SE546118C2 - A wall stud made of hardboard - Google Patents

Abstract

A wall stud is provided. The wall stud (10) comprises an elongated body (12) and at least one flange (14) extending from said body (12) thereby providing a wall stud width (W) being greater than the thickness (T) of the elongated body (12). The body (12) and the at least one flange (14) are made of hardboard.

Description

Technical Field The present invention relates to a Wall stud, and methods for producing such Wall stud.

Background A Wall stud is a structural member used in framing building. Typically, a Wall is constructed by arranging a bottom plate as the bottom horizontal member, a top plate as the upper horizontal member, and a plurality of vertically arranged studs extending between the bottom plate and the top plate. The area between the studs may be filled With insulation, and a dryWall or other kind of panel is attached to the studs to form a planar surface of the Wall.

Solid Wood may be used to manufacture a stud, Which then is formed as an elongated member having a rectangular cross-section. Other alternatives include steel studs; such stud is manufactured as an elongated sheet being folded to form a U-shape. While solid Wood studs are heavy and potentially crooked, steel studs are more lightweight and straight. HoWever, steel studs suffer from sharp edges, and being difficult to cut into the desired length.

Based on the above there is need for improvements, and attempts have been made to produce studs from smaller solid Wood parts in combination With engineered Wood. HoWever, such available products require complex manufacturing techniques and they do not contribute much to solve the drawbacks of traditional studs made of steel or solid Wood.

Summary It is an object of the present invention to provide improvements to the prior art. Further, it is an object to provide improved methods for manufacturing Wall studs.

An idea ofthe present invention is to provide a Wall stud Which is lightWeight, easy to Work With, and very cost efficient.

A further idea is to provide methods for manufacturing such improved Wall studs.

According to a first aspect, a Wall stud is provided. The Wall stud comprises an elongated body and at least one flange extending from said body thereby providing a Wall stud Width being greater than the thickness of the elongated body. The body and the at least one flange are made of hardboard. The panel is provided with at least one V-shaped groove extending longitudinally along the panel, wherein the at least one V-shaped groove do not extend entirely through the panel such that the remaining panel thickness forms a rigid connection ofthe panel and a hinge mechanism. An adhesive is applied to the V- shaped groove before the panel is folded at the area ofthe V-shaped groove.

The use of hardboard for the manufacturing of wall studs has proven to be extremely cost efficient, not only because of the low cost of the hardboard itself but also due to the fact that it allows for low complex manufacturing techniques. Further, as hardboard is normally produced using no added adhesive component the resulting wall stud is far more environmentally friendly than wall studs currently available on the market.

Hardboard is a material comprising highly compressed wood fibres. Within the context of this application the term hardboard is meant also to cover modified wood products exhibiting properties which are similar to hardboard, such as wood materials being subject to an acetylation process and/or a furfurylation process.

The proposed wall stud is extremely efficient, easy-to-handle, and sustainable.

The elongated body and the at least one flange may together form an I- shape, L-shape, T-shape, C-shape or rectangular cross-section. Hence, the solutions presented herein allows for a great variety of shapes to fit with various constructional needs.

The elongated body and the at least one flange may form folded parts of the same hardboard panel. This further facilitates the manufacturing process, which can be made in a continuous process.

Gluing can be made in-line during the manufacturing process, which makes the manufacturing process even more efficient.

The interface between the elongated body and one of the at least one flanges may form a corner shape, and the apex of said corner shape may be provided with a radius. This further eliminates the drawbacks of especially commercially available steel studs, as these are very difficult to handle in a safe manner due to the sharp edges.

According to a second aspect not forming part ofthe invention a wall stud is provided. The wall stud comprises an elongated body and at least one flange extending from said body thereby forming a channel-shaped wall stud. The wall stud is made of a plurality of molded paper layers.

Such paper stud is beneficial for a number of reasons, including superior sustainability properties, shapeability, and easy-to-handle Characteristics.

For any ofthe above-mentioned aspects, the at least one flange may extend from the elongated body at an angle of 80-90°, preferably at an angle of 85-89°. Such slightly inward-tilted flange will be beneficial as it will allow for a clamping effect for any constructional member being inserted within the wall stud, such as a further stud.

Alternatively the at least one flange may extend from the elongated body at an angle of 90-l00°, preferably at an angle of 9l-95°, resulting in a slightly outward-tilted flange.

At least one ofthe elongated body and the at least one flange may be provided with a ruler, in order to facilitate correct cutting of the wall stud into the desired length.

According to a further aspect a method of manufacturing a wall stud is provided. The method comprises i) providing a hardboard panel, ii) providing at least one V-shaped groove in said hardboard panel, said at least one V-shaped groove extending longitudinally along the panel, wherein the at least one V- shaped groove do not extend entirely through the panel such that the remaining panel thickness forms a rigid connection ofthe panel and a hinge mechanism, iii) adding glue to said at least one V-shaped groove, and iv) folding said hardboard panel at the area of the at least one V-shaped groove thereby forming a wall stud comprising the elongated body and at least one flange thereby providing a wall stud width being greater than the thickness of the elongated body. The step ofi) providing the hardboard panel may comprise splicing a plurality of hardboard panels.

Further embodiments of the invention are given by the following description.

Brief Description of the Drawings The present invention will hereinafter be further explained by means of non-limiting examples with reference to the appended schematic figures where; Fig. l is a schematic view of a wall construction comprising wall studs according to an embodiment; Figs. 2a-d are schematic side views illustrating the manufacturing process for producing a wall stud according to an embodiment; Figs. 3a-j are cross-sectional views of wall studs according to different embodiments; Figs. 4a-dfgju are schematic side Views illustrating the manufacturing process for producing a wall stud according to an embodiment; Fig. 5 is an isometric View of a wall stud according to an embodiment; and Fig. 6 is a schematic View of a production equipment for manufacturing a wall stud.

Detailed Description Starting in Fig. 1 a wall construction 1 is shown. The wall construction is typically a non-load bearing wall section being assembled by horizontal and Vertical elements. As can be seen in Fig. 1 a bottom plate 3 is arranged in a horizontal orientation, which is secured to the underlying structure, such as the floor, by any suitable means such as screws etc. A top plate 5 is arranged Vertically aboVe the bottom plate 3 and horizontally aligned with the bottom plate 3. The upper plate 5 is secured to the oVerlying structure, such as the ceiling or any other robust construction arranged inside the ceiling. Vertical wall studs 10 extend between the bottom plate 3 and the top plate 5. As is clear from Fig. 1 the bottom plate 3 and the upper plate 5 are channel plates, such that the wall studs 10 can be receiVed by each one of the bottom plate 3 and the upper plate 5. It should howeVer be understood that the exact shape and configuration of any of the bottom plate 3, upper plate 5, and wall studs 10 can be Varied as long as it allows for secure attachment of the wall studs 10. Secure attachment may for example be accomplished by means of additional fasteners, or simply by clamping the wall studs 10 inside the respectiVe bottom and upper plates 3, 5. A separate block (not shown) may be used to attach the wall stud 10 to any of the bottom plate 3 or the upper plate 5. Such block may be arranged inside the wall stud 10 such that it protrudes to some extent out from the end of the wall stud 10, while the protruding end is inserted in the adjacent plate 3, 5. Similar blocks may also be used for joining two separate wall studs.

In order to finalize the wall the wall construction 1 is further proVided with some kind of panels (not shown) to form the surfaces ofthe wall. These panels, which e.g. can be a drywall, are typically screwed to the wall studs 10 which consequently need to be robust enough to carry the weight ofthe panels.

It should be noted that for the example shown in Fig. 1, all wall components (i.e. the bottom plate 3, the upper plate 5, and the wall studs 10) may be manufactured as wall studs within the context of this specification. Hence, although the inVentiVe deVice is herein denoted a wall stud it should be meant to also cover other constructional elements of similar purpose, i.e. elongated members being used for framing or other constructions.

As presented herein the wall studs 10 are made of either hardboard (forming part of the invention) or paper (not forming part of the invention). As will be further explained in the following, each material will provide specific technical advantages.

Now turning to Figs. 2a-d a process for manufacturing a wall stud 10 will be explained. Starting in Fig. 2a a panel 20 is shown. The panel 20 is formed by hardboard or by a plurality of paper sheets being glued together to form a panel shape. The panel 20 is substantially planar, although in case of hardboard one of the top or bottom side may typically be textured.

The panel 20 is provided with one or more V-shaped grooves 22 extending longitudinally along the panel 20, whereby the exact amount of V-shaped grooves 22 is dependent on the final shape ofthe wall stud 10. In the shown example there are two V-shaped grooves extending from the upper side 24 and downwards. Preferably, as illustrated in Figs. 2a-b the V-shaped grooves 22 do not extend entirely through the panel 20. Hence, the remaining panel thickness PT will form i) a rigid connection ofthe panel 20, and ii) a hinge mechanism.

The V-shaped grooves 22 may be strictly V-shaped, or they may be modified with one or more notches in order to increase the surface area ofthe groove 22 and thereby improve the bonding shown in Fig. 2c.

Ina subsequent step, shown in Fig. 2b, some kind of suitable adhesive 26 is applied to the V-shaped grooves 22. The adhesive 26, typically a glue, may be added as a string at the bottom ofthe V-shaped grooves 22 as shown in Fig. 2b, or it may be applied uniformly on the entire surface area of the V-shaped grooves In order to form the wall stud 10 the panel 20 is folded at the area ofthe V-shaped grooves 22. In the shown example the panel 20 is folded at two locations, which will thereby result in a wall stud having an elongated body 12 and two flanges 14 extending from the elongated body 12. The elongated body 12 thus corresponds to the part of the panel 20 being located between the two-V- shaped grooves 22, while each flange 14 will correspond to the part of the panel 20 being arranged on each side ofthe elongated body 12. Due to the flanges 14 extending out from the elongated body 12, the wall stud 10 will have a width W being substantially greater than the thickness T ofthe elongated body 12, i.e. the panel thickness.

For some embodiments, the wall stud 10 as shown in Fig. 2c is ready to use. However, further improvements may be made to the wall stud 10 as shown in Fig. 2d. First of all, in Fig. 2d the two flanges 14 are of different length. This is preferably accomplished by selecting the position ofthe V-shaped grooves 22 accordingly in order to produce the wall stud 10 with the desired configuration and shape. In Fig. 2d it is also shown that the corners, i.e. the interface between the elongated body 12 and the respective flange 14, has an exterior apex being provided with a radius R. By smoothening the sharp corner the wall stud 10 will be much more easy to handle in a safe manner, as the corner shape will otherwise be sharp and hard.

Further, the ends of each flange 14 may be rounded also to improve handling ofthe wall stud 10. In the shown example only one flange end is rounded, while the other flange end is chamfered. It should be understood that for a specific wall stud 10 the flange ends may have any possible configuration, such as both flange ends being rounded, straight, or chamfered.

Each flange 14 extend from the elongated body 12 by an angle ot. This angle ot may be 90°, or slightly below such that the flanges 14 are tilted somewhat inwards. Preferably, the angle ot is between 80° and 90°, even more preferably between 85° and 89°.

Alternatively the at least one flange may extend from the elongated body at an angle of 90-100°, preferably at an angle of 91-95°, resulting in a slightly outward-tilted flange.

The wall stud 10 has so far being exemplified as a C-shaped channel stud. Other shapes and configurations are also possible, as illustrated in Figs. 3a-j. Starting in Fig. 3a the wall stud 10 has an L-shape, and in Fig. 3b the wall stud 10 has a T-shape. In Fig. 3c the wall stud 10 has an I-shape, and in Fig. Sd the wall stud 10 has a rectangular cross-section. For all these embodiments the wall stud 10 is either made of paper or of hardboard, and preferably manufactured in accordance with the process explained above with respect to Figs. 2a-d. It should be mentioned that for the rectangular wall stud 10 of Fig. Sd the lateral ends of the panel 20 must be provided with chamfered edges in order to close the shape of the wall stud In the I-shaped embodiment shown in Fig. 3e the elongated body 12 has a material thickness being greater than the flange 14 material thickness. Further, the elongated body 12 is fitted in a recess in at least one ofthe flanges 14 for improving attachment ofthe flange(s) 14 to the elongated body In Fig. 3f a C-shaped wall stud is shown where the material thicknesses are configured differently, such that the elongated body 12 has a material thickness being less than the material thickness of at least one ofthe flanges 14. In the shown embodiment, the entire end section of each flange 14 is chamfered.

Fig. 3g shows a C-shaped wall stud similar to Fig. 3f, however in this embodiment the elongated body 12 has a material thickness being greater than the material thickness of at least one of the flanges 14. In the shown embodiment, the entire end sections of the elongated body 12 are chamfered.

In Fig. 3h a rectangular wall stud is shown having two parallel elongated bodies 12, and two parallel flanges 14 connecting respective ends ofthe elongated bodies 12 to each other. The material thickness of each elongated body 12 is in this embodiment less than the material thickness ofthe flanges Fig. 3i shows an embodiment similar to Fig. 3f, however the connecting ends of the flanges 14 are provided with a notch for forming a full contact with the thinner elongated body A similar embodiment is shown in Fig. 3j, but here the connecting ends of the elongated body 12 are provided with a notch for forming a full contact with the thinner flanges Another manufacturing process, not forming part of the invention, for producing wall studs 10 is shown in Figs. 4a-c. Here, there is no hardboard panel or stiff arrangement of glued papers but instead the material is an arrangement of recently glued papers 30, still flexible to allow bending and forming. The glued paper material 30 is arranged in a mold 40, comprising a female part 42 and a mating male part 44. As the male part 40 is inserted in the female part 44 the paper arrangement 30 will be formed accordingly as illustrated in Fig. 4b, and preferably the paper arrangement 30 is allowed to harden in order to obtain a rigid structure within the mold After the process is finished the paper arrangement 30 is removed from the mold, and being in the form of a wall stud 10 as shown in Fig. 4c. Importantly, in the proposed paper wall stud the individual layers of paper are arranged entirely in parallel, in contrast to other paper based products where paper strips are arranged in a spiral.

An alternative continuous manufacturing method includes a continuous feed ofindividual papers which are joined by an adhesive to form a planar arrangement of glued papers. This arrangement is fed through a series of rollers, which are mounted to cause a folding ofthe flanges 14 relative the elongated body 12 in a continuous manner. Optionally the bottom layer of paper is wider than the other paper layers, so that the bottom paper layer is folded around the edges of the remaining paper layers. Preferably such edge covering is performed prior to forming of the flanges Now turning to Fig. 5 a wall stud 10 is shown. The wall stud 10 may be manufactured by any of the above-mentioned processes, although also other types of processing techniques can be used. Further, while the invention is based on the use of paper or hardboard the wall stud 10 of Fig. 5 is provided with features that may be provided on wall studs made of other materials as well. Hence, each one of these features that will be described in the following is rather specific aspects which can be, but not must be, combined with the embodiments described above with reference to Figs. 1 to As can be seen in Fig. 5 one ofthe flanges 14 is provided with a reinforcement wing 15, extending perpendicular inwards from the outer end of the flange 14. With reference to Figs. 2a-d this reinforcement wing 15 can be produced by providing an additional V-shaped groove 22 to the panel 20, and by an additional folding at the area of the additional V-shaped groove. It should be noted that each flange 14 may be provided with such reinforcement wing 15 which also could be directed outwards rather than inwards.

The wall stud 10 is further provided with one or more slits 16 at one or more ofits longitudinal ends. The slit(s) 16 is open at the longitudinal end, whereby it is possible to press the lateral ends of the wall stud towards each other in order to reduce the dimensions of the wall stud 10 locally. This is particularly beneficial for clamping the wall stud 10 inside another structure, such as a bottom plate 3 or a top plate In Fig. 5 it is also shown to provide the wall stud 10 with a built-in ruler 17. The ruler 17 is a series of indicia being evenly spaced to provide visual marks indicating the length ofthe wall stud 10. Preferably, the ruler 17 is provided along the entire length ofthe wall stud 10 such that the wall stud 10 can be cut at both longitudinal ends and still allow proper usage ofthe ruler. Due to the preferred material of either paper or hardboard the indicia may e.g. be printed or marked by other means, such as by using a suitable laser.

The indicia may be equally spaced markings, wherein the length ofthe markings may vary depending on the specific indication. For example, each mm may have a certain length, each cm may have a length being greater than the length of the mm markings, and each dm may have a length being greater than the length of the cm markings. In such embodiment the indicia 17 will not only assist in facilitated cutting, but the variations in length of the markings will also assist in other operations such as where screws are to be arranged, i.e. thereby also forming indicia in the cross-wise direction ofthe wall stud In the shown example the indicia 17 is provided on the exterior side of one ofthe flanges 14. It should be noted that the indicia 17 may in other embodiments be provided on the exterior side ofthe elongated body 12, alone or in combination with indicia 17 also on one or more ofthe flanges The wall stud 10 is further provided with an opening 18. The opening 18 is preferably arranged on the elongated body 12 and provides an efficient means of guiding cables and other types ofinstallation equipment.

In the shown example the wall stud 10 may be further provided with some kind of reinforcement 19. The reinforcement 19 may be an additional layer of material added to the elongated body 12 or to the flanges 14 for increasing the robustness of the wall stud 10. In a preferred embodiment the reinforcement 19 is added to the entire length ofthe elongated body 12. The material ofthe reinforcement 19 may e. g. be hardboard.

The inventors have realized that the improved wall studs 10 may be manufactured by a continuous process, as shown schematically in Fig.

A batch 50 of panels 20 are received at one end of the process, and at an initial splicing station 52 an upstream panel 20 from the batch 50 is spliced with a downstream panel, thereby forming a continuous panel 60. As this continuous panel is moving forward, it will pass a cutting station 54 which provides one or more V-shaped grooves 22 to the panel 60. A further gluing station 56 will apply glue to the V-shaped grooves 22, whereafter a folding station 57 will fold the one or more flanges 14 relative the elongated body 12. A printing station 58 may be arranged to mark the elongated body 12 and/or any ofthe flanges 14 with indicia, and a final cutting station 59 is arranged to separate a final wall stud 10 from the continuous product 62 arranged upstream.

The description has been directed to wall studs 10 and the production of such wall studs 10 sharing the common features of having an elongated body 12 and one or more flanges 14 extending out from the elongated body 12. The wall stud 10 is manufactured by hardboard or by a plurality ofjoined paper layers.

Additional features that may be provided to the wall stud may be selected from the following: various kinds of brackets for mounting and assembly, different material thicknesses ofthe elongated body 12 and the flanges 14, insulation in the space between the elongated body 12 and the flanges 14, “click” solutions for facilitated assembly, textures on the surfaces, adhesive tape in the folding regions, rubber coatings for sound absorption, and surface coatings and nioisture protection.

Claims (8)

1. A Wall stud, comprising an elongated body (12) and at least one flange (14) extending from said body (12) thereby providing a Wall stud Width (W) being greater than the thickness (T) ofthe elongated body (12), Wherein the body (12) and the at least one flange (14) are formed by a panel (20) made of hardboard å: ïšïaï the panel (20) is provided With at least two-one V-shaped grooves (22) extending *,nadc of dl: acid, Wherein the longitudinally along the panel (20) su* that' :be * lf rgaif/É body' (13) en" si: r if; the at least one V-shaped grooves (22) do not exten (20) such that the remaining panel thickness (PT) forms a rigid connection of the panel (20) and a hinge mechanism, and Wherein an adhesive (26) is applied to the f V-shaped grooves (22) before the panel (20) is folded at the area of ç___V-shaped grooves» (22).

2. The Wall stud according to claim 1, Wherein the elongated body (12) and the at least one flange (14) together form an I-shape, L-shape, T-shape, C- shape or rectangular cross-section.

3. The Wall stud according to claim 1 or 2, Wherein the elongated body (12) and the at least one flange (14) form folded parts of the same hardboard panel (20). 1 i 1 f -fïkan-ffl v FH. w ------- w .yflš .w bl, flfiaf, »f 3 (x) V »Inkl )L/LLA l )\)~! lxá) LX. »QLIJV JL til» lux Jm!!! \,.'L\J1x1}l,_ V .ll i Ilx ä-IXN' l!- + . fi w -~ 'ii i AA + H i .Mmwvàï A1 1 i “H i X3 \' i 51 i! T) bÅk/lhß \ 1 KJ 1502/ \.\,l Q ä). The Wall stud according to any of the preceding claims, Wherein the interface between the elongated body (12) and one of the at least one flanges (14) forms a corner shape, and Wherein the apex of said corner shape is provided With a radius (R). êj. The Wall stud according to any of the preceding claims, Wherein the at least one flange (14) extends from the elongated body (12) at an angle of 80-90°, preferably at an angle of 85-89°. åå, The Wall stud according to any of the preceding claims, Wherein at least one ofthe elongated body (12) and the at least one flange (14) is provided With a ruler (18). êšfQÅZHA method of manufacturing a Wall stud, comprising: providing a hardboard panel, providing at least tvøo-ÄV-shaped grooves in said hardboard panel, said at Efzast one, V-shaped grooves extending longitudinally along the panel -Ww »Msn-i lfïfl k- 'v l\~\,>š~ »i J. »mv town, : xxflv; u :må JnnA/u-»vxz f I I » f + 1 L l \ w» »W I~ 4- Uh y..- .~+ »It Å), JJJÜ hä, QA L-Wbßd 'Nlknkfl ^n)§ JJJ bßn) tQ \..\2 i (412, 'i~ »h , 1-1 n '27 fi: ma A s- !"“-”7\ \ 'iaf » 1-1 » 0-16. ~+ MM, -íïfw » fi/f' 1./ 'I\.«'\.«'XI LV X. \l! k; »L å), Y \ 'k _ i .KNW-üs) \)lx\.«' lxßwlllå., K,_ l (v E I' 'wn- w-»wwn-fvå w fkfl “Vi *Ffhm 11511 wfršbuux: va s f: a: u « -.- WN «.4«« :n :i ~ ««+.F+1^^ “m i E afiaïxï X1 i nïí/ i inï if\ Lila; Elib E. i 'LS ï; i, UL 1 §_ .f g. u, ff, Wherein the at larast ont: V-shaped grooves do not extend entirely through the panel such that the remaining panel thickness forms a rigid connection ofthe panel and a hinge mechanism, adding glue to said at least one V-shaped grooves, and folding said hardboard panel at the area ofthe at least one V-shaped grooves» thereby forming a Wall stud comprising the elongated body and at least one flange thereby providing a Wall stud Width being greater than the thickness of the elon ated bod .Ä “cis ti* i ci**"*" n *vil stud Ls :rvdy of *Mall cafi. g Y» The method according to claim Wherein the step of providing the hardboard panel comprises splicing a plurality of hardboard panels.