GB2223516A

GB2223516A - Eaves beam

Info

Publication number: GB2223516A
Application number: GB8819005A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ronald Leslie Brown
Original assignee: Finch Conservatories Ltd
Current assignee: Finch Conservatories Ltd
Priority date: 1988-08-10
Filing date: 1988-08-10
Publication date: 1990-04-11
Anticipated expiration: 2008-08-10
Also published as: GB8819005D0; GB2223516B

Abstract

An eaves beam for a conservatory, preferably of hollow extruded, metal reinforced, box section of uPVC, is provided with an upstanding flange 5 at its front edge, which preferably accommodates a separate seal 13 to form a seal with the underside of a roof panel P. Preferably, resiliently deformable flanges 19 are provided on a lower face of the beam so that can be connected with a snap-fit to the frame members of side wall panels. Additional means may also be formed on the top face of the beam to enable it to be connected to an adjacent beam by a connector which forms a snap-fit with said means. Second flange 15, if necessary with an extension 17 may provide a second seal against the panel P. Flanges 5, 17 may be cut away to accommodate a saddle receiving a roof bar. <IMAGE>

Description

EAVES BEAM The present invention relates to an eaves beam or eaves plate for use in a building structure, and in particular, for use in the construction of conservatories, greenhouses and the like. The invention will be described with reference to conservatories, but is not so limited.

In a conservatory, eaves beams are used to unite the wall panels along their top edge, and to provide a structurally rigid part of the frame of the building, to which the roof bars can be rigidly secured. This is explained in detail in our co-pending patent application No. , filed contemporaneously herewith, and the content of which is incorporated herein by cross-reference.

The present invention seeks to provide an eaves beam which can be made to achieve all the above functions, but which has the primary function of allowing the roof bars for supporting the roofing sheets two be connected thereto and which is so constructed that it forms a seal with the underside of the roofing sheets.

According to the present invention, we provide an eaves beam for a conservatory, in which an upstanding flange is provided on a top face of the beam adjacent its front face for forming a seal with the underside of a roof panel supported by roof bars which are connectable to the eaves beam.

Preferably, the flange has an enlarged end portion in which a slot with a narrow mouth is formed, and a gasket seal is located within said slot which, in use, abuts against the underside of the roof panels.

Preferably, the eaves beam is of hollow rectangular cross-section, and is extruded from a semi-rigid synthetic resinous material, such as uPVC, and reinforced internally with a hollow metal reinforcement. Preferably, small projecting ribs are provided in the inner walls of the beam to locate the hollow metal reinforcement, which may be of box-section galvanised steel.

Preferably, two projecting flanges are provided on the lower face of the eaves beam, the lower ends of which are inturned for forming a snap-fit connection with the top faces of a side wall, e.g. window frame members to which the eaves beam is connected.

Preferably, the upstanding flange for sealing against the underside of the roof panels has its front (outside) face located in line with that of the eaves beam, and another upstanding flange extends upwardly in line with the rear (inside) face of the beam, for forming a further seal with the underside of the roof panels. An extension piece may be fitted over this other flange for steep roof constructions.

Means may be provided on the top face of the beam with which a location plate may form a snap-fit for connecting together two lengths of eaves beam. These means may comprise an upstanding flange or a plurality of lugs between the front and rear flanges with a laterally extending nib having an inclined outer face and an inner face at right angles to the flange, which is spaced from the rear flange by an amount just sufficient to accommodate the location plate with a snap-fit, there being a groove at the base of the rear flange on its inner face to receive one edge of the location plate. For connecting lengths of eaves beam in a straight line, e.g.

along the side walls of the conservatory, straight location plates are provided, but for connecting eaves beam lengths over octagonal or dexagonal end walls, the ends of the eaves beam lengths are suitably mitred, and preformed angled location plates are used. The location plates may be fixed in position with screws and/or adhesive.

Preferably, where the roof bars are connected to the eaves beam, the front upstanding flange is cut away to a width fractionally greater than that of the roof bar, and a roof bar saddle support shaped snugly to receive the underside of the roof bar is slid in position, there being slots in the end faces of the saddle support into which the end portions of the front flanges facing the cut away portion will fit.

An eaves beam according to the invention and its associated components are now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a section through the beam; FIGURE 2 is a similar view showing the beam in use in a conservatory; FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a location plate for joining two eaves beam lengths over a 1350 junction between two wall panels, and FIGURES 4a - 4d are respectively front elevational, side elevational, plan and sectional views of a roof bar saddle support which is preferably used with the eaves beam where a roof bar is connected to it.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the eaves beam 1 illustrated is extruded from white uPVC and is rectangular in cross-section, but much deeper (e.g. 110 x 60mm) than a normal eaves beam or plate to provide additional strength. On the inner face of each of its far walls, two spaced location ribs 3 are provided, which are for locating a metal bar section reinforcement R. This is preferably provided to give strength to the beam and allow rigid joints to the beam to be made.

An upstanding flange 5 extends upwardly from the top face of the beam 1, with its front face aligned with that of the beam, and its upper end portion is of enlarged cross-section as shown at 7, and a slot 9 is formed therein, the slot having a narrowed mouth or opening as shown at 11. A gasket seal 13 is normally located in the slot 9, for forming a weather-tight seal with the underface of a roofing panel P, supported by spaced roof bars B which are rigidly connected to the eaves beam in the erected conservatory. At the rear edge of the upper face of the beam 1, another upstanding flange 15 is provided, its inner face being flush with that of the beam 1, for forming an inner seal with the roof panels R.

Extension pieces 17 may be clipped to the top of the flange 15 for various roof angles where the flange 15 itself is not high enough.

Two spaced depending flanges 19 extend from the lower face of the beam 1, and their free end portions are inturned as shown at 21. These are provided so that the eaves beam can be clipped to the upper face of the frames of a plurality of wall panels to unite them (see Figure 2).

On the top face of the beam, means are provided to enable adjacent beam lengths to be clipped together, using either a flat rectangular location plate L for straight line joins, or one of a selection of flat angled location plates, such as that for a 1350 angled join, as shown in Figure 3. These means could take many forms, such as two spaced ribs or rows of studs, but as shown comprise a recess 23 at the base of the inner face of the flange 15, and an upstanding flange 25 spaced from the flange 15 by an amount equal to the width of a location plate. The flange 25 has a nib at its outer end with a chamfered face 27, for retaining the location plate. This means that when two eaves beam lengths having suitably formed ends are abutted together, they can be held in that abutting relationship by a location plate L which forms a snap-fit between the flanges 15 and 25. It can then be fixed in position by means of an adhesive or with screws. Other means for joining adjacent beam lengths could, however, be used.

As can be seen in Figure 3, the 135 location plate has two identical arms 27, 29 of the same width, extending at 1350 to each other, and each of which will fit with a snap-fit between the flanges 25, 15 on the eaves beam.

Optionally, a central upstand 31 or plurality of spaced upstands is provided at a central location, which locate between adjacent beam lengths to space them apart a distance sufficient to allow a jointing strip to be located in the gap so formed.

Where a roof bar B is connected to the eaves beam 1, it is necessary to cut away a length of the front flange 5 just greater than the width of the roof bar, so that the underside of the roof bar will sit on the front edge of the eaves beam. Where a roof bar is to rest on the eaves beam at an angled joint between two inclined wall panels, as occurs in a dexagonal or octagonal end, it will be resting on a point. Accordingly, at each of these locations, a roof bar saddle support 33 (see Figures 4a 4d) is provided. These are of wide shallow U-shaped configuration, with the inner face 35 of the U shaped to match the underside of the roof beam B and snugly support it behind the front edge of the eaves beam.On the flat underside 37 of the support 33, a central depending stud 39 is provided which locates in a hole drilled for the purpose in the top face of the eaves beam (or in the gap between two joined lengths thereof).

The saddle supports are located in position on the front edge of the top face of the eaves beam on the straight (or slightly internally of the apex at an angled joint) by means of two outwards facing vertical slots 41 which receive the end portions adjacent the cut away portions of the front flange 5.

Although the eaves beam is preferably made of uPVC and preferably reinforced with metal, it may be formed of different materials. It may also have a different shape from that shown.

Although the present invention is primarily concerned with the eaves beam disclosed herein, it also extends to a method of building a conservatory eave using an eaves beam, location plates L and roof bar saddle supports 33 as described herein, and to the saddle supports 33 themselves.

It will of course be understood that the present invention has been described above purely by way of example, and modifications of detail can be made within the scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An eaves beam for a conservatory, in which an upstanding flange is provided on a top face of the beam adjacent its front face for forming a seal with the underside of a roof panel supported by roof bars which are connectable to the eaves beam.

2. An eaves beam according to Claim 1 wherein the flange has an enlarged end portion in which a slot with a narrow mouth is formed, and wherein a gasket seal is located within said slot which, in use, abuts against the underside of the roof panels.

3. An eaves beam according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the eaves beam is of hollow rectangular cross-section, and is extruded from a semi-rigid synthetic resinous material, and reinforced internally with a hollow metal reinforcement.

4. An eaves beam according to Claim 3 wherein small projecting ribs are provided in the inner walls of the beam to locate the hollow metal reinforcement.

5. An eaves beam according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein two projecting flanges are provided on the lower face of the eaves beam, the lower ends of which are inturned for forming a snap-fit connection with the top faces of a side wall, to which the eaves beam is connected.

6. An eaves beam according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein the upstanding flange for sealing against the underside of the roof panels has its front (outside) face located in line with that of the eaves beam, and another upstanding flange extends upwardly in line with the rear (inside) face of the beam, for forming a further seal with the underside of the roof panels.

7. An eaves beam according to Claim 6 wherein an extension piece is provided which may be fitted over the other flange for steep roof constructions.

8. An eaves beam according to any one of Claims 1 to 7 wherein means is provided on the top face of the beam with which a location plate may form a snap-fit for connecting together two lengths of eaves beam.

9. An eaves beam according to Claim 8 when dependent on Claim 5 wherein said means comprises an upstanding flange or a plurality of lugs between the front and rear flanges with a laterally extending nib having an inclined outer face and an inner face at right angles to the flange, which is spaced from the rear flange by an amount just sufficient to accommodate the location plate with a snap-fit, therein being a groove at the base of the rear flange on its inner face to receive one edge of the location plate.

10. An eaves beam according to any one of Claims 1 to 9 in which, where the roof bars are connected to the eaves beam, the upstanding flange is cut away to a width fractionally greater than that of the roof bar, and a roof bar saddle support shaped snugly to receive the underside of the roof bar is slid in position, there being slots in the end faces of the saddle support into which the end portions of the upstanding flange facing the cut away portion will fit.

11. An eaves beam substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying Drawings.