AU641250B2

AU641250B2 - Metal clip and cladding

Info

Publication number: AU641250B2
Application number: AU78239/91A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Ralph Eric Warner
Original assignee: PANTEX Pty Ltd
Current assignee: PANTEX Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1990-07-20
Filing date: 1991-06-07
Publication date: 1993-09-16
Anticipated expiration: 2011-06-07
Also published as: AU7823991A

Description

1 641250 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

SO

OS

S 0 0 S0 S 0s .5 *0 00 50

S.

o 5 0.6 Name of Applicant(s): Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: PANTEX PTY. LTD.

A.C.N. 010 563 470 RALPH ERIC WARNER CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

METAL CLIP AND CLADDING sees*: 0* 60 0 Details of Associated Provisional Applications: Nos. PK 1256 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 2 THIS INVEN'ION relates to building componentry and is particularly concerned with building cladding and fixing means for erecting such cladding. The inirention has particular relevance to cladding of metal framework structures such as used in domestic buildings, and the invention will primarily be described in this context. It is to be understood however, that such description is purely for the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the invention and is not intended to imply any limitation thereof.

Various forms of metal and vinyl cladding are now in common use in the building industry. Used in conjunction with metal frames, these all suffer from one disadvantage or another. The main disadvantages stem from the inability to form a proper weathertight seal between adjacent cladding members; the lack of suitable fastening means; and the cost of producing and erecting the componentry.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new form of fixing means for cladding which obviates or at least minimises these disadvantages.

According to the present invention, there is *o provided a high tensile steel fixing element for retaining two cladding panels in juxtaposition with respect to each other and with respect to a support member, said fixing element comprising a cladding panel edge mating portion and a support 25" member engaging clip portion, said mating and clip

S:

*eo *~o

IV

portions being separated from one another by a web having an offset section which projects the mating and clip portions to parallel spaced planes.

High tensile steel is used to give a spring action and to ensure that the combination of clip and panel is strong enough to withstand cyclonic loads. Further strength may be provided by forming a hole through the engaging clip portion to enable ready firm securement of the cladding panel to the support member by means of a fixing pin such as a screw.

The cladding panel edge mating portion will suitably be configured to accommodate the profile of the top edge of the cladding adjacent to it. Thus, for a cladding panel top edge which is substantially U-shaped in end-on profile, the mating portion may have a complementary U-shape in end-on profile. The U-shaped profile of the fixing element will, furthermore, preferably be such as to snugly fit over the very edge or lip of the cladding panel, while still permitting the fixing element to be slid along the cladding panel edge until it is located in the appropriate position adjacent to the 2Q.* support member. To this end, the U-shaped profile may be substantially flattened.

The support member engaging clip portion is preferably designed to form a firm engagement with the support member. In most instances, the support member will be a channel section metal stud and the engaging clip a two-faced channel section which fits over the flange of the stud.

Additional means may also be provided to ensure that the clip remains firmly engaged with the stud. These may take the form of friction engaging projections on the inner surface or surfaces of the clip. Particularly preferred friction engaging parts are barbs formed by nicking the edges of the S- clip and bending a nicked edge inwardly so that it grips into the surface of the stud when the clip is pushed into position.

The mouth of the clip may, additionally, be splayed so as to facilitate location of the clip on the support member.

In high situations and where it is necessary to provide additional or different means of securing the fixing element to a support member, such as for instance under windows or at the tops of walls, preformed holes are provided 0 in the clip to facilitate location of a rivet, nail, self- *tapping screw or like securing means. The preformed holes will preferably be such that each extends in co-axial alignment with the other through the central region of each clip segment. Typically dimensioned holes will be approximately 4mm in diameter for most applications.

The web of the fixing element includes a portion which is offset so that, in use, the mating portion is located in a vertical plane which is displaced 5mm from the side of the supporting stud. The purpose of this is to support the top edge of a lower panel without distortion of the panel.

The offset section may be designed to extend at any angle with reE.pect to the web, however, it is preferred if it is at substantially right angles thereto. In this configuration, the clip portion will also be at right angles to the offset section so that the body of the clip and the web lie in substantially parallel planes.

The fixing element is suitably fabricated from spring steel, most preferably high tensile strength stainless steel. In this regard, it is to be noted that the fixing element can be manufactured from a rectangular piece of sheet steel without generating any waste material in the process as it is formed purely by cutting and bending with no off-cuts being produced.

The fixing element is primarily for use with preformed cladding for buildings fabricated from metal. One form of such cladding comprises a plurality of building panels each of which is adapted to be connected along opposing longitudinal edges to a similarly configured panel, wherein one of said longitudinally opposing edges has a U-shaped profile when viewed in end-on elevation, and the other of said longitudinally opposing edges folds back towards the body of the panel and is dimensioned to be snugly retained within the same U-shaped profile of an adjacent panel, the said folded edge being located on the opposite side of the panel to the said U-shaped edge.

Most suitably, the building panel is an external cladding for a low rise building. Such a cladding will generally be in the form of longitudinally extending sheets which are profiled to resemble conventional timber 23" weatherboard. Preferably, the cladding is fabricated from high tensile pre-painted sheet steel, however, medium tensile pre-painted steel or aluminium may also be used. The sheets may be formed in continuous lengths of width between about 6 100mm and 500mm, most preferably with an exact cover width of 300mm to suit standard Australian building systems. Such cladding is usually attached to wall framing in a horizontal fashion starting at the bottom of the wall and progressive panels being clipped both to the preceding panel and to the wall frame. However, the cladding may equally well be erected in a vertical manner working from one end of the wall framing to the other.

The manner of retaining the panels together ensures that the entry of rain, dust and the like into the building structure is completely eliminated. The edging profile prevents any movement of the panels relative to one another and is easy to erect.

A further aspect of the invention is the provision of a total cladding system comprising the combination of building panel and fixing element wherein the fixing element is characterized as defined above.

The cladding system provides a unique and easy to install fixing arrangement which has no visible attachments .27* and is aesthetically pleasing.

The fixing elements may be manufactured in left and right hand form, that is, with the clip opening facing in one of two alternative directions, in an economic press-forming process from a rectangular feed-stock which does not generate any waste material.

The panel or cladding may likewise be manufactured Soo• eooe• 7 in an efficient roll-forming operation without the need for elaborate post-treatment.

The cladding system was tested for cyclic loading by the Cyclone Testing Station of James Cook University. The test was conducted on wall cladding which was 310 mm wide and profiled to have two saw-toothed type depressions. Pre painted steel cladding was tested which comprised a 0.55 mm base metal thickness and a measured total coated thickness of 0.61 mm manufactured from stainless steel of 550 MPa minimum yield stress.

.1'"41 The cladding was fixed to channel section steel A* 0 *I studs using Grade 301 stainless steel fixing elements of 0.55 'oi mm thick.

DESIGN CRITERIA l"5. The tests were designed to determine if the wall cladding system could resist the highest suction forces calculated for the wall of a house 6 metres high in Region C, terrain category 3 as specified in the Wind Loading Code, AS 1170.2-1989. The cladding system was considered to be an Q" impermeable membrane having to resist the external suction pressure multiplied by the appropriate local pressure factor.

The following criteria were used to calculate design pressure.

Region C- terrain Category 3 Basic wind speed (Permissible stress method) 57 m/s Terrain and structure height multiplier 0.82 Shielding multiplier 0.85 Topographic multiplier Structure importance multiplier External pressure coefficient 0.65 Local pressure factor Resulting design pressure 1.30 kN This design pressure assumes that the building will have internal lining capable of resisting any internal pressure.

TEST PROCEDURE The test specimens were loaded according to the provisions of EBS Technical Record 440, "Guide-lines for the Testing and Evaluation of Products for Cyclone Prone Areas".

This Australian industry standard specifies the following 0 loading regime.

0 00 1590 8000 cycles 0 0.625 x design load 0 10' 2000 cycles 0 0.75 x design load 0 200 cycles 0 1.0 x design load 0 one application 0 k x design load 0 0 The value of is dependent upon the number of 0 replications tested. For one test only 2.

STEST SPECIMENS The test specimens comprised a small section of wall of five panels (1500 mm) high and three studs wide. For the first test the studs were spaced 450 mm apart and for the second test they were 600 mm apart. The uniform suction was simulated by inflating air bags against the inside face of the cladding, pushing it outwards. The pressure was cycled by displacing the central stud a small amount towards the air bags.

9 For the both tests the stainless steel fixing elements were secured to the studs with No 10 x 16 mm Tek screws after they had been clipped into position.

TEST RESULTS In each of the above cases, the walling system was able to resist the cyclic loading followed by the prescribed overload of 2.0 times the design load and thus satisfied the test criteria.

The overload segment of test 1 was continued until failure to assess the potential of the system. At a pressure of 4.3 kPa, the second fixing element from one end of the mid support failed by tearing at the bend between sheets and stud.

Also the sheets at the end buckled.

S CONCLUSION The cladding system, extending over two end spans of 450 mm for test 1 and 600 mm for test 2, fixed to 75 x 35 x mm C-section steel studs with stainless steel fixing elements screwed to the studs, satisfied the cyclic and overload criteria for the most severely loaded part of a building wall up to 6 m high in cyclone Region C, terrain

*CAD

category 3.

The cladding system thus provides a viable alternative set of building componentry for which the building industry is in need to ensure the greatest ease of erection, high cyclonic weather suitability, and minimal cost.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is an elevational view of a fixing element according to the present invention; Figure 2 is an elevational view of a building panel adapted for use with the fixing element of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a partial cut-away view of a cladding system according to another aspect of the invention.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, a left-hand fixing element fabricated from a 0.55mm thick stainless spring steel rectang lar blank measuring approximately 40 x 25mm, is illustrated. The fixing element is formed into the configuration illustrated by a simple cutting and folding technique. The folding produces a panel edge mating portion a support member engaging clip portion 11 and a web 12.

Hole 9 is made in the blank immediately prior to folding for the purpose of preventing crack initiation at the intersection of the fold.

The panel edge mating portion 10 has an elongated Ushaped configuration, the sides of which are accurately spaced 4oo..

from one another so that it may be snugly retained on the upper edge -f a building panel. The spacing in this instance is approximately 1mm and the length of the side 13 is approximately The support member engaging clip portion 11 is produced by cutting across the blank and folding the cut *e 5" portion towards itself to form an upstanding channel 14. This channel is designed to fit around the flange of a metal support stud and to be firmly retained thereto. To this end, q~r 11 it will have a spacing between opposite walls of approximately for most applications. The length of the clip is approximately 15mm and its width is approximately 12.5mm.

The outer edge of the clip may be splayed at 15 to enable ready location on the support stud. Provision may also be provided for additional securement such as, in this instance, barbs 16 which grip into the surface of the stud when the fixing element is pushed into position.

At the centre of the clip portion 11, a 4mm diameter hole 17 is located. This is for the purpose of enabling a screw, rivet or nail to positively retain the fixing device (such as at the top of a wall or under a window).

The mating and clip portions are separated by a web

S.

12 which includes an offset portion 18. This offset portion is provided to extend the fixing element out from the support Se.

stud so that a panel may be inserted behind. The offset portion 18 is at right-angles to the main body region 19 of the web and is at right angles to the clip 11. In the

S

preferred embodiment it measures approximately 5mm between region 19 and clip 11.

S

Reference will now be made to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 2. The building panel is fabricated from 0.55mnm prepainted steel with the outer facing surface being illustrated. It is profiled to resemble a conventional rebated weatherboard, the bottom end of which is referenced 20 and the top end 21. The approximate width of the panel is 311mm and the depth of the profile is approximately 13mm.

12 The bottom end 20 is folded with three substantially right-angle bends to produce an almo/ anclosed portion 22.

The lip edge 23 of this portion is separated from the body of the sheet by an amount which is sufficient to accommodate the thickness of the fixing element and the thickness of the end portion of a sheet which has been erected. To this end, it will be approximately 2mm in the embodiment illustrated.

The top end 21 has a rolled U-shaped profile 24 formed on the outwardly facing side of the sheet. This is dimensioned to fit over the lip of an adjacent sheet for the purpose of providing a weathertight seal as is hereinafter S* described. The dimensions for the illustrated profile are

S*

approximately 5mm between the sides, and the overlap, or free end thereoE, is approximately 5mm in length.

00 4 05 Referring to Figure 3, the reference numerals ee employed are the same as those used in relation to Figures 1 and 2, and relate to the same features. The embodiment illustrated shows two wall panels 30, 31 in mating juxtaposition with respect to each other and with respect to a support stud 32. The combination of integers is formed by placing the lower panel 31 against the support stud 32 so as to assume a horizontal disposition. A fixing element is then hooked under the rolled U-shaped edge 24 of the panel and slid along (from left-to-right in the drawing) until the clip portion 11 is firmly wedged around the flange of the support stud 32. This is repeated with additional fixing elements at each support stud located along the length of the lower panel 31. The panel is then properly aligned and is secured by the use of hexahead self drilling and taping screws which are inserted through holes 17 into the support studs 32.

The upper panel 30 is then located adjacent the lower panel and raised so that the lip on its lowermost edge extends into the rolled edge 24 on the top of the lower panel.

This produces an efficient weather tight seal between the two panels as will be appreciated from the drawings.

The process of erecting panels is continued upwardly in a like manner until the last panel has been positioned at the top of the wall or beneath a window opening. At this point, specialized flashings and conventional fixing, for example pop rivets, are used in a manner which sheet metal 0 workers are accustomed.

It can be seen from this description thi-t a very effective and efficient means of erecting cladding on buildings is provided.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the invention, many modifications and

S

variations may be made thereto by persons skilled in the art without departing from the broad scope and ambit of the invention as herein set forth.

Claims

1. A high tensile steel fixing element for retaining two cladding panels in juxtaposition with respect to each other and with respect to a support member, said fixing element comprising a cladding panel edge mating portion and a support member engaging clip portion, said mating and clip portions being separated from one another by a web having an offset portion which projects the mating and clip portions to parallel spaced planes.

2. A high tensile steel fixing element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cladding panel edge mating portion is U- shaped in end-on profile.

3. A high tensile steel fixing element as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the support member engaging clip portion is a two-faced channel section which is adapted to fit over the flange of a channel profile support member.

4. A high tensile steel fixing element as claimed in any one of claims 1 3 and including a hole in the support member engaging clip portion to enable a fixing pin to be inserted therein for the purpose of securing the clip portion to a support member.

A high tensile steel fixing element as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and including projections on the clip portion to enable frictional engagement with the support member.

6. A cladding system comprising the combination of a building panel and a high tensile steel fixing element as claimed in any one of claims 1

7. A high tensile steel fixing element substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 3 of the accompanying drawings. DATED this 14th day of July 1993 PANTEK PTY. LTD. By their Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO. :0. *so: Soo** SS 0 ABSTRACT A cladding system comprising a high tensile steel fixing element (12) and a building panel (20) for use in low rise buildings. The fixing element has a portion which engages the framework support (32) and a portion which engages the panel. The panel has one edge (24) which is U-shaped in end-on elevation and an opposing edge (20) which is folded back towards the panel on the opposite side of the panel to the U-shaped edge. The system will withstand cyclonic wind conditions and is easy to erect. ao SO