GB2093087A - Support element for corrugated cladding - Google Patents

Abstract

An elongate support (10) for securing corrugated cladding 23, in spaced relation to a supporting structure 20 affords a plurality of regularly spaced raised portions (14) adapted to engage inside the crowns of such corrugated cladding, the latter being secured to the support (10) by means of fastenings extending through the crowns and into contact with the raised portions (14). The raised portions (14) may be formed or provided in a flange (12) at the outer edge of a web (11) and a further flange (13) may be provided at the inner edge of the web (11). A lining sheet 21 and insulation 22 may be provided. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Support element for corrugated material This invention relates to a support element for use in the construction of roofs, walls or facings of the kind including an outer sheeting of corrugated material affording regularly spaced alternate crowns and troughs Such corrugated material for many years commonly took the form of panels of corrugated iron sheeting in which the corrugations are of rounded form, the panels being fixed by means of nails or screws passing through the crowns of the corrugations and into the supporting structure on which the troughs of the corrugations are engaged.

More recently, sheeting of metal or plastics materials with trapezoidal or box-rib profiles has been introduced. However, with such corrugations it has not generally been possible to secure these through the crowns and it has become customary to use specially designed fixings which extend through the troughs of the sheeting into the supporting structure. However, this arrangement has the disadvantage, particularly in relation to roofing, that rainwater is concentrated in such troughs and problems can arise in preventing penetration of such rainwater at the sites of such fixings.

Additionally, it has been an increasingly common requirement to provide, in addition to the outer sheeting, a layer of thermal insulation or lining, and in some cases also an inner layer of sheeting of some kind. For such purposes, it is necessary to employ a suitable spacer member to stand the outer sheeting off from the supporting structure, to the extent sufficient to enable the insulation or lining to be accommodated.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved structure comprising panels of corrugated material secured to support elements, and an improved support element for use in the construction of such structures.

The invention resides in a construction comprising a plurality of panels of corrugated material supported by support elements each affording a plurality of spaced raised portions engaging the inner faces of the crowns of the corrugations of such material, the panels being secured by means of fastenings extending through the crowns of at least some of the corrugations and into corresponding raised portions of said support elements, the support elements themselves being secured to a supporting structure and holding said panels in spaced relation thereto.

The invention also resides in a support element comprising an elongate member formed or provided with a plurality of raised portions at regularly spaced longitudinal intervals along substantially the entire length thereof on one side.

More specifically, we provide a support element comprising a web with a transverse flange at one edge thereof (herein called "the outer edge"), wherein such flange is formed or provided at regularly spaced longitudinal intervals with raised portions adapted to engage the inner faces of the crowns of panels of corrugated material, whereby said panels may be secured by means of fastenings extending through the crowns and into contact with said raised portions.

Preferably the support element includes a further transverse flange at the edge (herein called "the inner edge") of the web opposite to said outer edge. Typically, the support element may be of U or channel shape in section, the two flanges being arranged on the same side of the web at the opposed lateral edges thereof. Alternatively, the element may be of Z-section with the two flanges on opposed sides of the web, or further versions of the element may be of I-shape in section, top-hat shape in section, or even box section.

The raised portions are preferably formed integrally with the respective flange by displacing material therefrom, but alternatively they could be afforded by separate members secured to the flange.

The invention also resides in a structure comprising a panel of corrugated material having regularly spaced alternate crowns and troughs supported by a plurality of such support elements.

More particularly, the invention resides in a structure comprising a panel of corrugated material having regularly spaced alternate crowns and troughs supported by support elements each comprising a web with a transverse flange at the outer edge thereof, the flange being formed or provided with a plurality of raised portions at spaced longitudinal intervals corresponding to the spacing of said crowns, said raised portions engaging the inner faces of respective crowns, and said panel being secured to said support elements by means of fastenings extending through at least some of the crowns and into contact with said raised portions.

Preferably, the height of the raised portions is such that the troughs of the corrugations engage the outer flange between the raised portions.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: FIGURE 1 shows, in perspective view, one end portion of a support element in accordance with the invention; FIGURE 2 shows a section through a roof including corrugated sheeting secured to a supporting structure by means of such support elements, the section being taken in a direction parallel to the corrugations of the sheeting; and FIGURE 3 shows a corresponding transverse section on the line Ill-Ill of Figure 2.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of support element for use in the construction of roofs and the like, and in particular for securing corrugated sheeting in spaced relation to a supporting structure, is shown in Figure 1. The element, indicated generally at 10, is in the form of an elongated channel section member including a web 1 1 with parallel flanges 1 2 and 1 3 disposed respectively at the opposed outer and inner edges thereof, and each projecting on the same side of the web. At regular intervals along its length, the outer flange 1 2 is formed with raised portions 1 4 which are formed by displacing material from the flange in any suitable manner.

Each raised portion 14 includes a first section 1 5 which extends perpendicular to the plane of the flange 12, a second section 16 which extends parallel to the plane of the flange 12, and a final lip section 1 7 which extends parallel to the first section and is directed towards the flange 12.

The spacing of the projecting portions 14 is so chosen as to match the spacing between the corrugations of sheeting with which the element 10 is intended to be used. Likewise, the height of the first section 1 5 of each raised portion is chosen so as to be at least equal to the height of the corrugations of such sheeting, and preferably the two heights are substantially identical so that the crows of the sheeting are supported by the raised portions 14, whilst the troughs of the corrugations are supported by the flange 12 at positions between the raised portions 14.

In use, as seen in Figures 2 and 3, a plurality of support elements may be secured in parallel spaced relation to a supporting structure comprising, for example, a plurality of purlins 20 (not shown in Figure 3). The inner flanges 13 of the elements 10 are secured to the purlins 20 by any suitable fastening element 1 3a, either directly or with the interposition of inner sheeting 21 which is thereby secured to the purlins. It will be noted that the gaps 1 8 in the outer flange 12 where material has been displaced to form the raised portions 14, provide for particularly convenient access to the outerface of the inner flange 1 3 for the insertion of fastenings 1 3a for securing the elements 10 to the supporting structure.

After the elements 10 are secured to the purl ins 20, slabs 22 of thermal insulation may be located between the elements 10, and finally panels 23 of corrugated sheet material can be located on the elements 20, with the raised portions 14 thereof engaging within the crowns of the corrugations, more particularly as seen in Figure 3. Thereafter, any suitable fastenings 1 2a may be employed to secure the panels 23 to the raised portions 14 of the elements 10.

As shown in Figure 3, two adjacent panels of corrugated material may be secured together in overlapping relation at their edges.

It will be appreciated that a support element in accordance with the invention may be used to secure corrugated sheeting of any kind, and in particular with any shape of corrugation, with the proviso that if rounded corrugations are employed, the shape of the raised portions 14 should be correspondingly modified. Whilst, in Figure 3, the support element 10 is shown as having raised portions 14 at such intervals that each corrugation of the panel 23 engages a respective raised portion, it will be understood that the spacing between the raised portions could be such as to engage alternate corrugations or one in three or one in four or more, according to the requirements.Likewise, whilst in the accompanying drawings the support element is shown in use as part of a sloping roof structure, it will be appreciated that it may also be used in the construction of a flat roof structure, or a vertical wall or cladding structure in an exactly similar manner.

Various modifications may be made to the form of the support element. In particular, instead of forming the raised portions 14 by displacing material from the outer flange 12, it would alternatively be possible to secure separate brackets of similar shape to the outer flange and thereby avoid reducing the strength of such flange. Likewise, the raised portions could be formed from integral tongues of material initially extending laterally from the free edge of the outer flange 12, such tongues then being bent to provide a first section similar to the section 1 5 but parallel to the web 11 at the free edge of the outer flange, and a second section similar to the section 16 parallel to and spaced from the outer flange.

Moreover, whilst the element 10 is most conveniently in the form of a channel section member, it would also be possible to form it as a Z-section member, with the inner flange projecting from the face of the vertical web opposite to that at which the outer flange is provided. This arrangement would be particularly convenient where the projecting portions are formed other than by displacing portions of the outer flange, since the inner flange would then be readily accessible for the purpose of securing the element to a supporting structure.

In other variations, the support element could be of I-shape in section, with the raised portions formed or provided on the transverse flange at the outer edge of the web on one or both sides of the web. In a further alternative, the support element could be of top-hat shape in section, with two webs interconnected at their outer edges by a flange affording the raised projections. In such cases, the opposed inner flanges could be utilised to provide support for thermal insulation even when no inner sheeting 21 is present as in the structure iliustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings.

Instead of such a top-hat section element having outwardly directed flanges at the edges of the webs remote from the outer flange, such flanges could be turned in towards one another to form a generally box section element. Likewise, the inner flange could be omitted from the various embodiments described, especially in a case where the elements require to be supported only at their ends instead of on purlins at positions throughout their length.

Further forms of support element could be constructed as elongate members formed or provided with a plurality of raised portions at regularly spaced intervals along substantially the entire length thereof on one side, and it may not be necessary in all cases for the web or one or more of the flanges to be of continuous form.

Thus, in accordance with the invention, a supporting element could be formed as a generally C-section element similar to that shown in Figure 1, but with full width portions of the outer flange, and adjacent portions of at least part of the width of the web removed or preferably folded back towards the inner flange to reinforce the element at such points, so as to afford gaps in the outer flange and recesses in the outer edge of the web to accommodate the troughs of the corrugated material, whilst the crowns thereof are supported by the remaining portions of the outer flange.

Claims (23)

1. A construction comprising a plurality of panels of corrugated material supported by support elements each affording a plurality of spaced raised portions engaging the inner faces of the crowns of the corrugations of said material, the panels being secured by means of fastenings extending through the crowns of at least some of the corrugations and into corresponding raised portions of said support elements, the support elements themselves being secured to a supporting structure and holding said panels in spaced relation thereto.

2. A support element comprising an elongate member formed or provided with a plurality of raised portions at regularly spaced longitudinal intervals along substantially the entire length thereof on one side.

3. A support element for use with corrugated material affording regularly spaced alternate crowns and troughs and comprising a web with a transverse flange at an outer edge thereof, wherein said flange is formed or provided at regularly spaced longitudinal intervals with raised portions adapted to engage the inner faces of the crowns of such corrugated material, whereby such material may be secured by means of fastenings extending through the crowns and into contact with said raised portions.

4. A support element according to Claim 3 including a further transverse flange at the inner edge of the web.

5. A support element according to Claim 4 which is of U or channel shape in section, the two flanges being arranged on the same side of the web at opposed lateral edges thereof.

6. A support element according to Claim 4 which is of Z-shape in section with the two flanges being arranged on opposite sides of the web at the opposed lateral edges thereof.

7. A support element according to Claim 4 which is of I-shape in section, with the two flanges each extending on both sides of the web at opposed edges thereof.

8. A support element according to Claim 4 which is of top-hat shape in section, and comprises two webs interconnected at their outer edges by said flange formed or provided with said raised portions.

9. A support element according to any one of Claims 3 to 8 wherein said raised portions are formed integrally with the respective flange by displacing material therefrom.

10. A structure comprising a panel of corrugated material having regularly spaced alternate crowns and troughs supported by a plurality of support elements each as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 9.

1 A structure comprising a panel of corrugated material having regularly spaced alternate crowns and troughs supported by support elements each comprising a web with a transverse flange at an outer edge thereof, the flange being formed or provided with a plurality of raised portions at spaced longitudinal intervals corresponding to the spacing of said crowns, said raised portions engaging inner faces of respective crowns, and said panel being secured to said support elements by means of fastenings extending through at least some of the crowns and into contact with said raised portions.

12. A structure according to Claim 11 wherein each support element includes a further transverse flange at the inner edge thereof.

13. A structure according to Claim 11 wherein each support element is of U or channel shape in section, the two flanges being arranged on the same side of the web at opposed lateral edges thereof.

14. A structure according to Claim 11 wherein each support element is of Z-shape in section with the two flanges being arranged on opposite sides of the web at the opposed lateral edges thereof.

1 5. A structure according to Claim 11 wherein each support element is of I-shape in section, with the two flanges each extending on both sides of the web at opposed edges thereof.

1 6. A structure according to Claim 11 wherein each support element is of top-hat shape in section, and comprises two webs interconnected at their outer edges by said flange formed or provided with said raised portions.

1 7. A structure according to any one of Claims 12 to 1 6 wherein said support elements are secured to a supporting structure by means of fastenings engaging with the inner flanges of the elements.

1 8. A structure according to any one of Claims 11 to 1 7 wherein a layer of thermal insulation is provided between adjacent support elements.

19. A structure according to any one of Claims 11 to 1 8 wherein the inside faces of the troughs of the panel engage the support elements at positions between said raised portions.

20. A support element substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

21. A structure comprising a panel of corrugated material supported by a plurality of support elements as claimed in Claim 20.

22. A structure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

23. Any novel feature or novel combination of features disclosed herein and/or in the accompanying drawings.