BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of the basic single-layered web beam of the invention, taken from above.
FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the beam of FIG. 1, taken from below.
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a prior art beam with a double-layered web.
FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a prior art beam with a single-layered web.
FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the beam of FIGS. 1 and 2.
FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a single-layered web beam adapted for use in a panel suspended ceiling.
FIG. 7 is the beam of FIG. 6 shown in a partial perspective view from below, similar to the view in FIG. 2.
FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of a prior art beam used in a panel ceiling.
FIG. 9 is a cross section of the beam of the invention adapted for a panel suspended ceiling.
FIG. 10 is a partial cross sectional view of a panel suspended ceiling, showing the prior art beam of FIG. 8, and the beam of the invention adapted for use in a panel suspended ceiling, supporting panels on flanges of the beam.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Beams 20 for suspended ceilings are shown in FIGS. 1 through 5. Such beams include the prior art beams shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and the single-layered beam of the invention shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5. Beams 20 have a bulb 21 at the top of a web 22. Opposing flanges 23 and 25 extend horizontally away from the web at the bottom of the beam. Stitching 24 is sometimes used to secure layers of web 22 together.
The vertical panel load, or vertical drywall load, on the beams in a suspended ceiling, is indicated in FIGS. 3 through 5 by vectors 26 and 27 that represent the amount, location, and direction of the load exerted by the panels or drywall in a suspended ceiling. The load on each flange of the prior art beams is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and on the beam of the invention 20 shown in FIG. 5.
The prior art beam 20 shown in FIG. 3 has a two-layered web 22, with each of the flanges 23 and 25 cantilevered from one of the layers of the web 22. The beam is symmetrical, and hence balanced, in cross section.
The prior art beam 20 shown in FIG. 4 has a single-layered web 22 with a flange 25 cantilevered from the bottom of the web 22, to the right, and then a second opposing flange 23 cantilevered from flange 25 at location 29, in a direction to the left.
The basic single-layered web beam 20 of the invention, as seen in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, has a single-layered web 22, with the flanges formed as in the prior art beam 20 of FIG. 4. The basic single-layered web beam of the invention as seen for instance in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, also has a seam 40 that runs longitudinally along the web 22 of the beam, that binds flanges 23 and 25 together, so that flange 23 is cantilevered from flange 25 along web 22.
The seam 40 is preferably made as the beam is being continuously rollformed, as by stitching. A form of stitching is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. '055 cited above. A seam 40 could also be formed by continuous or spot welding, or by adhesives.
Seam 40, in effect, cantilevers the flange 23 from the single-layered web 22 of the basic beam 20 of the invention as seen for instance in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, so that the result is a balanced beam that is loaded through the plane of the single-layered web 22. Such basic beam 20 of the invention resists twisting and bending to an extent equivalent to that of a double-layered web beam of a comparable size made of the same thickness metal strip, as seen for instance in FIG. 3. The beam of the invention however, uses less metal.
In FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 of the drawings, the loading of the beams 20, both prior art and of the invention, is shown through the use of vectors.
In FIG. 3, load vectors 26 and 27 represent the vertical loading on each of the flanges 23 and 25 of a double-layered prior beam 20, in either a panel or drywall suspended ceiling. The resultant load vector 30 of vectors 26 and 27 of such prior art double-layered web beam passes through the plane of web 22, since the beam is balanced. Such balanced beam creates a maximum resistance to bending and twisting.
In FIG. 4, there is shown the single-layered beam of the prior art. Again, as in FIG. 3, the vectors 26 and 27 represent the loads applied to the beams, either through panel, or drywall, loads. However, because of the beam construction wherein flange 23 is cantilevered from flange 27 at location 29, the resultant load vector 31 is shown applied at a distance away from the single-layered web, resulting in an unbalanced beam subject to bending and twisting that is not present in the balanced beam of FIG. 3.
In FIG. 5, which shows the basic single-layered web beam 20 of the invention, again, as in the prior art, the beam 20 is vertically loaded on the flanges 23 and 25, in the suspended ceiling, as shown by vectors 26 and 27. However, seam 40 binds flange 23 to flange 27 along web 22, so that in effect both flanges 23 and 25 are cantilevered from web 22, resulting in a balanced beam. Load resultant 32 passes through the plane of the web, so that the single-layered beam of the invention resists twisting and bending equivalent to a comparably sized two-layered web beam 20, as seen in FIG. 3, but with the use of less metal.
There is shown in FIG. 8, and in part of FIG. 10, for use in a panel suspended ceiling, a prior art beam having a two-layered web, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,416 for instance, incorporated herein by reference.
There is shown in FIGS. 6, 7, 9, and in part of FIG. 10, the basic single-layered web beam of the invention adapted for use in a panel suspended ceiling. Such beam is designated 20′.
Both the prior art beam 20 as shown for instance in FIGS. 8 and 10, and the beam 20′ of the invention in FIGS. 6, 7, 9, and 10, have a bulb 21 or 21′, a web 22 or 22′, and opposing flanges 23 and 25, or 23′ and 25′, as well as a bottom cap 59 extending over the bottom of the flanges 23 and 25, or 23′ and 25′. Such cap 59 is well-known in the prior art.
The prior art two-layered web beam 20 of FIG. 8 is sometimes stitched together at 67, longitudinally of the web 22.
The panels 70, when supported on the flanges 23 and 25 of the prior art double-layered web beam 20 as seen on the left in FIG. 10, exert a vertical downward load, as shown by vectors 26 and 27 in FIG. 3. The panels 70, when supported on the flanges 23′ and 25′ of the single-layered web beam 20′ for a panel suspended ceiling, as seen on the right in FIG. 10, also exert a vertical downward load, as shown by vectors 26 and 27 in FIG. 5.
As discussed above, the prior art double-layered web beam 20 is symmetrical, and balanced, and, as shown in FIG. 3, the total load 30 on the beam, which is the sum of the loads 26 and 27 exerted on each flange, passes through the plane of the web 22, with a minimum of bending and twisting on the beam 20.
The beam 20′ of the invention likewise is balanced, as explained above, and shown in the drawings, since the seam 40 along the web 22′ acts to cantilever both flanges 23′ and 25′ from the web 22′, so that the total load, as shown by vector 32 in FIG. 5, passes through the plane of the web 22′. Since the load is balanced in the beam 20′ of the invention adapted for a panel suspended ceiling, there is a minimum of twisting and bending on the beam 20′ from the downward loads of the panels 70.
There is a savings in metal with the balanced single-layered web beam of the invention for a panel suspended ceiling over a comparable sized prior art balanced double-layered web beam 20 as seen in FIGS. 8 and 10.
Patent Application
20070277468
