Stiffener for Construction Elements

Abstract

A stiffener 50 for construction elements for providing resistance against deflection and cracking is disclosed comprising a U-shaped cross-section with a web 10 and two flanges 20a, 20b extending transversely from the web 10 and having ribs 30 rising parallel, perpendicular or diagonal from the flanges 20a, 20b. The stiffener 50 is configured to be fixed within the construction element. A drywall stud and a ceiling section provided with a plurality of stiffeners 50 of the present disclosure spaced at desired locations along their length is also disclosed. Such drywall studs and ceiling sections comprising stiffeners 50 of the present disclosure reduce deflection of drywall partition and suspended ceiling system, respectively by up to 50%.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates, in general to construction elements for use in partitions and ceiling structures of buildings, and more specifically to construction elements provided with stiffeners for improving stiffness, partition height and crack resistance of partitions and ceiling systems; and a drywall stud and ceiling section provided therewith.

BACKGROUND

Wall constructions, for example, drywall partitions are typically constructed from a series of spaced apart studs arranged between floor and ceiling channels and drywall surface material such as gypsum boards secured to the surfaces of the studs. Generally, these studs are non-load bearing and allow for rapid construction. Conventional metal studs used in non-load bearing applications, however, are not as structurally stable to carry horizontal loads due to wind and other forces along the stud length. Therefore, it is known to arrange reinforcement structures at the points where building components such as boards or frames are joined with the studs. Such reinforcement structures are generally U-shaped and are mounted within the stud or as bridging members that extend between the series of stud members.

Referring to U.S. Pat. No. 3,624,694 discloses a reinforced stud construction used in partitions of buildings. Referring to European publication number 0,096,675 discloses an arrangement in a wall stud that provides for a reinforcing insertion structure. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 3,425,159 describes a snap-fit reinforcement member for use with a door closing or other operating devices. Similarly, referring to U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,836,657; 7,559,519 and 6,164,028 all describe reinforcement members that are arranged as bridging members between corresponding studs.

The constructions described above in the referenced patent documents have certain disadvantages even in the presence of the reinforcement members. The reinforcement members are generally U-shaped profiles attached to web of the studs. This involves additional cost for material as well as work in order to join the studs with the reinforcement member. Secondly placing these reinforcement members is tedious and time consuming, especially if the reinforcing members are adequately fixed to the studs. Thirdly these reinforcement members are not designed to be installed in a practical and economical way. Lastly none of the cited prior art provide a solution that could be adapted for constructing both an interior partition as well as a ceiling system.

Therefore, notwithstanding all the past improvements made in order to improve the structural stability and durability of studs used in drywall constructions, there is still scope for improved designs for obtaining stiffer partitions and ceiling systems; provide backings for flanges of channels to allow for screwing or nailing without bending the flanges; provide simple and inexpensive stiffeners that prevent individual studs from twisting and/or buckling under load and reduce cracks in the ceiling systems (provided, the cracks are a result of irregular installation procedures). Further, achieving all the above parameters without increasing complexity of stiffener manufacture, installation and transport are integral.

The present disclosure achieves all the above technicalities by providing a stiffener that has an optimized design structure that increases the stiffness of the partition and ceiling system by exhibiting 50% less deflection levels compared to conventional drywall constructions. Further the stiffeners of the present disclosure do not increase material cost by having a thickness equivalent to the reduced thickness of the partition stud and the ceiling sections arranged therewith. Furthermore, the stiffener design carry flexibility to be made by the various methods outlined in the disclosure and allows for easy and effective transportation of the studs and ceiling sections fixed with these stiffeners. Alternatively, the simple design of the stiffeners is compatible for on-site fixing of the stiffener with the studs and ceiling sections.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a stiffener for a construction element for providing resistance against deflection and cracking is disclosed. The stiffener comprises of a U-shaped cross-section with a web and two flanges extending transversely from the web at an angle X more than or equal to 90 degrees and one or more ribs rising from each of the flanges and extending towards each other. The stiffener is configured to be fixed within the construction element.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a drywall stud fitted with one or more stiffener is disclosed. The web and flanges of the stiffener abuts the web and flanges of the drywall stud.

In one another aspect of the present disclosure, a ceiling section fitted with one or more stiffener is disclosed. The web and flanges of the stiffener abuts the web and flanges of the ceiling section.

In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a drywall partition system which provides structural integrity to resist destructive forces is disclosed comprising a plurality of vertical drywall studs fitted with a plurality of stiffeners at desired intervals and retained between a floor channel and a ceiling channel.

In still another aspect of the present disclosure, a suspended ceiling system which provides structural integrity to resist destructive forces is disclosed comprising a grid suspended from a structural ceiling having intermediate beams interlocked with ceiling sections fitted with a plurality of stiffeners at desired intervals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and are not limited in the accompanying figures.

FIG. 1A illustrates a three dimensional view of an exemplary stiffener for drywall studs, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B illustrates a three dimensional view of an exemplary stiffener for drywall studs, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a three dimensional view of an exemplary stiffener for ceiling sections, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a drywall stud comprising an exemplary stiffener, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a ceiling section comprising an exemplary stiffener, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5A to 5G illustrate exemplary stiffener for drywall studs, in accordance with multiple alternate embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a drywall partition system, according to one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a suspended ceiling system, according to one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 8 illustrates arrangement of two drywall studs provided with stiffeners during transportation.

Skilled artisans appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or the like parts. Embodiments disclosed herein are related to a stiffener for drywall studs and ceiling sections that improves deflection, partition height and crack resistance of the partition and ceiling system accordingly.

FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary stiffener 50 for a drywall stud, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the stiffener 50 is U-shaped in cross section and includes a web 10; a pair of side flanges 20a, 20b arising perpendicularly (angle X equals 90-degrees) to the web 10; and ribs 30 rising from each of the flanges 20a, 20b. The ribs 30 shown in FIG. 1A are perpendicular to the flanges 20a, 20b. There are three ribs 30 on the flange 20a that correspond to the three ribs 30 on the flange 20b. In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the ribs 30 on the flanges are provided to correspond with each other. Alternatively, the ribs 30 on flanges 20a, 20b can also be provided to alternate with each other. Further the stiffener 50 is provided with one or more rivet holes 40 for riveting the stiffener 50 to the drywall stud. These rivet holes 40 in multiple embodiments of the present disclosure can be provided on the web 10 or flanges 20a, 20b or both.

The stiffener 50 is configured to be fixed within the drywall stud, spaced along the length of the drywall stud as desired to provide stiffening for the flanges 20a, 20b. The stiffener 50 backs the flanges 131a, 131b of a drywall stud 100 to hold them in place when screws are driven into the flanges 20a, 20b for fastening drywall panels to the flanges 131a, 131b in order to form a wall structure as will be described later. If not for these stiffeners, the flanges of the drywall stud may bend inwardly during screwing and may not provide for the penetration of the screws through the flanges thereby impairing the fastening procedure. Such bending of the flanges is prevented by providing stiffeners along the length of the drywall stud to hold the flanges in place for screwing.

Therefore, additional strength and stiffness are imparted to the drywall studs by providing stiffener 50 of the present disclosure which in turn result in structural stability to the drywall structures constructed therefrom. Although stiffeners similar to the U-shaped structure shown in FIG. 1A are known in the prior art, such stiffeners never disclosed inwardly protruding ribs 30 from the flanges 20a, 20b. Such kind of protrusions were never considered because of the complexity associated with their manufacture, inconvenience caused during transport of drywall studs fixed with these stiffeners, additional material cost & manpower requirement for their production and fabrication. However, the inventors of the present disclosure have designed the stiffener 50 described herein to have one or more ribs 30 in order to provide uniform load distribution to the stiffener and as well added resistance to the longitudinal wind forces that could impact the stability of a drywall system. The stiffener 50 of the present disclosure further carries a simple design which is easy to manufacture, demands no changes to the transport mechanism currently in practice, optimizes material cost for its production and allows flexibility in assembling the stiffener 50 in production site and on-site during installation.

The ribs 30 of the stiffener 50 can be designed to be at various angles from the flanges 20a, 20b. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A the ribs 30 are at 90-degree angle from the flanges 20a, 20b. In alternate embodiment, the ribs 30 could be designed to be at acute or obtuse angles from the flanges 20a, 20b. In still alternate embodiments, each of the ribs 30 in the stiffener 50 could be designed to have a different angle from the flanges 20a, 20b. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the ribs 30 have a height H which is equal to or less than the height H′ of the flanges 20a, 20b. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A all ribs 30 of the stiffener 50 have a height H equal to the height H′ of the flanges 20a, 20b. However, stiffeners could also be designed to have a plurality of ribs 30, wherein the height H of a few of the ribs 30 is less than H′ and that of a few others are equal to H′. In still another embodiment, the ribs 30 could be designed to be provided intermittently on the flanges 20a, 20b. However, the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A illustrates ribs 30 that are continuous in design running from the bottom edge of the flanges 20a, 20b to the top edge of the flanges 20a, 20b.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the ribs 30 have a length L less than the length L′ of the web 10. In an example embodiment, the length of the ribs 30 is 2 mm. This is of particular relevance because the drywall studs fitted with the stiffeners 50 of the present disclosure could still be transported by arranging one drywall stud atop another as illustrated in FIG. 8. FIG. 8 illustrates cross-sectional view of two drywall stud 100 provided with stiffener 50 of the present disclosure arranged for transportation. The gap provided between the ribs 30 rising from the flange 20a and the ribs 30 rising from the flange 20b allows for accommodating another drywall stud atop the bottom drywall stud thereby enabling effective space utilization. Therefore, the conventional arrangement for transporting drywall studs remains unaffected by the introduction of the stiffeners 50 of the present disclosure.

The stiffener 50 is made of a material selected from aluminum or mild steel coated with galvanized iron (GI). The thickness of the stiffener 50 ranges between 0.4 mm and 2 mm. In a particular embodiment, the thickness of the stiffener 50 is 1 mm. The base metal thickness of a drywall stud desired to be fixed with the stiffener 50 of the present disclosure could have a reduced base metal thickness compared to conventional drywall studs. This drywall stud even with reduced base metal thickness when fitted with the stiffeners 50 of the present disclosure imparts improved stiffness and performance to the wall system construction therefrom. By means of this the additional material cost incurred for the stiffener making is controlled because the reduced thickness of the base metal compensates for the material cost incurred for the stiffeners.

In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, ribs 30′ could be provided on the web 10 of the stiffener 50 as illustrated in FIG. 1B. Here the ribs 30′ are provided on the web 10 in the space between the ribs 30 rising from the flange 20a and flange 20b. Again the number, design and angle of the ribs 30′ rising from the web 10 could be varied and all such modifications fall within the scope of this disclosure. The U-shaped cross-section of the stiffener 50 has a dimension that is slightly smaller than the conventional U-shaped drywall studs such that the stiffener 50 fits inside the drywall studs. Although in the embodiments described in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the stiffener 50 are provided with rivet holes 40 for riveting them to the drywall studs, other means of fixing the stiffeners within the drywall stud are also encompassed by the teachings of the present disclosure. For example, stiffeners 50 could be adhesively bonded to the drywall studs by providing a foam backing on the drywall web and flanges at positions where the stiffeners 50 are desired to be attached.

FIG. 2 illustrates a stiffener 50′ for ceiling sections, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The primary difference between the stiffener 50 illustrated in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B used for drywall studs and the stiffener 50′ illustrated in FIG. 2 used for ceiling sections is that the flanges 20a′, 20b′ rising from the web 10′ of the stiffener 50′ have an angle X greater than 90-degrees. This is of significance owing to the shape of the ceiling sections used for construction of drywall ceilings. Further the length L of the ribs 30′ of the stiffener 50′ is greater than the length L′ of the web 10′. In a particular embodiment, the length L of the ribs 30′ ranges between 2 mm to 35 mm. Furthermore, the length L of the ribs 30′ of the stiffener 50′ is equal to the distance D between flanges 20a′ and 20b′. Two rivet holes 40′ are provided on the flanges 20a′, 20b′ for riveting the stiffener 50′ to the ceiling section. Alternatively, rivet holes 40′ could also be provided on the web 10′ of the stiffener 50′ for riveting purposes.

FIG. 3 illustrates a drywall stud 100 fitted with a stiffener 50 of the present disclosure, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The drywall stud 100 comprises of a web 130 at the bottom having two flanges 131a, 131b at their outer ends with edge portions 132a, 132b bent inwardly towards each other. The stiffener 50 fits in the drywall stud 100 with its web 10 and flanges 20a, 20b abutting against the web 130 and flanges 131a, 131b of the drywall stud 100, respectively. The dimension of the stiffener 50 is adjusted such that it is snap fitted into the drywall stud 100 and retained in position to absorb forces required for driving screws in the flanges 131a, 131b of the drywall stud 100 during fastening of the drywall panels. Conventionally, gypsum panels are used for this purpose. Two gypsum panels will be secured to the flanges 131a, 131b of the drywall stud 100 by means of screwing. The stiffener ribs 30 add strength to the flanges 20a, 20b of the stiffener 50 during compression and therefore provide solid backing for the flanges 131a, 131b of the drywall stud 100 during screwing.

The stiffener 50 of the present disclosure can also be fitted within a drywall stud 100 that do not have edge portions 132a, 132b. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the stiffener is riveted to the web 130 of the drywall stud 100 through rivet holes 40 provided on the web 10 of the stiffener 50. In one embodiment, the rivet holes 40 have a diameter ranging between 1 mm to 3 mm and are provided at the edges of the web 10 of the stiffener. Alternate means of fixing the stiffener 50 within the drywall stud 100 may also be exercised. In alternate embodiments the stiffener 50 may also be riveted to the flanges 131a, 131b of the drywall stud 100 through rivet holes provided on the flanges 30a, 30b of the stiffener 50. Multiple stiffeners 50 can be fixed within a drywall stud 100 depending on the positions of the drywall stud where screwing would occur. In an example embodiment, stiffeners 50 are fixed in a drywall stud at every 2 feet interval. In another example embodiment, stiffeners 50 are fixed in the top and bottom edges of the drywall stud.

FIG. 4 illustrates a ceiling section 200 fitted with a stiffener 50′ of the present disclosure, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The ceiling section 200 comprises of a web 230 at the bottom having two flanges 231a, 231b at their outer ends with edge portions 232a, 232b bent outwardly away from each other. The flanges 231a, 231b extend at an angle greater than 90-degrees from the web 230 of the ceiling section 200. It is to this angle that angle X formed between the flanges 20a′, 20b′ and web 10′ of the stiffener 50′ correspond to. The stiffener 50′ fits inside the ceiling section 200 with its web 10′ and flanges 20a′, 20b′ abutting against the web 230 and flanges 231a, 231b of the ceiling section 200, respectively.

The dimension of the stiffener 50′ is adjusted such that it is snap fitted into the ceiling section 200 and retained in position to absorb forces required for driving screws in the web 230 of the ceiling section 200 during fastening of the drywall panels. Conventionally, gypsum panels are used for this purpose. Gypsum panels are usually secured to the web 230 of the ceiling section 200 by means of screwing. The stiffener ribs 30′ make the flanges 20a′, 20b′ and web 10′ of the stiffener 50′ very stiff in compression and therefore provide solid backing to the web 230 of the ceiling section 200 during screwing. In addition to this, the stiffener 50′ also reduces crack formation in ceiling constructions, particularly crack formations occurring due to irregularity in the installations.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, as illustrated in FIG. 4 the stiffener 50′ is fitted within the ceiling section 200 though a lancing 240 provided in the flanges 231a, 231b at positions where the stiffener 50′ are desired to be fixed. Lancing 240 is a rectangular cut-out provided on the flanges 231a, 231b of the ceiling section 200 which is slightly bent inward to allow for the insertion of the flanges 20a′, 20b′ of the stiffener 50′. Alternatively, rivet holes could be provided on the stiffener 50′ similar to that provided on the stiffener 50 used for drywall studs 100 for fixing the stiffener 50′ within the ceiling section 200. It should be understood that drywall stiffeners 50 and the ceiling stiffeners 50′ can be manufactured with either riveting holes or lancing feature and the present application tends to describe the drywall stiffener 50 with rivet holes 40 and the ceiling stiffener 50′ that is fixed to the ceiling section by a lancing feature only for teachings purposes. In still another embodiment, the ceiling stiffener 50′ could be fixed within the ceiling section 200 using both the lancing present on the flanges 231a, 231b (showed in FIG. 4) and rivet holes 40′ provided on the web 10′ of the stiffener 50′ (showed in FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B and FIG. 2 among others).

Multiple stiffeners 50′ can be fixed within a ceiling section 200 depending on the positions of the ceiling section where screwing would occur. In an example embodiment, stiffeners 50′ are fixed in a ceiling section at every 2 feet interval. Conventionally, ceiling sections are transported by stacking ceiling sections one over the other. Owing to which, in the most preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the stiffeners 50′ are fixed within the ceiling section 200 at the installation site. Nevertheless, the stiffeners 50′ could also be fixed within the ceiling sections 200 at the manufacturing site before transportation by riveting or lancing.

It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and arrangement of the parts illustrated in the accompanying figures, since the present disclosure is capable of being implemented in varied number of embodiments and practiced in various ways. Further the terminology employed herein is for the purposes of description and teaching of the present disclosure and do not in any sense limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5A to FIG. 5G illustrate stiffeners 50 for drywall stud according to multiple embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5A illustrates a stiffener 50 for drywall studs that has ribs 30 arranged parallel to the flanges 20a, 20b as well provided on the web 10 of the stiffener 50. The ribs 30 on flange 20a, correspond in position to the ribs 30 on flange 20b and run for the entire length of the flanges 20a, 20b. FIG. 5B illustrates a stiffener 50 for drywall studs that has ribs 30 arranged on the edges of the flanges 20a, 20b.

FIG. 5C to FIG. 5F illustrate stiffeners 50 which are slightly different from the stiffeners 50 described so far in the disclosure. This is because the stiffeners 50 described so far were designed to have ribs protruding from their flanges. Whereas the stiffeners 50 described in FIG. 5C to FIG. 5F are designed such that the flanges of the stiffeners protrude inward to form rib structures which are perpendicular, parallel or diagonal to the flanges. FIG. 5C illustrates a stiffener 50 whose flanges 20a, 20b are bent to form ribs 30 which run parallel to the flanges. Further the web 10 of the stiffener 50 are also bent to form rib like structure at the bottom of the stiffener 50. FIG. 5D illustrates a stiffener 50 whose flanges 20a, 20b are bent to form ribs 30 which run in a perpendicular direction to the flanges. Further the web 10 of the stiffener 50 are also bent to form rib like structure at the bottom of the stiffener 50. The stiffener 50 illustrated in FIG. 5E are provided with two ribs 30 that run diagonal to the flanges 20a, 20b and meet at the center portion of the flanges 20a, 20b. Similarly, the stiffener 50 illustrated in FIG. 5F comprise of ribs 30 that are a combination of ribs that run parallel and diagonal to the flanges 20a, 20b to form a cluster-shape.

FIG. 5G again illustrates a stiffener 50 for a drywall stud that has ribs 30 whose length L is equal to the length of the web L′ and the ribs 30 run perpendicular between the flanges 20a and 20b of the stiffener 50.

All variations illustrated for the drywall stiffener 50 should be understood to be applicable for ceiling stiffener 50′ of the present disclosure. While the drywall stiffener 50 illustrated in FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B can be manufactured by dye casting, the drywall stiffener 50 illustrated in FIG. 5C to FIG. 5F can be manufactured by embossing. Further the depths of the ribs 30 in these stiffeners could be optimized for the stiffeners to be manufactured by cold-working. Therefore, the drywall stiffeners 50 and ceiling stiffeners 50′ provide flexibility in terms of manufacturing.

FIG. 6 illustrates a drywall partition 300 constructed from drywall studs 100 that extend between a floor channel 310 and a ceiling channel 320. The drywall studs 100 are retained by the floor channel 310 at their bottoms and are retained by a similar ceiling channel 320 at their top. Gypsum panels 330a, 330b are fastened to the opposite sides of the drywall studs 100 by nails or screws 340. The drywall studs 100 may be fastened to the floor channel 310 and also to the ceiling channel 320 with screws 340 or by other methods.

The drywall studs 100 are fixed with a plurality of stiffener 50 of the present disclosure at positions that necessitate screwing on the drywall studs 100 in order for the gypsum panels 330a, 330b to be fastened on either sides of the drywall studs 100. The stiffeners 50 can be fixed within the drywall stud 100 in a variety of ways such as but not limiting to riveting or lancing. Thus, when the screws are driven into the flanges 131a, 131b to fasten the gypsum panels 330a and 330b to the flanges 131a, 131b the stiffener 50 prevents the flanges 131a, 131b from bending and allows the screws to penetrate relatively easily through the flanges 131a, 131b. Likewise, the stiffener 50 holds the flanges 131a, 131b in place if nails are pounded into the flanges 131a, 131b rather than screws being driven into the flanges 131a, 131b. The stiffeners 50 also give additional structural strength to the drywall studs 100 for general structural strength.

The additional structural strength provided by the stiffeners 50 of the present disclosure support higher partition heights which otherwise would not be possible. Conventionally the drywall partitions made of 48 mm drywall studs are constructed to standard height of 2.5 meters. With the stiffeners 50 of the present disclosure in place, the height achieved by a drywall partition made of 48 mm drywall studs can be increased to 3.3 meters. This is made possible by the stiffness and reinforcement provided by the stiffeners 50 of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a suspended drywall ceiling 400 comprising a grid 410 formed of intermediate beams 420 interlocking with perpendicular extending ceiling sections 200. The grid 410 is suspended from a structural ceiling by hang wires or the like, in the well-known manner of suspended ceilings. The intermediate beams 420 and ceiling sections 200 are joined together by conventional clipping mechanism. The construction of a suspended drywall ceiling is well known. First, the grid 410 is constructed of the intermediate beams 420, and suspended by hang wires from a structural ceiling. Large sheets of gypsum panels 430 are then secured to grid 410 from below by self-tapping screws inserted by an installer with a power screwdriver, through the gypsum panels 430 into the ceiling sections 200. The gypsum panels 430 may correspond in size to the distance between the centerlines of ceiling sections 200 in the grid 410. In FIG. 7, two gypsum panels 430a, 430b are joined together at point 450, which forms the centerline of the ceiling section 200.

As illustrated, the ceiling sections 200 are provided with multiple ceiling stiffeners 50 within them. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the stiffeners 50′ are provided at both the edges of the ceiling sections 200 and one stiffener 50′ provided centrally. However, in alternate embodiments, stiffeners 50′ may be provided only at the top and bottom edge of the ceiling sections. The stiffeners 50′, particularly those provided in the ceiling section 200 having the point 450 are critical. This is because these stiffeners 50′ provide backing to the web 230 of the ceiling section 200 such that the screwing of the gypsum panels 430 is done efficiently.

If no stiffeners 50′ are provided inside the ceiling sections 200, the point 450 may cause the ceiling section 200 at that location to crumble leading to the sagging of the suspended ceiling 400 eventually resulting in the ceiling cracking over a period of time. Such crumbling issues are also true for other ceiling sections 200 present adjacent to the point 450. The development of cracks in the suspended ceiling 400 is reduced in accordance with the present disclosure by providing stiffeners 50′ inside the ceiling sections 200 which backs the web 230 of the ceiling sections 200 to hold them in place when the screws are driven into them, thus assuring the screws penetrate the web 230 and further restrict the flanges 231a, 231b of the ceiling sections 200 from crumbling or buckling over a period of time.

EXAMPLES

Comparative Example 1

Deflection Testing of Drywall Partitions

A drywall partition was constructed by erecting 48 mm drywall studs having a thickness of 0.4 mm provided with 3.8 mm drywall stiffeners 50 of the present disclosure between a conventional floor channel and a ceiling channel. The 48 mm drywall studs were provided with two stiffeners 50 one attached to the top end of the drywall stud and the other attached to the bottom end of the drywall studs. Deflection of the drywall partition having stiffeners were measured by simulation and compared with the deflection exhibited by a drywall partition having no stiffeners when applied with a load of 200 Pa.

While the conventional drywall partition (with no stiffeners) recorded a maximum deflection of 7.74 mm at 200 Pa, the drywall partition constructed from drywall studs provided with stiffeners of the present disclosure recorded a maximum deflection of 3.81 mm at 200 Pa. Thus the deflection of the drywall partition comprising stiffeners was found to be improved by almost 50%. This is because the ribs of the stiffeners resist the deflection of the flanges through uniform distribution of load. Further the 50% improvement in the stiffness, stability and structural strength of the partition system with stiffeners enable higher partition heights.

Comparative Example 2

Deflection Testing of Suspended Ceiling

A suspended ceiling was constructed by erecting ceiling sections provided with 3.8 mm ceiling stiffeners 50′ of the present disclosure to perpendicularly placed intermediate channels hung from a structural ceiling. The ceiling sections were provided with two ceiling stiffeners 50′ each, one at each edge of the ceiling section. Deflection of the suspended ceiling system having stiffeners were measure by simulation and compared with the deflection exhibited by a conventional suspended ceiling system when applied with a load ranging between 50-75 N.

While the conventional suspended ceiling (with no stiffeners) recorded a maximum deflection of 0.65 mm at 75 N, the suspended ceiling system constructed from ceiling sections provided with ceiling stiffeners of the present disclosure recorded a maximum deflection of 0.0046 mm Thus the stiffness of suspended ceiling system was found to be largely improved by the ceiling stiffeners of the present disclosure, which can be attributed to the ribs present in the ceiling stiffeners that resist the bending od the ceiling sections during flexural load.

Comparative Example 3

Deflection Testing of Suspended Ceiling System

A 1800 mm cross 1200 mm suspended ceiling complete with gypsum panels of size 1800 mm×1200 mm was constructed by erecting ceiling sections provided with 3.8 mm ceiling stiffeners 50′ of the present disclosure to perpendicularly placed intermediate channels hung from a structural ceiling spanning to 1700 mm. The ceiling sections were provided with three ceiling stiffeners 50′ each, one at each edge of the ceiling section and another stiffener positioned centrally. 30 kg of total weight by applying 10 kg across each of the ceiling section provided with stiffener was applied on the system from the top and deflection cause by the load was measured from the bottom using a dial gauge.

An exactly similar suspended ceiling system was constructed without the stiffeners of the present disclosure and was applied with 30 kg of load from top and deflection measured from the bottom. While the suspended ceiling system provided with the stiffener was found to deflect 15.1 mm the ceiling system without the stiffener was found to deflect 26.5 mm thus demonstrating a reduced deflection of almost 43%.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

With use and implementation of the stiffeners of the present disclosure, channels such as drywall studs and ceiling sections with improved stiffness can be obtained without complicating the stud construction. The stiffness of the channels is improved by the backing provided by the stiffeners to the flanges of the drywall studs and ceiling sections that allow screws or nails to be driven into the flanges without bending the flanges. The present disclosure provides a stiffener that can be easily inserted into the channels by simple means and one that holds itself in place. The present disclosure provides reinforced stud constructions utilizing stiffeners that can be fabricated easily and economically from sheet stock. The stiffeners resist crumbling/buckling of the suspended ceiling systems thereby delaying and reducing development of cracks.

The present disclosure also pays attention to the transport of the channels fabricated with stiffeners by designing stiffeners that make no change to the conventional means of transporting channels. Further the stiffener designs provide flexibility of them being produced by multiple methods such as dye casting, embossing and cold-working. Furthermore, the stiffener design compensates the additional cost of material involved in producing them by enabling the use of channels having reduced thickness. Moreover, the stiffener pieces are made from simple construction that fits complementarily within the channels along with which they co-act.

Note that not all of the activities described above in the general description or the examples are required, that a portion of a specific activity may not be required, and that one or more further activities may be performed in addition to those described. Still further, the order in which activities are listed is not necessarily the order in which they are performed.

Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any feature(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature of any or all the claims.

The specification and illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of the various embodiments. The specification and illustrations are not intended to serve as an exhaustive and comprehensive description of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systems that use the structures or methods described herein. Certain features, that are for clarity, described herein in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in a sub combination. Further, reference to values stated in ranges includes each and every value within that range. Many other embodiments may be apparent to skilled artisans only after reading this specification. Other embodiments may be used and derived from the disclosure, such that a structural substitution, logical substitution, or another change may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure is to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

The description in combination with the figures is provided to assist in understanding the teachings disclosed herein, is provided to assist in describing the teachings, and should not be interpreted as a limitation on the scope or applicability of the teachings. However, other teachings can certainly be used in this application.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of features is not necessarily limited only to those features but may include other features not expressly listed or inherent to such method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive-or and not to an exclusive-or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

Also, the use of “a” or “an” is employed to describe elements and components described herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the scope of the disclosure. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural, or vice versa, unless it is clear that it is meant otherwise. For example, when a single item is described herein, more than one item may be used in place of a single item. Similarly, where more than one item is described herein, a single item may be substituted for that more than one item.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. To the extent that certain details regarding specific materials and processing acts are not described, such details may include conventional approaches, which may be found in reference books and other sources within the manufacturing arts.

While aspects of the present disclosure have been particularly shown and described with reference to the embodiments above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various additional embodiments may be contemplated by the modification of the disclosed machines, systems and methods without departing from the spirit and scope of what is disclosed. Such embodiments should be understood to fall within the scope of the present disclosure as determined based upon the claims and any equivalents thereof.

LIST OF ELEMENTS

• 50 Stiffener for Drywall Stud
• 10 Web
• 20a, 20b Flange
• 30 Rib
• 30′ Rib
• 40 Rivet Holes
• 50′ Stiffener for Ceiling Section
• 10′ Web
• 20a′, 20b′ Flange
• 40′ Rivet Holes
• 100 Drywall Stud
• 130 Web
• 131a, 131b Flange
• 132a, 132b Edge Portion
• 200 Ceiling Section
• 230 Web
• 231a, 231b Flange
• 232a, 232b Edge Portion
• 240 Lancing
• 300 Drywall Partition
• 310 Floor Channel
• 320 Ceiling Channel
• 330a, 330b Gypsum Panels
• 400 Suspended Ceiling System
• 410 Grid
• 420 Intermediate Channel
• 430a, 430b Gypsum Panels
• 450 Joint Point
• X Angle between Web and Flange of the Stiffener
• L Length of the Rib of the Stiffener
• L′ Length of the web of the Stiffener
• H Height of the Rib of the Stiffener
• H′ Height of the Flanges of the Stiffener
• D Distance between the Flanges of the Stiffener

Claims

1. A stiffener for a construction element for providing resistance against deflection and cracking, said stiffener comprising a U-shaped cross-section with a web and a first flange and a second flange extending transversely from the web at an angle X more than or equal to 90 degrees and one or more ribs rising from each of the first and the second flanges and extending towards each other, wherein the stiffener is configured to be fixed within the construction element.

2. The stiffener as claimed in claim 1, wherein a height H of at least one rib is equal to or less than a height H′ of the first flange or second flange.

3. The stiffener as claimed in claim 1, wherein a length L of at least one rib is equal to or less than a length L′ of the web.

4. The stiffener as claimed in claim 1, wherein a length L of at least one rib is greater than a length L′ of the web.

5. The stiffener as claimed in claim 4, wherein a length L of at least one rib equals a distance D between the first and second flanges.

6. The stiffener as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ribs on the first flange correspond or alternative with the ribs on the second flange.

7. The stiffener as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second flanges protrude inward to form ribs.

8. The stiffener as claimed in claim 1 optionally comprises one or more ribs rising from the web.

9. The stiffener as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more ribs are arranged perpendicular or parallel or diagonal to the first and second flanges or web, respectively.

10. The stiffener as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ribs 30, are arranged in form of a cluster.

11. The stiffener as claimed in claim 1 is made of a material selected from aluminum and mild steel coated with galvanized iron (GI).

12. The stiffener as claimed in claim 1 has a thickness ranging between 0.4 mm and 2 mm.

13. The stiffener as claimed in claim 1, wherein the construction element is selected from a drywall stud and a ceiling section.

14. A drywall partition providing structural integrity to resist destructive forces comprising:

a plurality of vertical drywall studs retained between a floor channel and a ceiling channel, wherein each vertical drywall stud comprises a plurality of stiffeners as claimed in claim 1 spaced at desired intervals, wherein the web and the first and second flanges of the stiffener abuts a web and flanges of the drywall studs, respectively.

15. The suspended drywall ceiling as claimed in claim 14, wherein the drywall stud has a base metal thickness reduced between 10% and 40% compared to a conventional drywall stud.

16. A suspended drywall ceiling providing structural integrity to resist destructive forces comprising:

a grid suspended from a structural ceiling having intermediate beams interlocked with ceiling sections comprising a plurality of stiffeners as claimed in claim 1 spaced at desired intervals, wherein the web and the first and second flanges of the stiffener abuts a web and flanges of the ceiling sections, respectively.

17. The suspended drywall ceiling as claimed in claim 16, wherein the ceiling section has a base metal thickness reduced between 10% and 40% compared to a conventional ceiling section.

18. The suspended drywall ceiling as claimed in claim 16, exhibiting up to 50% less deflection compared to a conventional ceiling system.