Patent Application
20140157706
The invention relates generally to building construction, and more particularly to studs for use in wall panels used in the construction of foundation walls and upper floor exterior walls.
A proper foundation of a building means not only insulating to save energy, but also providing effective structural design as well as moisture, termite, and radon control techniques where appropriate. The three basic types of foundations include full basement, crawl space, and slab-on grade. Actual buildings may include combinations of these types. In cases of a full basement, crawl space, a structural perimeter foundation wall is employed as a structural element transferring building and service loads to the foundation.
The most common perimeter structural wall systems for foundation walls include cast-in-place concrete, concrete block foundation wall, insulated concrete form systems, pressure-preservative-treated wood foundations, precast concrete foundation walls, masonry or concrete piers, cast-in-place concrete sandwich panels, and various masonry systems. Steel panel perimeter foundation walls are also known, such as the AnchorPanel assemblies by Fast Track Foundation Systems. These are corrugated steel panels that can be cut to length and installed with lag screws hanging under the perimeter floor boards of a pier-supported structure. The corrugated shape provides stiffening against bending under vertical and side loads. Another panel system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,307,608, describing a modular wall panel have a wall face, a top cap, a bottom pan and two side framing studs at the perimeter sides extending vertically from the bottom pan to the top cap are all constructed integrally.
Cast-in-place concrete and concrete block foundation wall systems are costly and complex to assemble without special skills and tools. A second non-load-bearing wall system is required and assembled from wood or light gauge steel adjacent to the interior face of the cast-in-place concrete and concrete block foundation wall to form a receptacle for insulation and provide a furring strip for securing interior sheathing materials. This further adds to the complexity and expense of this type wall system.
Problems associated with the systems in the prior art generally pertain to cost and complexity of assembly, but also include lack of flexibility to accommodate design changes in the field.
Insulated concrete forms (ICF) provide an alternative to traditional structural wall systems. They are made of stiff foam forms that keep concrete in place as it cures. They remain in the foundation to serve as insulation after construction is completed. Although building with ICF can help improve a home's energy efficiency, there are disadvantages to using them, such as cost, difficulty to remodel, increased footprint to accommodate the total wall thickness, nesting for insects and routing for groundwater to enter the walls.
Steel panel perimeter foundation walls known in the art have disadvantages of cost and complexity of design. They lack flexibility to accommodate changes in the field.
It is therefore a primary feature of the present invention to overcome the problems in the prior art. It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a structural wall system that may be assembled in the field or pre-assembled as a panel system for use a subgrade structural foundation wall system or an above grade structural wall system that is cost effective, simple to install, and accommodates design changes in the field.
The invention provides a structural wall system to support building loads and lateral earth pressure from adjacent ground, said system comprising a wall assembly using plurality of studs preferably formed from metal located side by side and each having a cross section comprising an orthogonal lip section with interior flange section, a web section, and an exterior diaphragm section orthogonal to the web section and having a first recessed shoulder on the open distal end and a second recessed shoulder on the bend line integral with the web section. The wall system may be assembled using a standard steel channel as a starting point. The stud diaphragm of the present invention extends laterally from the web portion with the distal edge to be aligned with and fastened to the standard steel channel. A second stud is then installed by aligning and fastening the distal edge of such stud to the second recessed shoulder of the preceding stud to form a continuous diaphragm surface as studs are similarly connected to one another. The alignment of the second stud on the second recessed shoulder may be adjusted to ensure the second stud is preferably perpendicularly plumb to grade.
A plurality of studs may be assembled one after another on the site, or pre-assembled into modular units. The stud web section may have matching bolt holes to allow another unit to be joined to the unit on either side to form a section of vertical wall.
Once the studs are assembled into a wall system, the continuous diaphragm section acts as a shear wall to provide reactions for roof and floor diaphragms and to transmit forces into the foundation.
The stud interior flange section may be used for securing finish sheathing, or for further attaching a sheathing support element such as a steel resilient channel known in the art. The interior flange section is formed orthogonal to the web section and preferably in the same direction as the exterior diaphragm section.
Two or more studs may be assembled to form an internal corner or external corner. Other standard c-channel steel sections may be incorporated to complete the corner in a manner to provide an interior flange surface for securing finish sheathing. Alternatively, a steel corner fabrication may also be incorporated to complete the corner in a manner to provide an interior flange surface for securing finish sheathing.
The stud may further have integrally formed web stiffeners and diaphragm stiffeners to augment the structural loading capacity of the stud. The diaphragm stiffener is preferably the same depth as the recess shoulder so that a panel may be cut in the field and fastened to an adjacent panel while maintaining a general planar surface of the exterior wall system.
The stud may have integrally formed holes through the web to provide for passage of utilities. Holes are preferably located at the neutral axis of the web and are of a size to allow passage of electrical or other utilities without affecting the minimum required structural capacity of the stud.
The wall system is installed using top and bottom metal tracks. Each track has a web section and a flange on either side of the web section. The bottom track is bolted or otherwise fastened through the web to the foundation footing and receives the studs where they are fastened through the interior and exterior flanges of the track. The top track is attached on top of the studs where they are fastened through the interior and exterior flanges of the track. A top plate preferably made of wood is then bolted or otherwise fastened to the top track to form a base for attaching a floor system.
To control air and moisture infiltration, a gasket in tape, sheet or caulking form and suitable to restrict moisture infiltration may be applied between fastened surfaces, including between the bottom track and footing, and between the overlapping joints of fastened studs. Suitable gasket materials include butyl tape or caulking, polyurethane caulking, polyethylene foam, asphalt, rubber and the like.
To further control air and moisture infiltration, a barrier in sheet, spray, or roll-on form may be applied over the exterior continuous planar surface of the wall system. Heavy textured plastic or rubber membranes placed against the foundation wall form a drainage layer to conduct roof spillage or ground water down the exterior foundation wall and into a drain system to carry water safely away from the building. The use of a plastic membrane, protected by a geotextile to combine good water drainage down the foundation wall (and into the footing drains) with gravel backfill to nearly the top of grade is also suitable to the invention. Suitable barrier materials include SBS rubberized asphalt compound integrally laminated to a blue, high density cross-laminated polyethylene film, rubberized compounds in liquid form, thermoplastic sheets and the like.
The exterior wall surface may be insulated to restrict heat transfer through the wall system. Suitable insulation materials include rigid foam from at least 1-inch thick and preferably 2.5 inches thick. Material categories for rigid foam insulation include polystyrene, polyurethane, icynene, and the like.
Two adjacent stud web sections define a cavity for receiving interior insulation. Interior insulation may be selected from a wide range of materials, including fibreglass batt, mineral batt, rigid foam, spray foam and the like.
The stud interior flange section defines a surface where interior sheathing may be fastened directly, or to furring strips previously fastened to the stud interior flange section.
Preferably, the studs of the wall assembly are manufactured from a metal or a metal alloy, such as flat rolled steel with galvanized or organic coatings to prevent corrosion. The flat rolled steel may be selected from commercial or structural grades with minimum yield strength from 33 ksi to 80 ksi, and preferably 50 ksi. The studs of the wall are preferably manufactured using light gauge galvanized steel in thickness of between 1 mm and 4 mm with 1.42 mm to 2 mm preferred, to provide a lightweight structure for ease of assembly of a wall and satisfying structural performance conditions required by applicable building regulations.
Where flat rolled steel is used with galvanized or organic coatings to prevent corrosion, zinc or other suitable anodes may be further connected to the wall system to provide additional corrosion protection.
The wall assembly is preferably fastened together using galvanized self drilling self tapping screws, but may be fastened using alternative means such as bolts with nuts, welding, rivets, toggle lock or the like.
The wall assembly may be structurally designed at various heights. The specific structural design is based on general engineering principles and local building regulations.
The present invention also provides a method for assembling a wall assembly in accordance with the present invention; on top of a suitable support structure which may comprise a concrete footing, beam supports, column supports, wall supports or combinations thereof; which method comprises the steps of a) intercalating a pair of adjacent studs in nesting engagement and b) fastening the studs to each other to create a continuous wall surface.
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Although embodiments of the present invention described herein are generally described as providing a wall structure for a building, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art than other embodiments of the present invention can be similarly used to provide a floor, roof or ceiling structure for a building.
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Alternatively, a steel corner fabrication may also be incorporated to complete the corner in a manner to provide an interior flange surface for securing finish sheathing.
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Suitable insulation materials 900 include rigid foam from at least 1-inch thick, and preferably 2.5 inches thick. Material categories for rigid foam insulation include polystyrene, polyurethane, icynene, and the like.
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The dimensions of the stud 100 may be varied to suit the loading and the unsupported span as per normal engineering practices. The material thickness of each modular element remains constant to within normal production tolerances. The particular design of the stud, web stiffener, the transverse stiffener, and diaphragm element are selected to satisfy structural conditions due to static and dynamic-loading in accordance with local building regulations and normal engineering practices, including the maximum vertical displacement across the particular element; and maximum permissible slopes, moments, stresses, and shear forces for the particular element. In addition, the layout of the stud, the transverse stiffener, and diaphragm element relative to each other may be designed to limit the maximum permissible stresses or displacement of any single element.
Preferably the steel material material conforms to ASTM A653 with a G90 galvanized coating, although galvanized coatings of lesser or more thickness can be employed to suit particular service conditions. The offset of the first recessed shoulder 160 from the main diaphragm is preferably ¼ inch, and that of the second recessed shoulder 140 correspondingly reduced by the thickness of the material. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways to adapt to current and future building envelope designs comprising sheathing, air and vapour barriers, and insulation technologies. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61733991 | Dec 2012 | US |
