Concepts disclosed herein pertain to wall construction, particularly including systems for mounting cladding or siding to an underlying wall structure.
In a rainscreen system, cladding or siding panels (referred to herein simply as panels), which form the outer “skin” or surface of a building, are spaced from the underlying structural walls of the building by a gap on the order of one-half inch or so. The gap allows air to circulate over the surface of a moisture barrier that has been secured to the wall beforehand, while permitting rain, condensation, or other moisture to drain from between the panels and the wall, thereby preventing rot, mold, and other degradation of the wall.
Typically, the gap is formed by attaching furring strips to the wall using screws, e.g., secured into underlying studs, with an air/water-resistant membrane secured between the furring strips and the wall before the furring strips are attached. The panels are then secured to the furring strips, also using screws, nails, staples, etc.
This conventional method for installing furring strips and the panels has certain drawbacks, however. First, for horizontally applied furring strips, the furring strips are typically spaced on the order of 16 to 24 inches apart, and there must be intermittent spaces or “breaks” in the furring strips to allow moisture to drain from behind the panels. Typically, a furring arrangement referred to as “double-strapping” is used, with one layer of furring installed vertically and the other layer—provided for attaching siding or cladding—is then screwed over the vertical furring every 8 to 16 inches. As a result, the number of individual segments of furring strips that must be cut and individually attached to the wall can be high, thus making the overall process for cladding a building rather time-consuming.
Additionally, because the panels are typically “hard-fastened” to the furring strips using screws, nails, etc., the panels can warp, twist, buckle, or tear slightly (where the fasteners pass through the panels) as the building settles and/or as the panels expand and contract with weather-related heating and cooling. Furthermore, because the fasteners pass through the panels, they create numerous points of entry where moisture can seep into the gap, even if gasketed fasteners are used to attach the panels to the furring.
A sheathed building uses corrugated furring channels (e.g., formed as hat channels with corrugated flanges) to attach metal panels to an underlying wall structure in a semi-floating manner. The corrugated furring channels are attached to backsides of the metal panels using high-bond-strength tape, and the corrugated furring channels are “hooked” onto corrugated flanges of rail brackets that have been attached to the wall structure to secure the metal panels to the building. Using tape instead of conventional fasteners (e.g., screws or nails) reduces penetrations through the panels and reduces moisture behind the panels. The corrugations facilitate drainage of moisture from behind the panels and drying air circulation. In other embodiments such as a clapboard arrangement of metal panels, rail brackets are not used, and the corrugated furring channels are used to mount the panels in overlapping fashion with no fasteners penetrating through the panels.
Thus, in one aspect, the claimed invention provides a structural assembly such as a building that includes a vertical wall structure. At least one rail bracket is attached to the vertical wall structure and extends in a horizontal direction, with an upwardly extending, corrugated, rail-bracket free flange. A panel to be attached to the vertical wall structure has at least one horizontally extending furring channel attached to a back surface thereof. The furring channel has a central base portion by means of which the furring channel is attached to the back surface of the panel and a first corrugated furring-channel flange that extends in a downward direction. The panel is mounted to the wall structure, with at least some freedom to move relative to the wall structure, by means of the first corrugated furring-channel flange hooking onto the corrugated rail-bracket free flange, and the corrugated nature of the rail-bracket free flange and the first furring-channel flange provides spaces through which moisture drains from between the panel and the wall structure and through which air circulates.
In embodiments, the furring channel may be attached to the back surface of the panel by a foam-core, double-sided tape disposed between the central base portion of the furring channel and the back surface of the panel. The furring channel may have a hat-shaped cross-sectional profile, with a second corrugated furring-channel flange that extends in an upward direction.
In another aspect, the claimed invention provides a clapboard structural assembly such as a building with a vertical wall structure. A first horizontally extending panel is mounted to the wall structure and has an upper edge that is spaced from the wall structure by a first distance and a lower edge that is spaced from the wall structure by a second distance that is greater than the first distance. The first horizontally extending panel has a first corrugated furring channel attached to a back surface thereof that extends along the first horizontally extending panel near the upper edge thereof. A second horizontally extending panel is mounted to the wall structure above the first horizontally extending panel, with a lower edge that overlaps the upper edge of the first horizontally extending panel and a second corrugated furring channel attached to and extending along a back surface thereof near an upper edge thereof. The second corrugated furring channel is attached to the wall structure so as to secure the upper edge of the second horizontally extending panel to the wall structure at a distance therefrom that is the same as the first distance.
In yet another aspect, the claimed invention provides a clapboard structural assembly such as a building with a vertical wall structure. A plurality of plank-shaped metal panels are attached to and extend horizontally along a surface of the vertical wall structure. Each of the metal panels has a furring channel with a corrugated flange attached to a rear surface of the metal panel via foam-core, double-sided tape near an upper edge of the metal panel, with the corrugated furring channel extending horizontally along the rear surface of the metal panel and with the metal panel secured to the wall structure by fasteners passing through the corrugated flange of the furring channel. A lower edge portion of each metal panel overlaps the upper edge and the attached corrugated furring channel of a metal panel immediately below it.
These and other features and benefits of the claimed invention will be more fully understood in view of the detailed description below and the figures, in which:
A wall cladding or sheathing system embodying inventive concepts used in a first embodiment is illustrated in
As illustrated in greater detail in
The furring channels 14 are suitably formed as hat channels, which may be made by extrusion or roll-forming elongated strips of flat sheet steel on the order of 0.030-0.080 inch thick to yield the final cross-sectional hat profile having a central base portion 20, wall portions 22 extending from the central base portion 20, and corrugated flanges 24 extending from the ends of the wall portions 22. The wall portions 22 may extend at a slightly inclined angle relative to the central base portion 20, as illustrated, or they may extend more nearly perpendicularly relative to the central base portion 20, as desired. The flanges 24, on the other hand, preferably are essentially parallel to the central base portion 20 (i.e., within plus or minus 2 degrees), as illustrated.
Furthermore, it is desirable for the corrugated flanges 24 to have bumps 28 (
Further still, the wall portions 22 of the furring channels may have holes or slots 30 formed along the length of the furring channels, as illustrated in
As will be understood from the further description below of the wall construction system, the bumps 28 help space the furring channels 14 away from the wall structure 10, thereby facilitating drainage of moisture along the surface of the wall structure 10, as indicated by the exaggerated water droplets 31 in
As further illustrated in
Notably, the tape 16 is thick enough to space the central base portion 20 of the furring channels 14 slightly away from the surface of the metal panels 12, and the tape 16 is applied only along the upper half or so (as oriented in
If the gap or pocket 34 is slightly wider than the thickness of the free flange 50, it will be fairly easy to mount the metal panels 12 to the rail brackets 18, and there will be “play” that lets the entire expanse of metal panels 12 that have been mounted to the wall structure 10 “float” relative to the wall structure 10, thereby avoiding the warping, twisting, buckling, or tearing alluded to above in the background section. On the other hand, if the gap or pocket 34 is slightly narrower than the thickness of the free flange 50, then there will be an interference fit between the free flange 50 of the rail brackets 18, the surface of the backsides of the metal panels 12, and the outer surfaces of the central base portions 20 of the furring channels 14. (Resilience of the foam core of the tape 16 and inherent flexibility of the free flange 50 of the rail brackets 18 facilitate using such an interference fit.) In this case, the system of panels will be secured more firmly to the wall structure 10, which might be desirable, for example, in regions that are subjected to high winds such as those encountered with hurricanes or tornadoes, while the floating nature of the panel mounting system still helps avoid warping, twisting, buckling, or tearing of the metal panels 12.
As illustrated in
Furthermore, as is the case for the furring channels 14, it is desirable for the corrugated base portions 52 of the rail brackets 18 to have bumps (not shown) formed on the sides that face away from the free flanges 50, with the bumps extending farther in that direction than the crests of the corrugations extend. Preferably, these bumps are formed on every corrugation crest, although they may be longitudinally spaced, in the direction in which the rail bracket extends, by a multiple of the crest-to-crest spacing of the corrugations on the base portions 52 of the rail brackets 18. As is the case for the furring channels 14, the bumps on the rail brackets 18 may be formed as the rail brackets 18 are roll-formed, or they may be formed separately in a subsequent roll-forming step as desired. It will be recognized that the bumps on the corrugated base portions 52 of the rail brackets 18 help space the rail brackets 18 away from the wall structure 10, thereby enhancing drainage of moisture along the surface of the wall structure 10 as well as drying air circulation. But even if the base portions 52 do not include such bumps, the corrugated nature of the base portions 52 will still facilitate drainage and air circulation to some extent.
Further still, as is the case for the furring channels 14, the wall portions 54 of the rail brackets 18 may also have holes or slots (not illustrated) formed along the length of the rail brackets 18 to facilitate drainage. These holes or slots could be round, oval, rectangular, or any other shape as may be desired, and they can be formed by a punching formation on the rollers used to roll-form the rail brackets 18. Alternatively, the holes or slots could be punched or otherwise formed (e.g., by drilling) in a subsequent process. The holes may be longitudinally spaced by the same distance as bumps (if present) are spaced, or they could be spaced apart to a greater or lesser extent.
As further illustrated in
Furthermore, a strip of tape 60, which may be of the same type as the tape 16, may be provided on the back surface of the corrugated base portions 52, with a release liner on the exposed surface of the tape 60. (The release liner is removed right before the rail bracket 18 is installed.) This strip of tape 60 forms an additional seal around the shank of the screw 58 to help prevent moisture from seeping into the wall structure 10 (additional to the gasket 61 on the underside of the head of the screw 58, which gets sandwiched between the corrugated base portion 52 of the rail bracket 18 and the head of the screw 58). Additionally, the strip of tape 60 helps adhere the rail brackets 18 to the wall structure 10, with a point of bonding contact at each crest of the corrugations along the base portion 52.
From the figures and the foregoing description, the way a building is clad with panels according to this system should be apparent. After the release liner on the strip of tape 60 is removed (if such a strip of tape 60 is present), a rail bracket 18 is placed against the wall structure 10, with the rail bracket 18 oriented horizontally and the corrugated base portion 52 held against the surface of the wall structure 10. Screws 58 are then driven through the base portion 52, into underlying support structure such as studs behind the wall structure 10, thus securing the rail bracket 18 to the wall structure 10 with the free flange 50 spaced away from the surface of the wall structure 10. Multiple support rails 18 are attached to the wall structure 10 in this manner, with the support rails spaced apart vertically by a distance corresponding to the distance between furring channels 14 on the backsides of the metal panels 12.
A metal panel 12, with furring channels 14 already attached to the backside thereof, will then be placed in position against the wall structure 10, with the furring channels 14 positioned slightly above the rail brackets 18 and the corrugated flanges 24 (particularly the bumps 28, if present) bearing against the wall structure 10. The metal panel 12 is then slid downwardly, thereby causing the free flange 50 on each of the rail brackets 18 to enter the corresponding gap or pocket 34 formed between the central base portion 20 of the furring channel 14 and the backside of the metal panel 12. This results in a very secure attachment of the metal panels 12 to the wall structure 10, while allowing the panels 12 to “float” relative to the wall structure 10 in that the furring channels 14 can shift horizontally and/or vertically relative to the rail brackets 18 as the panel assemblies (panel and attached furring channels 14) expand and contract with heating and cooling. As noted above, this floating arrangement helps prevent warping, buckling, twisting, etc., as the panels 12 expand and contract. Additionally, because the panels 12 are not anchored to the wall structure 10 by fasteners that pass through the panels 12, the panels 12 will not tear (due to pulling against such penetrating fasteners), and incursion of moisture into the space between the panels 12 and the wall structure is minimized.
Further still, a cladding system as disclosed herein has exceptional capacity for moisture and condensation to drain from between the panels 12 and the building structure 10 and for drying air to circulate in that space. This is attributable to the corrugated nature of the furring channel flanges 24 and the rail bracket base portions 52; the bumps on the furring channel flanges 24 and/or the rail bracket base portions 52 (if present); the holes or slots 32 in the furring channel wall portions 22 and/or in the rail bracket wall portions 54 (if present); and the gaps 32 between segments of the tape 16 used to bond the furring channels 14 to the backsides of the metal panels 12. Moreover, a wall system constructed in accordance with the principles disclosed herein has been fire-tested and received a Class A fire rating, with zero flame spread.
As noted above, the wall sheathing system further includes a variety of extruded metal channels or trim strips, which are shown in
As shown in
These horizontal starter strips 100 may be installed on an upper or lower edge of a panel 12 by inserting the edge of the panel 12 into the slot 108a, with the outer wall 104a of the short leg section 104 adjacent to the outer-facing surface of the panel 12 and the inner wall 104b of the short leg section 104 adjacent to the backside surface of the panel 12. By making the distance between the outer and inner walls 104a, 104b slightly less than the thickness of the wall panel 12, e.g., on the order of 0.01 or 0.02 inch shorter, the starter strips 100 will be relatively securely attached to the edges of the panels 12 by an interference fit. The panels 12 are then mounted to the wall structure 10 in the manner described above, i.e., with furring channels 14 on the backsides of the panels 12 engaging with rail brackets 18 that have been installed on the wall structure 10, and the long leg section 102 will abut the surface of the wall structure 10 to hold the panel 12 at an appropriate distance from the wall structure 10. The perforations in the bridge segment 106 will allow moisture to drain from behind the panels 12.
If desired, in a configuration that is not illustrated, a length of tape such as the high-bond-strength tape 16 could be applied to the back surface of the long leg section 102, i.e., the surface that bears against the wall structure 10, with a release liner that is removed just prior to installation of the panel 12. This tape would serve to hold the starter strip extremely securely against the wall structure 10 and might be useful in locations where strong winds are more likely to be encountered.
Additional trim-strip profiles that each have an edge-receiving slot (108b, 108c, 108d, 108e, 108f, 108g, or 108h), which can be used to “cap off” either horizontally or vertically oriented edges of the panels, are illustrated in
On the other hand, it should be recognized that where these trim strips are used vertically, furring channels 14 on the backs of the panels 12 (which furring channels 14 are oriented horizontally) will meet the trim strips perpendicularly. Because the furring channels 14 are slightly spaced from the back surfaces of the panels 12 by the tape 16, the edges of the panels 12 will be able to fit into the slots 108a-108g in the trim strips formed between the outer and inner walls of the exterior “leg” (e.g., outer and inner walls 104a, 104b in the top/bottom starter trim strips 100 as shown in
As further illustrated in
Another set of trim profiles, useful in connection with panels 12′ that are designed to appear similarly to ACM (aluminum composite material) panels as illustrated in
To maintain the smooth appearance of the sheathing, the trim strips 135, 137 do not have a slotted front-leg configuration as in the trim profiles illustrated in
In another approach to installation designed to save time and supplies (e.g., fasteners), which is illustrated in
Advantageously, this configuration creates a drainage space for moisture and airflow to flow up the entire wall through the corrugated flanges. Additionally, it allows an installation to “float” over imperfect walls and, if needed, an installer can use shims to straighten out a wall.
Inventive concepts that have been described above can also be incorporated into a clapboard arrangement of panels (e.g., siding panels 212) and trim strips as illustrated in
As illustrated, the bottom hook 216 may be formed by bending the lower edge of the sheet of material used to form the panel 212 by about ninety degrees, and then securing an extruded J-channel 218 to the backside of the sheet of material, in the corner between the front face of the panel 212 and the bent-under portion 222, using a length of high-bond-strength tape 220. Such a configuration, which locally doubles the wall thickness of the panels 212, enhances durability of the panels—particularly in a region that is more susceptible to damage (e.g., hail damage) than other regions of the panels. Alternatively, the bottom hook 216 could be formed from a single “ply” of material simply by double-bending the sheet of material used to form the panel 212.
A single corrugated furring channel 224, which is like the corrugated furring channels 14 described above, is attached to the backside of each panel 212 near the upper edge thereof, e.g., with the upper corrugated flange 227 of the furring channel 224 being positioned slightly above or outward relative to the uppermost edge of the panel 212. Like the furring channels 14, the furring channels 224 may be attached to the backsides of the panels 212 using very-high-bond double-sided tape 226, such as 3M B90F or 3M B16F available under the 3M™ VHB™ line of tape products.
To clad a wall structure 10 using the clapboard panels 212, a first corrugated furring channel 224 is attached horizontally to the wall structure 10 at the lowest point to be covered with the clapboard arrangement, as at location 228, using fasteners such as self-tapping screws, and a length of tape 226 is applied to the outer-facing surface of the central base portion of the furring channel 224. (The tape 226 may have been pre-applied to the central base portion of the furring channel 224.) Suitably, just a single row of fasteners is used along the uppermost corrugated flange 227 of the first corrugated furring channel to attach the furring channel to the wall structure, to permit the furring channel to pivot slightly relative to the wall structure. A clip-shaped starter hem/vent 230 is attached to the upturned leg 234 of the lower hook 216, and a back, mounting surface 232 of the starter hem/vent 230 is pressed into bonding contact with the length of tape 226 extending along the central base portion of the furring channel 224. The upper edge of the panel 212 is then pivoted toward the wall structure 10 until the upper flange 227 of the furring channel 214 at the top of the panel 212 contacts the surface of the wall structure. The panel 212 is then fastened to the wall structure using another row of fasteners extending through the upper flange 227 that extends past the upper edge of the panel 212.
Subsequent panels 212 are installed, moving upwardly, by hooking the upturned leg 234 of the lower hook 216 of the next panel 212 into the upper hook 214 of a previously installed panel 212; pivoting the upper edge of the panel 212 toward the wall structure; then securing the upper flange 227 of the furring channel 224 that is at the top of the next panel to the wall structure using a line of fasteners passing through the exposed corrugated flange. A covering trim strip (not illustrated) may then be secured to the wall structure above the exposed upper flange of the uppermost panel to complete the assembly.
Because the lower ends of the panels 212 protrude farther away from the wall structure than the upper ends of the panels do, and because this distance tends to be somewhat greater than the distance the above-described panels 12 are spaced from the wall structure, trim strips for use with a clapboard arrangement of panels will tend to have slightly wider channels than those that are illustrated in
As in the case of the trim strips illustrated in
Furthermore, corrugated furring channels as described above can be utilized to construct different structural members altogether—namely, structural I-beams 320 that can be used as studs, sills, cap plates, etc., as illustrated in
In the embodiments described above, furring channels with a hat-shaped profile and corrugated flanges are attached to the rear surfaces of panels, siding, etc. (referred to generically as panels), that are to be attached to the surface of a wall. The furring channels are attached horizontally to the panels using thick, high-bond-strength tape such as 3M B90F or 3M B16F, with the central web of the hat-shaped profile attached to the rear surface of the panel using the high-bond-strength tape; the legs of the hat-shaped channel extending away from the rear surface of the panel; and the out-turned corrugated flanges of the hat-shaped profile being free edges.
Furthermore, a rail bracket with a Z-shaped profile is attached to the wall, e.g., using a self-drilling screw passing through one flange of the Z-shaped profile and with the central web and the other flange of the Z-shaped rail bracket extending upwardly and away from the wall, i.e., to provide a free edge. (Suitably, a length of the thick, high-bond-strength tape is applied to the surface of the flange that faces the wall to space the rail bracket slightly away from the wall and to form a gasket seal around the shank of the screw passing through the flange and into a mounting point within or behind the wall (e.g., a stud).) The panels are then attached to the wall by fitting the downwardly extending legs/corrugated free edges of the hat-shaped furring channels behind the upwardly extending web/free edge of the rail bracket. See, for example,
In further embodiments, short segments (e.g., 6-8 inches long) of corrugated hat-shaped furring channel are used as the mounting brackets attached to the surface of the wall at each mounting point (e.g., stud locations). For these additional embodiments, basic concepts for cladding or sheathing a building are illustrated in
As illustrated most clearly in
Additionally, two or more—e.g., three, as illustrated in
As illustrated in the various figures, the panels 410 are mounted to the wall structure 420 by “hooking” the lower, downwardly extending corrugated flanges 438 of the corrugated furring channels 430 behind the upper, upwardly extending corrugated flanges 424 of the mounting brackets 412. Furthermore, the corrugated furring channels 430 are attached to the rear surfaces of the panels 410 at positions that facilitate installing the panels starting at the bottom of the wall structure 420 and working one's way up. As shown in
As shown in
To attach the starter unit 446 to the wall structure 420, the mounting bracket 412 over which the starter unit 446 will be mounted may be attached semi-securely to the surface of the wall structure 420 by removing the release liner from the very high bond-strength tape 426 on the web 418 of the mounting bracket 412 and simply adhering the mounting bracket 412 to the wall structure 420. The starter unit 446 may then be positioned over the mounting bracket 412 in a “yin-and-yang” manner as shown, with the upper corrugated flange 438 of the corrugated furring channel 430 bearing against the web 418 of the mounting bracket 412 and the lower corrugated flange 424 of the mounting bracket 412 bearing against the web 434 of the corrugated furring channel 430. Self-tapping screw 414 is then driven through the upper flange 438 of the corrugated furring channel 430, the web 418 of the mounting bracket 412, the very high bond-strength tape 426 on the back surface of the mounting bracket web 418, and into the wall structure 420 (e.g., into a stud 416 behind or within the wall structure 420). Alternatively, depending on the length of the starter unit 446 and/or the availability of additional workers to hold the starter unit 446 level if needed, the mounting bracket 412 and the starter unit 446 can simply be held together by hand, placed against the wall structure 420 without removing the release liner on the very high bond-strength tape 426, and the self-tapping screw 414 driven through the flange 438, web 418, and into the wall structure 420.
Furthermore, it may be preferable to fabricate the mounting brackets 412 and the corrugated furring channels 430 from the same corrugated hat-channel stock, in which case their cross-sectional profiles will be identical. In that case, the corrugated furring channel 430 may be slid vertically relative to the mounting bracket 412 so that 1) the edge 454 of the upper corrugated flange 438 of the corrugated furring channel 430 engages with the inside corner 456 of the mounting bracket 412 where the upper leg 422 of the mounting bracket 412 meets the web 418 of the mounting bracket 412, and 2) the edge 458 of the lower corrugated flange 424 of the mounting bracket 412 engages with the inside corner 460 of the corrugated furring channel 430 where the lower leg 436 of the corrugated furring channel 430 meets the web 434 of the corrugated furring channel 430. This arrangement, with uniform cross-sections of the mounting brackets 412 and the corrugated furring channels 430 and edge-to-corner/edge-to-corner engagement of the furring channels 430 and the mounting brackets 412, facilitates “snug” or “tight” assembly of the sheathing system onto the wall structure 420, with relatively uniform spacing of components.
Once the starter unit 446 has been attached to the bottom of the wall structure 420, installation of panels 410 may proceed upwardly. If the panels 410 are wide enough (in the vertical direction) for them to include a middle corrugated furring channel 430 as illustrated in
Furthermore, it may be desirable to attach an upper mounting bracket 412 to the wall structure 420 to engage the uppermost corrugated furring channel 430 (attached to the panel 410) before the panel 410 is mounted to the wall structure 420. In that case, a predetermined distance may be measured up from the uppermost edge of a lower mounting bracket 412, as described above, to determine the appropriate location for the higher mounting bracket 412. The higher mounting bracket 412 may be attached semi-securely to the surface of the wall structure 420 by removing the release liner from the very high bond-strength tape 426 on its web and simply adhering the higher mounting bracket 412 to the wall structure 420, as described above. The panel 410 would then be mounted to the wall structure 420 by “hooking” the lower corrugated flange(s) of the lower furring channel(s) 430 attached to the panel 410 behind the corresponding upper flange(s) of the associated mounting bracket(s) 412; sliding the panel 410 down slightly and pressing its lower portion into bonding engagement with the second length of very high bond-strength tape 452 to form a seal between the lower portion of the panel 410 and the surface of the corrugated furring channel 430; and bringing the upper corrugated furring channel 430 (attached to the panel 410) into “yin-and-yang”-type engagement with the upper mounting bracket 412 (as described above with reference to the starter unit 446). A self-tapping screw 414 is then driven through the upper flange 438 of the uppermost corrugated furring channel 430, the web 418 of the upper mounting bracket 412, the length of very high bond-strength tape secured to the back side of the web 418, and into a stud 416 to secure the panel 410 to the wall structure 420.
Alternatively (as also described above with reference to the starter unit 446), the upper mounting bracket 412 can simply be held against the uppermost corrugated furring channel 430 on the back of the panel 410 by hand as the flanges of the lower furring channel(s) is/are hooked behind the corresponding flange(s) of lower mounting brackets 412 and the upper furring channel/upper mounting bracket assembly is pressed against the wall structure 420. A self-tapping screw 414 is then driven through the flange 438 of the uppermost corrugated furring channel 430, the web 418 of the upper mounting bracket 412, and into a stud within or behind the wall structure 420.
This process is then repeated, working up the wall until it is clad or sheathed with a column of panels 410. Once the highest desired elevation is reached, an L-shaped trim piece 462 is attached to the uppermost corrugated furring channel 430 extending out from under the uppermost panel 410 using the second length of very high bond-strength tape 452 on the web of the corrugate furring channel 430, as illustrated in
If desired, the portions 464 of the webs of the corrugated furring channels that “peek out” between adjacent panels can be painted for aesthetics. Furthermore, as illustrated in
This approach to sheathing a building provides several benefits. First, as alluded to above, the lengths of very high bond-strength tape in the various locations form excellent seals to keep out moisture, all without requiring caulk (which can be messy and difficult to apply neatly). Additionally, as also alluded to above, the mounting arrangement keeps the panels spaced away from the wall structure, thereby providing a thermal break between the wall structure and the panels (which can absorb a lot of heat on hot and/or sunny days and which could otherwise draw and dissipate a lot of heat from the interior of the building on cold days). This renders the building more thermally efficient. Furthermore, the very high bond-strength tape on the rear surface of the mounting bracket web, through with the fasteners (e.g., gasketed self-tapping screws) pass, provides a second “level” of sealing around the fasteners due to the thickened, slightly compressible nature of the tape. This helps to reduce the amount of moisture that can “work its way” into the wall structure. Further still, the system eliminates all unsealed fasteners, and it creates a stacking system that greatly enhances alignment of the panels up the wall.
Furthermore, the mounting arrangement provides a “floating” system in which the panels are held away from—but connected to—the wall structure, without any fasteners passing through the panels. In addition to eliminating seepage of moisture through the panels into the space behind the panels, the “floating” nature of the panels facilitates settling and other shifting/movement of the building without the cladding buckling, wrinkling, warping, etc. As illustrated in
The design and construction principles described above can be implemented in connection with numerous other panel configurations. For example, while the panels 410 described above have length-to-width aspect ratios on the order of 1 or 1.5 to on the order of 3 or 4, the same principles can be used in connection with much longer, plank-shaped panels having length-to-width aspect ratios on the order of 8 or 10 or so, as illustrated in
Alternatively, the construction techniques described above can be adapted for use with plank-shaped panels arranged in overlapping fashion, e.g., as in common residential siding. The primary difference between this arrangement and those described above is that mounting brackets are not used, nor are vertically oriented furring channels such as additional corrugated furring channels 466 shown in
As illustrated in
Installation of the panels 630 proceeds “from the bottom up.” It begins by placing the starter unit 646 against the surface of wall structure 620 near the bottom and attaching it to the wall structure 620 by driving self-tapping screws 614 through the upper corrugated flange 638 of the starter-unit corrugated furring channel 630 and into studs 616 (
Various modifications to and departures from these disclosed embodiments will occur to those having skill in the art. What is to be protected by this patent is set forth in the following claims.
This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. provisional application 63/084,212 filed Sep. 28, 2020, and U.S. provisional application 63/224,610 filed Jul. 22, 2021, the contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference
Number | Date | Country | |
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63224610 | Jul 2021 | US | |
63084212 | Sep 2020 | US |