Non load-bearing metal wall stud having increased strength

1. A non load-bearing metal wall stud comprising:

a sheet metal body ( 10 ) having a thickness of about 0.013 to 0.032 inches, the sheet metal body having;

a web ( 12 ) having a width of about 2 to 6 inches, the web ( 12 ) having an inner surface and opposite straight edges;

a pair of flanges ( 14 ) each having a width of about 1.00 to 2.00 inches and each extending at a right angle to the web ( 12 ) at one of the straight edges of the web ( 12 ) and outwardly in the same direction from the inner surface of the web ( 12 ), each flange ( 14 ) having an inner surface and a straight edge;

a pair of lips ( 16 ), each having a width of 0.100 to 0.400 inches and each extending at a right angle from the straight edge of one of the flanges ( 14 ) and over the inner surface of the web ( 12 ), each of said lips ( 16 ) having an inner surface and a straight edge;

a pair of skirts ( 18 ) each having a width of about 0.075 to 0.450 inches and each extending at an angle of about 25 to 75 degrees from the straight edge of one of the lips ( 16 ), toward the inner surface of the respective flange ( 14 ) and over the inner surface of the lip ( 16 ), each skirt ( 18 ) having an inner surface and a free straight edge and the flange ( 14 ), the lip ( 16 ) and the skirt ( 18 ) together forming a triangle;

the free straight edge of the skirt ( 18 ) being substantially in contact with the inner surface of the flange ( 14 ) to increase an overall deflection resisting strength of the stud;

the connections between the web ( 12 ) and the pair of flanges ( 14 ), and between the flanges ( 14 ) and the lips ( 16 ), and between the lips ( 16 ) and skirts ( 18 ), each being a radius bend in the sheet metal body of about 0.020 to 0.040 inches;

a plurality of parallel channels ( 20 ) forming a knurling in the flange, said knurling extends substantially entirely across a width of each flange, a channel ( 20 ) closest to the lip ( 16 ) being deeper (D 1 ) than remaining channels (D 2 ) in the knurling so that the deeper channel cooperates with the skirt ( 18 ) to increase an overall deflection resisting strength of the stud; and

a plurality of parallel channels ( 20 ) formed in the web ( 12 ) and centered in a group on the web, the group being about 0.400 to 0.800 inches wide;

the web ( 12 ) including a central plateau on which the centered group of channels ( 20 ) are disposed, the central plateau being formed of steps ( 13 ) each of width (H) of about 0.030 to 0.060 inches and each spaced by a distance (J) of about 0.020 to 0.050 inches from the nearest flange ( 14 ) and having a step angle (C) of about 100 to 160 degrees.

2. The metal wall stud of claim 1 , wherein said sheet metal body ( 10 ) has a thickness of about 0.015 to 0.030 inches and is made of steel having a tensile strength of about 33 to 45 Ksi.

3. The metal wall stud of claim 1 , wherein said web ( 12 ) has a width of about 3 to 5 inches.

4. The metal wall stud of claim 1 , wherein each of said flanges ( 14 ) has a width of about 1.25 to 1.75 inches.

5. The metal wall stud of claim 1 , wherein each of said lips ( 16 ) has a width of about 0.125 to 0.175 inches.

6. The metal wall stud of claim 1 , wherein each of said skirts ( 18 ) has a width of about 0.125 to 0.225 inches.

7. The metal wall stud of claim 1 , wherein each of said skirts ( 18 ) extends at an angle of about 30 to 60 degrees.

8. The metal wall stud of claim 1 , wherein the connections between the web ( 12 ) and the pair of flanges ( 14 ), and between the flanges ( 14 ) and the lips ( 16 ), and between the lips ( 16 ) and skirts ( 18 ), are each a radius bend in the sheet metal body of about 0.025 to 0.035 inches.