Wall and ceiling construction and method providing a finished construction with no exterior penetrations
An improved wall and/or ceiling construction and method suitable for both interior and exterior application comprised of compressed straw or other such construction panels wherein the finished wall contains no exterior surface penetrations through the panels, thus providing a substantially seamless outer surface. The improved construction is comprised of spaced and aligned flanged beams, each beam having both interior and exterior flanges. Exterior panels are attached to the exterior flanges so as to provide a continuous exterior wall or roof surface with all attachments made through the exterior flanges and penetrating only the inside surface of the panels. Interior panels are attached to the interior flanges by means of a connecting clip along a first edge and a plurality of disc connectors along a second edge so as to provide a continuous interior wall or ceiling surface with no penetrations therethrough. The flanged beams are provided with a plurality of openings that provide a pathway for cables and wiring along the interior of a finished wall or ceiling. The construction and method may be adapted for use with existing conventional wall constructions to utilize only interior panels and provide an interior wall with no surface penetrations.
This application is not related to any other patent applications.
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT STATEMENTThis invention was not developed in conjunction with any Federally sponsored contract.
MICROFICHE APPENDIXNot applicable.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCEU.S. Pat. No. 6,634,077 issued on Oct. 21, 2003, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,789,977, issued on Sep. 14, 2004, both by Derek John Layfield, and commonly assigned with the present patent application, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties, including figures.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to systems and methods for constructing a substantially hollow wall having an exterior set of panels and an interior set of panels, spaced and held by a set of beams disposed between the sets of panels.
2. Background of the Invention
For many years, a primary goal of the residential and commercial construction industry has been to produce marketable quality dwellings as cost efficiently as possible. Residential and light commercial construction methods for homes, classrooms, protective enclosures and the like can generally be divided into three categories with each method having distinct advantages and disadvantages. These categories are: manufactured, wherein a structure is fully constructed off site, then moved to a permanent site; modular, component or panelized, wherein elements are fabricated both on and off site; and on-site or stick-built construction, wherein an entire structure is constructed on site with no external prefabrication.
The major advantage of manufactured structures is that the entire building is constructed in a factory setting with a highly controlled environment, thus providing the efficiencies of mass production. Conversely, the advantage to stick-built structures is that there are generally no architectural or dimensional limitations and full-customization is possible. Further, design changes can generally be accommodated throughout the process. Modular or panelized construction incorporate some of the advantages of both stick-built and manufactured methods in that the cost efficiencies from off site panel fabrication are realized and the on site incorporation and assembly of finished panels is generally very fast. Panelized construction is especially beneficial when pre-manufactured panels possess a plurality of physical characteristics that provide multiple benefits such as improved thermal and acoustic insulation, and favorable aesthetic properties.
Modular building panels have been used to lessen the cost of constructing buildings such as houses, schools, office partitions, walls and the like. As the modular building panels can be made in the factory and assembled on site, the panels can be made more uniform in the factory which lessens the labor required for building the walls of a building or similar. One example of the building panels used to make walls, partitions or the like are straw-based panels made from compressed straw. These straw-based panels provide many highly desirable properties such as good thermal and acoustic insulation, smooth surfaces which are easily finished, an excellent substrate for connectors such as nails or screws, and the manufacturing latitude for highly variable sizes.
What is needed in the art is a construction method that provides easy assembly of interior and exterior walls, roofs and ceilings that incorporates modular or panelized components. The needed construction method should further utilize the favorable physical properties of superior modular components such as compressed straw panels.
What is further needed in the art is a construction method that is quicker and more cost effective than conventional methods while providing easy routing of utility wiring, plumbing lines and HVAC ducts. Finally, what is needed in the art is a construction method that provides wall surfaces that contain no exterior connectors such as nails, screws, and the like that require additional surface treatment to finish. The embodiment disclosed herein meets these needs, provides a system that is made primarily of recycled materials, and represents a significant improvement over existing art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present embodiment relates to the construction of interior and exterior walls and to the finishing or fitting-out of interior space and particularly finds application in construction of homes, offices, classrooms, hotels, conference centers, business centers, meeting rooms, medical facilities, and the like. Particularly, the present embodiment provides a method and means for constructing interior and exterior walls from modular panels wherein the finished wall contains no penetrations through finished wall surfaces. More particularly, the present embodiment provides for the construction of a wall comprising a plurality of spaced beam members with modular panels, preferably compressed straw panels, assembled thereon in a specific systematic manner resulting a wall or partition that includes no exterior penetrations or connectors. The result is a relatively seamless exterior surface that can be finished in a plurality of ways, but one that, if desired, can be utilized with minimal surface treatment. The finished wall is structurally strong, but substantially hollow, thus enabling very easy routing and re-routing of utility wiring there through. Further, the present embodiment provides for first side of the wall, such as the exterior surface of a house, to be constructed first, then provides for the second side of the wall to be constructed with no surface penetrations. Spaced beam members are provided with a plurality of horizontal opening through which utility wiring and communication cabling can easily be routed. Assembly is simple and fast relative to conventional wall constructions and provides superior structural, thermal and acoustic properties thereto. Thus, by virtue of significant savings in labor costs, is cost effective relative to conventional wall constructions. An alternative embodiment provides for an interior only application of modular panels for use with existing conventional wall constructions wherein wooden studs or the like are used and an existing conventional exterior wall facing already exists. The features and advantages of subject embodiment will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following written specification, claims, and appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe present embodiment should be more fully understood when the written description is considered in conjunction with the drawings contained herein, wherein:
The present embodiment utilizes solid core compressed straw or strawboard panels comprised of a matrix of highly compressed straw, usually wheat, rice or other recovered agricultural straw, lined on all sides by paper or paperboard. Typically, the strawboard panels are made through a dry extrusion process wherein straw is compressed into a substantially flat continuous web, normally between 1½″ and 3½″ thick and between 40″ and 60″ wide. The continuous web is then cut into rectangular panels of various lengths. Strawboard panel length is easily varied. The compressed straw is arranged in layers with the straw fibers substantially parallel in orientation extending transversely across the strawboard panel from side to side when the strawboard panel is in a normal in-use orientation.
Said strawboard panels are typically rectangular in shape, and for the purposes of this disclosure, will be oriented such that the longer edges are substantially vertical and the shorter edges are substantially horizontal. In this orientation, said straw fibers will assume a generally horizontal orientation. Said strawboard panels have a tackable surface, i.e., are suitable for securely accepting nails, tacks, screws and other connecting means for attaching and/or hanging items from the strawboard panel surfaces.
Further, surfaces of the strawboard panels are suitable for accepting surface texture, paint, wall paper, and other conventional wall coverings. Strawboard panels can be factory finished with surface texture, paint, wall paper and the like, or said surface treatments can easily be applied to a finished wall. Compressed strawboard panels are typically much thicker and stronger than gypsum board and possess higher nail pull values, thus providing nails, screws, or the like driven therein to support more weight than if driven into gypsum board.
Additionally, said strawboard panels possess sound insulating properties superior to both conventional gypsum board walls and many currently available commercial interior partition systems. Solid core strawboard panels further provide fire resistant properties superior to materials used in many presently available interior wall construction and partition systems. To enhance flexibility, these strawboard panels can be cut and formed in the field using conventional tools such as circular, saber or band saws, routers, drywall hand saws, utility knives and the like. Ideally, however, the wall will be designed so that field alteration of said strawboard panels is minimized, thus minimizing installation time and costs. In the preferred embodiment, strawboard panels manufactured by Affordable Building Systems of Texas are used.
As will be seen, one available embodiment of the invention utilizes the disc connector system and method disclosed in issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,077 and the disc connector apparatus disclosed in issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,789,977, which are incorporated by reference herein.
Referring to
Further,
As previously mentioned, disc connector 9 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,634,077 and 6,789,977. It can be seen that the finished wall joint of
Referring first to
Though not in view, attachment between panel 3 and T-clip 6 is made by means of lag screws. Interior panel 3 is also shown with a plurality of disc receiver recesses 16 properly positioned in the vertical edge.
The wall constructions disclosed herein are illustrated as walls comprising interior and exterior faces comprised of panels. However, the disclosure is not limited to use as a wall, per se, and may easily be adapted for use in a ceiling-roof application with the interior panels comprising a ceiling and exterior panels comprising a roof decking. Further, subject disclosure is suited for sloped or pitched application as well as vertical application.
The I-beams, T-bearns, channel beams, slide clips, T-clips, channel clips, and flange clips disclosed herein are preferably made from steel, but can be made from any material, metal or non-metal, that provides comparable strength and stiffness and a comparable or higher melting temperature (˜2500° F.). The thickness or gauge of steel or other material required is largely dependent upon the application and the relative structural and stiffness requirements thereof. Further, the lag screws and self tapping clip screws disclosed herein are preferred, but any suitable connectors, rivets, nails, bolt, screws, etc. may be used instead.
Though the embodiments illustrated herein employ compressed strawboard panels, alternate modular panels that can be suitably attached to the subject beams and clips may be employed, especially if said alternate modular panels are compatible with the disc connectors as disclosed. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the dimensions and relative shapes of the I-beams, T-beams, channel beams, slide clips, T-clips, channel clips, flange clips, panels, and various connectors are illustrative of particular embodiments of the present invention, and that actual dimension and shape of each element may vary subject to the needs of each individual application. Further, it is within the skill of the art to provide elements or perform steps which are well known, and which have not be specifically disclosed herein. As many such variations of embodiment of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of the present invention should be determined by the following claims.
Claims
1. An improved method for constructing a wall including a plurality of rigid, self-supporting panels, said panels each having a substantially rectangular shape with an inner and outer face and a top, bottom, front and rear edge, said front and rear edges having, along a centerline, a plurality of symmetric recesses for accepting a symmetric connector inserted therein, each said panel further having a width equal to the distance between said front and rear edges, said method comprising the steps of:
- placing a plurality of beams along a wall line, said beams placed in substantially parallel alignment and spaced at a lateral distance substantially equal to the width of one panel;
- positioning a plurality of exterior panels to span the distance between said beams such that a portion of the inner face of each panel is in contact with two adjacent beams;
- attaching said exterior panels to said beams;
- attaching a first interior flanged connector to a first interior panel;
- attaching said first interior flanged connector to a first beam;
- positioning symmetric connectors within said symmetric recesses located along the front edge of said first interior panel;
- attaching a second interior flanged connector to a second interior panel;
- positioning said second interior panel in edge to edge abutted relation to said first interior panel; and
- attaching said second interior flanged connector to a second beam.
2. The method of claim 1 which further includes the step of guiding symmetric connectors into said symmetric recesses located along the rear edge of said second interior panel.
3. The method of claim 1 which further includes the step of positioning symmetric connectors within said symmetric recesses located along the front edge of said second interior panel.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein attachment between said exterior panels and said beams is made by means a nail, screw, bolt, lag screw, rivet, staple, pin, dowel, adhesive, tape or glue.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein attachment between said interior flanged connector and said interior panel is made by means of a nail, screw, bolt, lag screw, rivet, staple, pin, dowel, adhesive, tape or glue.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein attachment between said interior flanged connector and said beam is made by means of a nail, screw, bolt, lag screw, rivet, staple, pin, dowel, adhesive, tape or glue.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein said beams have a cross section that includes a center web member and at least one lateral skirt member attached thereto.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein said interior flanged connectors have a cross section that includes a center web member and a lateral flange member attached thereto.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein said cross section of said beam substantially comprises a T shape.
10. The method of claim 7 wherein said cross section of said beam includes a center web member between opposed interior and exterior skirt members.
11. The method of claim 8 wherein said cross section of said interior flanged connector substantially comprises a T shape.
12. The method of claim 10 wherein said beams have a cross section that substantially comprises an I shape.
13. The method of claim 8 wherein the cross section of said lateral flange member of said interior flanged connector further comprises two substantially parallel clasp members sized to accept a portion of said lateral skirt member of said vertical beam therebetween.
14. An improved wall construction for positioning a plurality of rigid, self-supporting panels to provide exterior walls and/or divide or partition interior building space comprising:
- a plurality of parallel and regularly spaced beams, said beams each having a cross section that includes a center web and at least one lateral skirt member;
- a plurality of exterior panels, said panels having a substantially rectangular shape with an inner and outer face and a top, bottom, front and rear edge and positioned to span the distance between the center web of two adjacent beam members and rigidly attach thereto;
- a plurality of interior panels, said panels having a substantially rectangular shape with an inner and outer face and a top, bottom, front and rear edge, said front and rear edges having, along a centerline, a plurality of symmetric recesses;
- a plurality of symmetric connectors, said connectors sized so that substantially one half of each connector will fit inside one said symmetric recess; and
- a plurality of flanged connector means each providing for rigid attachment between a panel and a vertical beam;
15. The wall construction of claim 14 wherein said interior panels are comprised of compressed straw or other recovered cellulosic material.
16. The wall construction of claim 14 wherein said exterior panels are comprised of compressed straw or other recovered cellulosic material.
17. The wall construction of claim 14, wherein rigid attachment between said exterior panels and said adjacent beam members is made by means of nail, screw, bolt, lag screw, rivet, staple, pin, dowel, adhesive, tape or glue.
18. The wall construction of claim 14, wherein said flanged connector means comprise a connector having a cross section that includes a center web member and a lateral flange member attached thereto.
19. The wall construction of claim 14, wherein rigid attachment between said interior panels and said flanged connector means is made by means of nail, screw, bolt, lag screw, rivet, staple, pin, dowel, adhesive, tape or glue.
20. The wall construction of claim 18, wherein attachment between said flanged connector means and said beam is made by means of nail, screw, bolt, lag screw, rivet, staple, pin, dowel, adhesive, tape or glue.
21. The wall construction of claim 18 wherein said lateral flange member further comprises two substantially parallel clasp members sized to accept a portion of a said lateral skirt member of said beam therebetween.
22. The wall construction of claim 14 wherein cross section of said beams substantially comprises a T or an I shape.
23. The wall construction of claim 14 wherein said center web of said vertical beam further comprises a hollow channel.
24. The wall construction of claim 23 wherein said hollow channel may have a square, rectangular, round, C-shaped, or D-shaped cross section.
25. The improved wall construction of claim 14 wherein said vertical beams and flanged connector means are made from a metal or metal alloy.
26. The wall construction of claim 14 wherein said vertical beams and flanged connector means are made from a thermosetting or thermoplastic polymer-based material.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 17, 2005
Publication Date: Aug 17, 2006
Inventor: John Burg (McKinney, TX)
Application Number: 11/060,709
International Classification: E04B 2/28 (20060101);