GB2199348A

GB2199348A - Open cell type suspended ceilings

Info

Publication number: GB2199348A
Application number: GB08728930A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kenneth Charles White
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-12-11
Filing date: 1987-12-10
Publication date: 1988-07-06
Anticipated expiration: 2007-12-10
Also published as: GB2199348B; GB8728930D0

Abstract

A suspended ceiling comprises a regular array of rectangular cells defined by a plurality of panel blades disposed on edge in two orthogonal directions. Each blade end or fin 14a, which is longer than the blade end or fin 13a has a down- wardly extending slot 15 which opens onto the bottom of each fin 14a. A support rail to support the array comprises two parts the lower part 2 of which constitutes a blade and is pierced along its length with upright slots 3 spaced at the same centres as the cell size of the panels 10. The overall length of each slot is not less than twice the height of the panel blades. <IMAGE>

Description

"IMPROVEMENTS IN SUSPENDED CEILINGS" The present invention relates to a suspended ceiling of the so-called egg-crate or louvred kind comprising a regular array of square or rectangular cells defined by a plurality of blades or strips disposed on edge in two orthogonal directions.

There are many constructions of egg-crate ceilings available, one version consisting of egg-crate metal panels nominally 1200 x 600mm in size which are supported by an inverted Tee-grid assembly. This version has pronounced grid lines visible and is aesthetically unacceptable in certain building interiors.

A second version uses egg-crate panels manufactured from compressed timber secured one to another by brackets and the whole suspended from the building structure. The disadvantages of this system are that the material is combustible, the thickness of the material produces a "heavy" appearance, access is not possible from every panel, and the basic weight of each panel is such that substantial suspensions are required.

A third version uses aluminium panels similar to those used in the following embodiments of the present invention but has support rails consisting of a single flat aluminium strip the same dimensions as any blade in the panel. The support rail has a series of upwardly directed open slots which are substantially wider than the louvre blade thickness to make erection easy. Thus some misalignment occurs in the finished ceiling and the whole ceiling assembly is not firmly locked together. Furthermore, because the support rails are flat they do not readily stay vertical during the erection period until all the louvre panels have been installed. Also, should any louvre panel receive a blow, say from a maintenance ladder, it is easily dislodged from the ceiling because of its loose fit thereby endangering people or property below.

Thus it is an object of the invention to provide a ceiling of the egg-crate louvred kind having no readily visible joins or means of support, where individual panels thereof are removable without the aid of tools to give access to the area above the ceiling, where the panels are secured in such a way as to make accidental dislodgement difficult, and which may be constructed to be light in both weight and appearance and fire resistant.

According to the present invention there is provided a suspended ceiling of the egg-crate or louvred kind comprising a regular array of rectangular cells defined by a plurality of blades disposed on edge in two orthogonal directions, the ceiling being formed by a plurality of parallel support rails and a plurality of multi-celled panels which alternate along one direction of the array with each panel extending between and being supported along opposite sides by a pair of adjacent support rails, wherein each panel comprises on each of the said oppositie sides thereof a plurality of projecting blade ends (referred to hereinafter as fins) with selected fins each having a downwardly extending slot which opens onto the bottom edge of the fin, wherein each support rail comprises a blade stiffened along its upper edge and having therein a pluraltiy of spaced upright slots (referred to hereinafter as support slots), and wherein the panels are supported by a hooking engagement of the slots of the slotted fins with respective support slots of the support rail blades, each support slot being of substantially greater length than the height of the associated slotted fin which engages it and converging downwardly from an upper region of substantially greater width than the thickness of the associated slotted fin to a base with a width comparable with, but not less than, the thickness of the associated slotted fin, and the projecting fins of the panels on opposite sides of the same support rail blade forming together with the blade further rectangular cells which maintain the visual continuity of the array between the two panels.

Preferably, the projecting fins of the panels on opposite sides of the same support rail are abutting end to end in pairs. Preferably, the projecting fins of the panels on opposite sides of the same support rail are overlapping end to end in pairs.

Preferably, the blades of the panels are of common depth and thickness in both orthogonal directions of the array, the thickness of the support rail blades is substantially equal to that of the panel blades, and the slots in the support rail blades terminate above the lower edge of the latter a distance substantially equal to the depth of the slots in the blade ends Furthermore, in order to confer both light weight and fire-resistance, the blades are preferably of lightweight metal such as aluminium or an alloy thereof having a thickness less than 1 mm.

The invention also relates to a panel for use in a suspended ceiling which panel comprises a regular array of rectangular cells defined by a plurality of blades disposed on edge in two orthogonal directions; and a plurality of projecting blade ends (referred to hereinafter as fins) with selected fins each having (in use) a downwardly extending slot which opens onto the bottom edge of the fin.

Preferably, every alternate fin is a selected fin.

Preferably, each of the selected fins has a length of approximately one and a half cells long and each of the other fins has a length of approximately a half a cell long.

Preferably, each of the selected fins has a length greater than one cell long and each of the other fins has a length approximately one cell long.

Preferably, an edge of each slot which edge is remote from the free end of each fin is located at a distance equal to one cell length along said fin.

Preferably, the free end of each selected fin terminates in a side edge the upper part of which is substantially vertical and leads into a lower inwardly inclined part, so that, together with the edge of the slot nearest said free end, there is formed a point or very short flat base portion of the fin.

The invention also relates to a support rail for use in a suspended ceiling according to the invention which rail comprises a blade stiffened along one edge thereof and having a plurality of spaced slots (referred to hereinafter as support slots) positioned transversely relative to said one edge, each support slot being of substantially greater length than the height of an associated slotted fin adapted for engaging therewith which support slot converges downwardly from an upper region of substantially greater width than the thickness of said slotted fin to a base with a width comparable with, but not less than, the thickness of said slotted fin.

The invention will be understood in greater detail from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an exploded view of the component parts of a ceiling according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a side view of a support rail to an enlarged scale; Figure 3 is a view of the assembled ceiling; Figure 4 is an exploded view of the component parts of a ceiling according to a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 is a detailed view of part of the assembled ceiling; and Figure 6 is an end elevation of part of the ceiling of Figure 5 of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to Figures 1-3 thereof, the ceiling elements to be described can be made and used in a variety of sizes, but for the purpose of this embodiment it is assumed that the support rail blade 2, Fig. 2, is 3 metres long and 100mm in height, with a metal thickness of 0.711mm, and the egg-crate louvred panels 10, Fig. 1, are 1200mm x 600mm in size, divided into cells 50mm x 50mm x 30mm deep, and made from aluminium blades 0.711mm thick disposed on edge. Both elements would normally be stove enamelled to a desired colour to provide both protection and decorative effect. Alternatively, the elements could be made from pre-coated, painted or anodised material.

The support rail, Fig. 2, can be produced in one or two parts; in this instance two parts are used, an upper part 1 formed by rolling or similar process to form a straight rigid member with a circular section 9 at the top and two "legs" pointing downward to receive the lower part 2. This lower part constitutes a blade made from material the same thickness as the egg-crate louvre panel blades, in this instance aluminium 0.711mm thick. The blade 2 is pierced along its length with upright slots 3 spaced at the same centres (50mm) as the cell size of the louvred panels 10.

The slots 3 are of a special shape, the upper half 4 having parallel sides whilst the lower half 5 has one vertical and one inclined side which converge downwardly to the base 6 of the slot which is substantially the same width as the louvred panel blades. The overall length of the slot is not less than twice the height of the louvred panel blades in this instance 60mm. The upper half 4 of the slot 3 is 12mm wide, with the lower half 5 tapering to 0.711mm at the base 6.

The blade 2 is joined to the upper rolled part 1 by rivets 7 or like fixing devices, and both parts are pierced with holds 8 to receive support hangers. The support rails can be joined to another end-to-end by dowels (not shown) inserted inside the circular sections 9 of the upper rolled parts 1.

The panels 10, Fig. 1, are of generally conventional construction but blades 12 protrude beyond the panel on all sides to form fins 11 on the 1200mm sides. The fins 11 are 25mm long (i.e. half cell size) and the dimension of 600mm is taken from the end of one fin 11 to the end of the fin 11 on the opposite side.

Along the 600mm side of the panel the fins alternate in length, i.e. half a cell long (25mm) for fins 13 and one and a half cells long (75mm) for fins 14. The long fins 14 are pierced 25mm from their endswith a downwardly extending slot 15 which opens onto the bottom edge of the fin and whose length is equal to the distance d from the base 6 of the slot 3 in the support rail to the bottom edge of the support rail.

To assemble the ceiling, the support rails are erected first by securing them to the building structure by traditional means, e.g. wire hangers 16 or rigid hangers 17. The support rails are arranged parallel to one another and spaced in this instance at 1200mm centres. Further support rails may be joined longitudinally by means of the previously mentioned dowels as required. All support rails are then levelled throughout the job in the conventional way.

Each louvred panel 10 is installed by inserting the fins 13 and 14 on one 600mm side of the panel into the upper half 4 of the slots 3 in one support rail so that both fins 13 and 14 pass through respective slots 3, the panel 10 then being raised level and moved in the opposite direction so that the opposite end fins 14 enter alternate slots 3 in the adjacent parallel support rail. When the slots 15 are in line with the support rail the panel is lowered so that the slots 15 hook onto the slots 3 of the support rail and the panel is supported along its two opposite 600mm sides. As shown in Fig. 1 two panels 10 may be supported one on either side of a common support rail by engagement of consecutive slots 3 with fins 14 alternately from the two panels.

The inclined side of the lower half 5 of the support rail slot 3 will assist in locating the fin slot 15 so that it locates over the base 6 of the slot 3 and the bottom edge of fin 14 aligns with the bottom edge of the support rail. The width of the upper half 4 of the slot 3 assists when inserting the panel fins 13 and 14 even when there is some distortion of the fins due to site handling.

To remove any individual panel from a finished ceiling, it is essential that the panel first be raised horizontally until the fins 14 enter the upper half 4 of the slots 3 in both the support rails. Should only one side be raised, the slots 15 on the opposite side of the panel will lock onto the support rail slot 3 at the base 6 and the panel cannot then be removed. This prevents a panel from being accidentally dislodged and falling to the ground when struck by, for example, a maintenance ladder. Should by chance both ends of the panel be accidently lifted equally and simultaneously, it is very unlikely that the whole panel will move sideways such that both fins 13 and 14 pass through the upper half 4 of the support rail slots 3 allowing the opposite end of the panel to clear the support rail and allowing the panel to fall.

The completed ceiling is shown in Fig. 3.

Clearly, although only one support rail and two panels have been shown, the ceiling be may built with as large an area as desired by providing as many parallel support rails as required and extending the latter longitudinally by means of dowels. The panels are then hooked between adjacent pairs of suport rails, with panels 10 alternating with support rails along one direction of the array and panels 10 directly abutting along the orthogonal direction. As can be seen by examination of the accompanying Figures, abutting pairs of fins 13 and 14 of panels on opposite sides of a common support rail provide further cells which maintain the visual continuity across the blade 2 and abutting fins 11 of panels on the same side of the support rail provide visual continuity along each side of the support blade.

Referring now to Figures 4-6 of the drawings, the construction of the assembled ceiling is essentially the same as that described with reference to Figures 1-3 of the drawings and the descriptions and numerals pertaining to Figures 1-3 of the drawings may be applied to Figures 4-6 of the drawings except as noted below: - The upper part or main runner 9a has a box section rather than a circular section.

Along the 600mm side of the panel, the fins alternate in length. The fins 13a have a length equal to one cell length while the fins 14a have an additional length of about 7mm each. The upper part 20 of the fin 13a is vertical leading into a lower inwardly inclined part 21.

Each of the long fins 14a is pierced with a downwardly extending slot 15 which opens onto the bottom edge of the fin and whose length is equal to the distance d from the base 6 of the slot 3 in the support rail to the bottom edge of the support. The slot 15 is located so that the part 21 and the outer wall 22 of the slot 15 terminate at a point or a very short flat base portion 23.

To assemble the ceiling, the support rails are erected first by securing them to the building structure by traditional means, e.g. wire hangers 16 or rigid hangers 17. The support rails are arranged parallel to one another and spaced in this instance at 1200mm centres. The main runner 9a may be interlinked with similar runners or cross tee pieces of a conventional lay-in or exposed grid system of the Donn (Registered Trade Mark) type manufactured by Donn Products (UK) Ltd., 1 Swan Road, South West Industrial Estate, Peterlee, Co. Durham, United Kingdom. The blade 2 may be modified by the incorporation of expansion cutouts (not shown) to reduce distortion during a fire when acoustic or fire rated tiles are employed and supported by the main runner 9a.The use of acoustic or fire rated tiles in conjunction with the ceiling 10 of the present invention can impart desirable acoustic characteristics to the room in which the ceiling 10 is installed. Furthermore, the ceiling according to the invention can prevent tiles which have become damaged from falling directly onto people or objects located below the ceiling. In addition, having regard to the metal construction of the ceiling according to the invention, the ceiling can act as a fire break. All support rails are then levelled throughout the job in the conventional way.

Each louvred panel 10 is installed by inserting the fins 13a and 14a on one 600mm side of the panel into the upper half 4 of the slots 3 in one support rail so that both fins 13a and 14a pass through respective slots 3, the panel 10 then being raised level and moved in the opposite direction so that the opposite end fins 14a enter alternate slots 3 in the adjacent parallel support rail. When the slots 15 are in line with the support rail the panel is lowered so that the slots IS hook onto the slots 3 of the support rail and the panel is supported along its two opposite 600mm sides. As shown in Figure 4 two panels 10 may be supported one on either side of a common support rail by engagement of consecutive slots 3 with fins 14a alternately from the two panels.

The inclined side of the lower half 5 of the support rail slot 3 will assist in locating the fin slot 15 so that it locates over the base 6 of the slot 3 and the bottom edge of fin 14a aligns with the bottom edge of the support rail. The width of the upper half 4 of the slot 3 assists when inserting the panel fins 13a and 14a even when there is some distortion of the fins due to site handling.

To remove any individual panel from a finished ceiling, it is essential that the panel first be raised horizontally until the fins 14a enter the upper half 4 of the slots 3 in both the support rails. Should only one side be raised, the slots 15 on the opposite side of the panel will lock onto the support rail slot 3 at the base 6 and the panel cannot then be removed. This prevents a panel from being accidentally dislodged and falling to the ground when struck by, for example, a maintenance ladder. Should by chance both ends of the panel be accidently lifted equally and simultaneously, it is very unlikely that the whole panel will move sideways such that both fins 13a and 14a pass through the upper half 4 of the support rail slots 3 allowing the opposite end of the panel to clear the support rail and allowing the panel to fall.

The completed ceiling is shown in Figure 3.

Clearly, although only one support rail and two panels have been shown, the ceiling be may built with as large an area as desired by providing as many parallel support rails as required and extending the latter longitudinally by means of dowels. The panels are then hooked between adjacent pairs of support rails, with panels 10 alternating with support rails along one direction of the array and panels 10 directly abutting along the orthogonal direction. As can be seen by examination of the accompanying Figures, overlapping pairs of fins 13a and 14a of panels on opposite sides of a common support rail provide further cells which maintain the visual continuity across the blade 2.

This visual continuity is further enhanced having regard to the lower inwardly inclined part 21 terminating in the base portion 23. The length of the fins 13a is 50mm i.e. one cell long, so as to abut the blade 2. Abutting fins 11 of panels on the same side of the support rail provide visual continuity along each side of the support blade. The upper edge of the fins 13a is approximately 57mm long; the lower edge of the fins 13a is approximately 52mm long.

Claims

1. A suspended ceiling of the egg-crate or louvred kind comprising a regular array of rectangular cells defined by a plurality of blades disposed on edge in two orthogonal directions, the ceiling being formed by a plurality of parallel support rails and a plurality of multi-celled panels which alternate along one direction of the array with each panel extending between and being supported along opposite sides by a pair of adjacent support rails, wherein each panel comprises on each of the said opposite sides thereof a plurality of projecting blade ends (referred to hereinafter as fins) with selected fins each having a downwardly extending slot which opens onto the bottom edge of the fin, wherein each support rail comprises a blade stiffened along its upper edge and having therein a plurality of spaced upright slots (referred to hereinafter as support slots), and wherein the panels are supported by a hooking engagement of the slots of the slotted fins with respective support slots of the support rail blades, each support slot being of substantially greater length than the height of the associated slotted fin which engages it and converging downwardly from an upper region of substantially greater width than the thickness of the associated slotted fin to a base with a width comparable with, but not less than, the thickness of the associated slotted fin, and the projecting fins of the panels on opposite sides of the same support rail blade forming together with the blade further rectangular cells which maintain the visual continuity of the array between the two panels.

2. A ceiling as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the projecting fins of the panels on opposite sides of the same support rail are abutting end to end in pairs.

3. A ceiling as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the projecting fins of the panels on opposite sides of the same support rail are overlapping end to end in pairs.

4. A ceiling as claimed in any of Claims 1-3 wherein the blades of the panels are of common depth and thickness in both orthogonal directions of the array, the thickness of the support rail blades is substantially equal to that of the panel blades, and the slots in the support rail blades terminate above the lower edge of the latter a distance substantially equal to the depth of the slots in the blade ends.

5. A ceiling as claimed in any of Claims 1-4 wherein the blades are of lightweight metal having a thickness of less than lmm.

6. A ceiling as claimed in any of Claims 1-5 wherein the blades are made from aluminium.

7. A ceiling as claimed in any of Claims 1-5 wherein the blades are made from an alloy of aluminium.

8. A suspended ceiling substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1-3 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A suspended ceiling substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 4-6 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A panel for use in a suspended ceiling as claimed in any of Claims 1-9 which panel comprises a regular array of rectangular cells defined by a plurality of blades disposed on edge in two orthogonal directions; and a plurality of projecting blade ends (referred to hereinafter as fins) with selected fins each having (in use) a downwardly extending slot which opens onto the bottom edge of the fin.

11. A panel as claimed in Claim 10 wherein every alternative fin is a selected fin.

12. A panel as claimed in Claim 10 or Claim 11 wherein each of the selected fins has a length of approximately one and a half cells long and each of the other fins has a length of approximately one half cell long.

13. A panel as claimed in Claim 10 or Claim 11 wherein each of the selected fins has a length greater than one cell long and each of the other fins has a length of approximately one cell long.

14. A panel as claimed in Claim 13 wherein an edge of each slot which edge is remote from the free end of each fin is located at a distance equal to one cell length along said fin.

15. A panel as claimed in any of Claims 10-14 wherein the free end of each selected fin terminates in a side edge the upper part of which is substantially vertical and leads into a lower inwardly inclined part so that, together with the edge of the slot nearest said free end, there is formed a point or very short flat base portion of the fin.

16. A panel for use in a suspended ceiling acclaimed in any of Claims 1-9 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1-3 of the accompanying drawings.

17. A panel for use in a suspended ceiling as claimed in any of Claims 1-9 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 4-6 of the accompanying drawings.

18. Support rail for use in a suspended ceiling as claimed in any of Claims 1-9 which rail comprises a blade stiffened along one edge thereof and having a plurality of spaced slots (referred to hereinafter as support slots) positioned transversely relative to said one edge, each support slot being of substantially greater length than the height of an associated slotted fin adapted for engaging therewith which support slot converges downwardly from an upper region of substantially greater width than the thickness of said o slotted fin to a base with a width comparable with, but not less than, the thickness of said slotted fin.

19. A support rail for use in a suspended ceiling as claimed in any Claims 1-9 substantially-as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1-3 of the accompanying drawings.

20. A support rail for use in a suspended ceiling as claimed in any of Claims 1-9 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 4-6 of the accompanying drawings.