GB2126617A - Improvements relating to cladding sheets - Google Patents

Abstract

A GRP cladding sheet (1) has undercut grooves (4) on its underside, conveniently parallel and across the roof slope, which receive the heads (6) of bolts. These may be entered in one attitude and then turned positively to engage in the groove and clamping plates (7) are urged up against a roof timber by tightening the nut (11). The sloping sheet edges interengage to resist weather penetration, and the horizontal edge portions overlap without apparent discontinuity. A ridge cap can also be provided. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to cladding sheets This invention relates to cladding sheets, primarily for roofing, although it can have application to walls or partitions.

Corrugated iron, asbestos and plastic sheets have been extensively used on roofs for a considerable time. They are ordinarily used on second class work, such as for sheds and outhouses, where absolute weather tightness and insulation is not critical. In this country, they are seldom used for the main roofs of houses.

Such sheets can cover a large area economically and they are fairly quick and easy to fix. They do not require such dense timbering as a tiled roof and of course the slats for hanging tiles are unnecessary.

However, they do have considerable drawbacks.

They usually have to be drilled and then nailed through to the roof framework. If a hole is drilled in the wrong place, then it is exceedingly difficult to plug it securely and lastingly. The nails seldom are a water tight fit in the holes, and although the latter are made on a crest, water can penetrate after a time and rot the wood. Such sheets are seldom very strong and, with the wide spacing of the rafters, they cannot be walked upon without risk of cracking. As they have to be laid from the eaves up for the necessary overlap, this creates problems when fixing.

The aim of this invention is to provide a cladding sheet, mainly for roofing, which is quick and easy to fix, which is adaptable to almost any roof framework, which can have the appearance of conventional tiled roofing, and which provides sufficient insulation on its own to be able to dispense with undercladding.

According to the present invention there is provided a cladding sheet with a weather and an underside, the underside having undercut grooving for receiving the heads of the fixing bolts, The grooving may be of T-section and run in parallel lines in the horizontal direction when the sheet is laid on a sloping roof. It is intended to use bolts with T-shaped heads which can be entered into the grooves at any point along their length. This is done by aligning the cross arm of the head with the groove, inserting it into the groove and then turning the bolt through 90 . The other ends of the bolts will carry a plate which can be clamped up against the underside of the rafter by the nut, preferably a wing nut.

Such sheets will preferably be of glass reinforced plastics (GRP) with the weather-side moulded to resemble tiling. It can be given a roughened and coloured finish to enhance this effect. All manner of different tiling effects can be produced, although the more usual ones of plain tiles, Roman tiles of pantiles may predominate.

The side edges of the sheets, i.e. those which will extend up and down the slope of a roof, will preferably be formed with complementary, interengaging flanges adapted to resist water penetration.

Conveniently, these flanges will have loose engagement to allow slight relative skewing of adjacent sheets, so that they can be accommodated to untrue roofs. The flanges may have mating ribs and grooves and on installation a mastic or sealant may be laid between them to complete the weatherproofing.

The top and bottom edges of the sheets, i.e. those which will extend horizontally on a roof, will generally have complementary formations for overlapping similar sheets with no overtly noticeable break in the appearance or characteristics of the weather-side of the roof.

A gabled roof requires a cap, and the same principles may be carried into that, the cap comprising an inverted channel section member with an undercut longitudinal groove for receiving heads of fixing bolts.

Normally, the capping of a tiled roof is made up of a large number of short ridge sections. With this cap, a long member may be formed to resemble a number of ordinary ridge caps, thus enabling the ridge to be completed very rapidly.

When covering the roof with such sheets, it will probably be necessary only to fit a couple of bolts to each sheet at first, when they are set in place, and this will be sufficient to hold them while the cladding is completed. Further bolts can then be fitted from below, in the relative warm and dry. There will be no need for the workmen installing the roof to work on already fitted sheets as a platform.

The sheets may readily be cut by hand or portable power saw, and trimmed to the required dimensions of the roof. They can be manufactured in modular sizes so that wastage may be minimal.

For a better understanding of the present invention, some embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of a roof formed by cladding sheets, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the underside of one of such sheets, Figure 3 is a perspective view of a fixing bolt assembly, Figure 4 shows various capping arrangements compatible with the cladding sheets, and Figure 5 is a perspective view of another sheets intended for flat roofs.

In Figure 1, three sheets or panels 1 of GRP are shown fitted side by side on a sloping roof. The visible weather-side of each sheet is moulded to resemble pantiles. At the lower end the thickness is reduced so that the bottom row of simulated tiles projects about 5 to 8 cm. This will provide the necessary overlap to a gutter if the sheets are nearest the eaves, while it will also be complementary to the upper edge of a similar sheet, to overlap the upper row of simulated tiles on that and provide an appearance of continuity. The side edges of the panels which go up and down the slope are formed with ribbed and grooved flanges 2 and 3. Those at the edges of the Figure have been cut off, as would be done at the ends of the roof. These flanges have a loose interengagement so that there can be a lateral shift between adjacent sheets of approximately 2.5 cm.It is seldom that roofs are absolutely square, and for appearance it is best that the sheets at the ends should be laid with the exposed edge true, while any errors are taken up by slight adjustment of the intermediate sheets. The loose flange arrangement allows this, which is not possible with normal corrugated sheets. The grooves of the lower flange 2 will be filled with mastic before the adjacent sheet is laid, and when the flange 3 of that sheet is pressed into place, the mastic will spread to fill the entire gap. The mastic may be coloured to match the simulated tile finish, or while it is still sticky, powder or granules corresponding to the tile finish can be spread along the joint to adhere to the mastic and disguise it.

The underside of each panel is formed as shown in Figure 2. There are a number of parallel T-section grooves 4 running parallel to the courses of tiles.

These may be formed by the moulding process, or they could be cut in the material or at least completed, after removal from the mould. These grooves receive the heads of bolts such as the one shown in Figure 3. This bolt has a screw threaded stem 5 with an oblong head 6 so that it also is generally T-shaped. The head 6 can enter a groove 4 not only from the ends but also at any intermediate point. Its dimensions are such that it can be aligned with the groove, pressed into it, and then turned through 90 to engage the undercut formation. The stem 5 carries a plate 7 with barbs 8 and upturned flange 9 for engaging a truss or roof timber which is indicated in outline at 10. This plate can be tightened up against the underside of the timber by a wing nut 11 via washer 12.

When the sheet is in place a bolt can be quickly fitted in a groove adjacent one of the roof timbers and moved along so that the plate 7 can engage its underside. As soon as the nut 11 is tightened up, the sheet is secure. This is all done from below; no work has to be carried out on top of the sheets themselves, and no perforations are made in the sheets.

Normally, these bolts will be fitted at every point where a groove 4 crosses a roof timber, although this may not be necessary when re-cladding an old roof, for example, where there may be very many such timbers close together.

Referring to Figure 4, a gabled roof requires capping at the ridge. This figure shows various possible arrangements. The capping can be made of the same material as the sheets 1 to resemble ordinary tile capping. It is made in lengths 13 of (c) section, each length having complementary ends 14 and 15 providing an inter-locking overlap with a similar length. This will allow some play for mastic filling, as shown at (a) in Figure 4. Figure 4 (b), shows an alternative, simpler overlap relying more on the mastic seal. The central length is shown provided with vents 16.

Referring to Figures 4 (c) and 4 (d), inside the member 13 there is a central segmental filling 17 with a longitudinal T-section groove 18. This receives bolts similar to those of Figure 3 and carrying clamping plates adapted to the type of ridge to be capped. In Figure 4(c) there is a ridge board, and so there is a short hooked plate 19 to engage the under edge of that board. The groove 18 is here shown as slightly offset from the centre, but it may be acceptable to use a centrally grooved cap in such circumstances, for the offset of the capping would be hardly noticeable. If it could not be tolerated, then a cranked bolt could be employed, with its head engaged in a central groove 18.

In Figure 4 (d) there is no ridge board, and the clamping member is an elongated plate 20 which can engage under opposed timbers.

Again, once this capping is in place, it will be securely fixed from inside the roof. It may not be necessary even to walk or work on the roof when placing such a cap; if the member 13 is sufficiently long, a ridge could be fitted from opposite ends.

At the ends, the cap needs to be completed, and a filler piece as shown in Figure 4 (e) is used. This is simply a segment of a disc 21 with a soffitflange 22 which can be cut on site, according to the pitch of the roof. The cap will generally project slightly beyond the roof panel. The filler piece can be secured by adhesive or screws.

Further fillers are desirable where the cap spans the valleys of the simulated tiles. It would be possible to mould a cap which would fit these valleys exactly. However, it is envisaged that there will be a number of different tile patterns and to produce different ridge caps for each would be expensive. Also, as mentioned above, the sheets can have slightly variable spacing, which would not necessarily conform to a common cap. Therefore, a plain ridge cap is proposed, with its longitudinal edges grooved as shown in Figure 4(g) to receive lugs 23 on filler pieces 24. These are relatively simple mouldings, each to match a single valley of the simulated tiles. They can be slid into position before installation of the ridge cap, and the finish will appear as in Figure 4 (f). Extra sealant 25 may be applied to the edges for complete weather-proofing.

Figure 5 shows a variant for a flat roof. The overlap of the panels 26 is formed as in Figure 1, and their weather surfaces are flat and finished to resemble felt and chippings. It is envisaged that two panels will cover a standard size garage, in which case they can be made, as shown, left and right handed, with a rim 27 around three sides of the completed roof and an overhang 28 for a gutter on the fourth side. A fascia (not shown) may be fitted to hide the join at front and rear. If wider flat roofs are required, a set of modular intermediate panels can provide a choice to make up the required dimension. The fixing to the roof beams will be as described above.

The above panels are assumed to be opaque.

However, compatible transparent or translucent panels can be made and fitted in the same way. Also some panels may be adapted to receive opening roof lights.

CLAIMS (Filed on 5 September 83) 1. A cladding sheet with a weather and an underside, the underside having undercut grooving for receiving and holding captive parts of fixing means.

2. A cladding sheet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grooving comprises a plurality of para

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (16)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. for appearance it is best that the sheets at the ends should be laid with the exposed edge true, while any errors are taken up by slight adjustment of the intermediate sheets. The loose flange arrangement allows this, which is not possible with normal corrugated sheets. The grooves of the lower flange 2 will be filled with mastic before the adjacent sheet is laid, and when the flange 3 of that sheet is pressed into place, the mastic will spread to fill the entire gap. The mastic may be coloured to match the simulated tile finish, or while it is still sticky, powder or granules corresponding to the tile finish can be spread along the joint to adhere to the mastic and disguise it. The underside of each panel is formed as shown in Figure 2. There are a number of parallel T-section grooves 4 running parallel to the courses of tiles. These may be formed by the moulding process, or they could be cut in the material or at least completed, after removal from the mould. These grooves receive the heads of bolts such as the one shown in Figure 3. This bolt has a screw threaded stem 5 with an oblong head 6 so that it also is generally T-shaped. The head 6 can enter a groove 4 not only from the ends but also at any intermediate point. Its dimensions are such that it can be aligned with the groove, pressed into it, and then turned through 90 to engage the undercut formation. The stem 5 carries a plate 7 with barbs 8 and upturned flange 9 for engaging a truss or roof timber which is indicated in outline at 10. This plate can be tightened up against the underside of the timber by a wing nut 11 via washer 12. When the sheet is in place a bolt can be quickly fitted in a groove adjacent one of the roof timbers and moved along so that the plate 7 can engage its underside. As soon as the nut 11 is tightened up, the sheet is secure. This is all done from below; no work has to be carried out on top of the sheets themselves, and no perforations are made in the sheets. Normally, these bolts will be fitted at every point where a groove 4 crosses a roof timber, although this may not be necessary when re-cladding an old roof, for example, where there may be very many such timbers close together. Referring to Figure 4, a gabled roof requires capping at the ridge. This figure shows various possible arrangements. The capping can be made of the same material as the sheets 1 to resemble ordinary tile capping. It is made in lengths 13 of (c) section, each length having complementary ends 14 and 15 providing an inter-locking overlap with a similar length. This will allow some play for mastic filling, as shown at (a) in Figure 4. Figure 4 (b), shows an alternative, simpler overlap relying more on the mastic seal. The central length is shown provided with vents 16. Referring to Figures 4 (c) and 4 (d), inside the member 13 there is a central segmental filling 17 with a longitudinal T-section groove 18. This receives bolts similar to those of Figure 3 and carrying clamping plates adapted to the type of ridge to be capped. In Figure 4(c) there is a ridge board, and so there is a short hooked plate 19 to engage the under edge of that board. The groove 18 is here shown as slightly offset from the centre, but it may be acceptable to use a centrally grooved cap in such circumstances, for the offset of the capping would be hardly noticeable. If it could not be tolerated, then a cranked bolt could be employed, with its head engaged in a central groove 18. In Figure 4 (d) there is no ridge board, and the clamping member is an elongated plate 20 which can engage under opposed timbers. Again, once this capping is in place, it will be securely fixed from inside the roof. It may not be necessary even to walk or work on the roof when placing such a cap; if the member 13 is sufficiently long, a ridge could be fitted from opposite ends. At the ends, the cap needs to be completed, and a filler piece as shown in Figure 4 (e) is used. This is simply a segment of a disc 21 with a soffitflange 22 which can be cut on site, according to the pitch of the roof. The cap will generally project slightly beyond the roof panel. The filler piece can be secured by adhesive or screws. Further fillers are desirable where the cap spans the valleys of the simulated tiles. It would be possible to mould a cap which would fit these valleys exactly. However, it is envisaged that there will be a number of different tile patterns and to produce different ridge caps for each would be expensive. Also, as mentioned above, the sheets can have slightly variable spacing, which would not necessarily conform to a common cap. Therefore, a plain ridge cap is proposed, with its longitudinal edges grooved as shown in Figure 4(g) to receive lugs 23 on filler pieces 24. These are relatively simple mouldings, each to match a single valley of the simulated tiles. They can be slid into position before installation of the ridge cap, and the finish will appear as in Figure 4 (f). Extra sealant 25 may be applied to the edges for complete weather-proofing. Figure 5 shows a variant for a flat roof. The overlap of the panels 26 is formed as in Figure 1, and their weather surfaces are flat and finished to resemble felt and chippings. It is envisaged that two panels will cover a standard size garage, in which case they can be made, as shown, left and right handed, with a rim 27 around three sides of the completed roof and an overhang 28 for a gutter on the fourth side. A fascia (not shown) may be fitted to hide the join at front and rear. If wider flat roofs are required, a set of modular intermediate panels can provide a choice to make up the required dimension. The fixing to the roof beams will be as described above. The above panels are assumed to be opaque. However, compatible transparent or translucent panels can be made and fitted in the same way. Also some panels may be adapted to receive opening roof lights. CLAIMS (Filed on 5 September 83)

1. A cladding sheet with a weather and an underside, the underside having undercut grooving for receiving and holding captive parts of fixing means.

2. A cladding sheet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grooving comprises a plurality of para

llel grooves.

3. A cladding sheet as claimed in claim 1 or 2, adapted for roofing, wherein the groooving extends transversely to the intended roof slope.

4. A cladding sheet as claimed in claim 1,2 or 3, wherein a pair of opposite edges of the sheet are formed with complementary flanges, providing for mutual interengagement of similar sheets and resistance to water penetration.

5. A cladding sheet as claimed in claim 4, wherein the flanges are dimensioned so that a complementary pair have loose interengagement, permitting skewing of one sheet relative to another.

6. A cladding sheet as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein the flanges have ribs and grooves extending longitudinally of the respective side.

7. A cladding sheet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein an edge of the sheet intended to be lowermost is formed with a portion that will overlap the uppermost edge of a similar sheet with an appearance of continuity.

8. A cladding sheet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the weather side is formed to resemble tiling.

9. A cladding sheet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein it is moulded in glass reinforced plastics material.

10. A cladding assembly comprising at least one sheet as claimed in any preceding claim, and a plurality of fixing means each having a part for co-operation with said grooving and another part for positive engagement with a frame member.

11. A cladding assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the fixing means are bolts with nuts holding clamping elements captive thereon, the bolt heads being said one parts and the clamping elements said other parts.

12. A cladding assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein each bolt head is generally T-shaped, enabling entry into the grooving intermediate its ends.

13. A cladding assembly as claimed in claim 10, 11 or 12, wherein the sheets are adapted for roofing, and including a ridge cap, the cap also having undercut grooving for receiving and holding captive parts of fixing means.

14. A cladding assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein the ends of the cap are formed complementarily, providing for mutual interengagement of similar caps and resistance to water penetration.

15. A cladding assembly as claimed in claim 14, and including filler pieces conforming to depressions or valleys in the weather side of the sheet(s), the filler pieces being attachable to the longitudinal edges of the cap, but slideable therealong.

16. A cladding assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.