US2558428A - Partition construction - Google Patents

Description

E. M. FULLER ET AL PARTITION CONSTRUCTION June 26, 1951 eet l .2.

2 Sheets-Sh Filed NOV. 25, 1945 i. I IIIIEIE ANA.

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Patented .I une 26, `1951 PARTITION CONSTRUCTION Earnest M. Fuller, Bronxville, and Charles W. Lund, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignors to J ohns-Man ville Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 23, 1945, Serial No. 630,300

2 Claims. l

Our invention relates to wall or partition assemblies and more particularly to an improved construction which provides for the ready support oi objects on the wall.

The invention is concerned with wall assem blies employing facing panels of hard-surfaced materials which do not readily lend themselves to the mounting of attachments for the support of shelves, pipes, etc. to be carried exteriorly of the wall. In the construction of laboratories for physical or chemical work, as well as in many other situations, it is particularly advantageous to use hard-surfaced wall panels, such as asbestos-cement panels. However, the known Wall constructions including such materials cannot be used to support gas, air and water pipes, shelves and other essential equipment, without additionally drilling or otherwise altering the panels to receive fastening lugs, etc. The need of such additional operations substantially increases the cost of construction and also increases the diiculty of altering the position of the equipment or other objectsl once the job is completed.

The principal object of the instant invention is the provision of a wall or partition assembly having means formed integrally therewith for readily permitting the mounting and dismounting of objects on the wall.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a wall or partition assembly having relatively rigid and dense facing panels supported on studs underlying the joints between the panels, the studs including means for alternatively supporting joint concealing beads and brackets for mounting objects exteriorly of the wall. In accordance with the invention, the facing sheets are spaced apart to form an open joint in line At the vertical location on the wall where an object is to be mounted, a supporting member having rearwardly projecting tangs enters between the sheets and engages in the recesses. The remainder of the joint may be closed by bead members having similar tangs engaging in the remaining recesses. At any time the supporting members may be removed or shifted to another location vertically of the wall, or additional supporting members may be added.

Our invention will be more fully understood and further objects and advantages thereof will become apparent when reference is made to the more detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which is to follow and to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a Wall or partition in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View on an enlarged scale taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View on an enlarged scale taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a sectional View on an enlarged scale taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic, perspective view illustrating the elements of the stud employed in the instant invention;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic, perspective view illustrating the joint closing members of the instant invention;

Fig. 7 is a detail view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the construction;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8--8 of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is a sectional View taken on the line 9--9 of Fig. 8.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a wall or partition assembly particularly adapted for use in sub-dividing an enclosed building space into a plurality of smaller rooms such, for example, as laboratories, offices or the like. The invention finds a particular eld of use in the construction of laboratories and similar work spaces but, as will be understood, may be employed with equal advantage for partitioning or enclosing other rooms which are to have wall mounted equipment.

The wall includes a plurality of spaced studs I0 located at suitable intervals to underlie joints I2 between adjacent facing panels I4. The lower ends of the studs are supported in a floor runner i6 and, at their upper ends, they may be provided with extensions I8 secured to ceiling runners I9. The extensions are fastened to the studs lll `by bolts 20 passed through slots in the extension whereby the extension may be raised or lowered within reasonable limits to fit the particular ceiling height.

The studs (see particularly Figs. 5, 8 and 9), in their preferred embodiment, include channel members 22 of suitable, relatively light gauge metal, as conventionally employed in partition wall construction, say, of 20 gauge. The channels are placed back to back and interposed between them is a bar or core 24 of relatively heavier metal of the same, or substantially the same, width and length as the channels and, say, 1A or more in thickness. The several elements are preferably held in assembled position to form the stud, by welding, although bolts, rivets or other securing means may be used,

The backs or webs of channel members 22 are provided with cut-outs 26 at their lower ends and bar 24 may have a similar cut-out but preferably, due to its relatively heavy construction, is drilled to provide openings 28 of relatively large diameter in line with the cut-outs. Cutouts 26 and openings 28 provide passageways for electric wiring, conduits, etc. Bar 24, form.- ing the center section or core of the stud, has cut-outs or'recesses Sil extending inwardly from at least one, but preferably both edges, as shown (see particularly Figs. 2, 5 and 9) for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The recesses slant downwardly at an angle, say,` of 45 to the horizontal and are placed at relatively frequent intervals for preferably the height of the bar.

Facing panels lli may be of any suitable type, for example, they may be asbestos-cement panels or panels of other materials which are resistant to corrosion and rough usage. These panels are ordinarily made of substantial lengths, and may extend from the base of the wall to the ceiling but, as shown, (see Figs. l and 2) normally will stop at some distance from the ceiling and filler panels 32 employed to ll in the intervening space. Both panels la and 32 preferably have their edges beveled as shown at 32 (see Figs. 3 and The facing panels whichare of a width substantially equal to the center to center spacing of the studs, less the' thickness of the bar or core 26, are spaced apart at their joints i2 a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the core or bar Z4 to provide a crack or open joint in alignment with the bar. The panels may be secured to the studs in any suitable manner but, preferably for this purpose, connecting means of the kind shown and described in patent to Kellogg, #2,033,100, issued March 3, 1936, are used. Such connecting means are illustrated at 3d and include buttons 36 carried by the rear faces of the sheets adjacent their margins and in position to align with spring lipped keyhole slots formed in the flanges of the channel members 22 of studs li). To mount the panels, they are lifted to a position slightly above their nal position with the heads of the buttons engaging in the enlarged section of the keyhole slots and then slid downwardly into the final position with the buttons sliding on the spring lips to bring the panels into close engagement with the studs. Filler panels 32 may be secured in any suitable manner, for example, by clips engaging behind the panels l. Y

A baseboard dit may be secured to the partition in any manner desired and the upper end of the partition may be finished by a molding strip i2 of selected type secured as by screws extending through the filler panels 32 and into the iiange` of ceiling runner le. It will be appreciated that these features o-f the wall form no part of the instant invention and may be varied as desired.

The stud construction and panel joint arrangement described above permits the insertion of brackets or supports at any location or locations vertically of the wall where it is found desirable to mount instruments, pipes, shelves, etc., and to close the remainder of the joints with joint filling strips or beads. In the drawings, the supporting members, indicated at fit, are shown as carrying brackets 4l for a series ofpipes L18, such as the air, water and gas lines necessary for a laboratory bench or sink. The invention, however, vis .not limited to the particular bracket structure or its use and it will be understood that various types of brackets may be employed for mounting any suitable objects on the supporting 2,558,428 y fr.

members. Supporting member 46 has a rear wall 52 from which projects a plurality of tangs or prongs 5:3 dimensioned to be received within recesses 3d. The tangs are spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing of recesses 3i! whereby members fit may be mounted to overlie the joint at the selected location with tangs entering the recesses. The downward direction of tangs 511 and recesses 3c, suitably at an angle of 45 as previously mentioned, prevents accidental displacement of the supporting members. Members te, which may be made of a single piece of relatively heavy sheet steel folded into the desired shape, or which may be fabricated of separate pieces, may take different forms to accommodate the selected type of fastener or bracket. The construction shown is of channel Yconfiguration with inwardly directed anges 56 defining'a slot 5l. The bracket and attaching means (see Figs. 7, 8 and 9) comprise a clip t@ for engagement with the pipe or other object supported, the clip having a base "c2 spanning slot 5l and in opposed relation to a washer 6d within the channel and also spanning the slot. A bolt 66 binds the base 2 and washer ed into gripping relationship with flanges 5t.

rj he portions of each joint l2 left uncovered by a supporting member iii are lled with joint closing members 68. These are preferably made of relatively light gauge metal foldedto form an element of a width to be accommodated within the joint, the element including a fold edge 16 (see Fig. 3) defining an exposed bead and legs or flanges ll. Legs ll have rearwardly and downwardly projecting tangs 'l2 dimensioned and spaced to be received within recesses 30. The tangs in this instance may be made shorter than tangs 5d of the supporting members as the only load carried is that of the beading itself.

The horizontal joints between the main panels IS and the filler panels i2 may be closed by beading 'ifi of substantially conventional type, as shown in Fig. 4. For uniformity of appearance, wall panels 32 and M are preferably spaced apart at their joints a distance equal to the spacing between the several panels i4, and beading 14 is made of a width to accord with such spacing.

The construction described above permits objects to be readily mounted at any selected height. All that is required is the removal of the decorative beading 68 and the substitution of a supporting member d5 of suflicient length to accommodate the bracket construction desired. Thus, shelves, pipes and other equipment may be mounted on the wall without difficulty and their positions changed from time to time as the need arises.V The removal or shifting of the objects and their supporting structure does not leave any unsightly scars. Beading 68 being of relatively light gauge steel, can readily be cut to the lengths desired toiill in portions of the joints not taken up by the supporting members.

Having thus described our invention in rather full detail, it will be understood that these details need Vnot be strictly adhered to but that various changes and modifications may suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, all falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the subjoined claims.

What we claim is:

' Vl. A wall assembly comprising spaced studs, each comprising a core and flanged elements on opposite sides of the core with their flanges extending at substantially right angles to the core and with the flanges of spaced studs lying in approximately the same plane, said core having inwardly and downwardly directed, longitudinally spaced recesses, wall panels carried by said studs with the edges of adjacent panels at the studs and spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the core to define an open joint therebetween, means securing the wall panels to the flanges of the studs at opposite sides of the joints, and members structurally and operatively independent of the panel securing means extending longitudinally of the joints and having spaced downwardly and inwardly directed tangs engaging in said recesses, said members providing means for supporting objects exteriorly of said assembly.

2. A wall assembly comprising spaced studs, each comprising a core and flanged elements on opposite sides of the core with their flanges eX- tending at substantially right angles to the core and with the flanges of spaced studs lying in approximately the same plane, said core having inwardly and downwardly directed, longitudinally spaced recesses, wall panels carried by said studs With the edges of adjacent panels at the studs and spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the core to denne an open joint therebetween, means securing the wall panels to the flanges of the studsfat opposite sides ofthe joints, members structurally and operatively independent of the panel-securing means extending longitudinally of thefjoints and having spaced downwardly and inwardlyextending tangs engaging in said recesses, saidvmernbers including bead members for lling the J'Qllis for a portion of tlife length thereof. and a member having securing means for supporting objects exteriorly of the wall for another portion ofthe joint.

Y. IEIARNES'IT` M. FULLER.

CHARLES W. LUND.

REFERENCES crD The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES Number Name Date 1,676,616 Lowy July 10, 1928 1,949,215 McCaig Feb. 27, 1934 2,317,634 Olsen Apr. 27, 1943 g5 2,053,438 Lunken et al Sept. 8, 1936

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