Header Beam for Non Load-bearing Partition

[interstructeng]

Hi, I've been asked to help out on a project with some non load bearing partition design. Its an internal wall circa 5000mm high with metal studs and plasterboard - nothing too fancy.

On ground floor it's fine, we can add a track to the ceiling structure and fix the studs in - easy. On the next floor up, the roof overhead is a sandwich panel (not sure what it is called in the US, but it is a lightweight panel roof with insulation - not really suitable to fix to). We can however fix to the roof steels. These obviously don't line up with the partitions, so we need some form of header beam to fix the metal studs to.

The architect is asking us to model in proper steel sections - which seems like overkill to me for these non load bearing partitions. I am proposing they call up a cold form steel section - and get the partition contractor to get one suitable for spanning 6 metres and fix to the steels. Run the studs into this then.

Does anyone have experience of this and how they would go about it? I'm thinking issue a typical detail to the contractor and away they go.

 

[jayrod12]

The roof sandwich panels span 6 metres? If so, my money is them being robust enough to fasten a partition wall to.

If not, they must be supported intermittently on something like steel joists or purlins. Could you fasten your wall to those?

 

[interstructeng]

They are supported intermittently with steel purlins - but they also do not line up with the new walls . We could ask them to add a new purlin at the new wall locations I suppose

 

[jayrod12]

Or put regularly spaced blocking between the purlins to fasten the wall to. I'd envision light gauge blocking @ 36" o/c fastened to the purlins on each side of the wall location. The wall top track can then be designed to span between blocking pieces.

 

[interstructeng]

By light gauge blocking, do you mean short lengths of light gauge sections? Spanning between the existing purlins?

That sounds like a good solution - maybe a bit more connections/working at height than installing a single purlin.

 

[jayrod12]

Correct, but the work is far simpler. They'll already have a lift on site to do any of the work correct? small pieces of blocking are far easier to handle than a 6m long purlin. And that purlin will be fairly substantially sized if connections to the SIP panel can't be made. So to me, blocking is the far better solution. Honestly the top track itself can likely span 1.2m, therefore you'd be looking at 5 spaces, 4 pieces of blocking. Quite manageable I'd say.

 

[interstructeng]

Yes they'll have a platform lift on site. That's a good point, the smaller sections will be much easier to handle and could be a nice small section if only spanning between the purlins.

Thanks for your help - you've saved me a lot of thinking