AU2019100524A4 - Flashing for building construction - Google Patents

Abstract

- 10 The present invention relates to a flashing for use in a building construction of the type having a floor structure and external wall cladding adjacent to said floor structure and having a lower end terminating below an upper surface of said floor structure. 5 The flashing has a first limb, a second limb extending from said first limb to one side thereof, and a third limb extending from said first limb to the opposite side thereof. At least a portion of said first limb is adapted to be located between said floor structure and cladding. At least an end of said second limb is adapted to be juxtaposed with said floor structure. Said third limb is adapted to be juxtaposed with said lower end of said 10 cladding. Said first limb includes formations to facilitate drainage of condensation on the cladding. ,12 17 25 24 -22

Description

Technical Field

This invention relates generally to building constructions and flashing therefore and in particular but not exclusively to lightweight buildings such as garages and sheds and a flashing for sealing the wall cladding of lightweight buildings to the floor of the building such as a slab floor.

Background Art

Flashing systems and devices are used in many forms of building construction to prevent rain water penetration into a building at joins, for sealing exposed interfaces between building components and/or to prevent entry of vermin or animals into a building. Flashing is often in the form of sheeting formed of ferrous or nonferrous metal which is bent to the required shape to suit the application.

A particular application in which flashing or sealing systems are used is in lightweight buildings of the type in which a profiled wall cladding extends lower than and overlaps a floor structure of a building. Such a construction is commonly but not exclusively used in the construction of sheds or buildings in which the floor structure comprises a concrete floor slab and the wall cladding comprises metal sheets which are in close proximity to and overlap the side edges of the slab.

In such constructions, a cavity or void area can be created between the edge of the slab and the cladding. This cavity or void area gathers dirt and other debris and can serve as a breeding area for cockroaches or other inserts. Alternatively, the cladding may be in contact with the concrete slab which creates a potential corrosion 25 area. Thus the presence of moisture in these regions can activate lime in the concrete which can cause corrosion of edges of the cladding. In addition, the cladding if of a profiled construction has a series of channels or corrugations which can permit entry of vermin or other animals into the building. A further disadvantage is that rain water hitting the ground adjacent the wall cladding can splash up through the open corrugations and enter the building.

Summary of the Invention

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flashing for use in a building construction of the type having a floor structure and external wall

2019100524 15 May 2019 cladding adjacent to said floor structure and having a lower end terminating below an upper surface of said floor structure, said flashing having a first limb, a second limb extending from said first limb to one side thereof, and a third limb extending from said first limb to the opposite side thereof, at least a portion of said first limb being adapted to be located between said floor structure and cladding and wherein at least an end of said second limb is adapted to be juxtaposed with said floor structure and wherein said third limb is adapted to be juxtaposed with said lower end of said cladding, said first limb including formations to facilitate drainage of condensation on the cladding.

Preferably, the formations include one or more protrusions protruding from the fist limb and engaging with the cladding.

The flashing may include a fastening means for fastening the second limb to the floor structure. The fastening means may pass through the second limb. The fastening means may include a nylon threaded fastener.

The first limb may not substantially extend beyond the second and third limbs.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flashing for use in a building construction of the type having a floor structure and external wall cladding adjacent to said floor structure and having a lower end terminating below an upper surface of said floor structure, said flashing having a first 20 limb, a second limb extending from said first limb to one side thereof, and a third limb extending from said first limb to the opposite side thereof, at least a portion of said first limb being adapted to be located between said floor structure and cladding and wherein at least an end of said second limb is adapted to be juxtaposed with said floor structure and wherein said third limb is adapted to be juxtaposed with said lower end 25 of said cladding, said flashing including a fastening means for fastening the second limb to the floor structure.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into 30 practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein:Fig. 1 is a sectional view of portion of a wall and floor of a conventional building of the prior art;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of a flashing;

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Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of a wall and floor of a building construction provided with the flashing of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the portion of the building construction of Fig. 3;

Figs. 5 illustrates an alternative flashing;

Fig. 6 illustrates the flashing of Fig. 5 installed in a building;

Figs. 7(a) to (d) illustrate alternative flashings;

Fig. 8(a) is a cross sectional view of a flashing in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 8(b) is a sectional view of a portion of a wall and floor of a building construction provided with the flashing of Fig. 8(a).

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

Referring to the drawings and firstly to Figs. 1, there is illustrated, in sectional view, a portion of a prior art building construction 10, typically a shed, garage or other light building construction, of the type having a floor slab 11 formed of concrete or similar material, a plurality of upright columns 12 (only one of which is shown) extending upwardly from and/or secured to the floor slab 11, substantially horizontal side rails or girts 13 secured to respective columns 12 by fasteners such as rivets, or self tapping screws such as Tek screws 14 or the like and wall cladding 15 for example corrugated sheeting such as monoclad or other metal sheeting secured by further fasteners such as Tek screws 16 to the side girts 13. As shown the wall cladding 15 extends below the upper surface 1 7 of the floor slab 11 such that the lower end 18 thereof is located below the surface 17 and a slot-like cavity 19 is formed between the cladding 14 and side face 20 of the slab 11.

The cavity 19 is a region in which debris, dirt or other material as well as moisture can collect giving rise to possible corrosion damage to the wall cladding 14 in this region. The cavity 19 can also harbour cockroaches or other insects. In addition, vermin such as mice or rats or other animals such as snakes can enter the building through the corrugations of the wall cladding 15.

In other configurations, the cladding 15 may be in direct contact with the side of the concrete slab which can result in a potential area of corrosion particularly in the presence of moisture or water.

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A flashing 21 shown in Fig. 2 is provided between the cladding 15 and slab 11 to substantially seal the cavity 19 (where present) and further closes the lower end of the wall cladding 15 to prevent entry of vermin such as mice or rates. The flashing 21 comprises a first main substantially planar limb 22 of flange-like form provided at its upper end with a stiffening rib 23 which extends to one side (the inner side) of the limb 22. A second limb or flange 24 extends at substantially right angles from the first limb 22 intermediate its opposite ends and terminates in a downwardly curved tapering sealing finger 25. A third limb or flange 26 extends downwardly at an angle of slightly greater than 90 degrees from adjacent the lower end 27 of the limb 22 to the side of the limb 22 opposite the rib 23 and limb 24 and terminates in a downwardly extending rib 28 which provides increased stiffness to the limb 26. The lower end 27 of the limb 22 proves further support to the limb 26 with the limb 26 serving as a ledge as described further below.

Typically, the flashing 21 is formed of plastics such as by being an extruded plastics product so as to be of constant cross section along its length and relatively rigid. The flashing 21 however may be fabricated from any other material which does not react with the cladding material or which is not corroded by contact with the slab material.

In use and as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in its application to a building construction 29 in which like components to the construction 10 of Fig. 1 have been given like numerals, the flashing 21 is installed such that the limb 22 is substantially upright with the lower portion 30 thereof between the limbs 24 and 26 being located in the cavity 19 (where present) so as to be interposed between the lower portion of the wall cladding 15 and the side surface 20 of the slab 11 whilst the upper portion 31 of the limb 22 above the limb 24 extends upwardly of the surface 17 of the slab 11 and is juxtaposed with the inner surface of the cladding 15.

The second limb 24 extends over and is juxtaposed with the upper surface 17 of the slab 11 with the finger 25 curving downwardly to contact and be in substantial sealing engagement with the slab surface 17. For improved sealing a sealing material 30 such as a mastic material may be provided between the finger 25 and slab surface 17.

The third limb 26 extends outwardly of the slab side surface 20 and is located adjacent the lower end 18 of the cladding 15 to substantially close off the lower end 18 and thus the wall cladding corrugations.

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The flashing 21 is held in position by suitable fasteners such as rivets or selftapping screws such as Tek screws 32 which are screwed through the wall cladding 15 into the upper portion 31 of the limb 22 at spaced longitudinal positions along the flashing 21.

When installed as described above, the limb 22 of the flashing 21 which is secured to the inside face of the cladding 15 closes the cavity 19 between the cladding 15 and side surface 20 of the slab 11 such that materials will not build up in the cavity 19 and nor will the cavity 19 serve to harbour cockroaches or other insects. In addition, access is blocked to the cavity 19 by the limb 24 which through the finger 25 10 is in substantial sealing contact with the surface 17 of the slab 11. The limb 24 and upper portion 31 of the limb 22 thus act as an edging strip or skirting board to the cladding 15 which in addition to preventing debris or dirt build up in the cavity 19 allows cleaning up to the edge of the cladding by sweeping with a broom or the like.

The limb 26 in addition to closing the open ends of the cladding corrugations 15 serves as a drain ledge which being inclined slightly downwardly directs water such as rain passing down the cladding away from the building construction 29. The slight gap 33 created between the ledge-like limb 26 and lower end 18 of the cladding 15 is not sufficient to allow for entry of larger vermin or animals into the building.

As referred to above, the flashing 21 is preferably formed of plastics material 20 so that corrosion due to contact of the flashing with the cladding 15 does not occur or is minimized. Further the material of the flashing 21 is preferably such that it is not corroded or otherwise affected by contact with the slab material.

The flashing 21 may be used with many forms of building constructions and cladding configurations. The flashing 21 may be installed at the time of construction 25 of the building so that the cladding 15 can be cut to the desired length to terminate adjacent the limb 24. The flashing 21 however may be installed as a retro-fit in existing buildings with the lower end of the existing cladding 15 being trimmed such that it terminates at the limb 26.

Further the flashing 21 may be installed where the cladding 15 is in substantial 30 contact with the slab 11 or other floor structure. In this case, the cladding 15 is usually sufficiently flexible to permit the limb 22 to be forced between the cladding 15 and slab 11 to be positioned as shown in Fig. 3 to prevent contact between the cladding 15 and slab 11 and further substantially seal this region.

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Referring now to Fig. 5, there is illustrated an alternative flashing 34 which is similar to the embodiment of Fig. 2 and in which like components have been given like numerals. In this case however the flashing 34 includes a hollow skirting 35 defined by a first hollow planar wall 36 extending from the upper portion 31 of the limb 22 and a second planar wall 3 7 extending substantially at right angles from the wall 36 to join the limb 24. The walls 36 and 37 are typically integrally formed with the limbs 22 and 24. The flashing 34 is installed in a similar manner to that described above and in the manner shown in Fig. 6 such that the screws 32 which secure the flashing 34 in position extend into the hollow space 38 defined by the skirting 35 to be thus hidden from view. The skirting 35 acts as a skirting board along the lower periphery of the cladding 15. Furthermore the space 38 can serve as a duct or conduit for receipt of electric cables, telephone or computer cables or the like or for pipes for other services such as water pipes which are thus hidden from view. The planar walls 36 or 3 7 can also serve as a convenient mounting surface for power points, telephone sockets or other outlets.

Figs. 7 (a) to (d) illustrate alternative embodiments of flashing. The flashing of Fig. 7(a) is similar in form to the embodiment of Fig. 5 except that the skirting defined between the limbs 22 and 24 is of smaller dimensions. As before however the skirting 40 defines a hollow space 41 which can serve as a conduit for cables, wires or other services.

In the flashing 41 of Fig. 7(b ), the skirting 42 is defined by a hollow rib-like extension 43 integrally formed with the limb 22. The hollow space 44 within the extension 43 can serve as a conduit for wires, pipes cables or the like.

The flashing 45 of Fig. 7 (c) is similar to the embodiment of Fig. 5 except that the skirting 46 is hinged to the limb 22 to provide access to the hollow space 4 7 within the skirting 46 which facilitates placement of cables, pipes or the like therein. The skirting 46 comprising a normally horizontal upper wall 48 connected through an integral hinge 49 to the limb 22 and a normally vertical wall 50 extending at right angles from the wall 48. The wall 50 terminates in a enlarged head 51 and the limb 24 includes a socket 52 complementary to the head 51 whereby the head 51 may be snap engaged with the socket 52. The skirting 46 may be pivoted about the hinge 49 between a normally closed position where the head 51 is engaged with the socket 52 and an open position shown in dotted outline which allows access to the hollow space 47.

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In the embodiment of flashing 53 of Fig. 7(d), the limb 24 is substantially reduced in dimensions or may be eliminated. A further limb or flange 54 is positioned at the upper end of the first limb 22 adjacent to the rib 23 or in place of the rib 23 and extend downwardly and inwardly relative to the floor structure to terminate in use at or adjacent the floor structure. In this embodiment, to prevent vermin access to the space rearwardly of the limb 54, it is desirable that the end of the limb or flange 54 is sealed by a sealing compound such as a mastic to the surface of the floor structure.

The flashings described with reference to Figs. 5 to 7 are also suitably formed as plastics extrusions.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a flashing 21 ’, shown in Figure 8(a), having a similar construction to the flashing 21 where like reference numerals refer to like features previously described.

The first limb 22’ includes integral formations 80 to facilitate drainage of condensation on the inner cladding 15. Each formation 80 is a protrusion protruding 15 from the fist limb 22’ and engaging with the cladding 15 to form a drainage space.

As can best be seen in Figure 8(b), the flashing 21’ includes a fastening means 82 for fastening the second limb 24’ to the floor structure 20. The fastening means 82 is preferable in the form of a nylon threaded fastener that passes through the second limb 24’ which is of greater length then the second limb 24.

The first limb 22’ is shorter than the first limb 22, and does not substantially extend beyond the second limb 24’ and third limb 26.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described in relation to a building of the type having a slab floor such as a concrete slab floor however the invention may be applied to buildings having any other form of floor construction.

Further the invention may be applied to buildings having any form of sheet wall cladding.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative embodiment of the invention, all such variations and modifications thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the 30 invention as herein defined in the appended claims.

Claims (5)

1. Claims

   1. A flashing for use in a building construction of the type having a floor structure and external wall cladding adjacent to said floor structure and having a lower end terminating below an upper surface of said floor structure, said flashing having a first limb, a second limb extending from said first limb to one side thereof, and a third limb extending from said first limb to the opposite side thereof, at least a portion of said first limb being adapted to be located between said floor structure and cladding and wherein at least an end of said second limb is adapted to be juxtaposed with said floor structure and wherein said third limb is adapted to be juxtaposed with said lower end of said cladding, said first limb including formations to facilitate drainage of condensation on the cladding.
2. 2. A flashing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the formations include one or more protrusions protruding from the fist limb and engaging with the cladding.
3. 3. A flashing as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the flashing includes a fastening means for fastening the second limb to the floor structure, the fastening means passing through the second limb and preferably including a nylon threaded fastener.
4. 4. A flashing as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first limb does not substantially extend beyond the second and third limbs.
5. 5. A flashing for use in a building construction of the type having a floor structure and external wall cladding adjacent to said floor structure and having a lower end terminating below an upper surface of said floor structure, said flashing having a first limb, a second limb extending from said first limb to one side thereof, and a third limb extending from said first limb to the opposite side thereof, at least a portion of said first limb being adapted to be located between said floor structure and cladding and wherein at least an end of said second limb is adapted to be juxtaposed with said floor structure and wherein said third limb is adapted to be juxtaposed with said lower

   2019100524 15 May 2019 end of said cladding, said flashing including a fastening means for fastening the second limb to the floor structure.