Metal framing member
View Patent ↗A metal framing member for use in a wide variety of applications including interior and exterior walls, structural insulated panels (SIPs), as well as floors, ceilings and roofs of residential and commercial buildings, to name but a few. The metal framing member generally includes first and second metal components, where each of the metal components is a separate piece and includes an elongated support with a series of fingers extending therefrom. The two metal components are attached together near tips of the fingers so that an alternating sequence of fingers and spaces is formed in an intermediate area between the two supports. This sequence can result in weight, material and cost savings, reduced thermal and acoustic conductivity across the metal framing member, and trade-ready holes for passing through items such as wires, pipes, etc.
1. A metal framing member, comprising:
a first metal component having a first support and a first plurality of fingers generally extending from the first support; and
a second metal component having a second support and a second plurality of fingers generally extending from the second support, each of the first and second pluralities of fingers includes at least one finger that is a tapered member and extends from a wider proximal base portion to a narrower distal tip portion;
wherein the first and second metal components are separate components that are attached to one another near tips of the first and second pluralities of fingers, and the tips of the first and second pluralities of fingers are overlapped with one another at one or more bulb-like ends.
2. The metal framing member of claim 1 , wherein the first and second supports are generally parallel to one another, and each of the supports includes: i) a first lengthwise edge having a return extending from at least a portion thereof, ii) a second lengthwise edge having a plurality of fingers extending from at least a portion thereof, and iii) a bearing surface located between the first and second lengthwise edges.
3. The metal framing member of claim 1 , wherein the metal framing member is generally configured according to at least one cross-sectional shape selected from the list consisting of: a C-shaped cross-section, an I-shaped cross-section, and a Z-shaped cross-section.
4. The metal framing member of claim 1 , wherein the first and second pluralities of fingers are generally: i) coplanar, ii) mirror images of one another, and iii) attached to one another so that a series of spaces are formed in between the fingers.
5. The metal framing member of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second pluralities of fingers includes at least one finger that extends from a base portion to a tip portion according to an inside angle θ that is 90° or less.
6. The metal framing member of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second pluralities of fingers includes at least one finger that includes a strengthening rib generally extending along the length of the finger.
7. The metal framing member of claim 1 , wherein all of the tips of the first plurality of fingers are attached to one side of the tips of the second plurality of fingers.
8. The metal framing member of claim 1 , wherein the tips of the first plurality of fingers are attached to both sides of the tips of the second plurality of fingers so that they are generally interleaved.
9. A metal framing member, comprising:
a first metal component having a first support and a first plurality of fingers; and
a second metal component having a second support and a second plurality of fingers, each of the first and second pluralities of fingers includes at least one finger that is a tapered member and extends from a wider proximal base portion to a narrower distal tip portion;
wherein an intermediate area located between the first and second supports is generally occupied by an alternating sequence of fingers and spaces, and the first and second metal components are attached to one another at overlapping tips of the first and second pluralities of fingers which include one or more bulb-like ends.
10. The metal framing member of claim 9 , wherein the first and second supports are generally parallel to one another, and each of the supports includes: i) a first lengthwise edge having a return extending from at least a portion thereof, ii) a second lengthwise edge having a plurality of fingers extending from at least a portion thereof, and iii) a bearing surface located between the first and second lengthwise edges.
11. The metal framing member of claim 9 , wherein the metal framing member is generally configured according to at least one cross-sectional shape selected from the list consisting of: a C-shaped cross-section, an I-shaped cross-section, and a Z-shaped cross-section.
12. The metal framing member of claim 9 , wherein the alternating sequence of fingers and spaces includes at least one space that is sized to be a trade-ready access hole for receiving one or more types of building materials.
13. The metal framing member of claim 9 , wherein the alternating sequence of fingers and spaces includes at least one space that is designed to reduce thermal and/or acoustic transmissions between the first and second metal components.
14. The metal framing member of claim 9 , wherein the alternating sequence of fingers and spaces includes a pair of adjacent fingers and a pair of adjacent spaces, the pair of adjacent fingers is spaced according to the same pitch (A) as the pair of adjacent spaces.
15. The metal framing member of claim 9 , wherein the alternating sequence of fingers and spaces includes at least one space that is generally arranged in the shape of a diamond.
16. The metal framing member of claim 11 , wherein at least forty percent (40%) of the intermediate area located between the first and second supports is comprised of spaces.