AU2015200923A1 - Roof Sheeting System - Google Patents

Abstract

A roof sheeting system in which the roof sheets and supporting battens are profiled such that the two can easily clip together. The sheeting profile includes a wide flat upper surface which in conjunction with the lack of fixing hardware gives 5 the resulting roof a flat surface suitable for mounting devices such as thin film solar panels. \4 36 35 Figure 5

Description

1 Roof Sheeting System The present invention relates to roof sheeting system. It is particularly suited for thin film solar panels that require a flat mounting surface, but will also find application in conventional roof sheeting applications. 5 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There is a considerable movement in society to continually improve the extraction of environmentally friendly power from natural sources. Solar power may be considered one plentiful and limitless power source when harnessed efficiently. At present, solar power is harnessed from residential and commercial 10 properties, typically using rigid silicon panels mounted on a roof. However, there have been a number of developments in the solar industry, including the preference to use thin film solar panels over the traditional rigid panels. A thin film solar panel is a flexible sheet of metal onto which photovoltaic chemicals are laminated. The known benefit of these solar panels is that they react better to low or indirect light, 15 are easier to install given their weight and the fact that they can be attached with adhesives to a supporting surface without the need for mechanical fixings. Conventional roof sheeting comprises a series of peaks and troughs and is usually secured by a screw passing through a peak and into a batten below. The peak is used in order to minimise the chance of water ingress. A large number of 20 screws are required, making attaching roof sheeting a long and laborious task. As the screws protrude from the peaks they effectively break up the roof surface making it unsuitable for directly mounting flat bodies, such as thin film solar panels, by adhesives. It is an objective of the invention to provide a roof sheeting system with a 25 large flat surface for mounting solar panels whilst still allowing the efficient run off of water. A further objective of the invention is to provide a roof sheeting system that can be quickly and easily fitted to a roof.

2 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a first aspect the invention provides a roof sheeting system comprising roof sheets and battens for mounting the roof sheets wherein the roof sheets and 5 the battens are profiled such that the roof sheets and battens clip together. Preferably the roof sheets comprise a repeating profile which includes an upper surface joined to a lower surface by side walls including outwardly extending shoulders, the battens comprise an elongate body with a repeating series of spaced apart lateral channels, and the battens further comprise lips extending into the 10 channels which engage the shoulders of the roof sheet to clip the roof sheets to the battens. In preference the upper surface is wider than the lower surface and the lips are resilient to facilitate clipping the sheets to the battens The side walls may either diverge or converge between the upper surface and 15 the shoulders. Preferably the length of the battens is greater than the width of the roof sheets. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of 20 this specification, illustrate several implementations of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the advantages and principles of the invention. In the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a roof sheet system according to the present invention showing a roof sheet with a first profile mounted to 25 battens and supporting a solar panel. Figure 2 illustrates a partial side profile of the roof sheet of Figure 1.

3 Figure 3 illustrates a partial side profile of an alternative embodiment of a roof sheet. Figure 4 illustrates a partial side profile of the batten of Figure 1. Figure 5 illustrates a partial perspective view of the batten of Figure 1. 5 Figure 6 illustrates a close up perspective view of a roof sheet being fitted to a batten. Figure 7 illustrates a close up perspective view of a roof sheet fitted to a batten. 10 LIST OF DRAWING ITEMS 10 roofing system 20 roof sheet (first embodiment) 21 upper surface 22 lower surface 15 23 water channel 24 channel wall 25 shoulder 30 batten 31 base 20 32 sidewall 33 top 34 lateral mounting channel 35 lip 36 channel bottom 25 37 securing aperture 40 solar panel 50 roof sheet (second embodiment) 51 upper surface 4 52 lower surface 53 water channel 54 channel wall 55 shoulder 5 DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. Although the description includes exemplary embodiments, other embodiments are possible, and changes may be made to the embodiments 10 described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same and like parts. The present invention provides a roof sheeting system using roof sheets with a unique profile and a batten that allows the sheeting to be clipped in place. The 15 profile includes a wide flat upper surface which facilitates the mounting of flat bodies such as thin film solar panels using adhesives. The integrity of the wide flat upper surface is maintained by eliminating the need for mounting screws. The system is also simpler and quicker to fit than conventional roof sheeting such as corrugated iron. 20 Figure 1 shows a portion of a roof incorporating the roofing system 10 of the invention. The system comprises a uniquely profiled roof sheet 20 attached to battens 30. The battens are in turn connected to a conventional roofing frame or other suitable supporting structure (not shown). The roof sheet 20 includes a profile with large flat upper portions thus allowing a thin film solar panel 40 to be directly 25 mounted by an adhesive. A portion of the sheet 20 is shown in profile in Figure 2. The sheet comprises a repeating profile with vertically displaced upper surfaces 21 and lower surfaces 22, the upper surfaces being wider than the lower. Water channels 23 with walls 24 join 5 the two surfaces. The walls diverge towards the lower surface to form shoulders 25 which serve to engage the sheets with battens 30. A second embodiment of a roofing sheet 50 is shown in profile in Figure 3. The sheet 50 is similar to the sheet 20 and also comprises a repeating profile with 5 vertically displaced upper surfaces 51 and lower surfaces 52 joined by water channels 53 with walls 54. Again the upper surfaces are wider than the lower. The walls first converge and then diverge towards the lower surface to form shoulders 55 which again serve to engage the sheets with battens 30. Other embodiments of roof sheeting are also possible, the details of which 10 may be aesthetic choices as long as channels with shoulders are included to engage with battens and the upper and lower surfaces are proportioned to provide a larger upper surface for mounting purposes. This is the opposite to conventional roofing profiles in which the upper and lower surfaces are symmetrical or the lower surface is larger in order to maximise the water carrying capacity of the sheeting. 15 A portion of a batten 30 is shown in profile in Figure 4 and in a perspective view in Figure 5. The batten comprises a base 31 from which side walls 32 extend to a top 33. A repeating series of cut outs in the top and the upper portions of the side walls define lateral mounting channels 34. Extending into the mounting channels are lips 35 for securing the roof sheets 20, 50 as they sit atop of the wall sections in the 20 channels which form a channel bottom 36. Securing apertures 37 provide access to the base 31 thus facilitating attaching the batten to a roof frame or the like by means of screws through the base. Preferably the battens are several metres in length, allowing each batten to support multiple sheets and reducing the total amount of labour required to fit all the battens needed for a roof. 25 Figures 6 and 7 show a close up view of a portion of a roof sheet 20 and a batten 30, and illustrate how the two elements are fitted together. As seen in Figure 6 the roof sheet is first positioned such that the water channels 23 align with the mounting channels 34 of the batten. In this position the shoulders 25 of the roof sheet sit atop of the lips 35 of the batten. The lips 35 are resilient such that as the 6 roof sheet is pushed down the lips 35 deflect to let the shoulders pass. The roof sheet then continues downwards until as the lips return to engage the upper portion of the shoulders. Finally as seen in Figure 7 the sheet is firmly retained in place with the lower surface 22 of the roof sheet sitting on the channel bottom 36 and the lips 5 35 in contact with and retaining the shoulders 25. Further advantages and improvements may very well be made to the present invention without deviating from its scope. Although the invention has been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognised that departures may be made therefrom within the 10 scope and spirit of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus. In the summary of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprising" 15 is used in the sense of "including", i.e. the features specified may be associated with further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Claims (7)

1. A roof sheeting system comprising roof sheets and elongate battens for mounting the roof sheets wherein the roof sheets and the battens are profiled such that the roof sheets and battens clip together. 5

2. A roof sheeting system as in claim 1 wherein: the roof sheets comprise a repeating profile which includes an upper surface joined to a lower surface by side walls including outwardly extending shoulders; the battens comprise an elongate body with a repeating series of spaced apart lateral channels; and 10 the battens further comprise lips extending into the channels which engage the shoulders of the roof sheet to clip the roof sheets to the battens.

3. A roof sheeting system as in claim 2 wherein the upper surface is wider than the lower surface.

4. A roof sheeting system as in claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the lips are resilient. 15

5. A roof sheeting system as in any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the side walls are divergent between the upper surface and the shoulders.

6. A roof sheeting system as in any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the side walls are convergent between the upper surface and the shoulders.

7. A roof sheeting system as in any one of the preceding claims wherein the 20 length of the battens is greater than the width of the roof sheets.