National Rolling Mills, Inc.

Eugene E Brady

William J Platt

Daniel C Ziegler

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.

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Horsham, PA, United States of America

Eugene E Brady