WO2021250691A1

WO2021250691A1 - A ceiling framing grid

Info

Publication number: WO2021250691A1
Application number: PCT/IN2021/050509
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kanakavel S; Rizwan A; Shailendra SHINDE; Girish DASH
Original assignee: Saint-Gobain Placo
Priority date: 2020-06-08
Filing date: 2021-05-26
Publication date: 2021-12-16

Abstract

A ceiling framing grid comprising main framing members (110) intersected by cross framing members (120) extending at right angles thereto and held fixedly to the main framing members (110) by means of a retainer clip (200) comprising notch portions (203) that snap fit and lock within one of the plurality of apertures (103) provided on each of the upright sidewalls (120a), (102b) of the main framing members (110) is disclosed. The ceiling framing grid further includes connector elements for joining respective framing members to each other. The main framing member (110), cross framing members (120) and connector elements (130) are structurally identical construction elements (100) having a general U-shaped cross section comprising a central web (101) flanked by two upright sidewalls (102a), (102b) characterized in that each of the sidewalls (102a), (102b) include a plurality of apertures (103) provided at predetermined intervals which provide a means for locking said cross framing members (120) with main framing members(110). A double flanged ceiling angle (300) replaces the perimeter channel used conventionally and additionally eliminates the use of soffit cleat and enables suspension of the ceiling framing grid from a true ceiling of a building and secures the ceiling framing grid to the opposing wall surfaces of a room or an enclosure

Description

A CEILING FRAMING GRID

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a ceiling framing grid, in particular, to a ceiling framing grid with reduced number of components comprising structurally identical construction elements for use as main framing members, cross framing members and connector elements joining main framing members to each other.

Background

Suspended ceiling systems are extensively used throughout the construction industry, both in new building construction and in the renovation of older buildings. A typical ceiling system consists of a grid-like supporting base which is suspended from the true ceiling and which supports a number of ceiling panels, typically of acoustical tile. The supporting grid itself is formed by two sets of beams joined together at right angles to one another, with main runners extending in a first direction and cross runners extending in a perpendicular direction. The main runners consist of long beam segments parallel to one another, each typically extending across the length of the ceiling. Where this distance is longer than the individual length of a main runner a number of main runners may be butt- spliced together to create one continuous longitudinal beam. In contrast, the cross runners, which are also parallel to one another, form discontinuous beams extending perpendicular to the main runners and each typically spans only the distance between a pair of adjacent main runners.

The grid system thus formed is suspended from the true ceiling by ceiling angle or equivalent means attached to the main runners. Further, the grid system is anchored to the opposing wall surfaces of a room using perimeter channels. Therefore, the grid system includes 3 - 4 individual construction elements. Furthermore, it includes accessories or fastener materials such as connecting clips for the attachment of the cross runners to the main runners, soffit cleats for securing the suspended grid to the true ceiling, metal to metal screws, screw & nuts, drywall screws and anchor fasteners. Thus a conventional ceiling system includes a large number of components directly contributing to increased production time and production cost. Decreasing thickness of the components and their structural sizes are well documented in the art as the most exploited means for attempting to bring down the production time and cost of ceiling systems. Nevertheless, in all known art the shape of the components and the number of components used in the ceiling system have remained the same becoming the Industrial Standard. Reducing the number of components used in a ceiling system has never been explored in the past as a means for reducing the production time and cost thereby increasing productivity by decreasing installation time.

The present disclosure proposes a single construction element that can be used as (i) main framing members; (ii) cross framing members and (iii) for butt-splicing both the framing members respectively to each other. Thus the 3 - 4 individual construction elements required for the ceiling grid system has been reduced to a single component. However, in order to obtain a single component that can be used for all the above mentioned purposes, significant structural changes were made to the conventional ceiling framing members. Slots or openings were introduced in the two flanges of the conventional ceiling framing members as a means for locking the main framing members with the cross framing members, reducing ceiling sagging and increasing retention capacity.

Such slotted construction elements have existed in the art. Referring to U.S. patent 5,913,788 discloses an interior building wall construction having combined capabilities for resistance to both seismic activity and fire. Seismic resistance is achieved by providing the beam at the top of the wall with slots elongated in a longitudinal direction in the web of the beam and with vertically elongated slots in the side walls of the beam. The slots provided in the web and the side walls of the beam are typical fastener slots that accommodate wall stud fasteners while attaching the upright studs into the beams.

Referring to U.S. patent 3,845,601 and U.S. publication 2007/204575 describe metal framing wall systems comprising metal studs that are secured to the top and bottom tracks thorough arrangements such as lugs, tabs and punched slots without the use of separate fasteners. Here the track members engage a plurality of cooperating slots and notches formed in the side walls of the studs to hold the studs tightly to the track. Referring to U.S. publication 2015/322675 describes a construction beam comprising a main body having multiple through holes formed through the two vertical walls of the main body through which passes the spacer assemblies that prevent the vertical walls of main body from contracting or deforming when a force is applied on the main body. Referring to a European patent 1931836 relates to support member assemble for a wall construction comprising elongate support members and elongate member engagement portions, each provided with slots having recesses for attachment purposes.

In each of the patents referenced above the slots provided in the construction elements can be understood to have been used as a means for providing an adjustable arrangement between the adjoining construction elements and as an attachment means that avoids typical fasteners such as screws. Further U.S. patent 5,154,031; 3,832,816 and 5,263,295 are incorporated as reference to general prior art describing ceiling systems. Nevertheless, none of the prior art documents have explored these slots provided in the construction elements as a means for integrating added functionalities and applications viz., making a construction element compatible for uses more than which the component was originally intended for and replacing multiple major components of a system with the said modified construction element. The system referenced herein more specifically relating to ceiling grid system.

Thus notwithstanding all prior art and technology available in this domain, there is still need for development of ceiling grid systems that can be assembled with greater installation ease, that involve fewer components and that involves reduced production time, cost and complexity.

Thus the present disclosure aims at providing a ceiling framing grid that involves (i) fewer construction components - a constructional element 100 is described to be used as the main framing member 110, cross framing member 120 and connecting element 130 for joining adjacent respective framing members; (ii) enhanced retention strength between the main framing members and the cross framing members through the use of retention clips 200; (iii) reduced sagging of the ceiling framing grid through the use of construction element 100 provided with apertures 103; (iv) reduced production cost and time due to fewer components involved in assembling the ceiling framing grid 600; and (v) improved time and ease of installation due to elimination of use of any additional tools or accessories on-site and simple easy means of assembly.

Summary of the Disclosure

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a ceiling framing grid is disclosed comprising one or more main framing members 110 running parallel to each other; a plurality of cross framing members 120 running perpendicularly to the longitudinal length of the main framing members 110 and spaced apart from each other; retainer clips 200 for locking said cross framing members 120 with main framing members 110 at intersection positions and connector elements 130 for joining the main framing members 110 to one another. The retainer clips 200 comprise a central section 201 and two lateral arms 202 extending from the central section with each arm terminating in a notch 203 lying outside the vertical axis of the lateral arms. The main framing members 110, the cross framing members 120 and the connector elements 130 are structurally identical construction elements 100 having variable lengths comprising a central web 101 flanked by a pair of opposing upright sidewalls 102a, 102b arising at right angles from the longitudinal edges of the central web 101 and having a general U- shaped cross section. Each of the sidewalls 102a, 102b of the construction element 100 include a plurality of apertures 103 provided at predetermined intervals which provide a means for the notch 203 of the retainer clips 200 to fit within and lock said cross framing members 120 with main framing members 110.

In one other aspect of the present disclosure, a construction element 100 is disclosed comprising a central web 101 flanked by a pair of opposing upright sidewalls 102a, 102b arising at right angles from the longitudinal edges of the central web 101 and having a general U-shaped cross section characterized in that each of the sidewalls 102a, 102b include a plurality of apertures 103 provided at predetermined intervals which provide a means for locking said two construction elements placed at intersection arranged at right angles to each other.

In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for constructing a ceiling framing grid is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: connecting main framing members 110 with each other using connector elements 130, wherein the connector elements 130 are placed inversely over two adjacently placed main framing members 110 such that the sidewalls of the connector element 130 encompass the sidewalls of the main framing members 110; mounting L-shaped wall angles 300 on opposed walls of a room, wherein one of the flanges 301 of the L-shaped wall angle 300 is fastened to the wall surface; attaching main framing members 110 to the wall angles 300 longitudinally spaced apart from each other, wherein the central web 101 of the main framing members 110 is screwed to the other flange 302 of the L-shaped wall angle 300; placing a plurality of cross framing members 120 running perpendicularly to the longitudinal length of the main framing members 110 and spaced apart from each other; wherein the cross framing members 120 interlace with the main framing members 110 by abutting one of the sidewalls or the central web 101 of the cross framing member 120 against both the opposing sidewalls of the main framing members 110; and locking the cross framing members 120 with the main framing members 110 at intersection positions using retainer clips 200, wherein the central section 201 of the retainer clips 200 abuts the cross framing members 120 and each of the notches 203 on the two lateral arms 202 of the retainer clips 200 fits into the apertures 103 provided in the two sidewalls 102a, 102b of the main framing members 110.

Other features and aspects of this disclosure will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention can be better understood, and its numerous features and advantages made apparent to those skilled in the art by referencing the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and are not limited in the accompanying figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates a fragmentary, perspective view of a suspended ceiling framing grid system incorporating various components of the present disclosure, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A illustrates an isometric view of a construction element 100 used as the main framing members, cross framing members and the connector element, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2B illustrates an isometric view of a construction element 100, according to one other embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 3A illustrates a schematic of a pair of sections of main framing members spliced together by a connecting element, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3B shows the assembled spliced sections of the main framing members, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates an isometric view of a retainer clip 200, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 depicts the call-out image of the portion A marked in FIG. 1 showing a perspective view of cross framing member interposed with a main framing member with a retainer clip, according to one aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates an isometric view of a wall angle 300, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 demonstrates the adaptation of wall angle 300 for suspension of the ceiling framing grid from a true ceiling of a building, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 depicts the call-out image of the portion B marked in FIG. 1 showing suspension of a ceiling framing grid using wall angle 300 of the present disclosure, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates a ceiling grid assembly simulated for studying the influence of aperture positions in construction element in ceiling system sagging; and

FIG. 10 depicts a plot drawn between distance A of the apertures position and the ceiling sagging measured.

The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.

Skilled artisans appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the invention.

Detailed Description

Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or similar parts. Embodiments disclosed herein are related to a suspending ceiling framing grid comprising reduced number of individual components that minimize production cost and time for achieving increased productivity by reducing installation time. Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Illustrated in FIG. 1 is a view of suspended ceiling framing grid 600 for use in an enclosure or room, generally indicated as 600, including a plurality of main framing members 110 interconnected by cross framing members 120. The main framing members 110 run parallel to one another, and the several cross framing members 120 run perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the main framing members 110 but have lengths only from one main framing members 110 to the other. The entire grid of framing members is suspended from the true ceiling of the building structure by means of wall angles 300. The ceiling framing grid 600 is adapted to be supported from above by other suitable means, comprising in this embodiment illustrated by a plurality of wall angles 300, which for example may be suitably attached to available joist, beams or other suitable supporting structures.

Time and effort required for assembly of the ceiling framing grid structure are of major significance such that the construction elements, their configuration and interconnection therebetween are important factors. Since the suspended structure must have the interconnections strong and rigid so as to properly support a stable set of ceiling panels 500, the strength and rigidity of the interconnections provided by the connector elements 130 and retainer clips 200 are also a major consideration. The ceiling framing grid 600 of the present disclosure has considerable reduced production effort, cost and time because the suspension system uses a construction element 100 as the main framing members 110, cross framing members 120 and connector elements 130. Thus the main framing members 110, cross framing members 120 and connector elements 130 used in the ceiling framing grid 600 illustrated in FIG. 1 are structurally identical element that vary only in their lengths.

The length of the main framing member 110 and cross framing member 120 typically ranges between 2.4 m to 3.6 m. Where the extent of the area to be covered by the ceiling is greater than the length of the individual framing members 110, 120, the faming members may be abutted to one another and spliced for interconnection by a connector element 130, such as that indicated in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B. Now it is to be noted that the connector elements 130 although structurally identical to the framing members 110, 120 has a much shorter length. Thus in the place of traditionally manufacturing 3 individual components for assembling a ceiling grid system i.e., main runners, cross runners and splicing members for butt-splicing the runners, the present disclosure proposes the manufacture of a single type of element (construction element 100) using a single manufacturing process and apparatus. Thus each of the main framing members 110, cross framing members 120 and connector elements 130 are aluminum extrusions that have the same structure, configuration and cross-section as illustrated in FIG. 2A and Fig. 2B.

Where a cross framing member 120 intersects a main framing member 110 on the perimeter, there is a connection of only two of the framing members, a single cross framing member and a main framing member, and thus retainer clip 200 is used at such an interconnection to lock the cross framing member 120 with the main framing member 110. The cross framing members 120 are so proportioned that their center position intersects with the under lying main framing member 110 and is placed farthest from the butt-splicing of two adjacent main framing members 110.

The wall angles 300 used for suspending the ceiling framing grid 600 are also mounted against the opposing walls of the enclosure or room by a plurality of screws anchored in the walls or using other suitable fastening means. The wall angle 300 as illustrated in FIG. 6, are rolled or otherwise formed from a sheet metal such as gauge galvanized steel and includes two right angled flanges 301, 302. The wall angle 300 typically are approximately 10 feet long and are screwed or fastened to the walls such that one of the right angled flanges 301 or 302 is at the desired height of the ceiling. The main framing members 110 are often made to rest on the other flange 301 or 302 not fastened or screwed to the wall. The central web portion 101 of the main framing members, in few embodiments can also be screwed to the flange 301 or 302 not fastened or screwed to the wall. The wall angle 300 of the present disclosure serves a dual purpose of being used as the suspension means and as well a means of securing the grid frame to the wall. However, in alternate embodiments of the present disclosure, the entire grid of ceiling frame 600 can be suspended from the true ceiling of a building structure by means of wires or other suitable alternatives. The ceiling panels or tiles 500 are solely supported by the main framing members 110 with the adjoining end edges of adjacent ceiling panels abutting each other. The position of the ceiling panels or tiles 500 are dependent on the location of the main framing member 110 and therefore the main framing members 110 are specifically located at relatively rigid fixed points. In one embodiment, the ceiling panel or tile 500 can be a gypsum ceiling panel with a high weight percentage of both glass fiber and starch. In another embodiment, it may be a cementitious or wood based tiles, although the use of other materials is also envisaged. Cementitious tiles include, but are not limited to, those which comprise gypsum, Portland cement, calcium aluminate, magnesium oxychloride, magnesium phosphate, and mixtures thereof.

It is also envisaged that the gypsum based ceiling panels 500 may be of plasterboard type and may be faced with paper, glass fiber or other liners. Additionally, the gypsum based panels may be of a gypsum fiber, or similar, construction. In one other embodiment, the ceiling panel may comprise fiber cement. Such an embodiment of the disclosure may be preferable as they are readily available and may be formed into many shapes.

In one other embodiment, the ceiling panels 500 may be reinforced. Such an embodiment of the invention may be preferable as the racking resistance of the panel may be improved. In yet another embodiment, the ceiling panels 500 may comprise a polymeric binder and a plurality of fibres. Such a feature may be preferable as it may provide reinforcement to the ceiling. Preferably, said plurality of fibres may comprise glass fibres, synthetic polymer fibres or natural fibres, either separately or in combination.

In one other embodiment, said polymeric binder and said plurality of fibres, in combination, comprise greater than 1% by weight of the ceiling panel 500. Such an embodiment of the invention may be preferable as it may increase the strength of the ceiling panel 500. Preferably, the polymeric binder may comprise greater than 1% by weight of the ceiling panel 500. Preferably, the fibres may comprise greater than 1% by weight of the ceiling panel 500. In one embodiment, the polymeric binder may comprise starch. In one other embodiment, the polymeric binder may comprise synthetic material not limiting to polyvinyl acetate. FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B illustrate isometric views of a construction element 100 used as the main framing members 110, cross framing members 120 and the connector element 130, according to multiple embodiments of the present disclosure. The construction elements 100 are formed with longitudinally extending horizontal central web portion 101 that is flanked on both sides by a pair of opposing upright sidewalls 102a, 102b arising at right angles from the longitudinal edges of the central web 101. The construction elements 100 generally have a U-shaped cross section and aluminum or galvanized steel extrusions rolled or suitably bent to the configuration illustrated in FIG. 2A. The upright sidewalls 102a, 102b are provided with a plurality of apertures 103 positioned at predetermined intervals. The apertures are provided in a vertical direction relative to the central web 101 and are positioned away from the outer edges of the upright sidewalls 102a, 102b.

The relation between the distance A of the apertures 103 from the outer edges of the upright sidewalls 102a, 102b and the sagging quotient of the ceiling framing grid of the present disclosure has been studied. Increasing distance A was found to reduce the sagging of the ceiling framing grid 600. In one embodiment, the distance A ranges between 3 mm to 10 mm. In one preferred embodiment, the distance A from the outer edge of the upright sidewalls 102a, 102b is maintained at 7 mm. The construction element 100 illustrated in FIG. 2A depicts two dimensional types of apertures 103 provided in an alternate fashion according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. It can be seen to have an elongated square-shaped configuration that alternates with an elongated square- shaped configuration whose one end is further drawn deep to form a conical edge. Such an arrangement of apertures 103 support in the construction of curved ceiling frames in enclosures or rooms wherein the construction elements need to be cut before installation. The conical edge of the apertures 103 prevent the cracking resulting from cutting of the construction element 100 from propagating and further helps the installer for determining locations for placement of retainer clips 200 as shown in FIG. 1. However, it is to be noted that all the apertures 103 of the construction element 100 may be of the same dimensional configuration in an alternate embodiment of the present disclosure.

The apertures 103 have a width W”, which according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is less than 100 mm. In few other embodiments of the present disclosure, the width W may vary between 2 mm and 50 mm. Adjacent apertures 103 are provided at a pitch P there between. Pitch P ranges between 2 mm and 50 mm according to one embodiment of the present disclosure and may vary between 2 mm and 25 mm in a preferred embodiment. Pitch P typically maintained at less than 10 mm in order to increase the probability of the notches 203 of retainer clips 200 in finding an aperture 103 in the main framing member 110 when the cross framing member 120 is overlaid on the main framing member 110 at intersection position.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the thickness of the sheet material from which the construction element 100 is rolled out is optimized for obtaining the least sagging in the ceiling framing grid. Based on the experiments conducted the thickness of the construction element was best found to be maintained at 0.45 mm in order to obtain the least sagging in the ceiling system with the desired safety factor of 2. The construction element 100 of the present disclosure is designed to take up to 25 kg/m² of load with deflection not more than 3.1 mm. However, the experiments revealed the construction element 100 to exhibit a load bearing capacity 2x of that mentioned above, thus amounting to a safety factor of 2. The thickness of the construction element 100 is advantageous in that the material cost involved in manufacturing the construction element 100 is considerably reduced when compared to that of conventional ceiling framing members. Such a reduction amounts to around 40% - 50% of material cost saving.

According to an alternate embodiment depicted in FIG. 2B, the outer longitudinal edges of the upright sidewalls 102a, 102b of the construction element 100 can be seen to terminate respectively with an inwardly extending lips 104. In another embodiment, the upright sidewalls 102a, 102b of the construction element 100 can terminate respectively with outwardly extending lip structures. In yet another embodiment, the construction element 100 can include one or more longitudinal grooves 105 that run along the length of the sidewalls 102a, 102b positioned either centrally or towards or away from the central web 101 of the construction element 100. The longitudinal grooves 105 aid in avoiding waviness in the longitudinal direction. It is understood that the scope of the present disclosure extends to construction elements 100 that comprise either the lips structures or the longitudinal grooves. Referring to FIG. 3A and 3B connecting element 130 used for butt splicing main framing members 110 for extending the length of the main framing members 110 are illustrated. Here again the construction element 100 of the present disclosure is used as the connecting element 130. The connecting element 130 is structurally identical to the construction element 100 except that the connecting element 130 is much shorter in length than the construction element 100. Thus the construction element 100 can be cut either on-site using commonly available tools or cut in the production site in order to obtain the connecting element 130. Typically, the connecting element 130 measures between 0.15 m to 0.3 m in length. In certain other embodiments of the present disclosure, the connecting element 130 can also be used for butt splicing the cross framing member 120 when the ceiling grid to be assembled has a dimension more than the individual length of the cross framing member 120.

For splicing two adjacent main framing members 110, the connecting element 130 is inversely placed over two framing members 110 abutting each other at their edges as illustrated in FIG. 3A such that the sidewalls 102a, 102b of the connector element 130 encompasses the sidewalls 102a, 102b of the main framing members 110. The construction elements 100 are rolled or otherwise made from lightweight sheet material such as gauge galvanized steel or galvanized and have an inherent flexibility to bend thus making it possible for the connecting element 130 to encompass the edge abutting adjacent main framing members 110.

FIG. 3B illustrates assembled spliced sections of the main framing members 110. It can be seen that screws are used to secure the connection between the connecting element 130 and the two main framing member 110. One advantage of using structurally identical framing members and splicing member (connecting element 130) is that it completely eliminates the traditional requirement of introducing screwing holes or other alignment means in the framing member and the splicing member and later aligning the two screwing holes during assembly. In the present disclosure the connecting element 130 splices the adjacent main framing members 110 by direct metal-to-metal screwing and does not require any alignment thus easing the installation procedure and time.

Thus the construction element 100 described in the present disclosure is used as main runners, cross runners and splicing members for the assembly of a ceiling framing grid 600, thereby eliminating the use of separate intermediate channels and perimeter channels used conventionally. Thus the main framing members 110, cross framing members 120 and the connecting elements 130 described in the present disclosure are all structurally identical. While the main framing members 110 and cross framing members 120 refer to the same element i.e., the construction element 100 of the present disclosure, the connecting elements 130 are vary only in their length when compared to the construction element 100. The connecting elements 130 are much shorter than the construction element 100 descried in the present disclosure.

Illustrated in FIG. 4 is the retainer clips 200 that lock the cross framing members 120 with the main framing members 110 at intersection position. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the retainer clips 200 comprise of a central section 201 and two lateral arms 202 extending from the central section with each arm terminating in a notch 203 lying outside the vertical axis of the lateral arms. The retainer clips 200 of the present disclosure are advantageous as they not only hold the framing members 110, 120 together but lock the two framing members 110, 120 in their intersection position unlike all the known connectors in the art which only connect the main framing member with the cross framing member at their intersection point without much retention strength.

This locking of the framing members 110, 120 is made possible by the notches 203 provided in the two lateral arms 202 of the retainer clips 200. When the central section 201 of the retainer clip 200 is made to abut the cross framing member 120 the notches 203 of the retainer clips 200 snap fit within the apertures 103 in the two sidewalls 102a and 102b of the main framing member 110. The retainer clips 200 have sufficient flexibility to allow the lateral arms 202 to be slightly bent and pushed against the cross framing member 120 such that the notches 203 find the nearest aperture 103 to snap-fit into the apertures 103 of the main framing member 110 thereby locking the framing members 110, 120. In one embodiment the retainer clips 200 are aluminum extrusions, alternatively the retainer clips 200 could be made of any other materials which provide the required flexibility.

The use of the retainer clips 200 further eliminates the use of other traditional tools such as cutting plier or metal bending tools commonly used for the assembly of the ceiling grid system. Further retainer clips 200 also eliminate screwing or riveting commonly done for connecting the frame elements of the ceiling grid assembly. The dimension viz., height and width of the retainer clips 200 is determined based on the type of assembly established between the framing members 110, 120. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, if the cross framing members 120 interlace with the main framing members 110 by abutting one of their sidewalls 102a or 102b against both the opposing sidewalls 102a, 102b of the main framing members 110 as illustrated in FIG. 5, then the retainer clips 200 are designed to have a width W greater than the height H’ of the cross framing members 120 and a height H greater than the width W’ of the cross framing members 120. However, interlacing the cross framing member by abutting one of their sidewalls 102a or 102b against both the opposing sidewalls 102a, 102b of the main framing members 110 is not the only type of assembly that is envisioned by the present disclosure.

Thus in an alternate embodiment, the cross framing members 120 can be interlaced with the main framing members 110 by abutting the central web 101 of the cross framing member 120 against both the opposing sidewalls 102a, 102b of the main framing members 110 (not shown in figures). In such an assembly, the retainer clips 200 are designed to have a width W greater than the width W’ of the cross framing members 120 and a height H greater than height H’ of the cross framing members 120. In both the above described embodiments, the dimension of the retainer clips 200 is designed slightly bigger than the cross framing member 120 such that the retainer clip 200 encompasses the cross framing member 120 during assembly of the ceiling framing grid 600.

The thickness of the retainer clips 200 is considerably important as the notches 203 during the assembly of the ceiling framing grid 600 need to slide into the aperture 103 of the main framing member 110 in order to lock or snap-fit the cross framing member 120 with the main framing member 110 at the intersection position. Thus the retainer clips 200 are so designed such that their thickness is less than the width W of the apertures 103. Further the retainer clips 200 may optionally be provided with screwing or fastening holes (not labelled in FIG. 4) where there is a need to screw the retainer clips 200 to the cross framing member 120, however this may not be mandated. The shape and size of the notches 203 of the retainer clips 200 illustrated in FIG. 4 is the most preferred embodiment of the present disclosure and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the retainer clips, various modifications that can be replaced should be understood as being equivalents and variations of the illustrated retain clips.

FIG. 5 depicts the call-out image of the portion A marked in FIG. 1 showing a perspective view of a cross framing member 120 interposed with a main framing member 110 and connected to each other by a retainer clip 200. According to the particular embodiment depicted in this figure, the cross framing member 210 is placed over the main framing member 110 such that one of the sidewalls 102a of the cross framing member 120 abuts the two upright sidewalls 102a, 102b of the main framing member 110. In such an embodiment, the central section 201 of the retainer clip 200 abuts the sidewall 102b of the cross framing member 120 and is pressed against the sidewall 102b in order to notches 203 of the two lateral arms 202of the retainer clips to slid into and snap fit within the apertures 103 provided on the two sidewalls 102a and 102b of the main framing member 110.

It can be seen that the retainer clips lock the cross framing member 120 with the main framing member 110 without the any screwing, fastening or other on-site tools commonly used for assembling such a connection. This largely eases the installation procedure and time. The resilience of the notches 203 against the apertures 103 of the main framing members has been tested. The retention strength of the notches 203 of the present disclosure was found to be improved over most of the available equivalents in the market. The apertures 103 provided on the main framing member 110 are proportioned such that the distance A of the apertures 103 from the outer edge of the sidewalls not only reduce sagging of the ceiling framing grid as indicated earlier but further decrease the probability of retainer clips 200 from disengaging from the main framing member 110. This is because the apertures 103 prevent the bending of the sidewalls 102a, 102b of the main framing member 110 that typically occurs during sagging of a ceiling grid system. The subsequent consecutive arrangement of apertures 103 cut down the transmission of sidewall bending thereby reducing the bending and the risk of disengagement of notches 203 from their position within the apertures 103. FIG. 6 illustrates a wall angle 300 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure that is used for suspending the ceiling framing grid 600 from a true ceiling in a building as well to secure the ceiling framing grid 600 to the opposing wall surfaces in a room or enclosure. Thus the wall angle 300 proposed in the present disclosure replaces the two components traditional using in the assembly of ceiling grid systems viz., perimeter channel and ceiling angle. The wall angle 300 comprises of two right angled flanges 301, 302 rolled or otherwise made from sheet metal such as aluminum or G.I. For suspension of the ceiling framing grid 600 from a true ceiling, one end of one of the flanges 301 or 302 of the wall angle 300 is screwed to the cross framing member 120 while the other end is connected to the true ceiling of the building using anchor fastener 303 demonstrated in FIG. 7.

However, it is to be understood that the ceiling framing grid 600 of the present disclosure can be suspended from the true ceiling of a building using other suitable suspension means such as suspension wires etc. and the use of wall angle 300 for suspending the ceiling framing grid 600 is in no manner limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

The wall angle 300 of the present disclosure is further used for securing the ceiling framing grid 600 to the opposing wall surfaces in a room or enclosure by screwing one of the flanges 301 or 302 to the wall surface at a desired height where the ceiling is intended to be constructed and the other flange 301 or 302 of the wall angle supports the main framing members 110. The central web 101 of the main framing member 110 often rests on the flange 301 or 302 that is not screwed or fastened to the wall surface. However, for added stability of the ceiling framing grid, the main framing members 110 can be screwed or fastened to one of the flanges 301 or 302 of the wall angle 300.

However, it is to be understood that the ceiling framing grid 600 of the present disclosure can be secured to the opposing wall surfaces in a room or enclosure using other suitable suspension means such as suspension wires etc. and the use of wall angle 300 for securing the ceiling framing grid 600 to the wall surfaces is in no manner limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure is further advantageous in that the ceiling framing gird 600 does not require soffit cleat traditionally used in all ceiling grid systems. This is because of the adaptation of the wall angle 300 for suspension of the ceiling framing grid 600 from a true ceiling of a building using conventional anchor fasteners. The adaptation of the wall angle 300 for the suspension is illustrated in FIG. 7, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. One end of the right-angled flanges 301, 302 of the wall angle 300 to be secured to the true ceiling of the building is cut and bent as illustrated in the figure. One of the flanges 301 or 302 is bent followed by the bending of the other flange over the already bent flange of the wall angle 300. Such cutting and bending of the wall angle 300 is performed using traditional cutting and bending tools available in the installation site. Following this traditional anchor fasteners 303 as shown in the figure are used to screw the bent flanges 301 and 302 of the wall angle 300 to the true ceiling.

Thus the present disclosure teaches the assembly of a ceiling framing grid that uses reduced number of construction elements compared to a conventional ceiling grid system by using structurally identical main framing members, cross framing members and connecting elements for assembling the framing grid structure and further employing the wall angle element for both suspension of the ceiling framing grid from a true ceiling as well as securing the ceiling framing grid to the opposing walls of a room or enclosure.

The present disclosure further describes a method for constructing a ceiling framing grid 600. A ceiling framing grid according to the teaches of the present disclosure can be assembled by implementing the following steps of the method. However, it may also be contemplated to implement the method with other suitable tools than those described in the method steps herein without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. The method includes the steps 710 to 760.

In the first step 710, the wall angles 300 described in the present disclosure are screwed to the opposing surface of an enclosure or room. A desired height at which the ceiling is to be assembled is determined and the wall angles 300 are screwed to the wall at said desired height. One of the flanges 301 or 302 of the wall angles 300 is secured to the wall surface using sleeve anchor fasteners such that the other flange 301 or 302 is positioned to support the main framing members 110, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In alternate embodiments, metal-to-metal screws can also be used to secure the wall angles 300 to the wall surfaces.

In step 720, the wall angles 300 described in the present disclosure are anchored at predetermined positions to the true ceiling of an enclosure or room using anchor fasteners 303. The positions at which the wall angles 300 are to be anchored is determined based on the desired positions at which the main framing members 110 of the present disclosure are to be displaced. Accordingly drilling is carried out in the true ceiling for anchoring the wall angles 300. The wall angles 300 are proportioned to be spread across the length of each main framing member 110. The right-angled flanges 301, 302 of the wall angle 300 are cut and bent as illustrated in FIG. 7 and anchored in the holes drilled in the true ceiling using anchor fasteners 303. Such adaptation of wall angle 300 for its attachment to true ceiling or other suitable structures in the building eliminates the use of soffit cleat and associated complexity in using the soffit cleat which in turn increases the assembly time. In alternate embodiment of the present method, other suspension means such as ceiling suspension wires can be used in place of the wall angles 300 of the present disclosure for suspension of the ceiling framing grid. In yet another embodiment the wall angle 300 can be attached to other structures such as joist, beams or other suitable structures.

In step 730, the main framing members 110 of the present disclosure are placed over the wall angles 300 such that the main framing members 110 extend across the length of the ceiling to be assembled. Since this length is usually longer than the individual length of the main framing member 110, adjacent main framing members 110 are butt-spliced together to create one continuous longitudinal main framing member. Such butt- splicing, according to the teachings of the present disclosure is done using connecting elements 130. The connecting element 130 are placed inversely over two adjacently placed main framing members 110 such that the sidewalls of the connector element 130 encompass the sidewalls of the main framing members 110. The connecting element 130 are structurally identical to the main framing member 110 except that they are much shorter in length as can be seen in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B. This activity does not involve any alignment steps as the connecting element 130 can be simply screwed to the two adjacent main framing members 110 using metal-to-metal screws. Thus central web 101 of such continuous longitudinal main framing member is then placed on the flange 301 or 302 of the wall angles 300 screwed to the wall surface.

In step 740, the cross framing members 120 of the present disclosure are placed extending in a perpendicular direction to the main framing members 110 and are arranged to be parallel to one another. Typically, the cross framing members 120 are arranged to span across the length of the main framing members 110 as illustrated in FIG. 1 and where the length of the room or enclosure is longer than the cross framing member 120 individual length, then adjacent cross framing members 120 are butt- spliced in a similar manner as that described earlier in regard to main framing members 110. In one embodiment the cross framing members 120 may be arranged on the main framing members 110 in the same orientation as that of the main framing members 110. Then the central web 101 of the cross framing member 120 and main framing member 110 lie parallel to each other. In alternate embodiments, the cross framing members 120 can also be arranged on their sidewalls 102a or 102b as depicted in FIG. 5.

The cross framing members 120 are then screwed to the suspended wall angles 300 using screws. According to multiple embodiments of the present disclosure, the central web 101 of the cross framing member or one of the sidewalls 102a or 102b of the cross framing members 120 is screwed to the wall angle 300. Such a connection between a cross framing member 120 and a wall angle 300 suspended from the true ceiling is depicted in FIG. 8.

In the penultimate step 750, the intersection positions of the main framing members 110 and the cross framing members 120 are secured using the retainer clips 200 described in the present disclosure. The central section 201 of the retainer clips 200 abuts either one or both the sidewalls 102a, 120b of the cross framing member (depending on the orientation in which the cross framing members 120 are placed over the main framing members 110) in order to connect the cross framing members 120 with the underlying main framing members 110. The notches 203 of the retainer clips 200 are snap-fit into the apertures 103 provided on both the sidewalls 102a, 102b of the main framing members 110 in order to lock the cross framing members 120 with the underlying main framing members 110.

Such a connection between the cross framing members 120 and main framing members 110 of the present disclosure establishes increased retention strength, reduces ceiling sagging associated with traditional ceiling grid systems and further reduces the probability of the retainer clips disengaging from the main framing members 110. Thus the ceiling framing grid assembled according to the teachings of the present disclosure achieves increased stability and integrity with ease of installation, reduced production cost and production time

In the ultimate step 760, the ceiling panels or tiles 500 are assembled by attachment to the main framing members 110 facing the enclosure or the room.

Example 1

Effect of Sheet Metal Thickness on Ceiling Sagging

Construction element 100 made from sheet metals having varied thickness such as 0.35 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.45 mm, 0.5 mm and 0.55 mm were made and use in a ceiling framing grid system to measure the ceiling sagging associated with each of the sample for attaining a safety factor of 2x as mentioned earlier. A table showing the thickness of the construction element 100 against the ceiling sagging is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Metal Thickness & Ceiling sagging

From the above table it can be understood that the construction element 100 with the thickness of 0.45 mm was appropriate to offer a safety factor of 1.5. this is owing to further considering the material cost associated with the construction element. Example 2

Ceiling Deflection Testing

A ceiling framing grid measuring 1.8 m x 1.2 m was assembled according to the teachings of the present disclosure. 9 Kg UDL load was placed over each main framing member. Loading and deflection testing was carried out by following standards BS EN 13964 & ASTM C635. The deflection exhibited by the ceiling grid was measured using dual gauge after 3 days of load displacement. A deflection of 2.4 mm was recorded by the ceiling framing grid assembled using the teachings of the present disclosure within a specification limit of 3.1 mm (amounting to 23% less deflection).

Example 3

Influence of Aperture positions in Construction Element 100 in Ceiling System Sagging

A ceiling grid system consisting of four wall angles anchored to a ceiling structure and having main framing members assembled at a distance of 450 mm between them was simulated. Weight of 25 kg/m² was uniformly distributed on the main framing members as indicated by arrows illustrated in FIG. 9. The ceiling sagging was calculated for increasing distance A of the apertures from the outer edge of the sidewalls of the main framing member. FIG. 10 depicts a plot between the distance A at which the apertures are positioned and the ceiling sagging measured in the system. It can be understood from the plot that increasing the distance A reduces the sagging in the ceiling system. Apertures provided at a distance A of 5 mm from the outer edge of the sidewalls of the construction element measure more sagging than apertures provided at a distance A of 9 mm.

Thus the vertical positioning of the apertures influences the behavior of the ceiling grid system. From the simulation studies it can also be understood that the apertures not only reduce sagging but additionally also reduce the deflection to which a traditional ceiling system is bound to witness.

Example 4

Retainer Clip Retention Strength Testing

The below described testing procedure was followed for testing the retention strength of the retainer clips 200 of the present disclosure. A main framing member and a cross framing member measuring 450 mm in length were used. The main framing member was held by a bracket attached to the test bed and the cross framing member was placed perpendicular to the main framing member and held together by the retainer clip of the present disclosure. Appropriate hooks and clamps were attached to the cross framing member locked with the main framing member and an UTM plunger was used to gradually apply tensile force in a direction that would pull the cross framing member away from the main framing member. The above procedure was performed on a conventional ceiling framing member and intermediate framing member held together by a traditional joining element. The performance of the retention clip of the present disclosure and the conventional joining element was evaluated across 5 identical samples each by mapping the force against the displacements exhibited by the two setup. Table 2 summarizes the measurements made.

Table 2: Retention Strength Testing Results

From the above table it can be understood that on an average the retention clips 200 of the present disclosure offers about 25% increased retention strength to the ceiling grid systems compared to the conventional ceiling systems. In other words, the retention clips 200 of the present disclosure offers enhanced resistance to detachment from the main framing member thereby minimizing the chances of the cross framing members becoming disengaged with the main framing members. Industrial Applications

The ceiling framing grid 600 of the present disclosure finds application in building constructions not limiting to commercial and residential spaces and can be employed both to new constructions as well to renovations undertaken on older constructions. The ceiling framing grid described in the present disclosure ensures reduced production cost and time by employing reduced number of construction components and further eases the installation procedure and time associated through the use of the construction components described herein. No additional assembly tools or accessories are required for the assembly of the ceiling framing grid described in the present disclosure. The construction element 100 has been designed to be compatible with traditional ceiling spaces and curved ceilings which poses challenges in assembly, finish and stability.

Having thus described the invention with particular reference to the preferred forms thereof, it will be obvious that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, the embodiments described in the specification and the drawings shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiment of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention, various modifications that can be replaced at the time of the present application It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.

Note that not all of the activities described above in the general description or the examples are required, that a portion of a specific activity may not be required, and that one or more further activities may be performed in addition to those described. Still further, the order in which activities are listed is not necessarily the order in which they are performed.

Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any feature(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature of any or all the claims.

The specification and illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of the various embodiments. The specification and illustrations are not intended to serve as an exhaustive and comprehensive description of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systems that use the structures or methods described herein. Certain features, that are for clarity, described herein in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in a sub combination. Further, reference to values stated in ranges includes each and every value within that range. Many other embodiments may be apparent to skilled artisans only after reading this specification. Other embodiments may be used and derived from the disclosure, such that a structural substitution, logical substitution, or another change may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure is to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

The description in combination with the figures is provided to assist in understanding the teachings disclosed herein, is provided to assist in describing the teachings, and should not be interpreted as a limitation on the scope or applicability of the teachings. However, other teachings can certainly be used in this application.

As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," "including," "has," "having" or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non exclusive inclusion. For example, a method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of features is not necessarily limited only to those features but may include other features not expressly listed or inherent to such method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, "or" refers to an inclusive-or and not to an exclusive-or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

Also, the use of "a" or "an" is employed to describe elements and components described herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the scope of the invention. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural, or vice versa, unless it is clear that it is meant otherwise. For example, when a single item is described herein, more than one item may be used in place of a single item. Similarly, where more than one item is described herein, a single item may be substituted for that more than one item.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. To the extent that certain details regarding specific materials and processing acts are not described, such details may include conventional approaches, which may be found in reference books and other sources within the manufacturing arts. While aspects of the present disclosure have been particularly shown and described with reference to the embodiments above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various additional embodiments may be contemplated by the modification of the disclosed machines, systems and methods without departing from the spirit and scope of what is disclosed. Such embodiments should be understood to fall within the scope of the present disclosure as determined based upon the claims and any equivalents thereof.

List of Elements

TITLE: A CEILING FRAMING GRID

100 Construction Element

101 Central Web

102a Sidewall

102b Sidewall

103 Aperture

104 Inward Lip

105 Longitudinal Groove

110 Main Framing Member

120 Cross Framing Member

130 Connecting Element

200 Retainer Clip

201 Central Section

202 Lateral Arms

203 Notch

300 Wall Angle

301 Flange

302 Flange

303 Anchor Fastener

500 Ceiling Panels

H Height of the Retainer Clip

W Width of the Retainer Clip

H’ Height of the Cross Framing Member

W’ Width of the Cross Framing Member

P Pitch between the Aperture

A Distance of the Aperture from the Outer Edge of the Sidewalls 102a, 102b

W” Width of the Aperture

Claims

Claims What is claimed is:

1. A ceiling framing grid comprising: one or more main framing members 110 running parallel to each other; a plurality of cross framing members 120 running perpendicularly to the longitudinal length of the main framing members 110 and spaced apart from each other; retainer clips 200 for locking said cross framing members 120 with main framing members 110 at intersection positions, said retainer clips 200 comprising a central section 201 and two lateral arms 202 extending from the central section with each arm terminating in a notch 203 lying outside the vertical axis of the lateral arms; and connector elements 130 for joining the main framing members 110 to one f wherein the main framing members 110, the cross framing members 120 and the connector elements 130 are structurally identical construction elements 100 having variable lengths comprising a central web 101 flanked by a pair of opposing upright sidewalls 102a, 102b arising at right angles from the longitudinal edges of the central web 101 and having a general U-shaped cross section characterized in that each of the sidewalls 102a, 102b include a plurality of apertures 103 provided at predetermined intervals which provide a means for the notch 203 of the retainer clips 200 to fit within and lock said cross framing members 120 with main framing members 110.

2. The ceiling framing grid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cross framing members 120 interlace with the main framing members 110 by abutting one of the sidewalls or central web 101 of the cross framing member 120 against both the opposing sidewalls 102a, 102b of the main framing members 110.

3. The ceiling framing grid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the central section 201 of the retainer clips 200 abuts the cross framing members 120 to lock the cross framing members 120 with the main framing members 110.

4. The ceiling framing grid as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the notches 203 on the two lateral arms 202 of the retainer clips 200 snap fits into the apertures 103 provided in the two sidewalls 102a, 102b of the main framing members 110.

5. The ceiling framing grid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the retainer clips 200 have a width W greater than the height H’ of the cross framing members 120 and a height H greater than the width W’ of the cross framing members 120, where the cross framing members 120 interlace with the main framing members 110 by abutting one of their sidewalls against both the opposing sidewalls 102a, 102b of the main framing members 110.

6. The ceiling framing grid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the retainer clips 200 have a width W greater than the width W’ of the cross framing members 120 and a height H greater than height H’ of the cross framing members 120, where the cross framing members 120 interlace with the main framing members 110 by abutting the central web 101 against both the opposing sidewalls 102a, 102b of the main framing members 110.

7. The ceiling framing grid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connector elements 130 are placed inversely over two adjacently placed main framing members 110 such that the sidewalls of the connector element 130 encompass the sidewalls of the main framing members 110.

8. The ceiling framing grid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connector elements 130 have a length ranging between 0.15 m to 0.3 m.

9. The ceiling framing grid as claimed in claim 1 is suspended from a true ceiling via L-shaped wall angle 300 comprising two right angled flanges 301, 302.

10. The suspended ceiling framing grid as claimed in claim 8, wherein the wall angle 300 is connected to the true ceiling at one end and to the cross framing member 120 on the other end.

11. The suspended ceiling framing grid as claimed in claim 1 does not include intermediate channel, perimeter channel and soffit cleat used in conventional ceiling framing systems.

12. The suspended ceiling framing grid as claimed in claim 1 further comprises ceiling panels 500 attached to the main framing members 110.

13. A construction element 100 comprising a central web 101 flanked by a pair of opposing upright sidewalls 102a, 102b arising at right angles from the longitudinal edges of the central web 101 and having a general U-shaped cross section characterized in that each of the sidewalls 102a, 102b include a plurality of apertures 103 provided at predetermined intervals which provide a means for locking said two construction elements placed at intersection arranged at right angles to each other.

14. The construction element as claimed in claim 13 wherein the plurality of apertures 103 on each of the sidewalls 102a, 102b are provided at a distance A ranging between 3 mm to 10 mm from the edge of the sidewall lying away from the central web.

15. The construction element as claimed in claim 13 wherein the plurality of apertures 103 has a pitch P ranging between 2 mm and 50 mm threrbetween.

16. The construction element as claimed in claim 13 optionally comprises outwardly or inwardly bent lips 104 at the longitudinal ends of the opposing sidewalls 102a, 102b and at least one longitudinal groove 105 running along the length of the sidewalls 102a, 102b.

7. A method for constructing a ceiling framing grid as claimed in claim 1 comprising the steps of: connecting main framing members 110 with each other using connector elements 130, wherein the connector elements 130 are placed inversely over two adjacently placed main framing members 110 such that the sidewalls of the connector element 130 encompass the sidewalls of the main framing members 110; mounting L-shaped wall angles 300 on opposed walls of a room, wherein one of the flanges 301 of the L-shaped wall angle 300 is fastened to the wall surface; attaching main framing members 110 to the wall angles 300 longitudinally spaced apart from each other, wherein the central web 101 of the main framing members 110 is screwed to the other flange 302 of the L-shaped wall angle 300; placing a plurality of cross framing members 120 running perpendicularly to the longitudinal length of the main framing members 110 and spaced apart from each other; wherein the cross framing members 120 interlace with the main framing members 110 by abutting one of the sidewalls or central web 101 of the cross framing member 120 against both the opposing sidewalls of the main framing members 110 and wherein the main framing members 110, the cross framing members 120 and the connector elements 130 are identical construction elements 100 comprising a central web 101 flanked by a pair of opposing upright sidewalls 102a, 102b arising at right angles from the longitudinal edges of the central web 101 and having a general U-shaped cross section characterized in that each of the sidewalls 102a, 102b include a plurality of apertures 103 provided at predetermined intervals which provide a means for locking said cross framing members 120 with main framing members 110; and locking the cross framing members 120 with the main framing members 110 at intersection positions using retainer clips 200, wherein the central section 201 of the retainer clips 200 abuts the cross framing members 120 and each of the notches 203 on the two lateral arms 202 of the retainer clips 200 fits into the apertures 103 provided in the two sidewalls 102a, 102b of the main framing members 110.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 further comprises suspending the ceiling framing grid from a true ceiling using L-shaped wall angles 300, wherein one of the flanges 301 of the L-shaped wall angles 300 is screwed to the cross framing members 120 at one end and the other end is screwed to the true ceiling using anchor fasteners.

19. The method as claimed in claim 17 further comprises attaching a plurality of ceiling panels 500 to the central web 101 of the main framing members 110 facing the enclosure created by the walls of the room.