Fire-rated wall construction product
AssigneeCalifornia Expanded Metal Products Company
InventorsDon A. Pilz, Raymond E. Poliquin, Fernando Hernandez Sesma
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention is directed toward fire-rated wall construction components for use in building construction. The invention provides wall components and systems which have fire-retardant characteristics, as well as wall components which allow for needed ventilation in a building throughout times when no fire is present. Embodiments include tracks for holding studs which incorporate various geometries capable of receiving intumescent material. When the intumescent material becomes hot, it expands rapidly and fills its surrounding area, blocking fire, heat, and smoke from traveling to other areas of a building.
Claims8
A header track for use in a stud wall assembly, the stud wall assembly extending in a vertical direction between a lower horizontal support element and an upper horizontal support element, upper ends of a plurality of studs being received by the header track, the header track comprising:
- an elongate top web portion;
- a first elongate side flange portion;
- a second elongate side flange portion, the first and second elongate side flange portions extending downward from opposite sides of the elongate top web portion, the elongate top web portion and first and second elongate side flange portions defining a space for receiving the upper ends of the studs;
- a recess extending along the length of the elongate top web portion and at least one of the first and second elongate side flange portions, wherein the recess comprises a first portion defined by an upward-facing surface of the elongate top web portion and a second portion defined by an outward-facing surface of the one elongate side flange portion;
- an elongate strip of fire-retardant material affixed within the recess such that a first portion of the fire-retardant material is affixed to the upward-facing surface of the top web portion and a second portion of the fire-retardant material is affixed to the outward-facing surface of the one elongate side flange portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.