EP0078754B1 - Method and apparatus for connecting ribbed sheet metal to roofs - Google Patents

Description

Many buildings are covered by corrugated or ribbed sheets placed directly on the roof structure. These sheets, generally made of metal, or asbestos-cement, are fixed by spun rods arranged in advance, perpendicular to the roof and made integral with said roof. For sealing reasons, the rods passing through the sheets in their raised parts relative to the roof, that is to say at the bottom of the ribs of the sheet.

Such a device is described for example in patent AU 15025 (1970) which has a threaded rod (4) fixed at its base on the frame (8) and threaded at its other free end; this last part allows the fixing of the corrugated sheet (13) previously drilled by means of a support nut (10), locking washers (11), a sealing washer (12) and a locking nut (14). As in the case above, the sheets can be drilled in advance at the locations provided for the passage of the rods. This process is relatively expensive.

For thin sheets, one can simply perforate them on site by driving in at the request of the fixing rods. The installation process is then as follows: the rods are rigidly fixed in advance on the roof. The sheets are placed one after the other on the roof, making them rest by the bottom of their ribs on the end of the rods. The sheets are, in a way, successively "impaled" on these rods, then fixed by screwing a nut.

This impaling is commonly done by means of a simple blow of a rubber mallet or of a hollow tube applying successively with force, against the end of each rod directed perpendicularly, the sheet metal surface which is opposite. . The tube, or the mallet, acts in a way like the matrix of a cookie cutter whose threaded rod acts as a punch.

During this impaling operation by the rods themselves, the end, or even the body of the rods, are frequently deteriorated.

Furthermore, the perforations made in the sheet by the rods themselves are made exactly to the diameter of the rods without leaving any play between the perforation orifice and rods.

However, thereafter, variations in ambient temperature, the action of the sun and the rain lead to different expansions of the frame and the cover sheets. As the fixing without play of the sheets on the frame prohibits any relative movement of the sheets and the frame, there are too often deformations and deteriorations of the rods as well as the sheets, this fairly quickly after their installation.

This problem is resolved by the teaching of patent FR-A-1 399 015 which describes an in situ cutting system for corrugated sheets for roofs (or cladding) with sufficient clearance between the rods and the plate fixing holes. This device comprises a punch (26) with a cutting edge piercing a hole in right of a threaded sleeve (28) provided with a guide point (27).

However, despite this device, and before impaling, roofers too often place the sheets on the roof without taking sufficient care; the ribs are often misaligned with respect to the stems, especially if the top of the ribs is flat. The ends of the rods, and therefore the subsequent perforations of the sheet, rarely appear in the axis of the bottom of the ribs, while the maximum recommended tolerance is generally of the order of ± 2 mm.

Thus, the technique of drilling sheets on the spot, with impaling on demand by the rods themselves, is a rapid and economical technique, but which too often leads to subsequent setbacks as a result of deterioration of the rods as well as of the sheets.

The object of the present invention is a method which, thanks to the use of a suitable device, also object of the invention, avoids the drawbacks mentioned above of drilling by impaling.

The invention is disclosed in claims 1 and 2. Preferred embodiments are the subject of the subclaims.

The device consists of protective end caps for the rods. These end pieces are substantially cylindrical end pieces, tubular or at least hollow at one end. The axial orifice of the end pieces has an internal diameter equal to that of the rods, increased by a slight clearance, sufficient to allow their easy fitting on the end of the rods, then their removal for reuse. The upper end of the end pieces preferably has a sharp shape.

Each end piece is preferably associated with a guide washer fixed in an elastic and removable manner to said end piece. These washers can be, for example, plastic, metal or composite material.

The device for fixing the washers to the end pieces can be, for example, a flexible membrane or a set of radial lugs penetrating elastically into a complementary circular groove traced in the end pieces. A slightly strong axial pressure on the washer makes it slide axially on the end piece and detach from said end piece. To ensure their guiding function, the washers have a lateral surface substantially complementary to the inner lateral surface of the ribs of the sheet, or at least tangent to the lateral inner faces of said ribs. Therefore when, after having fitted end caps with their washers on the fixing rods, a roofer has a sheet metal on the roof by lowering it to rest by the bottom of its ribs on the ends of the rods, or more exactly, on the ends of the end pieces extending them, each rod is in the axial plane of a rib. The sheet is guided during its descent, by contact between the internal lateral faces of its ribs and the lateral surfaces of the washers.

In addition, the upper surface of the washers is preferably tangent to the surface of the bottom of the ribs when the washers being in their normal place, the sheet rests by the bottom of its ribs on the ends of the end fittings fitted on the rods. The upper face of the washers can thus help to support the sheets when they are placed on the roof by resting on the end of the end pieces before impaling.

• en premier lieu, à l'extrémité de chacune des tiges sur lesquelles doit être fixée une tôle, on emmanche un embout, celui-ci étant, de préférence, muni d'une rondelle de guidage. On met en place la tôle qui s'appuie sur les embouts prolongeant et protégeant l'extrémité des tiges. On règle la position de la tôle pour que les tiges de fixation pénètrent dans l'intrados des nervures correspondantes. On appuie la tôle contre la toiture en sorte que le fond de ses nervures rentre bien au contact de l'extrémité des embouts. Les rondelles de guidage remplissent leur office. Elles guident latéralement la tôle au cours de leur pénétration dans les nervures et amènent le plan axial desdites nervures à passer par les axes des embouts et, donc, des tiges.

With the tip and washer device according to the invention, the method of fixing the sheets is greatly facilitated. It looks like this:

• firstly, at the end of each of the rods on which a sheet is to be fixed, a nozzle is fitted, the latter being preferably provided with a guide washer. We put in place the sheet which rests on the end pieces extending and protecting the end of the rods. The position of the sheet is adjusted so that the fixing rods penetrate into the lower surface of the corresponding ribs. The sheet is pressed against the roof so that the bottom of its ribs comes into contact with the end of the end pieces. The guide washers serve their purpose. They laterally guide the sheet during their penetration into the ribs and cause the axial plane of said ribs to pass through the axes of the end pieces and, therefore, of the rods.

With a rubber mallet, or a hollow tube, the sheet is impaled on the fixing rods or, more precisely, on the end of the end pieces, according to the prior art. The rods, protected by the protective caps, are not damaged. The sheet is perforated exactly in the axis of the ribs, this with orifices the diameter of which is that of the outside diameter, not of the rods, but of the end pieces. The clearance between orifice and rod is thus equal to the difference between the outside diameter of the end pieces and the diameter of the rods.

• La figure 1 représente, en coupe axiale, un embout muni de sa rondelle et fixé à l'extrémité d'une tige, ceci avant la mise en place de la tôle.
• La figure 2 représente le dispositif précédent après mise en place de la tôle, ceci selon une coupe perpendiculaire à l'axe de ses nervures. La tôle repose par le fond de sa nervure sur l'extrémité supérieure d'un embout.
• La figure 3 représente les mêmes éléments au moment où la tôle vient d'être perforée par un tube creux exerçant une pression de haut en bas selon l'axe de la tige.
• La figure 4 représente les mêmes éléments après désolidarisation complète de l'embout et de la rondelle.
• La figure 5 représente les mêmes éléments, dans le cas où la toiture comporte des cales de nervure. L'embout a été retiré de l'extrémité de la tige.

The invention will be better understood from the following description of a particular embodiment, as well as from the examination of the attached figures. This example is not limitative of the invention.

• Figure 1 shows, in axial section, a tip provided with its washer and fixed to the end of a rod, this before the establishment of the sheet.
• Figure 2 shows the previous device after placing the sheet, this in a section perpendicular to the axis of its ribs. The sheet rests by the bottom of its rib on the upper end of a nozzle.
• Figure 3 shows the same elements when the sheet has just been perforated by a hollow tube exerting pressure from top to bottom along the axis of the rod.
• Figure 4 shows the same elements after complete separation of the nozzle and the washer.
• FIG. 5 represents the same elements, in the case where the roof comprises rib shims. The tip was removed from the end of the rod.

In Figure 1, there is a protective tip (1) associated with a removable guide washer (2) made of plastic.

The washer (2) has three radial lugs (3) which engage in a circular groove (4) of the end piece (1) and thus make the washer (3) integral, elastically and removable from the end piece (1). The end piece (1) is fitted onto the end of a rod (5) with a diameter of 8 mm, itself integral with a fault (6) of the frame. The internal diameter d _i of the end piece (1) is 8.2 mm, which allows it to be easily fitted onto the rod (5).

The outside diameter d ₂ of the end piece is 10 mm. Its height is 16 mm. The groove (4), traced at the upper 1/4 of the end piece (1) prevents it from fitting onto the rod (5) over a length of more than 12 mm. It can be noted that the end piece (1) is cut at the top in the shape of a re-entrant dihedral, which gives it two diametrically opposite cutting edges (7-7 ').

In FIG. 2, the same elements can be distinguished after fitting a sheet (8) which rests by the bottom of a rib (9) (which is a part in elevation relative to the roof) on the upper ends of the end caps, here the edges (7-7 ').

The washers (2) have a shape of revolution, the lateral surface of which has a conical portion (10) which is tangent to the two lateral interior faces (11 11 ') of the rib (9) when the latter rests on the upper end. (7-7 ') of the end piece (1) disposed in the axial plane of the rib.

It is also noted that, in this relative position of the end piece (1), the washer (2) and the sheet (8), the upper surface (12) of the washer (2) is tangent to the lower surface of the bottom of the rib (9). The washer (2) thus contributes somewhat to supporting the weight of the sheet (8) at the same time as the edges (7-7 ') of the end piece (1).

In Figure 3, we see in section the sheet (8) during perforation by means of a tube (13) whose inner diameter is greater than the outer diameter d ₂ of the nozzle (1). Via the tube (13), a force F is applied to the rib (9) in the axis of each rod (5) which cuts, as if by a cookie cutter, in the bottom of the rib (9 ), a disc (14). We can then easily push up and down the sheet (8) and the washer (2) towards the tip (6).

In Figure 4, we see the result of the perforation operation according to the invention. The sheet (8) has been pushed back until it rests on the purlin (6). The washer (2) has completely separated from the end piece (1) and also rests on the purlin (6). The end piece (1) remained in place at the end of the rod (5). Thanks to its 0.2 mm clearance with the rod (5), it can be easily removed and recovered then screw in its place a lock nut not shown.

In Figure 5, we see another variant of the result of the perforation operation. In the case shown, the roof has wedges (15) for supporting the ribs (9). In this case, the height h of the washers (2) must imperatively be less than the difference in height between that of the rib (9) and the shim (15). In this figure, the end piece (1) has been removed, the rod (5) is ready to receive its nut.

From the examination of these five figures, the method of placing and perforating the sheets (8) is easily understood.

Before each sheet (8) is put in place, the corresponding fixing rods (5) are provided with protective caps (1) and washers (2) associated therewith, as shown in FIG. 1. On then sets up the sheets (8) by making them rest by the bottom of their ribs (9) on the edges (7-7 ') at the upper end of the end pieces (1), as shown in Figure 2.

During its descent, the sheet (8) is guided by the washers (2) whose conical lateral part (10) comes into contact with the lateral faces (11-11 ') of the ribs (9). The axes (XX ') of the rods (5) are thus in the axial plane of the ribs (9). The upper surface (12) of the washers (2) contributes to supporting the weight of the sheet (8). The bottom of the ribs (9) is then perforated according to one of the known techniques, here by the action of a tube (12) exerting a force F in the axis of the rods (5), as shown in FIG. 3. The end piece ( 1) and the tube (13) operate in the manner of a cookie cutter. Thanks to the cutting edges (7-7 ') of the end piece (1), a disc (14) is easily cut from the bottom of the ribs (9) which are raised relative to the rest of the sheet (8). The orifice (16) cut in the rib (9) has a diameter d ₂ of 10 mm, equal to the outside diameter of the end piece (1). There is, between the orifice (16) of the sheet and the rod (5), the desired clearance of 2 mm. The sheet (8) is then pushed back until it rests on the purlins (6) as shown in FIG. 4.

We see in Figures 3 and 4 that the washer (2) is gradually pushed down. The pins (3) first escape from the groove (4), as shown in Figure 3, then the washer (2) separates completely from the tip (1) and falls at the foot of the rod (5) on the failure (6), as shown in Figure 4. The washer (2) is lost while removing the tip (1) which can be reused for another operation. A nut (not shown) is put in its place, which allows the sheet (8) to be blocked against the breakdown (6) according to the prior art.

It should be noted, on the one hand, that the washers (2) do not necessarily have a shape of revolution, but can also have, for example, horizontal sections of square, rectangular or hexagonal shape. In this case, two lateral faces of the washer must be complementary to the lateral faces (11-11 ') of the rib (9).

We also know that, to have a good seal, the cover sheets must overlap laterally according to a rib. In this case, we will use a nozzle and its washer for the perforation of the rib of the lower sheet as indicated above. For the perforation of the covering rib of the upper sheet, a tip will also be used but, in this case, without its washer which, otherwise, would remain trapped between the two sheets. The covering rib is then guided by the rib of the lower sheet, also by the other fixing rods of the upper sheet. Preferably, the sheet will be perforated by the other rods before perforation along the covering rib.

We can, finally, use the radially split washers (2) which are recoverable.

Claims (5)

1. A process for positioning and fixing ribbed or corrugated sheets (8) on a roof structure, said sheets being fixed by impalement on fixing rods (5) comprising protective end members (1) characterised in that, before use and during the piercing operation, the protective end members (1) are provided with a removable disc member (2) for guiding the ribs or corrugations.

2. An arrangement for carrying out the process according to claim 1 comprising a protective end member (1) provided with diametrally oppositely disposed cutting edges (7, 7') characterised in that the end member is associated with a removable guide disc member (12) whose side surface is complementary to the inside side surface of the ribs, the side surface of the disc member being tangential to the inside side faces (11-11') of the ribs when the sheet (8) rests on the end of the end member (1) which is disposed in the axial plane of the rib.

3. An arrangement according to claim 2 characterised in that the cutting edges (7-7') are formed by the intersection of the cylindrical outside surface of the end member (1) and a re-entrant dihedron.

4. An arrangement according to claim 2 characterised in that the upward surface of each disc member (2) is tangential to the downward surface of the bottom of the corresponding rib.

5. An arrangement according to one of claims 2 or 4 characterised in that the disc members (2) are split, which permits them to be recovered.

Images