directly thereto by suitable wood screws.

Since modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention may be readily effected by persons skilled in the art it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described by way of example hereinabove.

Claims

I claim:

1. A wall structure or partition comprising a plurality of wall panels arranged in contiguous co-planar relationship, each panel extending between upper and lower support members extending along the length of the wall structure or partition, each said panel being curved to provide a ledge along the lower edge thereof, said ledge being inclined upwardly in a direction away from the panel and being provided with a downwardly depending lug along the free edge thereof, said ledge and lug providing an inverted channel along the bottom of the panel for detachably engaging a complementary surface provided on said lower support member, and means on the upper edge of each panel for detachably engaging said upper support member such that each panel may be installed on said support members by engaging said means with said upper support member, raising said panel slightly so that said inverted channel is over said complementary surface, and allowing said panel to drop into engagement with said complementary surface, said panels including flanges along the vertical edges thereof for providing structural rigidity to the panel and for allowing adjacent panels to be interlocked, a skirting board member being hung on said lower support member to extend along the length thereof, said skirting board member providing said complementary surface provided on said lower support member, and means on the upper edge of each panel comprising a plurality of substantially U-shaped clips, attached in spaced relationship to the top of the panel, for engaging a downwardly extending flange provided on said upper support member, said lower support member comprising a first member for providing rigid connection to the floor along the length of the wall or partition to be constructed and a second member disposed directly above the first member and being provided with downwardly depending clips for engaging the sides of the first member to allow said second member to be levelled, and means for rigidly connecting said downwardly depending clips to said first member when levelling has been completed.

2. A wall structure or partition as defined in claim 1 wherein the top of each panel is curved to provide an inverted channel therealong on the same side of the panel as said ledge, said U-shaped clips being connected to the side of said inverted channel.

3. A wall structure or partition as defined in claim 2 wherein said upper support member includes an inverted channel member which extends along the length of the wall to be constructed, one side of said channel providing said downwardly extending flange and the other side of said channel providing a further downwardly extending flange.

4. A wall structure or partition as defined in claim 3 wherein said second member comprises an upright channel, one side of which supports said skirting board member, the other side of said upright channel supporting a further skirting board member and a further plurality of said panels being placed in contiguous co-planar relationship and each panel extending between said further downwardly extending flange and said further skirting board member to provide a double panel wall having a central cavity therein.