Wall column made of hard fiberboard

Abstract

A wall column is provided. The wall column (10) comprises an elongated body (12) and at least one flange (14) extending from the elongated body (12) to provide a wall column width (W) greater than a thickness (T) of the elongated body (12). The elongated body (12) and the at least one flange (14) are made of hard fiberboard.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a wall column and a method for producing the wall column. Background Art

[0002] A wall stud is a structural member used in frame buildings. Typically, a wall is constructed by placing a base plate as the bottom horizontal member, a top plate as the upper horizontal member, and a number of vertically arranged studs extending between the base and top plates. The areas between the studs can be filled with insulation, and drywall or other types of panels can be attached to the studs to form the plane of the wall.

[0003] Solid wood can be used to make a column, which is then made into a slender member with a rectangular cross-section. Other alternatives include steel columns; these are made into slender panels that are folded into a U-shape. While solid wood columns are heavy and can bend, steel columns are lighter and straighter. However, steel columns have sharp edges and are difficult to cut to the required length.

[0004] Based on the above, improvements are needed and attempts have been made to produce columns using smaller solid wood components in combination with engineered wood. However, these existing products require complex manufacturing techniques and they do little to address the shortcomings of traditional steel or solid wood columns. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to improve the prior art. In addition, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved method for manufacturing wall columns.

[0006] An idea of ​​the present invention is to provide a wall stud which is lightweight, easy to use and of very low cost.

[0007] Another idea of ​​the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing such an improved wall stud.

[0008] According to a first aspect, a wall stud is provided. The wall stud comprises: an elongated body and at least one flange extending from the elongated body to provide a wall stud width greater than a thickness of the elongated body. The elongated body and the at least one flange are made of hardboard.

[0009] Using hardboard to manufacture studs has proven to be very cost-effective, not only because hardboard itself is low-cost, but also because it allows for the use of low-complexity manufacturing techniques. In addition, since hardboard is usually produced without the use of any adhesive components, the resulting studs are more environmentally friendly than those currently on the market.

[0010] Hardboard is a material consisting of highly compressed wood fibers. In the context of the present application, the term "hardboard" is also intended to cover modified wood products having similar properties to hardboard, such as wood materials that have undergone an acetylation process and / or a furfuralization process.

[0011] The proposed wall studs are highly efficient, easy to operate and sustainable.

[0012] The elongated body and the at least one flange may together form an I-shaped cross section, an L-shaped cross section, a T-shaped cross section, a C-shaped cross section or a rectangular cross section. Thus, the solution proposed herein allows for a variety of shapes to meet various structural requirements.

[0013] The elongated body and the at least one flange may form a folded portion of the same hardboard, which is more advantageous for the manufacturing process, which may be a continuous process.

[0014] The at least one flange may be bonded to the elongated body. Bonding may be performed in-line during the manufacturing process, which makes the manufacturing process more efficient.

[0015] An interface between the elongated body and one of the at least one flange may form an angled shape, and a vertex of the angled shape may have a radius (R). This further eliminates the disadvantages of commercially available steel columns in particular, which are difficult to handle in a safe manner due to sharp edges.

[0016] According to a second aspect, a wall stud is provided. The wall stud comprises an elongated body and at least one flange extending from the elongated body to form a channel-shaped wall stud. The wall stud is made of a plurality of molded paper layers.

[0017] The paper columns offer several benefits, including excellent sustainability, formability and easy handling.

[0018] For any of the above aspects, the at least one flange may extend from the elongated body at an angle of 80° to 90°, preferably 85° to 89°. Such a slightly inwardly angled flange would be beneficial as it would allow any structural member inserted into the wall stud (e.g. another stud) to have a clamping effect.

[0019] Alternatively, the at least one flange may extend from the elongate body at an angle of 90° to 100°, preferably 91° to 95°, thereby creating a slightly outwardly inclined flange.

[0020] At least one of the elongated body and the at least one flange may be provided with a ruler to facilitate correct cutting of the stud to a desired length.

[0021] According to another aspect, a method for manufacturing a wall stud is provided. The method for manufacturing a wall stud comprises: i) providing a hardboard; ii) providing at least one V-shaped groove in the hardboard; iii) adding glue to the at least one V-shaped groove; and iv) folding the hardboard in the area of ​​the at least one V-shaped groove. Step i) of providing the hardboard comprises: splicing a plurality of hardboards.

[0022] The following description gives further embodiments of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The present invention will be further explained below by way of non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings;

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wall structure, wherein the wall structure includes a wall column according to an embodiment.

[0025] Figure 2a to Figure 2d is a schematic side view showing a manufacturing process for producing a wall stud according to an embodiment.

[0026] Figures 3a to 3j are cross-sectional views of wall studs according to various embodiments.

[0027] Figure 4a 4d is a schematic side view showing a manufacturing process for producing a wall stud according to an embodiment.

[0028] Figure 5 is an isometric view of a wall stud according to one embodiment.

[0029] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of a production equipment for manufacturing a wall column. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] from Figure 1 Initially, a wall structure 1 is shown. A wall structure is generally a non-load bearing wall section assembled from horizontal and vertical elements. Figure 1 As shown, a bottom plate 3 is arranged in a horizontal direction and fixed to an underlying structure (e.g., a floor) by any suitable means (e.g., screws, etc.). A top plate 5 is arranged vertically above the bottom plate 3 and horizontally aligned with the bottom plate 3. The top plate 5 is fixed to an upper structure, such as a ceiling or any other solid structure arranged in the ceiling. Vertical wall studs 10 extend between the bottom plate 3 and the top plate 5. Figure 1As can be clearly seen in the figure, the bottom plate 3 and the top plate 5 are channel plates, so the wall stud 10 can be received by each of the bottom plate 3 and the top plate 5. However, it should be understood that the exact shape and configuration of the bottom plate 3, the top plate 5 and the wall stud 10 can be varied as long as the wall stud 10 can be securely attached. Secure attachment can be achieved, for example, by additional fasteners, or simply by clamping the wall stud 10 within the corresponding bottom plate 3 and top plate 5. A separate block (not shown) can be used to attach the wall stud 10 to either the bottom plate 3 or the top plate 5. Such a block can be arranged inside the wall stud 10 so that it protrudes to a certain extent from the end of the wall stud 10, and the protruding end is inserted into the adjacent bottom plate 3 or the top plate 5. A similar block can also be used to connect two separate wall studs.

[0031] In order to complete the wall, the wall structure 1 also provides some kind of panel (not shown) to form the surface of the wall. These panels (such as dry walls) are usually fixed to the wall studs 10 with screws, so the wall studs 10 need to be strong enough to bear the weight of the panels.

[0032] It should be noted that for Figure 1 In the example shown in FIG. 1 , all wall components (i.e., the bottom plate 3, the top plate 5, and the wall studs 10) can be manufactured as wall studs within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, although the device of the present invention is shown as a wall stud, it should also cover other structural elements with similar uses, i.e., slender members for frames or other structures.

[0033] As described herein, the wall stud 10 is made of hardboard or paper. As will be further explained below, each material will provide specific technical advantages.

[0034] Now go to Figure 2a to Figure 2d , a process for manufacturing the wall stud 10 will be explained. Figure 2a Initially, a panel 20 is shown. The panel 20 is formed from hardboard or from a plurality of papers bonded together to form a panel shape. The panel 20 is substantially planar, although in the case of hardboard, one of the top or bottom surfaces may typically be textured.

[0035] The panel 20 is provided with one or more V-shaped grooves 22 extending longitudinally along the panel 20, wherein the exact number of the V-shaped grooves 22 depends on the final shape of the wall stud 10. In the example shown, there are two V-shaped grooves extending downwardly from the upper side 24. Preferably, as Figure 2a to Figure 2b As shown, the V-shaped groove 22 does not completely pass through the panel 20. Therefore, the remaining panel thickness PT will form i) a rigid connection of the panel 20, and ii) a hinge mechanism.

[0036] The V-shaped grooves 22 may be strictly V-shaped, or they may be modified to have one or more notches to increase the surface area of ​​the V-shaped grooves 22, thereby improving Figure 2c Bonding shown.

[0037] In subsequent steps, Figure 2b As shown, a suitable adhesive 26 is applied to the V-shaped groove 22. The adhesive 26 (usually glue) can be as follows Figure 2b The V-shaped groove 22 may be added in the form of a thin line to the bottom of the V-shaped groove 22, or may be applied evenly over the entire surface area of ​​the V-shaped groove 22.

[0038] To form the wall stud 10, the panel 20 is folded in the region of the V-shaped groove 22. In the example shown, the panel 20 is folded at two locations to form a wall stud having an elongated body 12 and two flanges 14 extending from the elongated body 12. Thus, the elongated body 12 corresponds to a portion of the panel 20 located between the two V-shaped grooves 22, and each flange 14 will correspond to a portion of the panel 20 disposed on each side of the elongated body 12. Since the flanges 14 extend from the elongated body 12, a width W of the wall stud 10 will be significantly greater than the thickness T of the elongated body 12 (i.e., the panel thickness).

[0039] For some embodiments, such as Figure 2c The wall stud 10 is shown ready. Figure 2d The wall column 10 shown in the figure is further improved. First, Figure 2d In the embodiment, the two flanges 14 are of different lengths. This is preferably achieved by selecting the position of the V-shaped groove 22 accordingly, so as to produce the wall stud 10 having the desired configuration and shape. Figure 2d Also shown in FIG. 1 is a corner (i.e., the interface between the elongated body 12 and the corresponding flange 14) having an outer apex having a radius R. By smoothing the sharp corners, the stud 10 will be easier to handle in a safe manner because the corner shape will otherwise be sharp and rigid.

[0040] In addition, the ends of each flange 14 may also be rounded to improve the handling of the wall stud 10. In the example shown, only one flange end is rounded, while the other flange end is chamfered. It should be understood that for a particular wall stud 10, the flange ends may have any possible configuration, such as both flange ends being rounded, straight, or chamfered.

[0041] Each flange 14 extends from the elongated body 12 at an angle α. The angle α may be 90°, or slightly less than 90°, so that the flanges 14 are slightly inclined inwardly. Preferably, the angle α is between 80° and 90°, more preferably between 85° and 89°.

[0042] Alternatively, the at least one flange may extend from the elongate body at an angle of 90° to 100°, preferably 91° to 95°, thereby creating a slightly outwardly inclined flange.

[0043] So far, the wall column 10 has been illustrated as a C-shaped channel column. Other shapes and configurations may also be used, such as Figures 3a to 3j As shown. Figure 3a Initially, the wall column 10 has an L-shaped cross section, and Figure 3b Initially, the wall stud 10 has a T-shaped cross section. Figure 3c In the embodiment, the wall column 10 has an I-shaped cross section. Figure 3d In all of these embodiments, the wall studs 10 are made of paper or hardboard and are preferably constructed according to the above description of Figure 2a to Figure 2d It should be mentioned that for Figure 3d For a rectangular wall column 10 in the embodiment, the side ends of the panel 20 must be provided with chamfered edges in order to close the shape of the wall column 10.

[0044] exist Figure 3e In the illustrated I-shaped embodiment, the material thickness of the elongated body 12 is greater than the material thickness of the flange 14. In addition, the elongated body 12 is mounted in a groove of at least one flange 14 to improve the attachment of the flange 14 to the elongated body 12.

[0045] exist Figure 3f 1 shows a C-shaped wall stud in which the material thickness is configured differently such that the material thickness of the elongated body 12 is less than the material thickness of at least one flange 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the entire end section of each flange 14 is chamfered.

[0046] exist Figure 3g It is shown in Figure 3f A similar C-shaped stud, however in this embodiment the material thickness of the elongated body 12 is greater than the material thickness of the at least one flange 14. In the embodiment shown, the entire end section of the elongated body 12 is chamfered.

[0047] exist Figure 3h1 shows a rectangular wall column having two parallel elongated bodies 12 and two parallel flanges 14, the flanges 14 connecting the respective ends of the elongated bodies 12 to each other. In this embodiment, the material thickness of each elongated body 12 is less than the material thickness of the flanges 14.

[0048] Figure 3i Shown with Figure 3f A similar embodiment, however, the connecting end of the flange 14 is provided with a notch for forming a full contact with the thinner elongated body 12 .

[0049] Figure 3j A similar embodiment is shown, but here the connecting end of the elongated body 12 is provided with a notch for full contact with the thinner flange 14 .

[0050] Figures 4a to 4c Another manufacturing process for producing a wall stud 10 is shown. Here, there is no hardboard or rigid glued paper arrangement, but rather the material is an arrangement of freshly glued paper 30, still flexible and ready to be bent and shaped. The glued paper material 30 is arranged in a mold 40, which includes a female component 42 and a matching male component 44. When the male component 40 is inserted into the female component 44, the paper arrangement 30 will be formed accordingly, as shown in FIG. Figure 4b As shown, the paper arrangement 30 is preferably hardened so as to obtain a rigid structure within said mould 40 .

[0051] After the process is completed, the paper array 30 is taken out of the mold and formed into Figure 4c The form of the wall column 10 is shown. It is important to note that in the proposed paper wall column, the layers of paper are arranged completely parallel, while the paper strips of other paper products are arranged in a spiral shape.

[0052] Another continuous manufacturing method includes continuously feeding individual sheets of paper which are joined together by adhesive to form a planar arrangement of glued paper. This arrangement is fed through a series of rollers which are mounted so that the flange 14 is folded in a continuous manner relative to the elongated body 12. Optionally, the bottom layer of paper is wider than the other layers so that the bottom layer of paper is folded around the edges of the remaining layers of paper. Preferably, this edge covering is performed before forming the flange 14.

[0053] Now go to Figure 5 , a wall stud 10 is shown. The wall stud 10 may be manufactured by any of the above processes, but other types of processing techniques may also be used. In addition, although the present invention is based on the use of paper or hardboard, Figure 5The wall stud 10 in the embodiment has features that can also be provided on wall studs made of other materials. Therefore, each of the features to be described below is a rather specific aspect, which can but does not have to be the same as the above referenced features. Figure 1 Combined with the embodiment described in FIG. 4 .

[0054] like Figure 5 As shown, one of the flanges 14 is provided with a reinforcing wing 15, and the reinforcing wing 15 extends vertically inward from the outer end of the flange 14. Figure 2a to Figure 2d The reinforcing wing 15 can be manufactured by providing an additional V-shaped groove 22 on the panel 20 and making an additional fold in the area of ​​the additional V-shaped groove. It should be noted that each flange 14 can be provided with such a reinforcing wing 15, which can also be outward instead of inward.

[0055] The wall stud 10 is also provided at one or more of its longitudinal ends with one or more slits 16. The slits 16 are open at the longitudinal ends so that the transverse ends of the wall stud can be pressed towards each other to locally reduce the size of the wall stud 10. This is particularly useful for clamping the wall stud 10 in another structure, such as the base plate 3 or the top plate 5.

[0056] exist Figure 5 Also shown is a built-in ruler 17 provided for the wall stud 10. The ruler 17 is a series of evenly spaced markings for providing a visual marker indicating the length of the wall stud 10. Preferably, the ruler 17 is provided along the entire length of the wall stud 10 so that the wall stud 10 can be cut at both longitudinal ends and still allow the ruler to be used correctly. Since the preferred material is paper or hardboard, the markings may be printed or marked by other means, such as by using a suitable laser.

[0057] The marks can be equidistant marks, wherein the length of the marks can vary according to the specific instructions. For example, each millimeter can have a certain length, each centimeter can have a length greater than the length of the millimeter mark, and each decimeter can have a length greater than the length of the centimeter mark. In such an embodiment, the marks 17 not only help to facilitate cutting, but also the variation of the length of the marks can also help other operations, such as the placement of screws, that is, thereby also forming marks in the transverse direction of the wall stud 10.

[0058] In the example shown, the marking 17 is provided on the outside of one of the flanges 14. It should be noted that in other embodiments, the marking 17 may be provided on the outside of the elongated body 12 alone or in combination with a marking 17 also provided on one or more flanges 14.

[0059] The stud 10 is also provided with an opening 18. The opening 18 is preferably provided in the elongated body 12 and provides an efficient method of routing cables and other types of mounting equipment.

[0060] In the example shown, the stud 10 may also be equipped with some type of reinforcement 19. The reinforcement 19 may be an additional layer of material added to the elongated body 12 or the flange 14 to increase the sturdiness of the stud 10. In a preferred embodiment, the reinforcement 19 is added to the entire length of the elongated body 12. The material of the reinforcement 19 may be, for example, hardboard.

[0061] The inventors have realized that the improved wall stud 10 can be manufactured by a continuous process, such as Figure 6 Shown schematically.

[0062] At one end of this process a batch 50 of panels 20 is received and at an initial splicing station 52 an upstream panel 20 from the batch 50 is spliced ​​with a downstream panel to form a continuous panel 60. As the continuous panel moves forward it will pass through a cutting station 54 which provides the panel 60 with one or more V-shaped grooves 22. Another gluing station 56 will apply glue to the V-shaped grooves 22 and then a folding station 57 will fold one or more flanges 14 relative to the elongated body 12. A printing station 58 may be arranged to mark the elongated body 12 and / or any flanges 14 with indicia and a final cutting station 59 is arranged to separate the final wall stud 10 from the continuous product 62 arranged upstream.

[0063] The above description has been directed to wall studs 10 and their manufacture, which have the common feature of having an elongated body 12 and one or more flanges 14 extending from the elongated body 12. The wall studs 10 are made of hardboard or a plurality of joined paper layers.

[0064] Additional features that can be provided for the wall studs can be selected from the following: various types of brackets for installation and assembly, different material thicknesses of the slender body 12 and the flange 14, insulation in the space between the slender body 12 and the flange 14, a "click" solution for easy assembly, texture on the surface, tape in the folding area, rubber coating for sound absorption, and surface coating and moisture resistance.

Claims

1. A wall column, characterized in that: The stud comprises an elongated body (12) and at least one flange (14) extending from the elongated body (12) to provide a stud width (W) greater than a thickness (T) of the elongated body (12), wherein the elongated body (12) and the at least one flange (14) are made of hardboard.

2. The wall column according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elongated body (12) and the at least one flange (14) together form an I-shaped cross section, an L-shaped cross section, a T-shaped cross section, a C-shaped cross section or a rectangular cross section.

3. The wall column according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The elongated body (12) and the at least one flange (14) form folded portions of a same hardboard.

4. A wall stud according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that: The at least one flange (14) is bonded to the elongated body (12).

5. A wall stud according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that: An interface between the elongated body (12) and one of the at least one flange (14) forms an angled shape, and wherein a vertex of the angled shape has a radius (R).

6. A wall column, characterized in that: The stud comprises an elongated body (12) and at least one flange (14) extending from the elongated body (12) to form a channel-shaped stud, wherein the stud is made of a plurality of molded paper layers (30).

7. A wall stud according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that: The at least one flange (14) extends from the elongated body (12) at an angle of 80° to 90°, preferably 85° to 89°.

8. A wall stud according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that: At least one of the elongated body (12) and the at least one flange (14) is provided with a scale (18).

9. A method for manufacturing a wall column, characterized in that: The method for manufacturing a wall column comprises: Providing a hardboard; providing at least one V-shaped groove in the hardboard; adding glue to the at least one V-shaped groove; and The hardboard is folded in the area of ​​the at least one V-shaped groove.

10. The method for manufacturing a wall column according to claim 9, characterized in that: The step of providing the hardboard includes: splicing a plurality of hardboards.

Images