GB2267917A - Suspended ceiling bulkhead assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A bulkhead structure for use with a ceiling suspended from a levelled grid system (5) to connect a part of said ceiling of panels (1) at one level with part of the ceiling of panels (2) at another level, the bulkhead being of modular regular shaped panels (3). First bulkhead hangers (7) of a first length and second bulkhead hangers (6) of a shorter length are attached to grid (5). A first bulkhead panel support member (12) is attached to hangers (7) and includes a rebate (27) to locate one edge of the bulkhead panels (3) and a second bulkhead panel support member (1) is connected to hangers (6) and includes a flange (17) shaped to receive the opposite edge of panels (3). A lighting trough 30 may be attached as shown. <IMAGE>

Description

CEILING BULKHEAD AND ASSEMBLY METHOD This invention relates to a bulkhead assembly for use with suspended ceilings to connect the edge of a ceiling at one level with the edge of a ceiling at a different level and also to a method of forming and assembling such a bulkhead.

Suspended ceilings are normally installed on site by a ceiling contractor who purchases all the components for the ceiling structure from a manufacturer and then assembles and erects the componentssupplied into the finished ceiling. This is generally done by installing a levelled grid structure from which modular ceiling panels are suspended on a grid basis at the required level. Several different bulkhead systems are known.

1. Site fabrications which are constructed using known joinery/shop fitting methods. Generally these are installed prior to the ceiling assemblies.

2. Site fabrications which are constructed from individually suspended metal panels (i.e. not an integrated system). These are generally installed prior to the ceiling assemblies.

3. Three dimensional mineral fibre ceiling systems which allow preformed panels to be suspended from a three dimensional grid.

4. Standard suspended ceiling systems which are installed at an angle to form a sloping surface.

The problem with all of these systems is that they all require a considerable amount of special fabrication and/or adaptation on site which is time consuming and therefore slows down the speed at which the ceiling can be installed and erected.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a fully integrated bulkhead system to join ceilings of the same or different types at different levels. Furthermore the bulkhead system of the invention has been designed for use with modular panels in such a way that the bulkhead may be constructed on site to match the dimensions of the surrounding ceiling; thereby reducing the requirement for site cutting of the ceiling to fit the bulkhead.

According to the invention there is provided a bulkhead structure for use with a suspended ceiling to connect a part of the ceiling at one level with another part of the ceiling at another level, the bulkhead being made up from a plurality of modular panels, the structure comprising bulkhead hangers of a first length for attachment to a levelled grid system for the ceiling, bulkhead hangers of a second length for attachment to said levelled grid system, a first bulkhead panel support member attached to each of said first bulkhead hangers shaped to receive and locate one edge of said bulkhead panels and a second bulkhead panel support member connected to each of said second bulkhead hangers shaped to receive and locate the opposite edge of said bulkhead panels, the bulkhead panels extending between the first and second bulkhead support members and being supported thereby.

Preferably the first and second bulkhead support members each include mounting means to receive securing means for attaching each bulkhead panel thereto.

In a preferred embodiment, the bulkhead support members include a flange which projects therefrom to overlap the immediately adjacent ceiling panels.

Preferably the first and second bulkhead hangers include means whereby the bulkhead support members can be rotationally connected thereto. If required, a lighting trough can be attached to the bulkhead panels adjacent one edge thereof.

When assembling a ceiling incorporating a bulkhead structure of the present invention, another problem arises when metal flat pan ceiling tiles are used for the central part of the ceiling. Such tiles are normally made using hard dedicated tooling which means that they can be accurately made to a tolerance of say +0/-0.3mm. Thus, using tiles which are 600mm x 600mm over a length of say 100 tiles, a tolerance of approximately 30mm can be expected. Due to the relatively small numbers of bulkhead panels required compared to the panels needed for the whole ceiling structure, it is not economical to make them using hard dedicated tooling so instead they may be made using a computer numerically controlled (CNC) punch and folding machine.This process however is not nearly as accurate as that using hard dedicated tooling so on a 600mm panel, a tolerance of say +0.5mm can be expected which over a length of 100 panels means that a tolerance of +50mm has to be allowed for. This difference in tolerance makes it extremely difficult to produce a perfect joint in the bulkhead because unsightly gaps will be visible at the joint unless the tiles line up exactly.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a "flying corner joint" for use in a ceiling bulkhead which comprises first and second abutting corner panels, the first corner panel having a non-parallel mitred edge adapted to abut the outer face of the second corner panel to form the joint, said outer face extending beyond the location where said mitred edge forms the corner joint therewith. The "flying corner joint" can be used with any ceiling bulkhead including the novel bulkhead of the invention.

The novel "flying corner joint" of the present invention obviates the need for the two ends of the bulkhead corner panels which make up the joint to perfectly abut with each other to form the joint as the edge of one corner panel simply abuts against the outer face of the other adjacent corner panel which extends beyond the the mitred joint. This makes assembly much easier as it requires only one of the bulkhead corner panels to be made to the exact dimensions in the factory. This system therefore allows a bulkhead to be made to a predetermined length in the factory as any manufacturing tolerance can be taken up by the "flying corner joints" on site. This has substantial advantages as it means that the bulkhead can be manufactured from factory formed modular panels to the exact length required (to match an adjacent modular ceiling).Furthermore, the bulkhead components can also be painted in the factory to match the colour of the ceiling.

The invention further provides a method of forming a bulkhead including at least one internal corner between a modular suspended ceiling at a first level and a modular suspended ceiling at a second level, the ceilings at said first and second levels being suspended from an overhead levelled grid system comprising the steps of:: a) suspending from the levelled overhead grid system a plurality of identical modular juxtaposed bulkhead panels to fill the gap between the ceilings at said first and second levels, suspending from the levelled overhead grid system a first corner panel at the or each internal corner, said panel having an end edge projecting beyond the internal corner, and b) suspending from the levelled grid system a second corner panel at the or each internal corner, said second corner panel having a non-parallel mitred edge and fitting said mitred edge to abut the outer face of the first corner panel to form the corner joint therewith whereby a portion of the front face of the first corner panel extends beyond said corner joint.

If desired, the first corner panel can be one or more standard bulkhead panels.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a ceiling incorporating a bulkhead structure of the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross section of the bulkhead structure shown in Figure 3 taken along the line II-II; Figure 3 is a schematic plan view of the bulkhead structure shown in Figure 1 illustrating the erection sequence of the corner panels; Figure 4 is a rear perspective view of one of the corner joints shown in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a rear perspective view of one of the panels making up the joint shown in Figure 4 and includes a cross section of the panel along the line A-A; and Figure 6 is a rear perspective view of the other panel making up the joint shown in Figure 4 including a section taken along the line B-B.

Referring now to Figure 1 of the drawings, there is shown a ceiling structure which incorporates a ceiling 1 at a first level which may be made from a number of modular ceiling panels such as open-cell panels. The overall ceiling structure includes a second section 2 which may for instance be made up from metal flat pan ceiling tiles of known type. A bulkhead 3 connects the two ceiling parts at different levels together. The ceiling parts 1 and 2 can be suspended from a known pre-levelled grid system made up from C-section rails 5 (see Figure 2).

This pre-levelled grid would be assembled in known manner so no further description thereof will be given here.

Referring now to Figure 2, the form of the bulkhead structure can be seen in more detail.

It can be seen from Figure 2 that first and second bulkhead hangers 6 and 7 are attached to the C-section sub grid members 5. Each hanger has a laterally extending foot 8 in which a hole (not shown) is provided. Bulkhead support members 10,12 are attached to respective hangers 6,7 by means of nuts and bolts 13 whose heads are captivated in a formation 14 provided at the top of each bulkhead support member. The bolt shaft passes through the hole in each hanger 6,7 and is secured thereto by means of a nut. Thus, bulkhead support members 10,12 can be attached to the hangers 6,7 at any rotational orientation relative thereto. This is particularly advantageous as it means that bulkheads can be assembled at any angle relative to the adjacent ceiling edges abutting therewith.

The bulkhead support members 10,12 are in the form of aluminium extrusions. Extrusion 10 includes a formation 15 adapted to receive a screw 16 therein.

It further includes an inclined flange section 17 adapted to support the edge of a bulkhead panel 3 thereon. An opposite facing flange 18 extends from the other side of the support member to abut the adjacent ceiling panel 1. Splicing plates 19 connect together adjacent lengths of extrusion and wedges 20 secure ceiling panel 1 in position against the flange 18, where necessary, the wedges acting between the bottom of the ceiling tile 1 and the underside of laterally extending flange 21 on the bulkhead support member 10.

The other bulkhead support member 12 also includes a formation 25 to receive a screw 26, a rebate 27 and an inwardly directed lip 28. Splicing plates 29 are used to connect adjacent lengths of extrusion 12 together. The bulkhead panels 3 are fitted into the extrusions 10,12 so that the bottom edge of each panel 3 is located in rebate 27 and the top outside edge rests on the inside face of the lip or flange 17. Each panel is secured to the support member 10,12 using screws 16 and 26 Some access panels may be provided. These would simply rest on the bulkhead support members 10, 12 If the bulkhead structure is to include a lighting system, a lighting trough 30 can be attached to the outer face of the bulkhead panels 3 using attachment members 31 which are secured to each panel 3 by means of screws 32.The attachment member 31 is an aluminium extrusion and is provided with a foot 33 which locates under lips 34,35 provided on the inside surface of the lighting trough 30. The lighting trough 30 also includes lips 36 and 37 which receive and locate splicing plates 38 to connected adjacent lengths of lighting trough 30 together. Splicing plates 39 which locate under projections 35 and 36 also are used to connect the adjacent lengths of lighting trough 30 together and to prevent light leakage between the seams. A light assembly 42 is attached to the attachment member 31.

The lighting trough 30 also includes an upstanding lip 40 provided with a bevelled edge 41. This lip 40 abuts downwardly projecting face 45 of the extrusion 12 to make a neat join therewith. As the two faces 40,45 are parallel to each other, any tolerance therebetween can readily be accommodated as they can slide vertically relative to each other.

It will be noted that the flange 28 of the extruded support member 12 extends over the free edge of the lower ceiling panels 2 and thus a clean visual appearance is provided where the ceiling panels 2 join the lighting trough 30.

By means of the system illustrated in Figure 2, it will be appreciated that it is extremely easy to assemble a bulkhead structure such as that illustrated in Figure 1 as the two ceiling parts 1 and 2 can be hung from the pre-levelled sub grid 5 by means of the hangers 6,7 and the extruded support members 10,12 can then be attached to the free ends of the hangers along the facing edges of the ceilings 1 and 2. Modular metal bulkhead tray panels 3 can then be inserted in the space between the ceiling 1 and the ceiling 2, the upper edge of each panel 3 being supported on the flange 17 and the bottom edge of each panel being located in the rebate 27. Each panel is then secured to the extruded support members 10,12 using screws 16 and 26.

The manner in which a corner joint in the bulkhead is formed will now be described with reference to Figures 3-6.

Figure 3 shows schematically the bulkhead 3 shown in Figure 1 and it can be seen that the bulkhead which extends between corners A and B comprises a plurality of identically shaped bulkhead panels intermediate the corners A and B. However, special corner panels X and Y are necessary to form the joint at each corner and these corner panels will be described in more detail with reference to Figures 4-6.

Figure 4 shows a rear view of corner joint B in Figure 3 and it can be seen that it is made up from an X panel 43 and a Y panel 44. The X panel 43 has a mitred inclined edge 45 which abuts the outer face of the Y panel 44 along said edge. The edge 45 has an inwardly directed flange 46 along its entire length and the remaining sides of the panel have an upstanding lip 47. Y panel 44 is similar in design to the X panel 43 in that it has an upstanding lip 48 provided around three of its edges, its fourth edge however has no such lip.

Because free edge 50 of the Y panel 44 protrudes beyond the actual mitred joint of the corner connection, any tolerance in the length of the run of panels 3 between corner A and corner B can readily be accommodated as each X panel 43 is offered up to its associated panel 44 so that its edge 45 and flange 46 abuts the outer face of the Y panel 44. There is no need therefore for the end edges of the X and Y panels to meet perfectly to form a mitred joint.

Some or all of the X and Y panels can be connected together using self tapping screws 51 or alternatively the panel 44 can just rest on flange 46 of panel 43. This "flying corner joint" makes the assembly of the illustrated bulkhead extremely easy as manufacturing tolerances are no longer critical.

In order to assemble the bulkhead illustrated in Figure 3, a plurality of standard modular bulkhead panels 3 would then be arranged in a line as illustrated from corner A towards corner B in the direction of arrow Z. When the last panel 3 had been put in position adjacent corner B, a Y panel as shown in Figure 6 is then offered up to the immediately adjacent bulkhead panel 3 so that its free edge 50 (see Figure 4) projects beyond the location at corner B where the joint will be made. The cut-to-size Y panel can then be screwed to its adjacent panel 3 but this is not essential. The next X corner panel 43 is then offered up to the outside face of the Y panel 44 at corner A and screwed thereto using the flange 46.

Once this X panel is in position, then the next run of standard bulkhead panels 3 can be put in place towards corner C and the process is repeated throughout the whole perimeter of the bulkhead, an appropriate joint being made at each corner location C-F.

Claims (9)

1. A bulkhead structure for use with a ceiling suspended from a levelled grid system to connect a part of said ceiling made up of regular shaped panels at one level with another part of the ceiling made up from said regular shaped panels at another level, the bulkhead also being made up from a plurality of modular regular shaped panels, the structure comprising first bulkhead hangers of a first length for attachment to said levelled grid system, second bulkhead hangers of a second shorter length for attachment to said levelled grid system, a first bulkhead panel support member attached to each of said first bulkhead hangers shaped to receive and locate one edge of said bulkhead panels and a second bulkhead panel support member connected to each of said second bulkhead hangers shaped to receive and locate the opposite edge of said bulkhead panels, the bulkhead panels extending between the first and second bulkhead support members and being supported thereby.

2. A bulkhead structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first and second bulkhead support members each include mounting means to receive securing means for attaching each bulkhead panel thereto.

3. A bulkhead structure as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the bulkhead support members include a flange which projects therefrom to overlap the immediately adjacent ceiling panels and cover the edge thereof.

4. A bulkhead structure as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the first and second bulkhead hangers include means whereby the bulkhead support members can be rotationally connected thereto.

5. A bulkhead structure as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein each bulkhead support member is an elongate metal extrusion.

6. A bulkhead structure as claimed in claim 5 wherein each bulkhead support member attached to said second bulkhead hangers has locating means which project over the immediately adjacent edge of the ceiling panel supported by said bulkhead support member to receive a clip means adapted to cooperate with the ceiling panel and retain it in position on the bulkhead support member.

7. A bulkhead structure as claimed in claim 3 wherein the flange extends laterally from each of said first bulkhead support hangers substantially normally thereto.

8. A bulkhead structure as claimed in claim 3 wherein the flange extends laterally from each of said second bulkhead support members at an angle other than 900.

9. A method of forming a bulkhead substantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings

9. A bulkhead structure as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each of said first bulkhead support members includes a rebate extending along the length thereof having a support surface inclined to the horizontal and adapted to receive and locate an edge of a bulkhead panel therein.

10. A bulkhead structure as claimed in any of claims 1-8 wherein each of said second bulkhead support members is provided with a flange extending laterally and downwardly therefrom at an angle to the horizontal to receive and support an edge of a bulkhead panel thereon.

11. A bulkhead structure substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. A bulkhead internal corner joint for use with a bulkhead structure such as that claimed in any of claims 1-11 comprising first and second abutting corner panels, the first corner panel having an edge which is not parallel with its opposite facing edge to provide a mitred edge adapted to abut the outer face of the second corner panel to form the joint, said outer face extending beyond the location where said mitred edge forms the corner joint therewith.

13. A bulkhead corner joint as claimed in claim 12 wherein the first corner panel has 3 side edges normal to each other, the fourth side edge being non-parallel with its opposed side edge to provide said mitred edge.

14. A bulkhead corner joint as claimed in claim 12 or claim 13 wherein each first corner panel comprises a metal tray having a planar base and an upstanding flange around its periphery.

15. A bulkhead corner joint as claimed in claim 14 wherein the flange on the two parallel edges extend upwardly from the tray base parallel to each other, the flange on the other two non-parallel sides extending upwardly therefrom at different angles to each other, the angle of the flange on the mitred edge relative to the tray base being less than 900.

16. A bulkhead corner joint as claimed in claim 15 wherein the mitred edge flange abuts the outer face of the second corner panel to form the joint.

17. A bulkhead corner joint as claimed in claim 16 wherein the mitred edge flange and second corner panel are secured together by fixing means.

18. A bulkhead corner joint substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

19. A method of forming a bulkhead including at least one internal corner between a modular suspended ceiling at a first level and a modular suspended ceiling at a second level, the ceilings at said first and second levels being suspended from an overhead levelled grid system comprising the steps of: a) suspending from the overhead levelled grid system a plurality of identical modular juxtaposed bulkhead panels to fill the gap between the ceilings at said first and second levels, suspending from the overhead levelled grid system a first corner panel at the or each internal corner, said panel having an end edge projecting beyond the internal corner joint, and b) suspending from the levelled grid system a second corner panel at the or each internal corner, said second corner panel having a non-parallel mitred edge and fitting said mitred edge to abut the outer face of the first corner panel to form the corner joint therewith whereby a portion of the front face of the first corner panel extends beyond said corner joint.

20. A method of forming a bulkhead substantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. An internal corner joint for use in a ceiling bulkhead structure comprising first and second abutting corner panels, the first corner panel having an edge which is not parallel with its opposite facing edge to provide a mitred edge adapted to abut the outer face of the second corner panel to form the joint, said outer face extending beyond the location where said mitred edge forms the corner joint therewith.

2. A bulkhead corner joint as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first corner panel has 3 side edges normal to each other, the fourth side edge being non-parallel with its opposed side edge to provide said mitred edge.

3. A bulkhead corner joint as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each first corner panel comprises a metal tray having a planar base and an upstanding flange around its periphery.

4. A bulkhead corner joint as claimed in claim 3 wherein the flange on the two parallel edges extend upwardly from the tray base parallel to each other, the flange on the other two non-parallel sides extending upwardly therefrom at different angles to each other, the angle of the flange on the mitred edge relative to the tray base being less than 900.

5. A bulkhead corner joint as claimed in claim 4 wherein the mitred edge flange abuts the outer face of the second corner panel to form the joint.

6. A bulkhead corner joint as claimed in claim 5 wherein the mitred edge flange and second corner panel are secured together by fixing means.

7. A bulkhead corner joint substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. A method of forming a bulkhead including at least one internal corner between a modular suspended ceiling at a first level and a modular suspended ceiling at a second level, the ceilings at said first and second levels being suspended from an overhead levelled grid system comprising the steps of: a) suspending from the overhead levelled grid system a plurality of identical modular juxtaposed bulkhead panels to fill the gap between the ceilings at said first and second levels, suspending from the overhead levelled grid system a first corner panel at the or each internal corner, said panel having an end edge projecting beyond the internal corner joint, and b) suspending from the levelled grid system a second corner panel at the or each internal corner, said second corner panel having a non-parallel mitred edge and fitting said mitred edge to abut the outer face of the first corner panel to form the corner joint therewith whereby a portion of the front face of the first corner panel extends beyond said corner joint.