LINEAR METAL CEILING COMPONENTS
A linear metal ceiling system having improved carrier and pan geometries that afford improved versatility in pan widths and shapes, and improved pan retention force. Accessories for joining carriers together and for attaching perimeter trim strips are disclosed.
The invention relates to linear metal suspended ceiling systems.
PRIOR ARTLinear metal ceilings typically comprise spaced parallel carriers and elongated U-shaped pans attached to and extending transversely to the carriers. It is known to provide the carriers with integral grips uniformly spaced along their lower sides for engagement with longitudinal edges of the pans. The pans have been available in various widths although, sometimes, their free use has been limited by the geometry of the carrier grips. Frequently, prior linear ceiling systems have had limited resistance to seismic forces and/or wind loads.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention provides a linear metal ceiling system that affords a wide choice in pan widths, either uniform or mixed, various pan profiles, and a strong inter-engagement between a carrier and the pans. As disclosed, the carrier has a relatively short center-to-center distance between grips so that narrow pans using adjacent grips and wide pans using spaced grips are readily accommodated.
Also, as disclosed, the grips and panels have unique profiles that when interconnected, afford a relatively high retention force, being far greater than that available with at least some prior arrangements. The grips, additionally, can accommodate a wide variety of panel edge profiles so that a large selection of pan shapes and sizes is practical.
A linear metal ceiling system 10, shown in
An upper portion 18 of a side 16 is cantered outwardly, for example, at an angle of 118 degrees from the plane of the top 17. Lower vertical portions 19 of the sides 16 are punched or otherwise formed with grips located along the full length of the carrier 11 aligned side-to-side for attaching the pans 12. The grips 21, supported on a common base 22, are arranged in oppositely extending pairs or sets with a center-to-center distance from one pair to an adjacent pair being, for example, 2 inches.
Referencing
The inclined grip edge 28 lies at an angle of between 30 degrees and 60 degrees and preferably is about 45 degrees from the horizontal so that the grip edge rises in a direction towards a distal end 29.
A lower edge 31 of a grip 21 is preferably beveled to facilitate reception of a pan and to provide clearance for some styles of pans.
Typically, pans are supplied in 10 foot lengths. Illustrated pans 12 can be roll formed of 22 gauge aluminum for exterior use and 24 gauge electrogalvanized steel for interior use.
The style of pan 12a shown in
The configuration of the inturned flange or hook 37 on the pan sides 36 and the upturned edges 28 on the grips 21, with their respective inclinations being complementary, i.e. in the same direction and within 20 degrees of each other has been discovered to produce an improved pan retention on a carrier 11. For example, the pans have been found to withstand loads, oriented to separate a pan 12a from the pair of grips 21 on opposite sides 16 of the carrier, of about 180 pounds of force.
The geometry of the grips 21 and associated notch 23 can accept a wide variety of panel shapes in addition to those shown in
Referencing
The splice plate sides 53 and top or center web 52 are stamped or otherwise formed with a plurality of holes 57 to receive self-drilling screws or other fasteners to attach the splice plates to the carriers 11 being joined by the splice plate. Larger holes 58 on the sides 53 are alignable with holes in the carriers 11 and can receive suspension wires 13 when aligned with suspension wire holes in a carrier. The splice plate can align and join the ends of two carriers 11 where a ceiling area dimension in the direction of the carriers is greater than the standard length of a carrier.
The splice plate 51 can also be used to join a carrier 11 intersecting another carrier at right angles. The splice plate 51 can be fixed to an end of the intersecting carrier 11, either being partially cantilevered or with the intersecting carrier being trimmed to match the geometry of the splice plate edges 56. The splice plate 51 is fixed to the intersected carrier by abutting the splice plate edges 56 against the adjacent side of the intersected carrier and positioning fasteners through holes 57 in the respective tab 54 into the top of the intersected carrier.
The splice plate 51 can also serve to locally reinforce a carrier 11 where a suspension wire 13 is attached by locating and attaching the splice plate with its holes 58 aligned with the holes in the carrier before a suspension wire is installed.
The channel supporting section 64 has a vertical leg 76 with inturned flanges 77 at the top and bottom of the leg. The leg 76 is stiffened by a vertical flange 78 extending perpendicularly to a plane of a main part 79 of the leg 76. At a mid-height, the flange 78 merges with an extension 81. The extension 81 is separated from an upright plate 82 extending upwardly from the seat 67 of the saddle portion 66 by a vertical through slot 83 and small bendable lands 84 at opposite ends of the slot.
The channel or trim strip 62, typically, a roll formed sheet metal strip, has an elongated shell or pan configuration with a relatively wide web 87 and flanges 88 along each longitudinal edge of the web. The flanges have inturned hems 89 adapted to be snapped over and be retained by the flanges 77 of the clip leg 76.
It should be evident that this disclosure is by way of example and that various changes may be made by adding, modifying or eliminating details without departing from the fair scope of the teaching contained in this disclosure. The invention is therefore not limited to particular details of this disclosure except to the extent that the following claims are necessarily so limited.
Claims
1. A linear metal ceiling system comprising a plurality of elongated carriers and a plurality of elongated sheet metal pans, each carrier having a multitude of grips uniformly spaced along a lower side, alternate grips extending in a longitudinal direction opposite of a longitudinal direction of intervening grips, each grip being cantilevered from a base such that a grip forms part of a boundary of a notch overlying the grip, each grip having an increasing height zone adjacent a distal end and a horizontal zone with a length extending inward of the increasing height zone, each pan having a bottom and two sides on opposite margins of the bottom, at least one of the pan sides having an inturned flange adjacent an upper edge of a side, the flanges having a decline in a direction towards a center of a width of the pan and terminating at an edge whereby when the pan is installed on a grip the edge rests on the horizontal zone, the flange and increasing height zone of a grip are adapted to mutually interfere when a force urging the flange off of the grip exists, and the notch is constructed and arranged to allow the edge to engage the horizontal zone at locations along the length of the horizontal zone.
2. A linear metal ceiling system as set forth in claim 1, wherein angles, measured from a horizontal reference, of the increasing height zone of the grip and decline of the flange are substantially equal.
3. A linear metal ceiling system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the carrier has an inverted U-shaped cross-section and at each longitudinal location of a grip there is a pair of transversely aligned laterally spaced grips.
4. A linear metal ceiling system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the grips are arranged on 2 inch centers and are adapted to support pans having nominal widths ranging from 2 inches to 12 inches in 2 inch increments.
5. A splice plate for a linear metal ceiling pan carrier with an inverted U-shaped cross-section characterized by a flat top and divergent flat side portions, the splice plate being formed of sheet metal with a top and divergent sides in a cross-section configuration that is complementary to the carriers such that the splice plate can simultaneously abut the top and side portions of two carriers to thereby align the two carriers, the splice plate having receiving holes in the top and sides for receiving fasteners used to join the splice plate to the carriers.
6. A splice plate as set forth in claim 5, wherein the splice plate sides adjacent an end of the splice plate have edges lying in a common plane that has an inclination substantially the same as an inclination of the splice plate sides.
7. A clip for attaching a channel-shaped trim strip to a pan carrier for a linear metal ceiling, the clip being formed of a unitary sheet metal body, the clip having a mounting section configured to seat on a top and abut the side of an inverted U-shaped carrier, a support section including a vertical leg and a horizontal extension, the leg extending below and above a level of the mounting section, a main part of the leg lying in a substantially vertical plane, the extension spacing the leg from the mounting section, the leg having upper and lower ends with short flanges extending in a direction that the extension extends to engage inturned hems on flanges of the trim strip, the extension being connected to the mounting section by a pair of vertically spaced lands separated by a slot in the body whereby the support section can be displaced relative to the mounting section about a vertical line represented by the lands when the body is bent at the lands.
8. A clip as set forth in claim 7, wherein the mounting section has holes for receiving fasteners for allowing the clip to be fastened to a carrier.
Type: Application
Filed: May 19, 2017
Publication Date: Nov 22, 2018
Inventors: Abraham M. Underkofler (Salem, WI), Peder J. Gulbrandsen (Aurora, IL), Mark R. Paulsen (Waukegan, IL)
Application Number: 15/599,582