Self-jigging resilient construction member and retrofit system using same

Abstract
A construction beam includes a pair of lateral members and a resilient web extending therebetween, so as to present a cross-sectional profile corresponding to commonly used construction beams (e.g., 2″×4″ or 2″×6″). The resilience of the web helps to attenuate sound transmission through the beam from one lateral member to the other. In particular, in a wall frame, the lateral members are mounted at opposite ends thereof to end plates consisting of other construction beams according to the present invention. When the wall frame is used in a building structure, the lateral members of the end plates on the same side are attached to the surrounding structure, leaving the other side of the frame resiliently free floating. A wall is mounted on the free floating side of the wall frame so as to provide a resiliently free floating wall that acts as a sound attenuating absorber.
Description




TECHNICAL FIELD AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to members used in construction, especially in applications where sound attenuation and sound isolation is important. In particular, the present invention relates to construction members used to construct building structures in which sound transmission from one room to another is to be prevented or reduced .The present invention also relates to a system for retrofitting a pre-existing standard wall frame with an improved stud construction which improves sound attenuation characteristics across the wall.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Standard wall frame systems including a plurality of interconnected individual stud have long been used to construct walls. Also, in general, it is conventionally known to resiliently mount a wall or ceiling in order to isolate sound or attenuate transmission therethrough.




U.S. Pat. No. 3,445,975 to Nelsson discloses a partition in which first and second lath panels are held against a metallic stud, channel, or furring member by a clip fastener. One portion of the stud, channel, or furring member is cantilevered away from the portion at which the lath panels are clipped thereto. According to Nelsson, this permits the free portion of the stud, channel, or furring member to flex as the lath panels mechanically respond to sound waves incident thereon. The remainder of the structure dampens this surface movement, reducing sound transmission to the opposite surface of the partition.




U.S. Pat. No. 3,324,615 to Zinn discloses a construction member having a plurality of laterally extending supporting tabs by which wallboard segments are resiliently mounted.




U.S. Pat. No. 3,046,620 to Tvorik et al. discloses a ceiling hanger member whereby a furring strip (to which a ceiling member is attached) is resiliently attached to a joist, such that the weight of the furring strip and ceiling member resiliently separates the furring strip from the joist.




Another known method of sound attenuation is to build a wall frame in which individual studs are laterally staggered relative to a toe plate and head plate. Therefore, alternate studs are used to mount wall board on respective sides of the frame so that a given stud is spaced away from one of wall boards.




Unfortunately, the foregoing conventional methods of noise attenuation are problematic in that they generally move away from basic construction methods and thereby increase complexity and cost. For example, they require additional parts (such as Tvorik et al. and Neisson) or specially made parts (such as the channel member with specially formed support tabs, as in Zinn). The staggered stud arrangement necessarily results in a thicker wall partition which reduces the area of the room whose walls are framed in this manner, and increases the cost of the toe and head plates.




In addition, nail fasteners generally cannot be used with metal members, thereby undesirably restricting available construction methods.




Finally, a standard wall frame system must generally be completely torn down to put a conventional sound attenuating systems into place. It would be therefore desirable to be able to retrofit a standard wall frame system so as to increase its sound attenuation characteristics.




In addition to the devices for sound attenuation described hereinabove, a wood I-beam is commercially available (e.g., under the brand name “BCI Advantage” from Boise Cascade Corporation) that comprises a pair of wood members with a rigid wooden panel extending therebetween. However, because the wooden panel is essentially non-resilient, this I-beam offers little or no sound attenuation benefit.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention is therefore most generally directed to a construction member that relies on resilient flexibility in order to attenuate sound transmission therethrough, but also more closely conforms to conventional building members in order to minimize or eliminate the need for any special handling or the like in use.




In particular, the present invention is directed to a construction beam member which are comparable in size to conventional wood beams (e.g., 2″×4″ or 2″×6″). The beam comprises a pair of spaced of lateral members having at least one resilient web extending therebetween. The web is preferably relatively stiff, but permits a slight flexure between the lateral members. The lateral members are preferably made from an easily workable material such as wood.




In addition, the web is preferably provided with one or more spacers so as to facilitate the arrangement of the respective lateral members relative to each other and relative to the web. In part, this facilitates the assembly of the lateral members relative to each other and to the lateral web so as to obtain a beam member according to the present invention.




In a particular embodiment of the present invention, a retrofit system comprising one lateral member having a resilient web attached thereto is provided. The resilient web is provided with one or more spacers so that the one lateral member having the resilient web attached thereto can be easily positioned relative to a respective beam in a standard wall frame construction, thereby imparting the sound attenuation benefits of a frame using resilient construction beams without needing to completely tear down the original structure. In this arrangement, respective beams in the standard wall frame act as the other lateral member of the beam according to the present invention.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The present invention will be described in detail hereinbelow, with reference to the drawings appended hereto, in which:





FIG. 1

is a partial perspective view of an end of a construction beam according to the present invention;





FIG. 2

is an end view of a beam according to the present invention;





FIG. 3

is a plan view of a beam according to a second embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 4

is a perspective view of an example of a resilient web for linking lateral members in a beam according to the present invention;





FIG. 5

is a partial perspective view of a framework for mounting wallboard or the like, utilizing beams according to the present invention;





FIG. 6

is a partial perspective view of a beam according to a third embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 7

is a plan view of a beam according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in

FIG. 6

;





FIG. 8

is a plan view of a variant of the beam shown in

FIG. 7

;





FIG. 9

is a perspective view of a retrofit assembly including a lateral member and a web, according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; and





FIG. 10

is a cross-sectional view of a construction member according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.


9


.





FIG. 11

is a cross-sectional view of a construction member and ceiling member according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 12

is a cross-sectional view of a construction member and an I-beam according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 13

is a cross-sectional view of a construction member and a standard I-beam according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION





FIGS. 1 and 2

illustrate a portion of a beam


100


according to the present invention. In general, beam


100


comprises lateral members


102


and


104


with a web


106


spanning therebetween.




Lateral members


102


,


104


are generally rectangular or squared in cross-sectional profile and preferably have at least the same thickness y (see FIG.


2


). Moreover, lateral beams


102


,


104


are preferably identical so that each has the same width, proportionately spaced with web


106


therebetween so as to present an overall beam width x. Lateral members


102


,


104


are preferably (but not necessarily) identical in shape so as to facilitate manufacture of beam


100


from one source of stock.




Accordingly, beam


100


can present a cross section having a major dimension x and minor dimension y corresponding to any standard beam size (e.g., 2″×4″2″×6″ and so on, without limitation).




According to the present invention, lateral members


102


,


104


are elongate rigid members. Accordingly, a variety of suitably rigid materials could be used. However, lateral members


102


,


104


are preferably (but not exclusively) made from wood, (in part, in keeping with an intent of the present invention to present a construction member very similar to those conventionally used in the art). Wood is also desirable because it can be worked, generally, in more ways than comparable metal members (e.g., it can be easily cut, driven with nails or screws, etc.). Not only can continuous lumber be used, but composite materials, such as plywood or wood particle board can be used. In addition, finger jointed wood members can be used according to the present invention. A plastic material reinforced with glass fibers may also be used in accordance with the present invention.




Web


106


is made from a relatively rigid material that has some flexibility. If web


106


is relatively too flexible, lateral members


102


,


104


have too much relative freedom of movement and beam


100


is no longer, overall, a rigid member. If web


106


is relatively too stiff, then the benefits of sound isolation/attenuation are lost. Generally, web


106


may be made from any suitably stiff and resilient material, including (without limitation) rubber, asphalt, plastic or other resilient polymeric material.




In one example of the present invention, web


106


is made from galvanized


22


gauge steel. As seen in

FIG. 4

, web


106


includes edge portions


106




a


and an intermediate portion


106




b.


Edge portions


106




a


are embedded in lateral members


102


,


104


, and intermediate portion


106




b


extends obliquely between lateral members


102


,


104


. However, intermediate portion


106




b


may, most generally, extend between lateral members


102


,


104


in any orientation so long as flexure between lateral members


102


,


104


is relatively easy (compared to, for example, an intermediate portion extending straight across the gap between lateral members


102


,


104


, which does not readily flex).




It is noted that the use of galvanized steel as described here may offer additional ancillary benefits, such as improved fire safety protection.




Edge portions


106




a


are embedded in lateral members


102


,


104


in any conventional manner. One possible method (not illustrated) is to form grooves in lateral members


102


,


104


that are wider than the thickness of edge portions


106




a.


Once edge portions


106




a


are suitably disposed in the respective grooves, additional strips of material (such as wood) are pressed into the remaining space in the grooves, such that edge portions


106




a


are wedged into place and retained in the grooves.




Web


106


may extend continuously substantially the entire length of lateral members


102


,


104


. However, when beams


100


are used in construction, it is useful to provide a plurality of spaced apart webs


106


, such that piping, wiring and the like can be passed through the openings between webs


106


(see FIG.


3


).




Whether one or a plurality of webs


106


are provided, it is specifically contemplated that beams


100


are provided in standardized lengths (e.g., 8′) as seen in FIG.


3


and can be cut down as required.




As mentioned above, it is an important feature of the present invention to provide a construction member that can be used like conventional construction beams. Accordingly,

FIG. 5

is a partial perspective view of a frame work (as might be used for walls in a building).




As seen in

FIG. 5

, beams


100




a,




100




b


are mounted as studs on a laterally extending beam (i.e., a head plate or toe plate)


100




c.


(Another laterally extending beam (not shown) is provided at the other end of beams


100




a,




100




b.


) The structure of each of beams


100




a


-


100




c


is in accordance with the description of the present invention hereinabove, and will not be repeated here. Attention is drawn to the manner in which lateral members


102




a


and


102




b


and


104




a


and


104




b


are mounted with respect to lateral members


102




c


and


104




c,


respectively, with nails, screws or any other conventional fasteners (not shown here). Accordingly, it can be appreciated that one side of the frame (i.e., lateral members


102




a


-


102




c


) is resiliently separated by way of respective webs


106





106


″ and


106


′″ from the other side of the frame (i.e., lateral members


104




a


-


104




c


). Accordingly, sound impinging on a wall member mounted on one side of the frame is attenuated upon transmission to the other side of the frame because of the resilience of webs


106





106


″, and


106


′″.




Furthermore, it is possible to resiliently mount a wall so that it acts like a diaphragmatic sound absorber. In particular, only one “side” of the frame assembly (e.g., lateral member


104




c


and/or lateral members


104




a,




104




b


) is fixed to the surrounding building structure


704


, and the other side of the frame assembly has wall board or the like mounted thereon (i.e., on lateral members


102




a,




102




b


), without attachment to the surrounding structure. The wall is therefore mounted on the “free” or “floating” side of the studs.




A particularly beneficial wall board structure is disclosed in co-pending application No. 09/260,272, and comprises, generally, first and second dry wall layers with a visco-elastic material layer interposed therebetween. In particular, a visco-elastic asphalt material is useful with such a wall board structure.




In order to enhance the effect of decoupling the one side of the wall frame from the surrounding structure, it is desirable to provide a soft gasket (made from, for example, foam rubber) between the lateral beam


100




c


and the surrounding structure (i.e., the ceiling and/or floor). This promotes relatively free movement of the one side of the frame that is not fixed to the surrounding building structure.




To further enhance the effect of decoupling the wall from the surrounding structure, it is preferable to provide flexible joint material at junctions between wall board segments (not illustrated here), including at corners of rooms. Therefore the wall surface is visually continuous, but physically decoupled, in order to take advantage of the resultant sound attenuation effects.




Also, it is very desirable to provide additional sound and/or thermal insulation in the spaces defined by the studs and end plates. Such insulation can be of any conventional type, including blown, rolled or batting, foam board, etc. The addition of such insulation enhances sound attenuation effects resulting from the present invention.





FIGS. 6 and 7

are a partial perspective view and a partial plan view, respectively, of beam


200


, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.




The design concept underlying beam


200


is fundamentally similar to that of beam


100


. Like before, lateral members


202


and


204


. are provided, and are resiliently spaced apart from each other by web


206


. Unlike web


106


in beam


100


, however, web


206


is not embedded in lateral members


202


,


204


. Instead, web


206


is fixed (by any conventional means, such as nails


205


, as shown in

FIGS. 6 and 7

) relative to opposite faces of lateral members


202


,


204


along the major dimension of the beam cross section.




As in the first embodiment, a plurality of spaced apart webs


206


may be provided along the length of beam


200


(see, for example, FIG.


7


).




Web


206


is preferably made from a material that is slightly more flexible than that used for web


106


, such as


24


gauge galvanized steel.




Initial comparative testing has been undertaken comparing the sound attenuation characteristics of conventional construction members versus beam


100


and beam


200


, respectively. Initial results indicate that beam


100


has greater than expected attenuation characteristics, and that beam


200


should have even better attenuation performance than beam


100


. This latter effect is thought to be caused by the shape and orientation of web


206


, which more easily permits a normal compression between lateral members


202


,


204


.




In addition, as a variation of the embodiment illustrated in

FIG. 7

, the plurality of webs are alternately arranged so that the portion of the webs extending obliquely thereacross alternates (thereby crossing each other, as seen from an end of beam


200


) (see FIG.


8


). In

FIG. 8

, beam


300


comprises lateral beams


302


and


304


, and includes a plurality of first webs


306




a


which are spaced from and alternate with a plurality of second webs


306




b.


Accordingly, respective intermediate portions of webs


306




a


and


306




b


criss-cross as seen from an end of beam


300


.




Inasmuch as sound that one seeks to attenuate or isolate is typically physically unique relative to particular environments (e.g., a home theater room, a movie theater, a machine shop, a recording studio, a concert hall), it is an important feature of the present invention to provide a construction member that can be “tuned” in order to tailor its sound attenuation properties for a specific environment. In other words, a beam according to the present invention can be specifically manufactured so that its resilient properties (in terms of, for example, spring constant) are made to correspond to a particular kind of sound (especially in terms of its frequency) so that sound attenuation can be maximized.




Such “tuning” can be accomplished by varying the thickness of web


106


,


206


, either uniformly or variably over the entire area of web


106


,


206


. In addition, notches, slits, or other openings can be formed in web


106


,


206


to control the resilience of web


106


,


206


in accordance with known principles of physics. In addition, suitably sized perforations or openings in a continuous web can be formed so as to create a tunable Helmholtz resonator effect between adjacent cavities defined between studs in the framework illustrated in FIG.


5


. By altering the number and/or size of the perforations or openings, a resultant Helmholtz resonant frequency can be controlled, at which attenuation of sound at that frequency is maximized. It should be noted that this is different from reference to a plurality of webs as shown in

FIGS. 3

,


7


, and


8


.




It can therefore be appreciated that adjoining rooms may be constructed (e.g., adjoining musical studios) such that each room can be tuned in accordance with its respective mode of use. In particular, this may be accomplished by constructed “double wall” framework, where two frames of the structure illustrated in

FIG. 5

are constructed face-to-face, such that the respective opposing sides of the frames are fixed to the surrounding building structure and their respective opposite sides are left free floating in the manner discussed above.




Assembly of lateral members and resilient webs according to the present invention is facilitated by providing at least one spacer on the resilient web or webs to orient the lateral members relative to the resilient web.





FIG. 10

is a schematic cross-sectional view of a beam


400


, somewhat similar to beams


200


and


300


in

FIGS. 6-8

. Here again, beam


400


comprises lateral members


402


and


404


, and a resilient web


406


extending therebetween.




Resilient web


406


is attached to opposite facing sides of lateral members


402


and


404


, respectively, by, for example, staples


408


(although any conventional attachment method can be used, including, without limitation, screws, nails, bolts, and the like).




Resilient web includes a first portion


406




a,


a second portion


406




b


bent at an angle to first portion


406




a,


and a third portion


406




c


bent at an angle to second portion


406




b


and generally parallel with first portion


406




a.


Generally, lateral members


402


and


404


are received in the bends defined by the first and second portions


406




a


and


406




b,


and by the second and third portions


406




b


and


406




c,


as shown in FIG.


10


.




It is a particular feature of this embodiment to provide a spacer


410


(


412


) on at least one of first and third portions


406




a


and


406




c


to space a respective at least one of the lateral members


402


and


404


away from second portion


406




b


of the resilient web


406


. In general, the provision of spacers


410


(


412


) allows easy assembly of the lateral members and the resilient web (known in the art as “self-jigging”). In particular, the provision of spacers


410


,


412


prevents the respective lateral members


402


,


404


from being placed in abutting relation to second portion


406




b.


If such an arrangement were to be had, then the abutment of the resilient members against the second portion


406




b


would undesirably retard the resilient sound-damping characteristics of the resilient web


406


.




It is noted that the slight spacing shown in

FIG. 10

between lateral members


402


and


404


and the resilient web


406


is for clarity of illustration only and is not illustrative of the present invention.





FIG. 12

illustrates an arrangement of the present invention extended desirably to an apparatus and method for retrofitting standard beam members


403


, especially beam members already assembled into a standard frame arrangement.





FIG. 9

illustrates a retrofitting assembly


500


comprising a lateral beam


502


, to which at least one resilient web


506


is attached by staples


508


or the like. Each resilient web


506


as shown includes spacers


510


and


512


. However, the provision of spacers


512


is most important here. It is emphasized that assembly


500


in and of itself is not a construction member per se, but is used in conjunction with standard beams in order to provide a resilient beam arrangement.




As before, resilient web


506


may be made from any suitably resilient material, including (without limitation) metal, rubber, asphalt, plastic, or other resilient polymeric material. In one example, spacers


510


,


512


are protruding tabs formed integrally with the resilient web


506


. In a specific example, spacers


510


,


512


may be punch-formed into the material of the resilient web


506


(especially, but not necessarily only, where the resilient web


506


is made from metal). The punch-formed portions can simply be turned away from the web material as needed to form the required spacers.




In the arrangement illustrated in

FIG. 9

, it is especially important to provide spacers


512


as shown. The assembly


500


is arranged relative to a single standard beam such as a 2″×4″ (not shown here) and fastened thereto (again, by staples, screws, nails, bolts, or any known and suitable fastener). The arrangement of the assembly


500


relative to a standard beam is made simple by the provision of spacers


512


, especially where assembly


500


is coupled to a standard beam forming part of a conventional framework.




In addition, the resilient webs


506


may be provided in an alternating arrangement, so that opposite sides of lateral member


502


are attached to respective resilient webs


506


, as seen in

FIG. 9

(this is similar to the arrangement illustrated in FIG.


8


and discussed above). With this arrangement, the assembly


500


may be even more easily arranged relative to a standard beam by orienting the assembly


500


so that respective free ends of the resilient webs


506


are arranged on opposite sides of the standard beam. Although the alternating arrangement of resilient webs


506


seen in

FIG. 9

is beneficial (for reasons similar to those discussed above relative to FIG.


8


), it is not necessary according to the present invention. The present invention is certainly operable with the resilient webs


506


all arranged in like manner along lateral member


502


.




As with the other embodiments discussed above, lateral member


502


may be rectangular or squared in cross-section, and may preferably be made from continuous lumber or a composite wood material, as well as plastic reinforced with glass fibers.




In one example of the present invention, the spacers


410


,


412


,


510


,


512


may be arranged to space the respective lateral members about 0.25 inches from the portion of the resilient web spanning the space between the lateral members. However, the present invention is not restricted to a specific spacing, except for that sufficient to prevent the respective lateral members from fully abutting the resilient web, as discussed above.




One of ordinary skill will appreciate that the resilient web


506


may be shaped so as to be attached to lateral members of different profiles. In one example, a lateral member


502


which is rectangular or squared in cross-section attached to the resilient web


506


may be used so as to be attached to a conventional rigid I-beam (discussed above relative to the related art) or vice versa.




It will be appreciated that the assembly


500


as seen in

FIG. 9

can been seen as somewhat analogous to a conventional resilient channel. However, at least because of the self-jigging aspect of the assembly


500


(due to the provision of spacers), the assembly


500


is much easier to work with compared with resilient channel structures.




Although construction members according to the present invention have been described hereinabove for wall frames and the like, they are also contemplated for use in mounting floating ceilings which are acoustically isolated from a building structure. In addition, construction members according to the present invention may also be used in floor construction.




As shown in

FIG. 11

, a construction member


406


for mounting a floating ceiling may be used by fixing one of the lateral members


402


to the building structure


702


and fixing a ceiling member


700


to the free floating lateral member


404


(i.e., the lateral member not fixed to the building structure).




The use of substantially identical lateral members is contemplated according to the present invention. However, use of dissimilar lateral members is also expressly within the scope of the present invention. For example, one of the lateral members


102


,


104


shown in

FIG. 2

may be replaced by a conventional wood I-beam of the type described above. In particular, web


106


may be embedded in one of the flange portions of the wood I-beam, in the manner disclosed above. Another example, as shown in

FIG. 12

, shows one of the lateral members


402


replaced by a conventional wood I-beam


705


. The other lateral member


404


is left resiliently “free-floating”.




Although the present invention is directed primarily to construction members made from non-metal materials, the design concepts may be of interest in the manufacture of metal studs comprising a pair of metal members with a resilient web extending therebetween in accordance with the foregoing description. In particular, a metal stud using the inventive principles disclosed herein could be made from a single piece of sheet metal, formed into shape.




The present invention being thusly described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.



Claims
  • 1. A wall frame in a building construction comprising:a first end plate comprising first and second lateral members and a first resilient web extending therebetween; wherein said first resilient web comprises a first portion, a second portion bent at an angle relative to said first portion, and a third portion bent at an angle relative to said second portion and generally parallel to said first portion, wherein said first portion is attached to said first lateral member, and wherein said third portion is attached to said second lateral member, wherein said third portion includes at least one first spacer arranged thereon for orienting at least one of said first and second lateral members relative to said first resilient web; and a stud comprising third and fourth lateral members and a second resilient web extending therebetween; wherein said second resilient web comprises a first portion, a second portion bent at an angle relative to said first portion, and a third portion bent at an angle relative to said second portion and generally parallel to said first portion, wherein said first portion is attached to said first lateral member, and wherein said third portion is attached to said second lateral member, wherein said third portion includes at least one second spacer arranged thereon for orienting at least one of said third and fourth lateral members relative to said second resilient web; wherein said stud is orthogonally mounted on said end plate.
  • 2. The frame according to claim 1, wherein said third and fourth lateral members are fixed to respective first and second lateral members.
  • 3. The frame according to claim 1, wherein said stud comprises a plurality of spaced apart second resilient webs extending between said third and fourth lateral members.
  • 4. The frame according to claim 1, further comprising a second end plate comprising fifth and sixth lateral members and a third resilient web extending therebetween, an opposite end of said stud from said first end plate being mounted on said second end plate, wherein said third resilient web includes at least one third spacer arranged thereon for orienting at least one of said fifth and sixth lateral members relative to said third resilient web.
  • 5. The frame according to claim 4, wherein said third resilient web is made from one of a resilient polymeric material and a metallic material.
  • 6. The frame according to claim 1, wherein said first and second resilient webs are made from one of a resilient polymeric material and a metallic material.
  • 7. The frame according to claim 1, wherein said second resilient web of said stud includes at least one opening therein sized in accordance with Helmholtz resonator principles so as to correspond to a predetermined sound frequency.
  • 8. In a building structure, a frame for mounting a wall comprising:a first end plate comprising a first pair of lateral members and a first resilient web extending therebetween wherein said resilient web comprises a first portion, a second portion bent at an angle relative to said first portion, and a third portion bent at an angle relative to said second portion and generally parallel to said first portion, wherein said first portion is attached to said first pair of lateral members, and wherein said third portion includes said at least one spacer formed thereon for orienting said first pair of lateral members and said resilient web relative to said first end plate, whereby the third portion is attachable to said first end plate; a second end plate generally parallel to said first end plate and comprising a second pair of lateral members and a second resilient web extending therebetween wherein said second resilient web comprises a first portion, a second portion bent at an angle relative to said first portion, and a third portion bent at an angle relative to said second portion and generally parallel to said first portion, wherein said first portion is attached to said second pair of lateral members, and wherein said third portion includes said at least one spacer formed thereon for orienting said second pair of lateral members and said second resilient web relative to said second end plate, whereby the third portion is attachable to said second end plate; and a stud comprising a third pair of lateral members and a third resilient web extending therebetween wherein said third resilient web comprises a first portion, a second portion bent at an angle relative to said first portion, and a third portion bent at an angle relative to said second portion and generally parallel to said first portion, wherein said first portion is attached to said third pair of lateral members, and wherein said third portion includes said at least one spacer formed thereon for orienting said third pair of lateral members and said third resilient web relative to said stud, whereby the third portion is attachable to said stud; wherein said stud is orthogonal to said first and second end plates with respective ends thereof being fixed to said first and second end plates.
  • 9. The frame according to claim 8, wherein respective ones of said third pair of lateral members are fixed to respective ones of said first pair of lateral members and said second pair of lateral members.
  • 10. The frame according to claim 9, wherein lateral members of said first, second, and third pairs of lateral members on the same side of the frame are attached to the building structure, such that the lateral members of the first, second, and third pairs of lateral members on the other side of the frame are left resiliently free.
  • 11. The frame according to claim 10, wherein wall board is mounted on at least some lateral members on said other side of the frame so as to define a resiliently mounted wall acting as a diaphragmatic sound damper.
  • 12. The frame according to claim 8, wherein said third resilient web includes at least one opening therein sized in accordance with Helmholtz resonator principles so as to correspond to a predetermined sound frequency.
  • 13. The frame according to claim 8, wherein said first, second, and third resilient webs are made from one of a resilient polymeric material and a metallic material.
  • 14. A beam member comprising:an I-beam comprising a pair of flange portions and a rigid web extending therebetween; a secondary member; and a resilient web extending between said I-beam and said secondary member wherein said resilient web comprises a first portion, a second portion bent at an angle relative to said first portion, and a third portion bent at an angle relative to said second portion and generally parallel to said first portion, wherein said first portion is attached to a flange portion of said I-beam, and wherein said third portion includes said at least one spacer formed thereon for orienting at least one of said I-beam and said secondary member relative to said resilient web, whereby the third portion is attachable to said secondary member.
  • 15. The beam member according to claim 14, wherein said rigid web and said resilient web have generally parallel directions of extension.
  • 16. A frame member for hanging a ceiling in a building structure, comprising:a beam comprising first and second lateral members and a resilient web extending therebetween, wherein said resilient web comprises a first portion, a second portion bent at an angle relative to said first portion, and a third portion bent at an angle relative to said second portion and generally parallel to said first portion, wherein said first portion is attached to said first lateral member, and wherein said third portion includes said at least one spacer formed thereon for orienting at least one of said first and second lateral members relative to said first resilient web, whereby the third portion is attachable to said second lateral member, wherein one of said lateral members is fixed to the building structure, and the other of said lateral members is left resiliently free-floating, the other of said lateral members being adapted to have a ceiling member fixed thereto.
  • 17. The frame member according to claim 16, wherein said lateral member fixed to said building structure is an I-beam comprising a pair of flange portions and a rigid web extending therebetween.
  • 18. The frame member according to claim 17, wherein one of said flange portions is fixed to the building structure and the other of said flange portions is connected to said resilient web.
  • 19. The frame member according to claim 18, wherein said I-beam is made from wood.
  • 20. A retrofittable member for converting a standard beam into a sound-attenuating resilient beam, comprising:a lateral member; and a resilient web attached to and extending from said lateral member, wherein said resilient web comprises a first portion, a second portion bent at an angle relative to said first portion, and a third portion bent at an angle relative to said second portion and generally parallel to said first portion, wherein said first portion is attached to said lateral member, and wherein said third portion includes said at least one spacer formed thereon for orienting said lateral member and said resilient web relative to the standard beam, whereby the third portion is attachable to the standard beam, thereby obtaining the sound-attenuating resilient beam.
  • 21. The member according to claim 20, wherein said spacer is a tab formed in said resilient web.
  • 22. The member according to claim 21, wherein said resilient web is made from a metallic material and said tab is punch-formed in said metallic material and bent perpendicularly away therefrom.
  • 23. The member according to claim 20, comprising a plurality of spaced apart said resilient webs.
  • 24. The member according to claim 20, comprising a plurality of spaced apart said resilient webs, wherein, along a length of said lateral member, respective first portions of said plurality of resilient webs are attached to said lateral member on opposite sides thereof in an alternating fashion, thereby leaving respective said third portions arranged on opposite sides of said lateral beam such that the standard beam is receivable between said respective third portions so as to be held away from respective said second portions by respective said at least one spacers formed on said respective third portions.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 09/338,892, filed Jun. 23, 1999, hereby incorporated by reference, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 09/209,308, (filed Dec. 11, 1998 and still pending), the entire application being incorporated herein by reference. This application is also related to U.S. Ser. No. 09/260,272, (filed Mar. 2, 1999 and still pending), which application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 09/209,308. The entire contents of U.S. Ser. No. 09/260,272 is also incorporated herein by reference.

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Continuation in Parts (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 09/209308 Dec 1998 US
Child 09/338892 US