WO1999001627A1

WO1999001627A1 - Ventilated roofing panel support

Info

Publication number: WO1999001627A1
Application number: PCT/AU1998/000506
Authority: WO
Inventors: Joseph Fisher
Original assignee: Joseph Fisher
Priority date: 1997-07-02
Filing date: 1998-07-02
Publication date: 1999-01-14
Also published as: AU6704698A; AU710112B2; AU687336B3

Abstract

An extruded profile (30) to support the upper edge (3) of a roof panel (4) on rafters (29) has a ventilated portion (8) extending upwardly and outwardly over the upper part of the roof panel. The construction is weather proofed by a separate cover (34) of sheet material located in a groove (10) of the distal end of the ventilated portion (8). The extruded profile is preferably provided in two parts, a lower part forming a base flange (1) and channel (2) and an upper part forming the ventilated portion (8) and cover locating groove (10).

Description

VENTILATED ROOFING PANEL SUPPORT

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a ventilated roof panel support and has been devised particularly though not solely for supporting and locating the upper edge of roofing sheets in lightweight building construction.

BACKGROUND ART There are many applications where it is desirable to add a lightweight structure to an existing building, or to incorporate such a structure into the plan of a new building. Such structures might include, by way of example only, covered patios extending from the side of buildings, enclosed verandahs, conservatories, or other lightweight roofed enclosures, and covered walkways. In such situations it is often necessary to be able to seal the upper edge of the roof panels to the remainder of the building structure in a weather tight fashion which will not allow the ingress of driving rain, while yet providing ventilation from the interior of the roof space or enclosure at the upper edge of the roof. Such ventilation is particularly necessary in lightweight or enclosed or semi-enclosed structures which can become very hot due to solar heat load. The ventilation is also highly desirable to inhibit condensation within a lightweight and often uninsulated enclosure.

In the past, elongate profiles in the form of aluminium extrusions such as that described in Australian patent specification 666457 have been provided to support and locate the upper edge of a roof panel, while sealing the upper edge of the roof to an adjacent structure and providing ventilation from the interior of the roof space. Such prior art profiles are restricted in their effectiveness by a limited depth of opening between the rain cover hood and the channel which supports the upper edge of the roof sheet. If the depth of opening is made too large, driving rain can enter through the ventilation holes, whereas if the depth is made too small, there is insufficient ventilation. Furthermore, ventilation is restricted by the necessary proximity of the rear edge of the locating channel to the adjacent building structure, in order to keep the extrusion to an economically viable size. The prior art profiles are also very limited in their applicability and are generally only suitable for abutting against an existing vertical wall surface.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION The present invention therefore provides an elongate profile adapted to support and locate the upper edge of a roof panel or the like, said profile comprising in cross section, a base flange adapted to be secured to a roof framing member, a channel located above the base flange adapted to receive and locate the upper edge of a the roof panel, a ventilated portion extending upwardly and outwardly over the upper part of said roof panel when located in the channel, and a cover locating groove at or adjacent the distal end of the ventilated portion, positioned and orientated to locate and support one edge of a sheet cover member positioned to extend upwardly and outwardly back over the upper edge of the roof panel .

Preferably the profile is formed from two extrusions, the first said extrusion forming the base flange and channel and the second said extrusion forming the ventilated portion and cover locating groove.

Preferably the first extrusion incorporates an upwardly extending flange protruding above the channel, and the second extrusion incorporates a downwardly extending groove at the proximal end of the ventilated portion, the downwardly extending groove being engageable over the upwardly extending flange to assemble the two extrusions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Notwithstanding any other forms that may fall within its scope, one preferred form of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of a ventilated roof panel support according to the invention showing the upper edge of a roof panel engaged with the support ;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the ventilated roof panel support;

Fig. 2A is a frontal view to a reduced scale of the adjustable slider used in the ventilated portion of the roof panel support;

Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 1 showing the roof panel support and cover in place adjacent a building wall.

Fig. 4 is a similar view to Fig. 1 showing two ventilated roof panel supports used at the ridge of a pitched roof construction;

Fig. 5 is a similar view to Fig. 4 showing the use on a curved or arched roof ;

Fig. 6 is a similar view to Fig. 4 showing the use of a folded or ridged cover member; Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the use of a ventilated roof panel support according to the invention at the junction of the lower edge of a steeply pitched roof and the upper edge of an adjoining shallower pitched lightweight roof construction; Fig. 8 is a similar view to Fig. 7 showing use in conjunction with an existing gutter member;

Fig. 9 is a similar view to Fig. 8 showing use with a box gutter;

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing use of the ventilated roof panel support according to the invention when used solely to ventilate the lower edge of a conventional roof construction; and

Fig. 11 is a similar view to Fig. 3 showing the roof panel support inserted into an existing building structure; Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of an alternative first extrusion component suitable for use in a commercial roofing situation;

Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 12 showing the first extrusion used with a common second extrusion; and Fig. 14 is a cross sectional view similar to Fig. 13 showing the second extrusion in two parts .

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In the preferred form of the invention a ventilated roof panel support is formed from an elongate profile having a base flange 1 and a sidewards facing channel 2 located above the base flange 1, adapted to receive and locate the upper edge 3 of a roof panel 4. The profile is typically manufactured by extrusion, for example from aluminium, and the channel is typically defined by the base flange 1, an upwardly extending web 5 and a top flange 6. The top flange 6 is typically provided with a downwardly extending lip 7 to inhibit the ingress of rain into the channel 2.

The profile further comprises a ventilated portion 8 extending upwardly and outwardly over the upper part of the roof panel 4. The distal end 9 of the ventilated portion 8 is formed with a cover locating groove 10 which is positioned and orientated to locate and support one edge of a sheet cover member positioned to extend upwardly and inwardly back over the upper end 3 of the roof panel 4 as will be described further below.

The cover locating groove is typically formed on the distal end of the ventilated portion by a downwardly inclined flange 11, short web 12 and an upwardly inclined flange 13 parallel to flange 11. Flanges 11 and 13 and web 12 may also be configured to form a secondary outwardly downwardly facing groove 14 which may be used to locate a leaf guard or other similar construction if desired.

The ventilated portion 8 comprises a web 8A and an adjustable slider 15 located in channels 16 and 17 formed at the lower and upper edges respectively. The adjustable slider is provided with a plurality of evenly spaced openings 18 (Fig. 2) separated by solid portions 19 which are the same width as, or slightly wider than the openings 18. The web 8A is similarly provided with a series of similar sized openings (not shown) so that by moving the adjustable slider 15 lengthwise in the channels 16 and 17, the openings 18 in the adjustable slider may be moved into or out of register with the similar openings in the web 8A. In this manner, air may be permitted to flow through the ventilated portion 8 or may be restrained from so flowing by moving the adjustable slider 15.

Although the elongate profile may be formed in one piece, it is more economical to manufacture and also more economical for inventory purposes, to form the elongate profile from two extrusions, namely a first extrusion 21

(Fig. 2) and a second extrusion 22. The first extrusion 21 forms the base flange 1 and channel 2 while the second extrusion 22 forms the ventilated portion 8 and the cover locating groove 10. The first extrusion 21 incorporates an upwardly extending flange 23 protruding above the channel 2 and the second extrusion 22 incorporates a downwardly extending groove 24 at the proximal end 25 of the ventilated portion 8. The downwardly extending groove 24 is engageable over the upwardly extending flange 23 to assembly the two extrusions as can be seen in Fig. 1. It is preferable to form the upwardly extending flange 23 as an extension of the upwardly extending web 5 and to provide the downwardly extending groove 24 with an elongate flange 26 which will locate down the rearward face of the upwardly extending web 5 when assembled for increased strength and rigidity.

By manufacturing the elongate profile in two extrusions, it is possible to reduce the size of the extrusion dies and therefore the cost of the manufacturing process. Furthermore, various types of roof panel 4 may require different heights of channel 2 and this can be accommodated by providing different versions of the first extrusion 21. The various different versions of the first extrusion can all engage with the same version of the second extrusion 22 thus considerably reducing inventory and handling costs.

One preferred use of the ventilated roof panel support according to the invention will now be described with reference to Fig. 3 which shows the wall of a building 27 to which is fastened the end 28 of a rafter 29 forming part of the roof support in a lightweight roof construction.

The ventilated roof panel support shown generally at 30 is located across the upper edges of a number of rafters 29 as shown in Fig. 3 and may be secured in place by nails or screws passed through the base flange 1 and into the upper edges of the rafters. It is a particular advantage of the extrusion shape shown that fasteners can be passed through the base flange at both edges of the flange resulting in a very secure and rigid fastening. This method of fastening has not hitherto been possible in prior art ventilated roof supports which could not incorporate a rearward extension

31 of the base flange 1 as such extension would "choke" the ventilation gap between the roof panel support and the building wall 27 due to the necessity to locate such prior art supports in close proximity to the wall 27. The roof panel 4 which may typically be corrugated polycarbonate is inserted into the channel 2 where it may be located and weather proofed by foam blocks or strips 32 and 33 in the well known manner.

A sheet cover member 34 is then provided shaped and sized to have one free edge 35 located and supported in the channel 10 and the other edge 36 abutted against the wall 27 where it may be secured by screws or nails and sealed by a suitable sealer such as a bead 37 of silicon or the like. Because the cover is a separate component to the roof panel support 30 it can be formed to any width required by the particular site location to enable the roof panel support 30 to be positioned at any desired distance 38 from the wall 27. This is a major advantage over prior art forms of roof panel support which were restricted by having the cover 34 extruded as part of the support. Furthermore because of the configuration of the ventilated roof panel support according to the invention, the cover may be made of a relatively inexpensive material such as galvanised or coated metal, acrylic or polycarbonate, considerably reducing the cost of the aluminium extrusion and the cost of the overall ventilated roof panel support system. It is a further advantage that when a non-translucent roof panel 4 is used, the cover 34 can be formed of transparent or translucent material such as polycarbonate, acrylic, etc., allowing a considerable amount of light into the enclosure through the cover 34.

Because of the position and location of the ventilated portion 8, i.e. extending upwardly and outwardly over the upper part of the roof panel 4, it is possible to have a considerable "depth" in the web 8A without resulting in an excessively high clearance depth 39 between the distal end 9 of the ventilated portion and the upper face of the roof panel 4. It is therefore extremely difficult for wind driven rain to penetrate under the opening 39 and then upwardly through the ventilated portion 8 into the enclosed area. Any moisture which may penetrate in this manner is likely to be trapped and caught by flange 40, causing the moisture to drain harmlessly through the ventilation holes in the web 8A and on to the upper surface of the roof panel 4. Because the ventilated roof panel support 30 can be positioned any desired distance 38 from the wall 27, the maximum air flow rate through the ventilated portion 8 may be maintained as there is no "choking" of air flow by a restricted opening 38. Although the ventilated roof panel support has been described in Fig. 3 for use against the wall of an existing building, it may be used in many other different locations and configurations, some of which will now be described with reference to Figs. 4 to 10.

In Fig. 4 two roof panel supports 30 are shown located on rafters 41 and 42 either side of a ridge 43. A single curved cover 44 is provided e.g. of polycarbonate sheet or lightweight galvanised or coated metal, or acrylic, curved to the required configuration and having its edges 45 and 46 located and supported in the cover locating grooves 10 of the respectively roof panel supports 30.

Fig. 5 shows a similar configuration used with an arched roof supported on a series of arches 47.

Fig. 6 shows a similar situation to Fig. 4 wherein the cover 48 is formed by folding or rolling from an elongate metal strip into a cover having various flat facets.

Fig. 7 shows the use of the ventilated roof panel support 30 located on rafters 29 fastened into a building structure 49 at the lower edge of a steeply pitched roof which may, for example, have tiles 50 mounted on rafters 51. The cover 52 can be formed to have an upper edge 53 which is inserted or "flashed" up under the lowermost tile 50 and then extends outwardly over the ventilation space 54 to be located in groove 10 of the roof panel support 30. Fig. 8 shows a situation where the rafters 55 of the patio roof or extended enclosure are supported from the fascia board 56 of an existing structure which incorporates guttering 57 and existing roofing 58. The cover 59 is configured to overlap the edge 60 of the guttering, e.g. by way of a downwardly extending flange 61 to provide weatherproof sealing as before.

Fig. 9 is a similar situation to Fig. 7 only utilising a box gutter 62 at the lower edge of the roof tiles 50. In this situation the cover 63 is secured and sealed over the outer edge 64 of the box gutter by way of a downwardly extending flange 65. In the use shown in Fig. 10, the roof panel support is not in fact used for supporting a roof panel at all but may be utilised at the lower edge of a conventional roof with rafters 51 and cladding such as tiles 50 to allow ventilation into the roof space 66.

Although all the versions shown utilise the same second extrusion 22, it is possible to provide a variation of this upper portion where greater air flow is required. In place of the single adjustable slider 15, it is possible to locate two layers of sliders in the grooves 16 and 17, each slider having openings 18 which are twice as wide as the solid portions 19 between the openings. Similarly the web 8A has the same opening configuration. By use of the double slider mechanism, it is possible to open up the ventilated portion 8 to provide an air flow area equal to two thirds of the available area in the web 8A.

Fig. 11 shows a use of the roof panel support where an existing solid roof 4 is cut back so that its upper edge 67 is well spaced from the adjacent building wall 27. An additional purlin 68 is then inserted under the edge 67, the same thickness as existing purlins 69 to form a mount for the ventilated roof panel support 30 as previously described. In this manner a transparent or translucent acrylic sheet cover member 34 may be used to admit light to the enclosure in addition to the ventilation provided by the ventilated roof panel support 30. Where necessary, the cover member 34 may be flashed to the adjacent wall 27 by way of a support ledger 70 and a flashing member 71.

In many commercial building situation, for example in warehouses or other large buildings, it is common to use

50mm square purlins such as that shown at 72 in Fig. 12. In such situations, the first extrusion 21 previously described is replaced by an alternative version 73 which incorporates the same channel 2 but has differently configured flanges 74 for mounting to the purlin 72 and 75 in place of the previously described upwardly extending flange 23. The upwardly extending flange 75 is angled as can be seen in Fig. 12 to suit various different applications. The first extrusion may be fastened to the commercial purlin 72 by way of suitable fasteners 76. Fig. 13 shows one application of the "industrial type" first extrusion 73 where the second extrusion 22 (identical to the version previously described with reference to Fig. 2) is engaged with the upper edge of the upwardly extending flange 75. In this situation the ventilated portion 8 is substantially horizontal and the cover (not shown) would engaged in groove 10 and extend across to another (mirror image) groove in a second extrusion, e.g. at the other side of an building ridge.

It is an advantage of the present invention that the ventilated roof support may be provided in an industrial type construction by simply substituting an alternative first extrusion 73 without having to provide a whole new extrusion with attendant die and warehousing cost.

Although the second extrusion 22 (for example as shown in Fig. 2) has thus far been described as being manufactured in one piece, it is possible to form the second extrusion from two parts namely, a first part 76 (Fig. 14) and a second part 77 which may be joined in any suitable manner. In the version shown in Fig. 14, the first part 76 is joined to the second part 77 in region 78 by way of formed channels 79 and 80 in the first and second parts respectively which overlap as shown and can be fastened together by suitable fasteners such as rivets 81 at intervals along the overlapping channels . By providing the second extrusion in two parts (and therefore, in fact, from two separate extrusions itself) it is possible to provide the first part 76 in different configurations with different lengths in the ventilated portion 8. Specific first part extrusions 76 can therefore be provided to suit particular ventilation requirements in particular applications without having to provide separate extrusion dies for the entire assembly which also comprises the first extrusion 73 and the second part 77 of the second extrusion.

Furthermore, by dividing the second extrusion into first and second parts, it is possible to configure weather-shielding flanges 82 and the like to come close to the channel members 83 used to locate the ventilating sliders without resulting in an unacceptably weak die which would have been the case had the first and second parts been manufactured as a single extrusion. Manufacturing the second extrusion in first and second parts also enables some particulars of the second part to be varied by using alternative extrusion dies without changing the dies for the remainder of the components. By way of example only, the width of the cover locating groove 10 may be varied to make provision for thicker covers simply by providing an alternative die for the extrusion of second part 77. Other changes may be made as necessary e.g. to incorporate mountings for a sealing gasket 84. In this manner a ventilated roof panel support is provided which is economical to manufacture and requires a reduced inventory compared with similar prior art roof panel supports . The configuration of the roof panel support according to the invention allows a large ventilation area for significant air flow without an excessively high weather penetration gap which would otherwise allow ingress of wind driven rain. Because the cover portion is provided separately from the roof panel support extrusions, the roof panel support may be located any desired distance from an adjacent wall or other member so avoiding any "choking" of air flow in this area.

Claims

CLAIMS : -

1. An elongate profile adapted to support and locate the upper edge of a roof panel or the like, said profile comprising in cross-section, a base flange adapted to be secured to a roof framing member, a channel located above the base flange adapted to receive and locate the upper edge of the roof panel, a ventilated portion extending upwardly and outwardly over the upper part of said roof panel when located in the channel, and a cover locating groove at or adjacent the distal end of the ventilated portion, positioned and orientated to locate and support one edge of a sheet cover member positioned to extend upwardly and inwardly back over the upper edge of the roof panel .

2. An elongate profile as claimed in claim 1 when formed from two extrusions, the first said extrusion forming the base flange and channel and the second said extrusion forming the ventilated portion and cover locating groove.

3. An elongate profile as claimed in claim 2 wherein the first extrusion incorporates an upwardly extending flange protruding above the channel, and the second extrusion incorporates a downwardly extending groove at the proximal end of the ventilated portion, the downwardly extending groove being engageable over the upwardly extending flange to assemble the two extrusions.

4. An elongate profile as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the distal end of the ventilated portion is provided with a secondary groove, facing away from the cover locating groove, and adapted to receive the edge of a secondary screening material.

5. An elongate profile as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the ventilated portion has a plurality of openings for airflow therethrough and a slider engaged to move longitudinally along the elongate profile, the slider also having a plurality of airflow openings therethrough moveable into and out of register with the airflow openings in the ventilated portion as the slider is moved longitudinally, to control airflow through the ventilated portion.

6. An elongate portion as claimed in claim 5 wherein the openings in the ventilated portion are substantially evenly spaced and comprise in total approximately two thirds the length of the ventilated portion, and wherein the slider comprises a two part compound slider, each part having openings which are approximately twice as wide in the direction of movement of the slider as the solid portions between the openings .

7. An elongate profile as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the base flange has extended edges, extending beyond the channel along both edges, enabling fasteners to be inserted through both extended edges in use.

8. An elongate profile as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the base flange is provided with a downwardly extruding flange at right angles to the base flange, arranged so that the base flange and downwardly extending flange can be fastened to two adjacent faces of a rectangular section purlin or other structural member.

9. An elongate profile as claimed in claim 8 when dependent directly or indirectly on claim 3 wherein the upwardly extending flange protruding above the channel is at least as wide as the width of the channel and is angled with respect to the downwardly extending flange.

10. An elongate profile as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in combination with a sheet cover member engaged in the cover locating groove.

11. An elongate profile as claimed in claim 10 when arranged in a building situation in the manner shown in any one of Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 13.