US2887870A

US2887870A - Metal-base wall construction

Info

Publication number: US2887870A
Application number: US403703A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert H Slowinski
Original assignee: National Gypsum Co
Current assignee: National Gypsum Co
Priority date: 1954-01-13
Filing date: 1954-01-13
Publication date: 1959-05-26
Anticipated expiration: 1976-05-26

Description

May 26, 1959 R. H. SLOWINSKI METAL-BASE WALL CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 15. 1954 Fig. l

INVENTOR. Robert H. Slowinska ATTORNEY4 United States Patent 2,887,870 METAL-BASE WALL CONSTRUCTION Robert H. Slowinski, Tonawanda, N.Y., assignor to Na-- tioual Gypsum Company, Buffalo, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware This invention relates to wall construction and is especially directed to the base structure thereof.

'A metal frame wall or partition having an exposed metal baseboard extending along the floorline and ordinarily a surface of plaster flush with and extending up ward from the baseboard is a well recognized, economical wall construction. Various known structures have been provided as means for supporting, at the base, the studs, lath, plaster and baseboard. A most economical and rapidly constructed means, and one which is least conducive to damage during subsequent operations, is highly essential in such structures.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a partition base structure wherein the several elements may be applied with facility as required and, thus, need not be applied simultaneously at a time prior to the need for the presence of any element, avoiding interference of prematurely applied elements with the possibility of damage to these obstructing elements. Briefly, this is accomplished by a novel arrangement of the means for attaching successive portions of the base structure to one another.

A further object of the invention is to provide a partition base structure which permits a substantial improvement in the speed of erection of the partition. Briefly, this is accomplished by providing simplified means for attaching successive elements so that once a simple floor runner is fixed along the desired extent of a partition, subsequent elements may be readily set in place and will be self-supporting due to their structure without requiring further steps of attachment.

These and other objects and advantages will appear more fully when considered in connection with the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention and the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the base portion of a wall constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the novel base clip included in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the base portion of the wall of Fig. 1.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the numeral designates a floor, which may be of wood, concrete or any other of the usual construction materials. In accordance with the invention, an elongate floor runner 11, of U-shaped cross section, is disposed on the surface of the floor 10 extending whereat a partition or wall is desired to be constructed. A plurality of holes 12 are suitably spaced along the center-line of the channel base 13 for the reception of nails 14 or other suitable fasteners which are driven therethrough into the floor 10- to alfix the runner 11 along its desired disposition.

Runner 11 has two short vertical flanges 20 extending upward from each lateral edge thereof, providing means for the rapid application of subsequently applied elements of the partition. Fig. 1 shows the subsequently applied 2,887,878 Patented May 26, 1959 elements applied on one flange 20 only of runner 11 to form a wall 21, it being understood that a partition, being two oppositely facing walls, may be constructed by similar application on the opposite flange 20 of simi' lar elements.

After positioning and aflixing runner 11 or a plurality of runners 11 disposed end to end in the desired Straight line or angular relation, one to the other, the vertical studs 22 are then installed, extending upward from runners 11 to provide horizontal support of wall 21 throughout the vertical extent thereof. Studs 22 may be of an) of the usual forms, the preferred form being, as shown,

a vertically disposed U-channel, and a plurality of such studs are incorporated and disposed at positions spaced apart horizontally in the order 16 to 24 inches throughout the extent of wall 21.

In the fabrication of wall 21, base clips 25 are slid or pushed into position on flanges 20, the clips 25 being preferably spaced apart a distance equal to the stud spacing and disposed on flanges 20 substantially midway between stud dispositions. Clips 25 are formed from a blank of sheet metal by proper cutting and bending as described herebelow.

At the inner base portion of clip 25, a reversely bent lip 26 forms a groove 27, suitable for a tight-fitting reception of flange 20, the groove 27 being of suflicient depth to allow the bottom face 28 of clip 25 to be supported by the floor 10 when lip 26 is disposed about flange 20.

Extending upward from the opposite edge of the clip bottom-face 28 is a base strip retaining portion 30 having a top lip 31 bent over to form an angle in the order of Two cut-out

tabs

32 and 33 in the retaining portion 30, cut therefrom on three sides and bent outward at the fourth to extend without the plane of the retaining portion. Lower tab 32 extends outward in the plane of the bottom-face from the junction line of the bottom-face 28 and the retaining portion 30 for a short distance to a bend 34, from which bend the tab 32 extends upward to form a bottom lip 35. The central tab 33, bent along the top edge thereof, extends acutely inward and downward.

Following the slip-on application of clips 25, lath 40, preferably in the form of narrow gypsum boards, is applied to the studs 22, the bottom edges of lath 40 being disposed in the clips 25 betweenlips 26 and retaining portions 30. Central tabs 33 are bent inward sufiiciently to urge lath 40 inward against lips 26. Attachment of the lath to studs may be by any of the usual methods and forms no part of this invention.

After applying the lath, elongate strips of metal base 41 are readily slid o-r pushed onto the previously attached base clips 25, due to the complementary form thereof. The metal base 41 is a strip of any suitable length having a constant sectional form consisting of a double reverse bend 42 along the bottom edge thereof and an inverted J-bend 43 along the top edge. The double bend 42 forms a downward opening groove 44 for a tight-fit reception of bottom lip 35 and is formed to allow the metal base to abut the floor 10 when so mounted on clips 25. The J-bend 43 along the top edge of base 41 forms a wide groove 45, with a width slightly less than the width of top lip 31, to provide a generally locking engagement therewith to prevent accidental misaligning of base 41 during subsequent operations.

It will be apparent that the general form of the base clip 25 and the base 41 is such that the distance between the bent lip 26 and the outer face 50 of base 41 is equal to the total thickness of wall 21 to provide the preferred construction wherein the base 41 is flush with the wall finished surface 51. Thus fabrication of the wall 21 is completed by the application of suitable coats of plaster 52, in the manner, so that the finished surface 51, is

flush with base 41. A plaster grout 53 will also, ordinarily, be formed in or filled. into the space between applied, in the course of the wall'construction, prior to the immediate need of the element for the purpose or functions for which it is. included. The novel base structure has been broken down to the most desirable number of elements capable of being applied to the system at the most opportune time inthe construction schedule and due to the combinations of readily appliable complementary portions of the successive elements, a rapidly fabricated, clearly improved, more economical and desirable structure is provided.

I claim:

A metal base, plastered sheet lath, hollow'wall comprising an elongate floor runner having a relatively wide, fiat, horizontally disposed, base portion andrelatively short flanges extending upwardly from each edge thereof, said floor runner being affixed to a floor along the extent of said wall, vertical studs having an end portion afiixed between said flanges at spaced'positions along the extent of said floor runner and extending vertically therefrom, base clips slidably fixed at spaced positions on said flanges and disposed generally outward of said flanges for reception of sheet lath and metal base strips, sheet lath having a bottom edge disposed within said clips, and elongate metal base strips mounted on said clips, said clips each including a flange-receiving, downwardly 4 l 1 opening, U-shaped lip portion slidably afiixed upon said flange, an upright base strip retaining portion, and a flat, floor-engaging, bottom face therebetween providing a spacing for sheet lath receiving groove, said upright base strip retaining portion having an upper lip slidably mounted within a downwardly opening channel portion along the top edge of said base strip and a lower cut-out tab disposed. outwardly of the general body portion of said upright base strip retaining portion, said tab having an upwardly extending base strip engaging bottom lip slidably mounted within a downwardly opening channel portion along the bottom edge of said base strip, means on said clip maintaining said base strip in spaced relation outwardly from said sheet lath, and a plaster coat adhering to the outer face of said sheet lath having a finished surface flush with the outer face of said base strip and abutting the top edge of said base strip, said plaster extending as a grout into the space between said base'strip and said sheet lath bottom edge, saidbottom edge and said top edge of said base strip each being removable from said clip only by relative upward movement ofsaid base strip, and said abutting plaster coat.

preventing any upward movement of said base strip..

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,283,167 Burson May 19, 1942.. 2,313,839 Olsen Mar. 16, .1943 2,317,634 Olsenv Apr. 27, 1943 2,540,305 Tomlinson Feb. 6, 1951 2,676,483 Nelsson Apr. 27, 1954