GB2255386A

GB2255386A - Wall structures

Info

Publication number: GB2255386A
Application number: GB9209195A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Cyril Sloggett
Original assignee: Voestalpine Metsec PLC
Current assignee: Voestalpine Metsec PLC
Priority date: 1991-04-30
Filing date: 1992-04-29
Publication date: 1992-11-04
Also published as: GB9209195D0; GB9109272D0

Abstract

A load support, for example as shown in Figure 1, comprises a metal panel 12a of width sufficient to span the gap between adjacent wall studs 11, a first flange 13a at one end of said panel 12a for attachment to an inwardly presented face of one of said adjacent studs 11, an extension 13a, 13b at the opposite end of said panel 12a to encompass the width of the other of said studs 11 and a second flange 13c at the end of said extension 13a, 13b, parallel to said first flange 13a for attachment to the face of said one stud 11. <IMAGE>

Description

WALL STRUCTURES This invention relates to wall structures for buildings, particularly but not exclusively internal partition wall structures, of the kind wherein a supporting framework including spaced, vertical metal studs of channel-section is clad with lining boards, and to load supports for use therein.

Problems can be encountered when such wall structures are required to carry surface mounted loads such as cupboards or more particularly sanitary ware, since the lining boards of the wall, which may for example be plasterboard or fibreboard are too weak to support such loads. It is known to incorporate additional metal components spanning adjacent vertical studs to support such loads, known arrangements being complex and therefore expensive and requiring a non-standard arrangement of adjacent studs.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a wall structure wherein surface mounted loads can be accommodated in a more simple and convenient manner, and a load support for incorporation in the wall structure.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a load support comprising a metal panel of width sufficient to span the gap between adjacent wall studs, a first flange at one end of said panel for attachment to an inwardly presented face of one of said adjacent studs, an extension at the opposite end of said panel toencompass the width of the other of said studs and a second flange at the end of said extension, parallel to said first flange for attachment to the face of said other stud corresponding to said face of said one stud.

Desirably said panel includes at least one laterally extending strengthening formation extending out of the plane of the panel.

Desirably said panel is arranged to fit between said studs in use and said extension and said second flange define a saddle within which said other stud is received in use.

Conveniently the height dimension of said first and second flanges is less than half the height dimension of said panel and said flanges are displaced from one another in the height dimension of the panel.

Conveniently the panel carries a channel member extending in the widthwise direction of the panel and having its open face presented outwardly, the edges of the channel being turned inwardly so that the interior of the channel member is re-entrant.

The invention further resides in a wall structure comprising a plurality of parallel, vertical studs and a load support as specified above interconnecting an adjacent pair of said studs, the studs being of channel section and being arranged with their open faces presented in the same direction, said first and second flanges being secured to the base webs of their respective stud.

One example of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an exploded, diagrammatic, perspective representation of part of a wall structure, Figure 2 is a sectional view of the structure of Figure 1 assembled, Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line A - A of Figure 2, Figure 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a modification, Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1 of a further modification, and Figure 6 is a diagrammatic sectional view illustrating use of the load supports of Figures 1 to 5.

It is known to produce a wall structure by assembling a framework comprising upper and lower metal channel members interconnected by vertically extending parallel metal studs also of channel cross-section. The studs are normally stiffened by having the free edges of the side walls of their channel section turned inwardly. The studs and the upper and lower channels are interconnected in any convenient manner, for example by screws, bolts, or spot welding. The metal framework so constructed is then clad on one or both sides with lining board of any convenient form. Conveniently the lining board will be plasterboard and the joints between adjacent sheets of plasterboard will be filled, taped, and skimmed prior to decorating the wall so formed.

Such wall structures present a problem when heavy items, for example sanitary ware, are to be mounted on the wall surface. Clearly the lining board cladding the metal framework is too weak to support any significant load, and thus loads such as cupboards, and sanitary ware, to be mounted on the face of the wall, must be carried by the metal framework of the wall.

It is known to provide a relatively complex structure spanning a pair of adjacent vertical studs to provide support for sanitary ware and the like. However, the known arrangement requires a rearrangement of the usual positioning of the studs such that the two studs which are to support the arrangement must be positioned with their open faces presented to one another, the channels of the two studs providing vertical adjustment of the complex support structure.

In the arrangement illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings it can be seen that the vertical studs 11 of the wall framework are arranged in the conventional manner, that is to say with their open faces presented in the same direction lengthwise of the wall. The load support 12 which is associated with the adjacent pair of studs 11 is in the form of a galvanised mild steel sheet the central region 12a of which is dimensioned to fit closely between the adjacent studs 11 which are spaced apart at a standard pitch (conveniently 600 mm). The central region 12a of the support 12 is in the form of a rectangular panel and is intended to fit between adjacent studs 11.In order to enhance the rigidity of the panel 12a upper and lower edges 12b thereof are bent at right angles to the plane of the panel and at opposite ends of the panel 12a the panel 12a includes an integral channel shaped saddle 13 dimensioned to embrace a respective stud 11. It will be recognised that each of the saddles 13 comprises a first wall portion 13a joined to the panel 12a and extending at right angles thereto along a vertical edge thereof. Each wall 13a is bent outwardly at right angles to define a base web 13b, and at its edge remote from the respective wall 13a each base web 13b is bent at right angles to define a wall 13c extending parallel to its respective wall 13a.The spacing between the walls 13a, 13c of each saddle 13 is sufficient to receive closely therein a respective stud 11, and noting that the studs 11 are positioned with their open faces presented in the same direction then the left hand saddle 13 in Figure 1 will receive the left hand stud and the wall 13a of the left hand saddle 13 will engage in facial contact with the base web of the left hand stud 11. The right hand stud 11 will be received within the right hand saddle 13 and the wall 13c of the right hand saddle 13 will engage in facial contact with the base web of the right hand stud 11.The wall 13a of the left hand saddle and the wall 13c of the right hand saddle define fixing flanges for the support 12 and are secured to the base webs of their respective studs 11 in any convenient manner, preferably by the use of bolts, or self tapping screws, passing through the walls and the respective base webs. It would be recognised that when the saddles 13 are correctly assembled to their respective studs 11 then the panel 12a spans the width between the studs 11, and lies substantially midway between the front and rear faces of the studs.

Since each end of the support member 12 has a saddle 13 it will be recognised that the member can be utilized also in situations where the studs are positioned open face to open face or closed face to closed face.

In its simplest form the support member 12 does not include any further components, and elements to be supported are anchored, by convenient fastening devices, to the panel 12a. However, in order to provide a greater strength, and increased facility for adjustment, it is preferred to secure a channel member 14 to the front face of the panel 12a the length of the channel member 14 being equal to the spacing between the saddle walls 13a and the channel member 14 having its base web welded, or otherwise secured, to the panel 12a. The forwardly presented edges of the side walls of the channel 14 are turned inwardly in the same manner as the side walls of the studs 11, and thus the channel 14 defines a horizontally extending T-slot on the front of the load support 12 for the reception of headed bolts to be described in more detail hereinafter.It will be recognised that the depth of the channel 14 is equal to the spacing between the front face of the panel 12a and the front faces of the base walls 13b of the saddles and thus the front inturned faces of the side walls of the channel 14 are substantially coplanar with the front faces of the base walls 13b of the saddles 13.

The thickness of the material forming the saddles 13 is relatively small, and thus although these parts of the saddles overlie the front faces of the studs 11 they do not hinder the accurate fitting, subsequently, of the lining boards. During assembly of the support 12 to the studs 11 the vertical position of the support relative to the studs is first determined, and then support member 12 is secured in position, as described above, by fastening devices anchoring the walls 13a and 13c to their respective stud base webs. Thereafter of course it will be recognised that the load supporting capacity is particularly high since the fastening devices are loaded "in shear".

It may be desired to secure several supports 12 to the same pair of studs 11, the supports 12 forming a vertical array. Such an arrangement is particularly useful when it is desired to support large objects to the structure, the large objects requiring support at positions which are vertically spaced apart.

When the lining boards are in position on the front face of the studs it will be recognised that the front faces of the inturned portions of the channel 14 lie closely behind the lining boards. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, in addition to being simply turned inwardly the free edges of the side walls of the channel 14 may also be turned further to extend back towards their base web.

Figure 6 illustrates how the channel 14 of the support may be utilised in conjunction with headed bolts. The channel 14 illustrated in Figure 6 has its side walls turned inwardly as described above, but not turned again to extend back towards their base web as illustrated in Figures 1 and 3. This difference however is not important to an understanding of how the channel 14 is used in conjunction with headed bolts. It can be seen that a bolt 15 has its head 16 received within the channel 14 the head being rectangular and the dimensions of the head being such that it can, in one angular orientation, pass through the opening of channel and can then be turned through 90" so that it engages beneath the inturned portions of the side wall of the channel.The width of the head is thus less than the width of opening of the channel and the length of the head is desirably slightly greater than the internal width of the channel so that the head can turn sufficiently far to lie under the inturned parts of the channel, but cannot rotate freely therein. The screw threaded shank 17 of the headed bolt 15 extends forwardly through the open front face of the channel 14 and through an aperture in the lining board 18 cladding the studs of the wall. A rigid cylindrical spacer bush 19 encircles the shank 17 and lies within the aperture of the lining board 18. The axial length of the spacer 19 is slightly larger than the thickness of the board 18 and at its innermost end the spacer 19 abuts the inturned portions of the side walls of the channel 14.The screw threaded shank 17 protrudes through the spacer 19 and receives a nut 21 whereby the device to be supported can be clamped against the outer axial end of the spacer 19 that its load is carried by the support 12 and the studs 11 and no load is imposed upon the lining board 18.

It will be recognised that during construction of the wall an appropriate number of bolts 15 can be engaged in the channel 14 prior to positioning the lining board 18.

The appropriate location of the shanks 17 of the bolts 15 widthwise between the studs 11 can be determined approximately, and suitable apertures can then be formed in the board 18 before positioning the board 18 on the studs. If the apertures in the board 18 are slightly over-sized then a degree of adjustment of the bolts 15 along the length of the channel 14 is possible.

An alternative method of constructing the wall involves attaching the support member 12 to the studs 11 as described above, and lining either one or both sides of the wall with lining board 18. The position of the support member 12 is marked on the wall such that when it is desired to attach an object to the wall, holes can be drilled through the lining board in positions in which the support member 12 can be used to support the object.

One convenient way of marking the wall is to arrange the lining board in such a manner that the join between two sheets of lining board overlies the support member 12, and more particularly, overlies the centre of the channel of the channel member 14. In this way, holes drilled in the lining board 18 will align with the channel, and bolts can be inserted into the holes so that their heads engage with the channel, as described above.

Figure 4 illustrates a modification of the support member in which the saddle formations at opposite edges of the panel 12a are reduced in length and are staggered so as not to be aligned with one another widthwise of the panel. More specifically, each of the saddle formations 13 has a length which is less than half of the length of the side edge of the panel 12a, the left hand saddle formation 13 is positioned adjacent the upper edge of the panel while the right hand saddle formation 13 is positioned adjacent the lower edge of the panel. The arrangement illustrated in Figure 4 permits a first support 12 to be positioned in association with first and second adjacent studs and a second similar support 12 to be aligned with the first support 12, but to be associated with second and third studs.It will be recognised that each of the supports 12 will have a saddle formation 13 cooperating with the second stud but in the case of the support 12 associated with the first and second studs it will be the right hand, lower saddle formation 13 which is associated with the second stud, whereas the support 12 associated with the second and third studs will have its upper, left hand saddle formation associated with the second stud. Thus the two supports can be positioned in horizontal alignment and in association with the second stud, without their respective saddle formations interfering with one another.

It will be understood that the load supports 12 illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 are symmetrical in the sense that they can be used in the orientation shown, or in an alternative orientation in which they are rotated through 1800 about an axis extending normal to the panel 12a thereof. The arrangement illustrated in Figure 5, which is the currently preferred construction for most applications, differs in that the saddle formation at one end of the panel 12a is omitted and in its place there is provided a single flange 23 extending parallel to, but in the opposite direction to the wall 13a of the saddle 13 at the opposite end of the panel 12a. The arrangement of the support 12 of Figure 5 is such that the distance between the rear edge of the flange 23 and the front face of the wall 13b of the saddle 13 is equal to the width of the base web of the studs 11. Thus when the support 12 is engaged between the adjacent studs 11 the saddle formation 13 at the right hand end of the panel engages the right hand stud as described above so that its wall 13c makes facial contact with the outer face of the base web of the right hand stud, and simultaneously the flange 23 makes facial contact with the base web of the left hand stud 11. The panel 12a occupies generally the median plane of the studs 11 and thus the flange 23 fixes to the base web of the left hand stud towards its rear edge whereas the wall 13c of the saddle 13 fixes to the base web of the right hand stud 11 adjacent its front edge.It will be understood therefore that should it be necessary to position an identical support 12 between the right hand stud and further stud to the right of the right hand stud the flange 23 of the second support 12 will engage the base web of the right hand stud aligned with, but to the rear of the wall 13c of the saddle formation 13 of the first support 12, and the saddle formation of the second support 12 can engage the further stud in the same manner as the saddle formation 13 of the first support 12 engages the right hand stud. In this way a row of studs can have supports 12 associated therewith, the supports 12 being horizontally aligned, but their fixings being free of interference with one another.

The examples described above all make use of a one-piece load support but it is to be understood that if desired a load support may be a fabrication produced by welding or otherwise interconnected separately formed parts such as the panel 12a and the saddle formations 13. Moreover in some instances the panel 12a may be dispensed with, the channel 14 having integral or welded formations at its ends for securing to the studs 11.

A block of wood may be inserted into the or each stud to receive the shank of the or each fixing screw whereby the load support is fastened to the stud.

We have mentioned above that load supports can be attached to adjacent pairs of studs to produce load supports side-by-side. Similarly if desired a further load support may be provided on the opposite side of a wall to first load support, the two supports being secured to the same studs and lying parallel to one another. The constructions of Figures 4 and 5 are particularly suited to this as their stud engaging formations would not obstruct each other.

Where the support is to be used in supporting sanitary ware, it is likely that the atmosphere surrounding the support will be moist. If this is the case, it is desirable that the channel, bolts and spacers used are produced from a corrosion resistant material, for example, stainless steel.

Claims

1. A load support comprising a metal panel of width sufficient to span the gap between adjacent wall studs, a first flange at one end of said panel for attachment to an inwardly presented face of one of said adjacent studs, an extension at the opposite end of said panel to encompass the width of the other of said studs and a second flange at the end of said extension, parallel to said first flange for attachment to the face of said other stud corresponding to said face of said one stud.

2. A load support as claimed in Claim 1 in which said panel includes at least one laterally extending strengthening formation extending out of the plane of the panel.

3. A load support as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 in which said panel is arranged to fit between said studs in use and said extension and said second flange define a saddle within which said other stud is received in use.

4. A load support as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3 in which the height dimension of said first and second flanges is less than half the height dimension of said panel and said flanges are displaced from one another in the height dimension of the panel.

5. A load support as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4 in which the panel carries a channel member extending in the widthwise direction of the panel and having its open face presented outwardly, the edges of the channel being turned inwardly so that the interior of the channel member is re-entrant.

6. A load support as claimed in Claim 5 in which the channel member is arranged to support a bolt for attachment to an article to be supported by the load support.

7. A load support as claimed in Claim 6 in which the bolt carries a spacer against which the article is arranged to be clamped such that, in use, the article is supported by the load support without imposing a load upon a lining board carried by the studs.

8. A load support as claimed in Claim 7 in which the channel member, the bolt, and the collar are produced from a corrosion resistant material.

9. A load support substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A load support substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A load support substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.

12. A wall structure comprising a plurality of parallel, vertical studs and a load support as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the load support interconnecting an adjacent pair of said studs, the studs being of channel section and being arranged with their open faces presented in the same direction, said first and second flanges being secured to the base webs of their respective stud.

13. A wall structure as claimed in Claim 12 further comprising at least one further load support interconnecting the pair of adjacent studs, the load supports being arranged in a vertical array.

14. A wall structure as claimed in Claim 12 further comprising at least one further load support, the or each further load support interconnecting a respective pair of adjacent studs, the load supports being arranged in a horizontal array.

15. A wall structure as claimed in Claim 12 further comprising at least one further load support interconnecting a pair of adjacent studs, the or each further load support being on the opposite side of the wall structure to the load support.

16. A wall structure as claimed in any one of Claims 12 to 15 in which at least one side of the wall structure is lined with a lining board, the location of the or each load support being marked on the lining board.