GB2347943A

GB2347943A - Partition stud with holes shaped to prevent damage to electrical cables passing therethrough

Info

Publication number: GB2347943A
Application number: GB9906295A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roy Humpage
Original assignee: Hadley Industries Ltd
Current assignee: Hadley Industries Ltd
Priority date: 1999-03-18
Filing date: 1999-03-18
Publication date: 2000-09-20
Also published as: GB9928433D0; GB9929043D0; GB9906295D0

Abstract

A partition stud is a length of channel section metal. Holes 10 are spaced apart along the length of the channel in the floor 2 and near the side walls 3. The sides 12 of the holes 10 are shaped, e.g. with folded over flaps 13 or rounded surfaces 14, to cover any sharp edges so that an electrical conductor E can be passed through the holes 10 without risk of being cut.

Description

STUD FOR PARTIONING OR THE LIKE The invention relates to a stud for partitioning or the like. More particularly the invention relates to a stud made from channel section metal or like material.

It is known that partition walls are made up of metal channel or studs with plasterboard fixed either side of the metal channel or studs to the stud faces. It is also known that metal channel or studs used for partitioning have service holes along their centre to allow for electrical cables to be passed through. It is also known that these service holes are preferably produced with edge protection to prevent damage to the installation of the cables pulled through them.

The service holes in the partition are to allow for wiring to pass through the partition to such things as plug sockets and light switches. It is recognised that a tradesman would be aware when working on a partition wall of wiring inside the partition if he could see a light switch or a plug socket, and would take the necessary precaution.

However if the tradesman was working on the reverse side of the wall and could not see the plug socket or light switch, he may not be aware of the existence of wiring. It is therefore essential and part of the British Standard that cables should be kept a minimum distance of 50 mm from the face of the plasterboard on the side of the partition where sockets and light switches are not shown.

It is one object of the invention to provide a stud for the purpose specified in which this risk is reduced or avoided. and a method of making such a stud.

According to the invention in one aspect there is provided a stud comprising a length of channel section, holes being spaced apart longitudinally along the length, each hole being dimensioned to allow an electrical conductor to pass therethrough, the walls of the hole being shaped to prevent damage to the conductor.

Preferably the holes are located so that the electrical conductor is located in the comer between the upright walls of the channel section and the floor. Preferably rows of such holes are present, one on each side of the channel section.

Preferably the floor of the channel is at least 40 mm wide, i. e. when the thickness of the plasterboard is taken into account the required minimum distance of 50 mm is achieved.

The holes may be of any suitable shape and typically will have one straight side wall which is adjacent the edge of the channel. It is preferred that the holes are generally D-shaped as seen in plan. Preferably the curved wall of the D is raised up to so that any sharp edges on the wall are well away from an electrical conductor passing through the hole. Preferably a folded-over flap covers the straight wall of the D shaped hole, to overlie any sharp edges present on that straight wall.

In another aspect the invention provides a method of making a stud for a partition, the method comprising: forming longitudinally spaced apart holes in a length of sheet material each hole being provided with a tab extending into the hole ; bending the sheet into generally channel cross-sectional shape so that the straight wall of each hole is present in a corner of the floor and wall of the channel section; punching up the margins of the curved wall of the hole ; and bending the tabs to lie against the adjacent upright wall.

Preferably the method includes the step of passing the holed plain sheet over a toothed roller to introduce by roll forming surface deformations, i. e. projections and depressions on opposite sides of the sheet. Such a step is preferably performed before the bending step or may be done part way through the bending sequence.

In order that the invention may be well understood it will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of part of a length of partition stud ; Figure 2 is a plan view of the part of the length drawn to an enlarged scale ; Figure 3 is a section taken on lines 111-111 on Figure 2, but showing at each side plasterboard panels P; Figure 4 shows schematically one overall method of making the stud of Figures 1 to 3; and Figure 5 is a transverse section through a punch tool used in the method shown in Figure 4.

The stud comprises a length 1 of channel section shaped metal, having a floor 2 and generally upstanding side walls 3. The floor is at least 40 mm wide. The surface of the section has been rollformed to provide alternating projections and depressions 5 on both surfaces. Holes 10 are present in the junction of the floor 2 and upright walls 3; the holes 10 are arrange in rows which alternate along both longer sides of the floor. The holes are somewhat semicircular or generally D-shape as seen in plan, the straight wall 11 being present at the junction of the sidewall 3 and the floor 2.

The curved wall 12 of each hole 10 is raised above the plane of the floor. A tongue 13 integrally formed with the vertical wall 3 is turned up to lie generally parallel to the inner surface of the channel, i. e. it contacts the inside face of that wall. This has the effect of providing a rounded surface 14 alongside the majority of the length of the wall 11, which smooth surface will not bite into or cut into or otherwise harm an electrical conductor E passed through the hole. When an electrical conductor E is passed through the row of holes 10 on either side of the stud the conductor is kept shielded in the corner of the stud as far as possible from the opposite face of the plasterboard, e. g. from drill bits making holes in the stud itself or the body of the plasterboard. Because each hole has a raised wall 12 and a shielding tongue 13 any sharp edges are kept well away from the conductor E and so they cannot bite or cut into the conductor E or its sheath. The distance between holes is selected so that the conductor can be held relatively tight. In this way the conductor has been secured in a safe and durable way.

As shown in Figure 3, the stud is located between two plasterboard panels P1, P2 only one of which is shown. The electrical conductor E passes through the hole 10, and goes along the adjacent channel wall 3. In this way, the conductor is held remote from the opposite panel P and the parts are dimensioned so that there is a distance of at least 50 mm from the conductor E to the outer face of the panel P2. It is a further feature of the invention that the stud is dimensioned so that the conductor is kept far away from the areas in which an person may want to drill holes.

For this purpose the floor should be at least 40 mm wide.

A length of stud of the invention may be made in the procedure shown in Figure 5. A continuous length L of suitable plain metal sheet is unreeled from a roll 20 and passed to a piercing station A at which the holes 10 are pierced in the intended locations. The holes are pierced using a tool shaped to provide the tongues 13 which still lie in the plane of the flat sheet. The pierced length is then passed to station B at which it is rollformed to introduce projections and depressions on opposite faces. Preferably the roll forming is according to our patent EP 0674551 for the ULTRASTEEL process. It is then passed to a fold up station C where it is moved past a succession of increasingly larger diameter rollers which urge the margins upwardly to form the side walls 2 of the intended channel section. A press ram 21 moves vertically upwards and in cooperation with selected rollers. The ram has a press head 22 (Fig. 6) shaped to fold the tongue 13 upwardly against the adjacent sidewall 2 and to raise the edge 12 of the curved part of the sidewall to the intended shape. The ram is then retracted. The length is then cut off using a suitable cutter. Conveniently the cutter is controlled, e. g. optically sensed, so that the raising and cutting operations are synchronised.

It will thus be seen that the invention offers a method of producing stud service holes along the edge of the stud to keep electrical wiring passing through the service holes, as far away as possible from the opposite face of the partition so that the wiring is protected from objects such as screws and nails being driven into the partition face, the service holes being raised round the edge so that the hole does not damage the wiring installation when the wiring is pulled through the service hole.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown. Thus the holes need not be generally semicircular ; the stud surfaces need to have the projections and depressions shown; the holes may be spaced apart differently. The stud may be made by different methods from that shown schematically and the steps of the method may be formed in a different sequence.

Claims

Agent's Ref: P02423GB CLAIMS 1. A stud comprising a length of channel section, holes being spaced apart longitudinally along the length, each hole being dimensioned to allow an electrical conductor to pass therethrough, the walls of the hole being shaped to prevent damage to the conductor.
2. A stud according to Claim 1, wherein the holes are located in the corner between the side walls of the channel section and the floor.
3. A stud according to Claim 2, wherein rows of such holes are present, one on each side of the channel section.
4. A stud according to any preceding Claim, wherein the floor of the channel is at least 40 mm wide.
5. A stud according to any preceding Claim, wherein each hole has one straight wall which is adjacent to the side wall of the channel, and each hole is generally D-shaped as seen in plan.
6. A stud according to Claim 5, wherein a folded-over flap covers the straight wall of the D-shaped hole, to overlie any sharp edges present on that straight wall.
7. A stud according to Claim 5 or 6, wherein the curved wall of the D is raised up so that any sharp edges on the wall are remote from an electrical conductor passing through the hole.
8. A stud comprising a length of channel section, holes being spaced apart longitudinally along the length, each hole being dimensioned to allow an electrical conductor to pass therethrough, the holes being located in the corner between a sidewall and the floor, each hole having a flap integral with the side wall and being folded over to overlie the inner surface of the side wall.
9. A method of making a stud for a partition, the method comprising : forming longitudinally spaced apart holes in a length of sheet material, each hole being provided with a tab extending into the hole ; bending the sheet into generally channel cross-sectional shape so that each hole is present in a corner of the floor and wall of the channel section; and bending the tabs to lie against the adjacent upright wall.
10. A method according to Claim 9, including the step of passing the holed plain sheet over a toothed roller to introduce by roll forming surface deformations, i. e. projections and depressions on opposite sides of the sheet.
11. A method according to Claim 9, including the step of punching up the margins of the wall of the hole remote from the tab.