NZ563843A - Plastic member locatable in any one of a plurality of rail apertures to anchor to cladding panel by snap or slide fit - Google Patents

Abstract

A plastic member is locatable in any one of a plurality of rail apertures so as to anchor an overlying cladding sheet panel by snap or slide fit thereto.

Description

(Wended ^feu^,cajfueY^ 563843 NKW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT, 1953 Divided out of Application No: 539212/539694 Date: 1 April 2005/ 27 April 2005 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION PANEL CLIP AND PANEL CLIP ASSEMBLIES We, FLETCHER BUILDING HOLDINGS LIMITED, a company duly incorporated under the laws of New Zealand of 910 Great South Road, Penrose, Auckland, New Zealand, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to roofing and more particularly to components, sub-assemblies and related procedures and methodologies for clip fitting panels typified by metal roofing or other long run roofing panels.

Frequently metal roofing is held to the purlins or other substructure by a clipping mechanism. Such a clipping system for steel panels involves steel fittings adapted to be attached to the purlins inter alia by nailing and/or screwing and to clip fit engage in the underside of the ridges of the roofing panel.

With the advent of the DIMONDEK 630 onsite manufacturing of panels, extremely long roofing panels can be manufactured so as to avoid a need for lapping of panels dowTn the fall of a roof. Currendy roofs with a panel of up to 65.5 metres long have been made.

With longer metal roofing panels, particularly if made of aluminium but also even if made, as has been conventional, from steel) there are thermal expansion difficulties which will cause movement of the panel on these retention clips. This gives rise to localised regions of wear that ultimately can damage the water tightness of the structure.

The present invention wishes to evolve a system whereby such wear is reduced and yet the integrity of the system will not be undermined.

Tt is therefore to such structures, systems, methods and componentry that the present invention is directed.

In an aspect the present invention is, in combination, an elongate member or elongate members, the or each member being supportable over a support to be clad, and a plurality of members each of or including a plastics material (hereafter "plastic member" or "plastic members"), each plastics member being locatable in any one of several engagement locations of the, or at least one, said elongate member so as to provide (A) a predetermined plastic member to plastic member spacing relative to the, or each, elongate member, and (B) a predetermined orientation of the plastics members to the, or each, said elongate member; wherein each plastic member, when in assembly with the, or a, said elongate member, and when held relative to said support to be clad, will act as an anchor for a panel to be clip fit thereto or slide engage therewith, or both.

Optionally the combination includes one or more sheets of sheet material profiled with parallel grooving on one side corresponding to other side ridging, each such groove Intellectual Property Office of fo.Z. -7 DEC 2007 being adapted to be clip fit retained or slide engage retained, or both, by a said plastic member.

Preferably each elongate member has openings therein as said adaptation for a said plastic member.

Preferably each said plastic member is insertable through a said opening from one side and will not pass fully said opening in the predetermined orientation.

Preferably each said elongate member is of sheet material or profiled sheet material.

Preferably each elongate member is formed from a metal.

Preferably the, or each, elongate member has at least one of a set up and a set down at an end to facilitate like to like elongate member lapping for elongate member to elongate member indexing purposes.

Preferably there are at least two elongate members, each having an opening as an adaptation for said plastic member alignable sufficiendy over a complementary, if not identical, opening of the other when the elongate members are endwise lapped in an indexed manner, one to the other. Preferably the aligned openings can separately or collectively index a said plastic member.

Preferably the, or each, elongate member has openings therein for fasteners.

Most preferably the combination is substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.

In another aspect the invention is a cladding assembly comprising one or more rows of end-wise lapping elongate members, a plurality of members each of or including, a plastics material (hereafter "plastic member" or "plastic members") each located in one of several engagement locations of at least one of said elongate members so as to provide a spread of such plastic members in a desired orientation, and a plurality of cladding sheets, each being of sheet material profiled to have parallel grooving on one side corresponding to other side ridging, cach such groove running substantially orthogonally to said one or more rows, said plastic members each being received in a said groove and adapted to hold, at least in part, the cladding sheet to said plastic member.

In another aspect the invention is a modular panel retention system for panels to be held on or by) a structure, the system comprising or including at least one retention member or assembly ("retention assembly") having, or each having, plural panel engagement forms upstanding from a base adapted to be retained (inter alia by fixing means) on or by a said structure, and at least one panel formed from sheet material and defining spaced ridge features ("ridge(s)") to its outside, wherein each engagement form is clip fit and/or endwise slidably engageable into the underside of a ridge to retain the panel, and wherein at least a or the bearing surface(s) of each engagement form to bear on a fitted panel is non metal and adapted to allow sliding by the panel relative thereto on or parallel to the ridge axis.

Preferably both (A) the ridge to ridge spacing of the panel and (B) a ridge to the nearest ridge of a like panel to be mated thereto corresponds to the engagement form to engagement form spacing ("the modular spacing"), Preferably each retention assembly is indexable to a like retention assembly so as to maintain the modular spacing of the collective series of engagements forms.

Preferably each retention member has a moulded plastics member for each retention form inserted through an elongate base or rail.

Preferably said insertion is through a metal base or rail.

Preferably said metal base has an opening or other facility for each retention form insertion and to prevent pull through.

Preferably said base or rail includes at or adjacent one end thereof an indexing opening or other facility to engage a base of a like retention assembly and/or about a retention form of a like retention assembly thereby to ensure modular spacing between all adjacent retention forms.

In another aspcct the invention is a moulded plastics member having at least one ramp down to a retention shoulder at or near its upper extremity in its upper region and a larger extent when considered in plan of its lower region with respect to said upper region.

The plastics member preferably defines a peripheral plateau in its lower region above which the upper region (of less lateral extent) projects to define at least one (and preferably two) retention shoulders facing towards the lower region.

Preferably the retention shoulder(s) is associated with a ramp(s) whereby there can be a clip fit interengagement into the channel of a panel (e.g. roll formed steel or aluminium roofing panel.

The present invention also consists in a retention formation adapted to fit within the underside of a ridge formation of a panel formed from a sheet material wherein the retention formation is of a plastics material on which the panel is adapted to slide when affected by thermal expansion.

Preferably the plastics material is selected from a range of nylon based materials. However any long life lubricating or slippery plastics material can be used as a moulding or facings for the retention formation.

In another aspect the present invention relates to a fabricated assembly for attachment to a building envelope or structure (e.g. purlins and/or roofing framing components, wall components, etc.) said fabricated member having a component of a first material adapted to be fixed by appropriate fixing means (e.g. screws, nails, or the like) and at least one formation as aforesaid upstanding therefrom of a second material, said second material being of a plastics material adapted to have a panel engaged therewith and to slide responsive to thermal expansion/contraction thereon.

The present invention in another aspect is directed to a gang of clips formed as a unitary member or as a fabricated assembly adapted to be supported by the purlins and/or other sub-frame members of a building or other structure yet to provide clips modularly spaced each adapted to be engageable within a channel underlying a longitudinal ridge of a panel to be retained at least in part thereby.

In another aspect the present invention consists in an assembly having an anchorable member adapted for engagement to at least one purlin or other sub-structure of a to be cladded roof, and at least one plastics member retainable by the anchorable member that projects, or that each project, upwardly therefrom and are adapted to clip fit engage and retain (at least in part) a roofing panel having a complementary ridge defined channel accessible by the plastics member from below the crest of the ridge.

The plastics member preferably defines a peripheral plateau in its lower region above which the upper region (of less lateral extent) projects to define at least one (and preferably two) retention shoulders facing towards the lower region.

Preferably the retention shoulder(s) is associated with a ramp(s) whereby there can be a clip fit interengagement into the channel of a panel (e.g. roll formed steel or aluminium roofing panel.

In yet a further aspect the present invention consists in, in combination, a said assembly and a complementary panel.

Preferably said complementary panel is a roofing panel e.g. a long run roofing panel. Preferably said roofing panel is of a metal e.g. steel, aluminium, or other.

Preferably said plastics member is insertable through a base plate or rail of metal fixable by screws, etc to thereby be anchored.

In yet a further aspect the present invention consists in, whether fabricated or a unitary member, a base or rail adapted to be fitted by any appropriate means (whether reliant on fixing means or otherwise) to the envelope or other structure of a building (for example, purlins and/or roofing framing components, wall components, etc.) and upstanding from the base, at least one moulded plastics retention formation adapted to be received by a complementary panel formed from a sheet material.

Preferably there are a plurality of such retention formations.

In another aspect the invention is a use of apparatus of the present invention.

In yet a further aspect the invention is the use of plastic mouldings in a retention system for long run steel or aluminium cladding.

In another aspect the invention is a method of cladding as hereindescribed.

As used herein "and/or" means "and" or "or".

As used herein "(s)" following a noun means the plural and singular forms of that noun.

As used herein "clip" and "clip fit" includes componentry and assemblies of any push together interengagement where one member can be forced to be retained against easy removal by a resultant abutment or abutment potential.

As used herein "base plate" is not confined to a non profiled member.

Two preferred forms of the present invention will now be described.

Figure 1 is a plan view from above of a base plate of a first embodiment in accordance with the present invention e.g. of steel showing three locations for a retention formation and shown at the left hand end one such moulded plastics retention member inserted upwardly through an appropriate opening of the base plate or rail, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the retention form shown to the left hand end of the base plate or rail and moulded retention formation assembly of Figure 1, the retention form being indexed to a separate but like base plate to that of Figure 1 (albeit at the other end thereof), the opening of which surrounds the upstanding moulded form to act as a clip fit retention member, Figure 3 shows in side elevation the interrelationship between parts of two different base plates and the retention member depicted in Figures 1 and 2, the moulded retention form having been clip fit engaged within a channel under the crest of a ridge of a complementary panel as shown, Figure 4 is an end elevational view of a retention member as depicted in the preceding drawings showing the enlarged lower part of the moulding (i.e. a peripheral plateau) that prevents pull through of the base, Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the retention form and left hand end of the assembly as shown in Figure 1, Figure 6 is a corresponding view to that of Figure 5 but in the mode as shown in Figure 2, Figure 7 is a top view solely of a metal rail as depicted in the Figure 1 partial assembly, Figure 8 is a section at D-D of the rail of Figure 7, Figure 9 is a section at E-E of the rail of Figure 7, Figure 10 is another view of the rail of Figure 7 showing the section for C-C, Figure 11 is a section at C-C with respect to the rail of Figure 10, Figure 12 is a side elevational view of two rails as in Figures 1, 7 and 10 with the members upstanding therethrough and a long run roofing panel position thereover, it being realized that other upstands of the plastics material would be provided along the expanse of the rails for support of the free edges shown once it each laps over or under or a complementary extremity of a like panel, Figure 13 is a plan view of the arrangement of Figure 12, the drawings showing only a short longitudinal expanse of the roofing panel, (e.g. a long run roofing panel), Figure 14 is a perspective view of the arrangement of Figures 12 to 13, Figure 15 is a plan view of two rails of a second embodiment of the present invention each lapped one over the other at one end and showing upstanding therethrough two retention members of a different kind to that of the first embodiment, Figure 16 is a side elevation of the arrangement of Figure 15, Figure 17 is a perspective view of the arrangements of Figures 15 and 16, Figure 18 is a perspective view of a preferred retention member of preferably the second embodiment as shown in Figures 15 through 17 but not necessarily restricted for use with rails specifically of that kind, Figure 19 is a top view of the retention member of Figure 18, Figure 20 is a side view of the retention member of Figures 18 and 19, Figure 21 is a front view of the retention member of Figures 18 to 20, Figure 22 is a perspective view of the arrangement of Figure 17 showing a short transverse section of roof cladding clip fitted to the retention members immerging through the rail, Figure 23 is a side elevation of the arrangement of Figure 22, and Figure 24 is a plan view of the arrangement of Figures 22 to 23.

Preferred forms are exemplified for roof cladding but the invention is equally applicable to walls, floors and the like and to formwork (e.g. for floors).

As shown in the Figures preferably there is a base plate or rail 1, having by way of example, three locations 2, 3 and 4 for a retention form as shown. A retention form 5 is shown through the left hand end with small end opening. Similarly such a form 5 (not shown) would be presented at the time of mounting the plate, if not earlier through the opening 6.

The opening 7 preferably is that which overlies a formation 5 of a like assembly thereby^ ensuring the distance between 5 and 6, 6 and 7, 7/5A and 6A, 6A and 7A (where the A suggests formations of a different assembly but one mated and indexed thereto) is kept. Such an arrangement allows appropriate clip fitting of modularly spaced channels defined by ridges of long run roofing of a kind, for example, having the ridge/complementary channel in profile shown in Figure 3 in cross section (i.e. normal to the ridge axis).

In Figure 3 is shown retention shoulders 8 below the ramp regions 9 overlying a waisted region 10 of the roofing panel 11. It can be seen that the plastics member underlies the crest 12 of the ridge formation.

Preferred materials for the base plate 1 is zinc or zinc-aluminium coated steel (although the base plate or rail can be a plastic or metal e.g. it could be manufactured from an extruded plastic or aluminium section) and for the retention forms is a glass fibre filled nylon or nylon blend.

We envisage however a form for the base plate or rail as depicted which is best pressed from a coated steel strip.

Also shown is the enlarged bottom portion 13 of the moulded plastics form 5 which prevents pull through through an opening substantially of a same perimeter as shown as 6 and 7.

Whilst a skeletal (in part) form of the moulded member is shown, this is not essential. Preferably however the moulded form includes sufficient deployed features such as lugs 14 to ensure accuracy of its location and a friction fit in the base member or rail 1 or lapped base members 1 and 15.

The mode of installation involves fixing a series of the base/retention form assemblies across the fall of the roof and a timely press fitting of roofing panels thereon preferably analogously to the manner in which the aforesaid DIMONDEK™ 630™ operates.

The DIMONDEK™ 630™ system by way of example has a ridge to ridge distance of 253mm and with the ridges being 62mm wide its modular spacing (ridge axis to ridge axis) is 315mm.

Features of interest further include: 1. The element of the clip that engages with the metal roofing is plastic so that the thermal expansion and contraction of the roof sheet will not result in wear between the roof sheet and the clip. This movement can result in a hole being worn through the sheet, particularly if the roof metal is aluminum. Also, the roof sheet is roll-formed on site in long lengths (we have run 65 m, and can run up to 100 m) and these lengths compound the thermal movement. The roof metal can be of any appropriate thickness (e.g. 0.55mm or 0.75mm). 2. Each plastic element is fitted through a hole in the metal carrier strip, and the plastic element has 6 small lugs that precisely locate the element in the hole. The metal carrier strip preferably is about 67mm wide. 3. The metal strip spaccs the plastic elements exactly to the pitch of the roofing ribs, and each strip must therefore engage with the previous one in such a way that there is no tolerance that would causc a compounding alignment problem. This design solves the problem by the end of one clip lapping over the plastic element of the previous clip. 4. The rails arc preferably screw-fastened to the purlins through punched holes, which are located such that the screw heads will not interfere with the metal roof bearing upon the metal strip element of the clip.

. The metal strip preferably has a large radius formed along its edge to prevent a hard line showing through the pan of the roof sheet. 6. The plastic element engages with the roof in such a way that it is an interference fit that will resist upward load resulting from wind forces on the building. The shape and thickness of the plastic, and the type of plastic is designed for loads up to 7 kN, and temperatures up to 100°C.

Figures 15 through 24 show a second embodiment having some changes to those already described by reference to Figures 1, 2 and 14. As can be seen in these drawings diere are rails 16 and 17 shown in a lapping condition at the region 18. Retention members 19 are shown emerging through the lapping region 18 as well as through one of the openings of the rail 17 itself. Shown fitted on such retention members is a short transverse section (simply as an example) of a roll formed roofing sheet profile 20.

The preferred retention member 19 of this embodiment is preferably as depicted in Figures 18 through 21. There is provision whereby the regions 21 and 22 can allow tie down of those forms via openings 23 and 24 of, say, the rail 17 using appropriate coach bolts or the like.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of different options of the present invention exist.

Claims (12)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. In combination an elongate member or elongate members, the or each member being supportable over a support to be clad, and a plurality of members each of or including a plastics material (hereafter "plastic member" or "plastic members"), each plastics member being locatable in any one of several engagement locations of the, or at least one, said elongate member so as to provide (A) a predetermined plastic member to plastic member spacing relative to the, or each, elongate member, and (B) a predetermined orientation of the plastics members to the, or each, said elongate member; wherein each plastic member, when in assembly with the, or a, said elongate member, and when held relative to said support to be clad, will act as an anchor for a panel to be clip fit thereto or slide engage therewith, or both.

2. A combination of claim 1 which includes one or more sheets of sheet material profiled with parallel grooving on one side corresponding to other side ridging, each such groove being adapted to be clip fit retained or slide engage retained, or both, by a said plastic member.

3. A combination as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each elongate member has openings therein as said adaptation for a said plastic member.

4. A combination as claimed in claim 3 wherein each said plastic member is insertable through a said opening from one side and will not pass fully said opening in the predetermined orientation.

5. A combination of any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein each said elongate member is of sheet material or profiled sheet material.

6. A combination of claim 5 wherein each elongate member is formed from a metal.

7. A combination of any one of the preceding claims wherein the, or each, elongate member has at least one of a set up and a set down at an end to facilitate like to like elongate member lapping for elongate member to elongate member indexing purposes.

8. A combination of any one of the preceding claims wherein there are at least two elongate members, each having an opening as an adaptation for said plastic member alignable sufficiently over a complementary, if not identical, opening of the other when the elongate members are endwise lapped in an indexed manner, one to the other.

9. A combination of claim 8 wherein the aligned openings can separately or collectively index a said plastic member. Intellectual Property Office ot N i, - 7 DEC 2007 D IT O C I 11 r Pi ) - 12-

10. A combination of any one of the preceding claims wherein the, or each, elongate member has openings therein for fasteners.

11. A combination of any one of the preceding claims substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.

12. A cladding assembly comprising one or more rows of end-wise lapping elongate members, a plurality of members each of or including, a plastics material (hereafter "plastic member" or "plastic members") each located in one of several engagement locations of at least one of said elongate members so as to provide a spread of such plastic members in a desired orientation, and a plurality of cladding sheets, each being of sheet material profiled to have parallel grooving on one side corresponding to other side ridging, each such groove running substantially orthogonally to said one or more rows, said plastic members each being received in a said groove and adapted to hold, at least in part, the cladding sheet to said plastic member. DATED THIS PER AGBNTS 'POK TH6 APPLICANT Intellectual Progeny Office ot iv i - 7 DEC 2007 P F C ^ ' V &