Acoustical wall panel and mounting system

An acoustical wall panel includes an elongated sound absorbent board faced with a needle-punched non-woven fabric provided with a woven scrim backing and having linear ribs extending longitudinally of the panel. Such panels are mounted by generally H-shaped splines concealed by the panels. The lofted texture of the fabric and the linear ribs help conceal a seam between two panels.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
This invention relates generally to acoustical wall panels, and more 
particularly to a wall panel construction and mounting system wherein 
abutting mounted panels present an apparently seamless joint. 
BACKGROUND ART 
Prior to this invention, joints between abutting mounted fabric-faced 
acoustical wall panels were clearly visible. 
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the invention, fabric covered acoustical wall panels are 
constructed and mounted in such a manner that joint seams between abutting 
panels are substantially invisible.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
With reference to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows an acoustical wall panel 10 
constructed in accordance with the invention and including a board 11 and 
a facing 12. Preferably the board 11 is a sound absorbent fibrous glass 
board having a thickness of about one inch, a density of about six pounds 
per cubic foot, and an NRC (noise reduction coeffficient) of 0.75. The 
board may be nine or ten feet high and two or four feet wide. 
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the facing 12 
adhered to the board 11 is a non-woven needle-punched fabric provided with 
a woven scrim backing for stability and ease of handling. The fabric is 
made of polyester or polypropylene staple fibers. A loose mass of 
intermingled fibers goes through a first needle--punching operation to 
densify the mass, interlock the fibers, and produce a needled matt about 
three-sixteenths of an inch in thickness. A woven-scrim backing of the 
same kind of fibers is applied to the needled matt in a second 
needle-punching operation. The scrim-backed matt is then passed through a 
third needle-punching operation wherein the pattern of needles in the 
needle board is such that a random linearly ribbed surface is formed on 
the front face with raised ribs of at least two different sizes randomly 
spaced and grouped, as best shown in the photographs of FIGS. 3 and 4. 
FIG. 2 fragmentarily shows a pair of the panels 10 mounted on a sheet of 
drywall 14 forming a part of a wall. The panels are held by an extruded 
generally H-shaped spline 16 secured normally in a vertically extending 
position to the drywall 14 by screws 18, only one of which is shown. 
Opposite normally vertical edges of the boards 11 are kerfed to receive 
portions of the splines 16, only one of which is shown at the illustrated 
joint. The rear portions of the boards 11 are cut back along their 
normally vertical edges, in order that they can be received in the spline 
16 with clearance from the central web portion thereof. This insures that 
the front portions of the boards 11 outside of the spline 16 can be 
tightly abutted, in order that the facings 12 of the two panels 10 can 
conceal the seam. 
FIG. 3 fragmentarily shows a pair of the panels 10 in spaced relationship 
with a spline 16 therebetween. The board 11 of the left-hand panel 10 is 
provided with an oversized kerf 11a along a normally vertical edge for 
receiving a leg 16a of the spline 16 with clearance, while the board 11 of 
the right-hand panel 10 is provided with an oversized kerf 11b along a 
normally vertical edge for receiving a leg 16b of the spline 16 with 
clearance. In order that front edge portions 11e and 11f of the boards 11 
and the facings 12 thereon can be tightly abutted, rear edge portions 11c 
and 11d of the boards are cut away to provide clearance for a central web 
portion 16c of the spline 16. 
FIG. 4 shows the items of FIG. 3 assembled on a drywall sheet 14 forming 
part of a wall. It will be noted that no seam shows at the front faces of 
the two panels 10, and this is so even though the facings 12 are cut flush 
with front edge portions 11e and 11f of the boards 11. 
Several things contribute to the concealment of the seam between mounted 
panels 10, as follows: 
a. The cutting away of the rear edge portions 11c and 11d of the boards 11 
to enable tight abutment of the front edge portions 11e and 11f. 
b. The alignment of the panels 10 by the spline 16 maintaining the front 
faces of the panels 10 in a single plane at the joint. 
c. The ribs on the facing 12 extending in the same direction as the seam. 
d. The different sizes of the ribs and the random grouping and spacing of 
the different-sized ribs, creating "visual noise", or the visual 
equivalent of masking sound. 
e. The density and thickness of the facings 12 enabling meshing of surface 
fibers as the boards 11 of the panels 10 are tightly abutted at the front 
edge portions 11e and 11f. 
While the splines 16 and elongated panels 10 are normally mounted 
vertically on a wall, they may be mounted horizontally, and could even be 
mounted angularly to a horizontal or vertical reference line. 
Various modifications may be made in the structure shown and described 
without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the 
following claims.