This invention relates to improved perforated or expanded sheet metal which is made from sheet metal perforated and bent, or slit and so expanded and bent that all the so-called connective bars or strands, which constitute the meshwork thereof or result during its manufacture, are curved or bent in such a manner that they project in the form of arcuated mesh-work having rows of arcuated connective bars or strands located on one side and rows of arcuated connective bars or strands located on the other side of any resulting piece or sheet of such perforated or expanded sheet metal.
When giving form to the said arcuated connective bars or strands on a piece or sheet of metal an equal or approximately equal number of such arcuated connective bars or strands are arranged to project, each in an arch-wise manner from each face of such piece or sheet of perforated or expanded metal and thus form edgewise apertures or openings in or through which either plain or screw threaded bars, rods, tubes or strips of metal or the like may be placed to serve as additional reinforcing mediums where increased strength or rigidity is required.
Where sheet metal is specially perforated or where blanks have been cut from a piece or sheet of sheet metal leavingas a residue perforated metal having connective bars or strands, such connective bars or strands are curved or bent into arcuate form and a convenient way of carrying this into efiect is to 'firstly arch, curve or bend one connective bar or strand in one direction and to arch, curve or bend the immediately adjacent connective bar or strand in an opposite direction, and the next one back again in an opposite direction, and so on, in such a manner as to form two groups of arcuated connective bars or strands in which the crowns of one group extend in one direction from one side of the general plane of such piece or sheet of, metal and the crowns of the other group extend in the opposite direction from the other side of the plane.
Alternatively instead of bending one connective bar or strand in one direction and the next one to it in an opposite direction, two or more adjacent connective bars or strands may be bent in one direction and the next two or more in an opposite direction and so on, such archwise bending forming the herein before referred to edgewise apertures or openings.
Today, perforated metal panels are used by architects for a wide variety of applications, from decorative lighting fixtures and signs to industrial filtration screens and acoustical panels. As the uses for perforated metals have evolved, so has the perforating process itself. Manufacturers now utilize specialized techniques to achieve the intended perforation patterns and sizes according to material, width of the panel, and customer specifications.
A mesh is a barrier made of connected strands of metal, fiber, or other flexible or ductile materials. A mesh is similar to a web or a net in that it has many attached or woven strands.A metal mesh may be woven, knitted, welded, expanded, photo-chemically etched or electroformed (screen filter) from steel or other metals.
Sheet metal is a thin, flat piece of metal formed during an industrial process that is used for many everyday applications.