SUSPENDED CEILINGS

It is a ceiling attached to a frame work suspended from the main stream structure thus forming a
void between ceiling and underside of the structure.
Reasons for their use include
- Provide finish to the underside of roof or floor for concealment.
- Create a void for housing services
- improve on thermal and sound insulation
- As a means of structural fire protection to steel beams supporting a floor.
- Make a lower ceiling height to a particular space.
Suspended ceilings serve 3 basic purposes;
i. Hiding of services e.g. air conditioning ducts, telephone and electricity cables and
artificial ventilation ducts.
ii. Hide ugly structural features, such as very deep beams.
iii. Reduce the scale of a space by bringing down height e.g. in toilets where structural
floor to floor heights are too great.
Functional requirements
They include access cost, weight, acoustic properties and fire properties.
Access
- Important especially where space between roof/floor is used to hide services.
-Accessibility should be possible to provide for maintenance of the service ducts/cables etc.
Weight
- ceiling should be as light as possible
- Ceilings should be strong enough to support weight of service ducts/cables etc.
- Weight will also depend on type of ceiling.
Acoustic properties
- Ceiling should be sound absorbent and may also have sound insulation properties.
- Sound absorption can be provided by the use of special sound absorbent slabs for the
ceiling such as perforated slabs. (Acoustic tiles) standard sizes exist generally in
multiples of 300mm.
-Sound insulation: Suspended ceilings normally have very poor sound insulation properties.
-It’s therefore best to carry the partitions to the underside of the structural floor/roof.
Cost
Installation cost in use and maintenance costs must be given consideration.
METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION
Two main methods can be used.
i)Joint less
Gives the internal appearance of being a conventional ceiling. Can be (a) PVC membrane
commonly over a frame (b) lath and plaster supported and suspended on metal framework and
hangers. Plaster board, polystyrene boards, hardboards etc supported on timber framework and
suspended from the floor above by timber or metal hangers.
Advantages
- Jointless ceilings are mostly made of locally available materials. they are therefore less
costly and easy to construct.
Disadvantages
- Where plaster is used, construction work is slow.
ii) Frame and panel
Consists of a suspended framework of metal angles and tees into which tiles are dropped. The
tiles are made from a wide range of materials including asbestos, mineral wool, metal and
plastic.
Advantages
- speedy erection
- Easily demountable ceiling
Construction methods
The construction consists of hangers, bearers, runners and noggins;-
Hangers – can be metal straps, rods or angles
They hang vertically from the structural floor or roof.
Methods that are used to secure the hangers to the floor/roof above are:
ii) Open ceiling
They are largely decorative but by installing light fittings in ceilings void can act as a luminous
ceiling. The ceiling can be an open work grid with or without louvers or a series of closely
spaced plates of polished steel or other suitable material.
PLAN LAYOUT OF SUSPENDED CEILING
Fixing Details
- Concealed
- exposed
Exposed – Tile is exposed into a suspended framework of aluminium.
Concealed: Method f support is not visible from below several fixing methods exist dependant
on material of ceiling and manufacturers’ details.e.g. :