Patent Application
20250012081
The field of the invention is in wall framing and building construction in which wood studs are used to build walls and platforms. One of the many challenges in home and building construction is energy consumption after the home or building is completed. An example of a conventional framed wall is illustrated in
Framed walls are usually given an energy rating. The higher the rating the more energy conserving the constructed wall is expected to be. A conventional wall system may have a nominal R-21 value, but the effective R-value is actually up to thirty percent (30%) less than the nominal value due to thermal bridging caused by the framing. This is because the wall framing members and studs serve as a “bridge” or “conductor” of heat through the wall. Thus, the temperature on the outside of the house is conducted through the wall via the physical contact that the frame members and studs have with the inner and outer walls. This results in a real-world reduction of the R factor of the wall well below its nominal value. For example, an R-20 rated wall only effectively has a value of R-14 using conventional materials and construction techniques.
A typical insulation upgrade offered by builders in order to offset the effects of thermal bridging and to increase the R factor rating of the framed wall is use spray foam insulation. Four (4) inches of spray foam will improve an R-20 rated wall to an R-27 rated wall, while a 5.5 inch thickness of spray foam (the depth of a 2×6 stud) will bring the R-20 rating up to an R-38 value 0.5 Another current attempted solution is to use a hybrid “flash and fill” or flash system. In the flash and fill system, the builder installs a two-inch layer of spray foam and batt with fiberglass or fill with loose cellulous for the other 3.5 inches which raises the R-value to a stated R-28. However, neither of these current attempts to improve insulation values actually addresses the thermal bridging problem described above. Thus, even with these upgrades, the wall is still subject to the 10 thirty percent thermal loss due to thermal bridging. For example, the “R-28” rated wall with the flash and fill upgrade only has an effective R-21 rating.
Therefore, there is a need for an energy wall stud member and wall framing solution that will cost-effectively and substantially reduce the effects of thermal bridging in walls that are in contact with outside building layers in a home or other structure.
Various embodiments are disclosed herein that provide an improved wall framing system to give builders and homeowners a cost effective and simple way to increase insulation values using standard wall framing techniques. The system provided herein removes unnecessary material from frame members to lower the contact surfaces where the frame member abuts the wall in order to reduce the surface area where thermal bridging can occur.
In one example, less surface area for thermal bridging can be achieved by hollowing out the wall studs and plates in the areas where the nails are not fastened to the wall sheathing. This also allows spray foam to expand into those hollowed out areas to provide a thermal break between the wall sheathing and the stud and plates. This configuration can substantially reduce the amount of thermal bridging in a given wall system. For example, instead of a 30 percent loss, the losses due to bridging can be kept to approximately ten percent. This is a significant improvement because the example R-30 wall would now only be reduced to R-27.
An additional advantage of the system and devices provided herein is the ability to use the gaps in the studs to more easily run electrical and low voltage conduit through framed walls. Also, if the customer decides to fill the wall's interior cavity with spray foam there is a benefit of a structural improvement since there will be a greater surface area where the wall system is glued together by the spray foam.
This wall system provided herein can be used in all building regions. In contrast, conventional high R factor wall systems called the Extended Beam and Plate System that use 2×6 plates, 2×4 framing and 2 inches of ridged foam are not acceptable in high wind or seismic regions and also require special framing techniques. The wall system provided herein can include an elongated wall frame member having a body including a plurality of apertures formed within and through the body, the apertures being located in series along a length of the elongated wall frame member. The wall system can further include an outer sheathing member configured to be attached to an outer surface of the wall frame member without covering the plurality of apertures.
Provided herein also is a vertical wall framing stud that defines a vertical exterior-facing surface, a vertical interior-facing surface opposite the vertical exterior-facing surface and a long vertical side surface spanning between the vertical exterior-facing surface and the vertical interior facing surface. A plurality of vertically spaced-apart cutouts can be defined into the vertical wall framing stud along the vertical exterior-facing surface. A ridge can be defined between an adjacent pair of the vertically spaced-apart cutouts. The ridge can include an exterior-facing planar surface that is vertically oriented. In one embodiment, the ridge is a ridge member that includes a distal portion spaced laterally from at least one of a series of vertically-aligned apertures in the framing stud, wherein a thermal bridge between the ridge member and the vertical interior-facing surface is disrupted. In another embodiment, the series of vertically-aligned apertures are located on the long vertical side surface between the vertical exterior-facing surface and the vertical interior facing surface of the framing stud.
An exterior wall board can be fastened to the vertical exterior-facing surface of the vertical wall framing stud to define a wall structure. An air gap is formed between each cutout and the inside-facing surface of the wall board. The air gap lowers the thermal bridging effect that occurs due to the framing stud being in contact with the exterior wall board. The vertical interior-facing surface can be a continuous planar surface. The vertical wall framing stud can be an elongated singular body. A series of vertically-elongated or separate but aligned apertures are defined horizontally into and through the vertical wall framing stud. The series of vertically-elongated or separate but aligned apertures can be located along a midline of the long vertical side surface. Electrical conduit can be passed through one or more of the vertically-elongated apertures. The cutouts can define a radiused or rectangular-like surface or slits or slots spaced from the exterior vertical surface. The cutouts can be vertically-sized such that a ridge of two inches vertical length is centered every six inches or twelve inches along the vertical exterior-facing surface. Other spacing dimensions can be provided as well. Insulation can be disposed within or provided to the air gap. For example, the insulation can be an expanding spray foam or a fiberglass batt. A fastener can be used to secure the exterior wall board to the vertical wall framing stud. The fastener extends through the wall board from the exterior-facing surface thereof and into the vertical wall framing stud at a vertical location aligned between the adjacent pair of the vertically spaced-apart cutouts such that the fastener penetrates the exterior-facing planar surface of the ridge.
The wall stud forms part of a wall structure can be part of a building wherein a subfloor is disposed atop the floor joist, a horizontal top plate member is secured atop the vertical wall framing stud and the vertical wall framing stud is secured atop a horizontal bottom plate member. The horizontal bottom plate member can be secured atop the subfloor.
Further provided herein is a method of forming a building wall. The method can include defining a plurality of vertically spaced-apart cutouts into a vertical wall framing stud along the vertical exterior-facing surface thereof, defining a ridge between an adjacent pair of the vertically spaced-apart cutouts, the ridge including an exterior-facing planar surface that is vertically oriented, and securing a wall board to the vertical exterior-facing surface of the vertical wall framing stud so that an air gap is formed between each cutout and the inside-facing surface of the wall board. Insulation can be provided to the air gap. The step of securing can include driving a fastener through the wall board from an exterior facing surface thereof and into the vertical wall framing stud at a vertical location aligned between the adjacent pair of the vertically spaced-apart cutouts such that the fastener penetrates the exterior facing planar surface of the ridge. A series of vertically-elongated apertures can be defined horizontally into and through the vertical wall framing stud. Electrical conduit can be passed through these apertures.
In yet another example embodiment, wall stud is provided that may or may not include ridges and cutouts on the exterior vertical surface but includes apertures or slots that are partially-cut into the side surface (reducing the thickness of the wall stud in these areas) but are not but all the way through to the other side of the wall stud. Hence, these are vertically-aligned depth-defined apertures do not penetrate through to another side of the long vertical side surface, thereby reducing a thermal bridge pathway from the interior and exterior surfaces. This inhibits thermal bridging as wall is “thinner” where the apertures/slots would be but are not cut all the way through. This is also applicable to current 2×4 studs to reduce thermal bridging but not substantially reduce the compressive or tensile strength of the 2×4 stud.
In yet another embodiment, a wall framing stud is disclosed that includes an elongated singular body defining a vertical exterior-facing surface, a vertical interior-facing surface opposite the vertical exterior-facing surface and long vertical side surfaces spanning between the vertical exterior-facing surface and the vertical interior-facing surface. The singular body includes a first set or series of vertically-elongated apertures are defined horizontally into and through and along the long vertical side surfaces of the elongated singular body and further includes a second set or series of vertically-elongate apertures are defined horizontally into and through and along the long vertical side surfaces of the elongated singular body. The first set and second set of elongate apertures are parallel to each other and are longitudinally offset from each other, wherein a thermal bridge pathway between the vertical exterior-facing surface and the vertical interior-facing surface is disrupted. In a related embodiment, the first and second set of elongate apertures are located along a midline of the long vertical side surface.
In a related embodiment, the wall framing stud includes a plurality of vertically spaced-apart cutouts are defined into the elongated singular body along the vertical exterior-facing surface, and wherein a ridge member is defined between an adjacent pair of the vertically spaced-apart cutouts, and the ridge member including a distal portion spaced laterally from at least one of the first set of apertures, wherein a thermal bridge pathway between the ridge member and the vertical interior-facing surface is disrupted. In yet another related embodiment, the framing stud includes at least one of the first or the second set of apertures which are formed as vertically-aligned depth-defined apertures that do not penetrate through to another side of the long vertical side surface, thereby reducing a thermal bridge pathway from the interior and exterior surfaces of the stud.
In various related embodiments, the wall framing stud includes the vertical exterior-facing surface of the vertical wall framing stud is configured to be secured or fastened to a wall board. The wall stud and board further include insulation in and about the apertures in and around the wall framing stud, where the insulation includes one of a spray foam, organic cellulose, a hemp cellulose. In a related embodiment, the wall framing stud elongate apertures are configured from a series of closely spaced holes, which are substantially equivalent to a slot for disrupting the thermal bridge pathway. In yet another related embodiment, the singular body of the wall framing stud is configured to be a component in at least one of a wall, floor or roof.
The above summary is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, or describe each embodiment, aspect, implementation, feature or advantage of the invention. The detailed technology and preferred embodiments for the subject invention are described in the following paragraphs accompanying the appended drawings for people skilled in this field to well appreciate the features of the claimed invention. It is understood that the features mentioned hereinbefore and those to be commented on hereinafter may be used not only in the specified combinations, but also in other combinations or in isolation, without departing from the scope of the present invention.
While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular example embodiments described. On the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
In the following descriptions, the present invention will be explained with reference to various exemplary embodiments. Nevertheless, these embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention to any specific example, environment, application, or particular implementation described herein. Therefore, descriptions of these example embodiments are only provided for purpose of illustration rather than to limit the present invention.
Any dimensional information provided herein and indicated in the figures is for certain preferred embodiments. It should be recognized, however, that the dimensions, proportions, scale and configurations of components are merely example embodiments and can be varied unless specifically limited in a given claim. Thus, the dimensions, proportions, scale and configurations can be varied without departing from the scope of the invention except where explicitly limited by a given claim.
Referring to
The vertical wall studs further include one or more indents, notches or cutouts 118 disposed along the vertical length of the exterior-facing side surface of the vertical wall stud 108. The cutouts 118 define a plateau or ridge 120 between adjacent cutouts. The ridges 120 present a flat vertical surface segment to which the outer wall board (or other sheeting or substrate) can mate and be fastened to the vertical wall stud 108 in a conventional manner (e.g., nails, screws, etc.).
An air gap 122 is defined in the area of the cutout between the vertical wall stud 108 and the inner surface of the wall board 114. Thus, the amount of surface contact between the exterior side of the vertical wall stud 108 and the wall board 114 is greatly reduced as compared to conventional vertical wall studs, wall systems and wall construction methods. Cutouts 118 can also be provided to the inside side surface of the vertical wall stud in alternative embodiments.
Conventional fastener hardware, such as nails or screws, can be used to secure the wall board 114 to the vertical wall studs 114. The fasteners are preferably placed into the vertical wall studs 108 where the ridges 120 between adjacent cutouts 118 are located. The cutouts 118 are sized and spaced such that the ridges are defined where one would conventionally dispose fasteners in conventional wall systems. The cutouts 118 can take any shape. However, in one example, the cutouts are radiused at their farthest extents or end portions and either have a planar center section therebetween or a center section with less curvature than the radiused end portions. Of course, the cutout can be rectangular, polygonal, complex or any various shape that defines the air gap 122 with the wall board 114. In use, insulation or spray foam can be provided to the wall framing such that the insulation or foam extends into the air gaps 122 and apertures 116. For example, closed cell spray foam can be used to both gain insulation value and enhance overall wall strength. This occurs due to the polyurethane spray foam adhering to the vertical wall studs 108 and wall board 114. Since the foam has air gaps 122 and aperture slots 116 to expand into, the foam provides extra insulation value and also joins together the members of the entire wall system as a singular, and thus stronger, mass.
An inside wall board can be secured to the inside vertical side of the vertical wall stud 108. The vertical wall studs 108 can also be used for the top and bottom plates in the wall framing in additional embodiments. The apertures 116 are preferably vertically centered on the ridges. The apertures thus provide a thermal break for heat transfer horizontally through the stud from exterior to interior sides. The apertures 116 also can be conveniently used to pass electrical, fiber, plumbing or other conduit (e.g. wires) horizontally through the wall framing. The horizontally centered placement of the apertures 116 thus maintains the conduit in an advantageously centered location within the finished wall.
Referring now to
Referring next to
Referring now to
Referring to FIGS. SA-5B, an example embodiment of an interior wall vertical wall stud 124 is depicted.
Referring now to
The inside side of stud 108 or 124 is a planar vertical surface. The inside surface can be provided with cutouts 118 similar to the exterior side or in another different cutout configuration. The stud body 108 or 124 according to any of the embodiments can be formed in any length and cross-sectional size. For example, 2×6 and 2×8 sizes with lengths such as framing members in 925/8 inches and 1046/8 inches, and standard lengths of 7, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 feet for wall plates.
The vertical wall studs 108 can be configured as field studs and perimeter studs, among others. The vertical wall studs 108 can be formed of wood or wood pulp mixed with an adhesive and formed into a stud. Studs can be formed from composite wood, engineered wood, natural lumber or even from hemp that is ground up and mixed with an adhesive for use in forming or extruding the wall stud. The studs can also be formed of other rigid materials suitable for construction such as metal (e.g. steel and aluminum), fiberglass, reinforced plastics and non-metal composites. Conventional machinery can be used to form the cutouts 118, such as pallet notch forming machines or CNC machines. The cutouts 118 and apertures 116 can also be formed with conventional sawing machinery. The cutouts 118 and apertures 116 are preferably formed as part of the stud manufacturing process rather than on the construction site.
An advantage of the wall system and construction methods provided herein is the cost effective and simple way that insulation values for walls can be increased using conventional wall framing techniques. By removing material from the vertical studs and defining air gaps with the exterior wall boards, the thermal bridging effect between the studs and exterior walls is greatly reduced without adversely impacting the construction methods or the integrity of the wall framing. Plus, the air gaps and apertures provide for insulation to be introduced where not previously possible.
Referring now to
In one example embodiment, although sheet foam also works, spray form is a very effective insulator as it adheres to all of the materials around it and strengthens wall section 200. As the spray foam fills in all of the notches and slots, the result is potentially an R-16.5 for a 2×6 92⅝ framing stud. The actual rated R-value may be higher due to the mass effect of the stud 208 and the higher R-value of changing of the insulative barrier as the thermal waves are forced to pass through several media of insulating materials. An important point is that an R-21 stated wall would be an effective R-20 wall versus a comparable R-15 effective wall with a standard framing stud not having slots 216 nor ridge members 220, plus no special framing techniques. In one prototype 2×6 framing stud and an 8 ft plate stud, after being routed out and cut as per the teaching herein, the weight of the modified stud 208 is comparable to the weight of a 2×4 framing stud and 2×4-8 ft plate stud. Hence, for framing purposes, using studs 208 are easier to manage and utilize when framing an exterior wall. In an example five (5) foot test wall, the test wall about 20 lbs. lighter which made it a lot easier to move from one location to another. An average 185 pc bunk would now be about 1,110 lbs. lighter and result in 1,110 pounds of secondary material (wood pulp) to be used in another product.
In a related embodiment, composite studs are formed from the residual wood pulp or byproduct, generated by the manufacturing of the various studs described herein, by combining the wood pulp with adhesives or high temperature resins to form studs with the cutouts/ridges and with or without elongate slots or apertures in the body as described above. Further, the residual pulp can be used as fuel or to make pellets or to make pet bedding or to be used for cellulose-based insulation.
In another related embodiment, wall studs are formed such that the midline or midbody slots or apertures are replaced with partially routed out slots that do not form holes through the body of the wall stud and serve to reduce thermal bridging by reducing the width of the pathway from the interior side of the stud to the exterior side of the stud in contact with the outside wallboard. This improves the R-value of the traditional stud and generates the byproduct wood pulp while also reducing its overall weight for shipping. Completed wall sections with this improved stud also are lighter and have an improved R-value. This improved wall stud optionally includes cutouts and ridge member.
In yet another embodiment, the improved wall studs disclosed herein are used in floor structures of homes that are built on pilons and not slabs, which will simplify and speed up construction while making it easier to insulate the floor to improve energy efficient. The various improved wall studs disclosed herein have slots or holes that also simplify plumbing and other wiring that needs to go through the floor. Stud sizes would include but not be limited to: 2×8; 2×10; 2×12 studs. The improved wall studs are also applicable for internal wall structures to reduce weight and for internal wall wiring, particularly in transportable or mobile housing, or housing comprising portable wall sections to the construction site.
In yet another embodiment, the improved wall stud construction has applications in roof construction in gables and trusses, as well as portions that span the entire roof top to reduce thermal bridging and reduce overall weight. In a related embodiment, the improved wood studs taught herein form part of a roof construction system, such as in “hot roof” technology and systems to further insulate space within the building, creating more usable space for storage and for locating HVAC systems to protect them from the elements and reduce unsightliness outside the home. The HVAC units are also closer to the ductwork and away from the exterior elements, allowing them to be more energy efficient.
The following patents and publications are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,434,579; 5,803,964; 7,698,858; and 7,827,743.
While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments. It will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and equivalent arrangements can be made thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, such scope to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all equivalent structures and products. Moreover, features or aspects of various example embodiments may be mixed and matched (even if such combination is not explicitly described herein) without departing from the scope of the invention.
This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional application with Ser. No. 63/279,227, filed on Nov. 12, 2021, with the same title, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Further relates to following applications: U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/613,603, filed on Jan. 4, 2018, and is related to US application with Ser. No. 16/240,656 filed on Jan. 4, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,612,235, which are all hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2022/049849 | 11/14/2022 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63279227 | Nov 2021 | US |
