Patent ID: 8087205

Claim:
A fire-retardant wall system comprising: a plurality of vertical wall studs; a track for receiving the wall studs and connectable to a deck, the track comprising a web and at least one flange, a side edge of the web defines a recess, the flange extending from the recess of the web and having a free end opposite the web, the track further comprising at least one surface for accepting a layer of fire-retardant material thereon; a layer of fire-retardant material attached to the at least one surface on the track, wherein the fire-retardant material is located along portions of both the recess of the web and the flange, the fire-retardant material configured to expand when exposed to elevated heat; at least one piece of wallboard supported by the wall studs, wherein the wallboard covers a portion of the at least one flange; and an elongate protrusion that extends lengthwise along the flange and is positioned between the layer of fire-retardant material and the free end of the flange; wherein the wallboard overlaps the elongate protrusion such that the elongate protrusion inhibits air flow between the wallboard and the track, and wherein the layer of fire-retardant material is positioned on the track such that it can seal any gaps present between the track and the deck when it expands in response to exposure to elevated heat.