Fire rated radius wall structure

Abstract

A curved wall structure is disclosed herein that comprises a curved footer track; a curved header track confronting and vertically spaced apart from the curved footer track; a plurality of studs having upper and lower end portions (wherein the studs are vertically positioned between the spaced apart and confronting header and footer tracks such that the lower end portions are received into the footer track and the upper end portions are received into the curved header track); and a corrugated curved wall panel having a plurality of vertically spaced apart grooves. Mineral wool (or other suitable insulation material) may be positioned between the plurality of studs and adjacent to the corrugated curved wall panel. In addition, a heat-expandable intumescent material strip may be positioned along a top portion of at least one of the downwardly extending sidewalls of the curved header track and adjacent to the first curved wallboard.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A curved wall structure, comprising:
 a curved footer track defined by a pair of upwardly extending curved sidewalls connected to a curved footer web;   a curved header track confronting and vertically spaced apart from the curved footer track, the curved header track being defined by a pair of downwardly extending curved sidewalls connected to a curved header web;   a plurality of studs having upper and lower end portions, the studs being vertically positioned between the spaced apart and confronting header and footer tracks such that the lower end portions are received into the footer track and the upper end portions are received into the header track;   a corrugated curved wall panel having a plurality of vertically spaced apart grooves, the corrugated curved wall panel being positioned along the curved header track and the curved footer track and adjacent to the plurality of studs; and   a plurality of fasteners connecting the corrugated curved wall panel to the plurality of studs, the plurality of fasteners being positioned within the plurality of grooves and penetrating into the plurality of studs to thereby define the curved wall structure.   
     
     
         2 . The curved wall structure of  claim 1 , further comprising a curved first wallboard positioned adjacent and conforming to the corrugated curved wall panel. 
     
     
         3 . The curved wall structure of  claim 2 , further comprising a curved second wallboard positioned adjacent and conforming to the first curved wallboard. 
     
     
         4 . The curved wall structure of  claim 3  wherein the curved footer track, the curved header track, the plurality of studs, and the corrugated curved wall panel are all made of sheet-metal. 
     
     
         5 . The curved wall structure of  claim 4  wherein the first and second curved wallboard each contain gypsum. 
     
     
         6 . The curved wall structure of  claim 5 , further comprising mineral wool positioned between the plurality of studs and adjacent to the corrugated curved wall panel. 
     
     
         7 . The curved wall structure of  claim 1  or  6  wherein the plurality of fasteners is a plurality of screws with each screw having a screw head connected to a ridged cylinder, and wherein the screw heads are within the plurality of grooves and the ridged cylinders are penetrating into the plurality of studs. 
     
     
         8 . The curved wall structure of  claim 7 , further comprising a first heat-expandable intumescent material strip positioned along a top portion of at least one of the downwardly extending sidewalls of the curved header track and adjacent to the first curved wallboard. 
     
     
         9 . The curved wall structure of  claim 7 , further comprising a second heat-expandable intumescent material strip positioned along a bottom portion of at least one of the upwardly extending sidewalls of the curved footer track and adjacent to the first curved wallboard. 
     
     
         10 . The curved wall structure of  claim 8  wherein the curved wall structure is fire retardant. 
     
     
         11 . The curved wall structure of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of grooves each has a generally U-shaped profile. 
     
     
         12 . The curved wall structure of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of grooves each has a generally V-shaped profile. 
     
     
         13 . The curved wall structure of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of grooves are uniformly spaced apart from one another. 
     
     
         14 . The curved wall structure of  claim 1  wherein the curved header track comprises a first inner header track section in a side-by-side cooperative relation with a second outer header track section. 
     
     
         15 . The curved wall structure of  claim 14  wherein the first inner header track section comprises an inner curved header wall having a plurality of outwardly extending first section header prongs, and wherein the second outer header track section comprises an outer curved header wall having a plurality of inwardly extending second section header prongs, and wherein the first section header prongs together with the second section header prongs define the curved header web. 
     
     
         16 . The curved wall structure of  claim 15  wherein the curved header track is selectively adjustable as to define a plurality of different curvatures of the curved header track. 
     
     
         17 . The curved wall structure of  claim 1  wherein the curved footer track comprises a first inner footer track section in a side-by-side cooperative relation with a second outer footer track section. 
     
     
         18 . The curved wall structure of  claim 17  wherein the first inner footer track section comprises a footer curved wall having a plurality of outwardly extending first section footer prongs, and wherein the second outer footer track section comprises an outer curved wall having a plurality of inwardly extending second section footer prongs, and wherein the first section footer prongs together with the second section footer prongs define the curved footer web. 
     
     
         19 . The curved wall structure of  claim 18  wherein the curved footer track is selectively adjustable as to define different curvatures of the curved footer track.