Armstrong World Industries, Inc.

Worthington Armstrong Venture

National Rolling Mills, Inc.

Daniel C Ziegler

William J Platt

Yu Lin

James C Ollinger

Ernest B Nute, Jr

John M Hemphill

Eugene E Brady

A V-shaped indent is formed in a stab-in connector for a suspended ceiling grid. The indent forms a vertical bend line. In a fire, the connector bends along the vertical bend line to permit a cross beam in the grid to expand while keeping the grid intact, and thus capable of continuing to support the panels.

Stab-in connector with expansion relief

A compression relief section in a beam in a grid for a suspended ceiling that permits controlled collapse of the section during a fire, whereby the ceiling is kept relatively intact. The section has a channel formed from the web portion of the beam, and a crushed bulb with a hump, along with a flange, that fold from compression forces, while resisting such forces. There is no interference between the folding portions and the ceiling panels, or drywall, when the section collapses.

Compression relief section

A grid framework for a suspended ceiling wherein reinforced cross members are allowed to expand; without collapsing or buckling, during a fire. Clips at the end of the members create barriers that are successfully overcome, in stages, to relieve any excess longitudinal compressive forces capable of being built up by the reinforced members.

Grid framework for suspended ceiling

The expansion joint for the runner is formed with two cut-out areas and cuts in the vertical web to permit the horizontal web, enlarged bulb and remaining web by the cut-out areas to bend outward to absorb expansion of the runner when subjected to fire.

Fire expansion joint for ceiling runner

An end detail for a ceiling runner is provided incorporating a tongue extending from the end of the ceiling runner with a tab formed as part of the tongue. Due to the construction of the ceiling runner, the tab is formed from two side-by-side pieces of metal which tend to separate. A means is provided near the base of the tab on the tongue for displacing a portion of the metal of the tongue laterally within the plane of the tongue to lock together the two pieces of metal forming the tongue.

End detail for ceiling runner

A beam for a fire-rated suspended ceiling structure wherien the beam has an inverted-T construction and includes a central web having a bulb at the top and a pair of oppositely disposed flanges at the bottom for supporting ceiling tiles, and an improved expansion relief section of the beam comprising a section of the web having a pair of spaced vertical cuts in the web and an horizontal cut extending between the upper ends of the vertical cuts to form a tab extending upwardly from the pair of flanges, the tab having an inverted triangular cut-out portion the apex thereof adjacent the pair of flanges and dividing the tab into two portions, a pair of protuberances formed in the upper edge of the tab portion contacting the upper portion of the web, and a section of the bulb having a crushed portion opposite the apex of the triangular cut-out portion, the crushed portion of the bulb having a substantially Z-shaped configuration whereby when the beam is subjected to expansion forces accompanying fire conditions the Z-shaped configuration of the crushed portion of the bulb is compressed along the axis of the beam and the vertical cuts on the tab portion cooperate with the opposed section of the web to cause the flanges of the beam to bend downwardly adjacent the apex of the triangular cut-out portion to relieve the expansion forces without substantial twisting of the beam thereby avoiding displacement of the support for the ceiling tiles.

Fire-rated beam with expansion relief section

The invention provides a slot in the runner and lugs on a clip to allow sliding contact between the runner and the clip. This allows for expansion of the runner during a fire condition. The clip is fastened to the vertical web of an adjacent runner to fasten the runner structures together. Normally, a clip is provided on each end of one runner structure and it is mounted between two rigidly positioned other runner structures and the runner with the clips is capable of expansion and contraction under fire conditions without buckling.

Growing community of inventors

Millersville, PA, United States of America

Daniel C Ziegler