Patent Application
20100293889
None
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to materials and methods for wall construction. Specifically, the invention relates to studs fabricated in the shape of an “I” utilizing exclusively oriented strand board, and to methods for assembling a wall using the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Construction materials of varying types are well known in the art. For many years, lumber and steel have been used for studs. Studs are commonly understood to be the relatively slender, upright members forming the frame of a wall or partition and covered with drywall, sheetrock, plasterwork, siding, or other finishing material. Traditionally, solid, rectangular studs were made using dimensional lumber products.
Construction materials comprising engineered wood products and structural composite lumber such as oriented strand board (OSB) are gaining in acceptance and popularity. U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,572 to Henthorn is directed to a fabricated OSB stud. It is likewise known to assemble a stud in the form of an “I” using multiple pieces. NASCOR® (Nascor, Inc., Calgary, Alberta, CANADA) manufactures I-joists (also referred to as I-studs) having two dimensional lumber flanges separated by an OSB web, the same being used in the NASCOR® III and IV Wall System. Wood I Beam® joists (Georgia-Pacific Corp., Atlanta, Ga.) utilize FiberStrong® (Georgia-Pacific Corp., Atlanta, Ga.) OSB webs fitted into solid lumber, sawn lumber or laminated veneer lumber (LVL) flanges. None of these products, however, utilizes OSB for both the web and the flanges.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,262 to Irving describes an assembled I-beam having an OSB web situated between, and in grooves defined by, a pair of laminated, two-piece OSB flanges. Each flange comprises an inner flange and a reinforcing outer flange, these sub-parts being laminated together. It is fairly well recognized that OSB does not have the tensile strength to resist the bending moment on a joist. Although this assembly may provide added strength for a joist, such a construction requires both additional materials and additional labor to achieve this construction and does not meet the need for an improved stud.
A need exists for an improved I-stud made exclusively of OSB, including unitary and non-laminated OSB flanges, that is yet another suitable alternative to dimensional solid lumber studs and offers all of the benefits of steel while remaining cost effective.
The present disclosure relates to a novel construction material and method for construction. More specifically, the disclosure is concerned with an I-stud manufactured using exclusively oriented strand board (OSB), and a method of assembling a wall using the same.
It is a first object of the present invention to provide a material for construction that is stronger than light gauge steel cold formed studs, yet lighter than lumber studs, and more cost efficient than either, and a method of using the same.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a material for construction that uses less wood than traditional lumber studs and is reliably straight while resisting warping, twisting and bowing, and a method of using the same.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a material for construction that does not interfere with wireless communication, is resistant to heat and cold transfer, and can be treated to inhibit microbial growth, and a method of using the same.
It is a further object still of the present invention to provide a material for construction that does not require blocking in order to support cabinets, fixtures or trim, and a method of using the same.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a material for construction that can be manufactured from up to 100% reclaimed product and from lower quality natural products, and a method of using the same.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a material for construction that can be fire resistance treated to meet prevalent building codes, and a method of using the same.
Another object of the invention is to provide a wall system incorporating the construction materials disclosed herein.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated from the following description. The description makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which are provided for illustration of the preferred embodiment. However, such embodiment does not represent the full scope of the invention. The subject matter which the inventor does regard as his invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of this specification.
While the making and using of various embodiments of the present disclosure are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present disclosure provides for inventive concepts capable of being embodied in a variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific manners in which to make and use the disclosed apparatus and are not to be interpreted as limiting the scope of the instant disclosure.
In
A bonding agent 22 is provided between web 12 and each groove 18, 20 to assemble stud 10. Bonding agent 22 may be any suitable agent, but is preferably a phenolic resin or urea-formaldehyde. Bonding agent 22 may but need not be the same as the bonding agent utilized in the manufacture of the underlying OSB components of stud 10. As is known the art, bonding agents 22 include drying adhesives as well as heat-activated adhesives.
Stud 10 may be provided with one or more apertures 24 through which wiring, piping or other conduits may be passed or strung. Apertures 24 may be any shape, including but not limited to round, ovoid, square and rectangular. Apertures 24 may also be any size subject to the limitation of the width of web 12 and, as is well known in the art, so as not to compromise the structural integrity of web 12 and stud 10. Apertures 24 are preferably rectangular and measure approximately 2¼ inches by 4 inches in size, so as to accommodate a variety of conventional conduits up to 2 inches in diameter. When multiple apertures 24 are provided, they may be provided at any interval but every 16 inches or so, on center (e.g., from the center of a first aperture 24 to the center of the adjacent aperture 24) along the length of web 12, is preferred.
An alternative embodiment is illustrated in
Turning to
With respect to
Stud 10 may also be incorporated into conventional wall assemblies or attached directly to existing structural members such as floors, ceilings or joists. In this fashion, stud 10 may be used as a replacement material during repairs or renovation when an entire wall is not being built or rebuilt. ‘Frame member’ as utilized herein shall include specific and/or manufactured components of a wall system as described above, as well as existing, preferably horizontal and elongate, structural members that will serve as the upper or lower end of a wall to be built or replaced.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the use of studs 10 in wall systems such as those disclosed herein will achieve substantial cost savings over dimensional lumber or steel, without compromising stability.
Thus, the present disclosure has been described in an illustrative manner. It is to be understood that the terminology that has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Furthermore, whereas the present disclosure has been described in relation to the drawings attached hereto, it should be understood that other and further modifications, apart from those shown or suggested herein, may be made within the spirit and scope of this disclosure.
