WO2007045724A1

WO2007045724A1 - A method for preventing snow skidding, as well as a snow guard

Info

Publication number: WO2007045724A1
Application number: PCT/FI2006/050446
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jari Pohja
Original assignee: Nesco Oy
Priority date: 2005-10-19
Filing date: 2006-10-18
Publication date: 2007-04-26
Also published as: FI122271B; FI20055563A0; FI20055563A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for preventing a skidding of snow and ice on a surface of a roofing (8) . The method utilizes a snow guard (1) which is arranged' transversely on a roof, whereby a dented member is arranged between said snow guard and said surface of said roofing (8) in such a manner that outer edges of separate tongues (5, 5') are brought to follow the shape of the surface of the roofing (8) . The present invention also relates to a snow guard (1) having a sheet like body (2) , the lower edge (4) of which including a set of subsequent tongues (5, 5') which will be positioned in a space between said lower edge (4) and said surface of said roofing (8) .

Description

A METHOD FOR PREVENTING SNOW SKIDDING, AS WELL AS A SNOW GUARD

The present invention relates to a method for preventing a substance, especially such as snow and/or ice, from skidding at the surface of a roofing, which method utilizes an obstructing member supported by supporting means attached to a roof and arranged transversely in relation to the sloping direction thereof and where a toothed portion is arranged at a lower edge of said obstructing member, said toothed portion having tongues which are separate at least at their ends and which are arranged to extend towards the surface of the roofing. The present invention also relates to a snow guard having a body portion which on the roof will be supported by and attached to supporting means and positioned transversely in relation to the sloping direction of the roof surface, as well as a body portion arranged subsequently in a transverse direction in relation to the sloping direction of the roof to extend towards the surface of the roofing.

Many roof types are impaired with the problem that a sheet of snow or ice might slip under the snow guard. When the snow melts upwards from the snow guard a thin ice sheet remains. Eventually this will pass through the gap between the snow guard an the roof and cause dangerous situations . Snow will become more compact near to the roof and will readily be formed into a sheet of ice due to the small heat leakage always is present in roofs, and the dead weight of the snow further contributes to the buildup of ice. In the same way a thin sheet of snow also passes easily under the snow guard when the weather warms up. This phenomenon yearly causes several dangerous, even lethal, situations. Further this problem causes high costs since snow and ice must be dumped manually from the roof. Under urban conditions the area below must be closed off by means of barriers and this is both laborious and disturbs the traffic.

id" fEisle. Such roof types are especially difficult where the roofing is constituted by a relatively slippery material having a a surface which is not quite smooth. Such materials are, for example, a machine joint roofing, i.e. a sheet metal roof, which is manufactured from sheet metal strips having a width of usually about half a meter and interconnected at the edges so that the seams between the strips rise usually about 25 to 35 millimeters above the rest of the surface.

Another typical problem roofing comprises sheets of sheet metal which are industrially formed into strips having the length of the pane of roof. At the factory the edges are pre- shaped into an interlocking shape. Such strips are hoisted up on the roof and pressed into a interdigitating disposition where they interlock. The ridge height of such a seam is about 30 to 40 millimeters while the rest of the roof is ^• flat .

A third roofing which is difficult with respect to snow guards is a so-called "tile figure sheet metal roof", which comprises a roofing made of sheet metal which, however, to its shape corresponds to a tile roof . In such a roofing the whole roof is corrugated or welled in such a manner that between wave- like ridges extend valleys in the direction of the roofing.

According to a known technique attempts have been made to keep the snow on the roof by means of so-called tube snow guards having supports of special types corresponding to the roofing type. These supports comprise one or several holes through which tubes are brought. For technical reasons the lowermost hole, however, often will be located too high up from the roofing surface, whereby snow and ice can slip through the slit between the roofing and the guard.

At such buildings which have a long pane of roof or where a walkway runs close to the building the snow guard is effected as a so-called grated snow guard. This is higher than tubes and has less openings. However, this does not remove the problem caused by the remaining big gap between the roof and the grate. Sometimes such tube snow guards are improved by- means of grated sheets but this solution does not always provide a satisfactory result, since also in this case too high a gap remains between the guard and the roof, in spite of the fact that sometimes a separate slit for the seam ridge is made at the lower edge of the grated guard.

Especially in context with profile sheet metal roofings attempts have been made to solve the problem so that separate fence portions have been used as supplements for the above types of snow guards, which portions block the recesses in the profiles or in some other way fill the space between the guard and the roofing. In these cases the guards are generally quite complicated, their installation is cumbersome and their functionality poor more often than not. Additionally all special solutions achieved by means of tailoring bring about both additional work as well as problems with storage, delivery and adaptation.

In order to solve these problems the method in accordance with the present invention has been developed, as well as a snow guard for the implementation of this method, the characterizing features of which being evident from the respective characterizing portions of the appended independent claims. Thus, the method according to the present invention is characterized therein that a dented portion is arranged as an integral portion of a sheet-like body portion which is supported by said supporting means and which extends freely between said supporting means, wherein said integral portion is brought essentially to follow, within a clearance, the shape of the surface of the roofing. Correspondingly, the snow guard according to the present invention is characterized therein that said tongues are provided as a portion of the lower edge of the sheet like body portion, which edge is directed towards the surface of the roofing, in such a way that the tongues are positioned in the essentially open space between said lower edge and the surface of the roofing so that the lowermost edges of a tongue will be positioned at a distance from the surface of the roofing. Additionally, some especially favorable embodiments of the present invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

By means of the present invention a flexible system has been provided, by means of which the problematic opening between the snow guard proper and the surface of the roofing can be blocked in an especially efficient way. By means of the inventive arrangement this can be effected, at conventional roofing solutions, within the scope of one or, at the most, a few of snow guard types, which facilitates the storage at the store level and use on the installation site.

The present invention will now be disclosed in more detail with reference to the appended claims which in an exemplary manner disclose the structure of one snow guard type to which an arrangement in accordance with the present invention is applied. In the drawings

Figure 1 discloses a grate type profile sheet made of a sheet like material such as sheet metal and used as a snow guard,

Figure 2 discloses, seen from the cornice of the roof, the profile sheet snow guard of Figure 1 adapted to a even surface machine seamed roof ,

Figure 3 discloses the arrangement according to Figure 1 seen from the opposite direction,

Figure 4 discloses the inventive arrangement adapted to a traditional tile roof, and

Figure 5 discloses the inventive arrangement adapted to any type of roof having a tile configurations, i.e. a tile roof or a sheet metal roof having a tile configuration.

According to Figure 1 a snow guard 1 conventionally comprises a sheet like body portion 2 which functions as the actual means preventing the skidding of snow. This body portion 2 is favorably implemented as a grate in such a way that it comprises longitudinally extending creasing 3"', openings such as cut-out portions 3, holes 3' and/or other formations 3" in order to reduce the weight, to increase the stiffness and to facilitate the attaching arrangements. The snow guard 1 is usually attached to some supporting structure (not shown in Figure 1) , which in itself is attached to the roof or to underlying structures so that the snow guard usually extends transversely in relation to the slope of the roof, i.e. usually in the direction of the cornice. The snow guard prevents snow and ice cumulated upwards in the direction of the roof from skidding downwards out over the cornice so that falling snow might constitute a danger for people, goods and apparatus located below the cornice, whereby the area below at the same time remains essentially free form snow. Figure 1 shows that the lower edge 4 of the body portion 2 of the snow guard 1 in . accordance with the present invention integrally is made to comprise several subsequent tongues 5 between which there are cuttings 6. The function of this structure will be described in more detail below, but already from the Figure it is evident that these cuttings 6, as such, suitably are about as wide as the corresponding tongues 5, whereby the snow guards favorably can be manufactured as opposite pairs so that the cuttings 6 of one sheet is formed at the same forming process by means of which the tongues 5 at the other edge are formed.

Figures 2 and 3 disclose that the snow guard 1 is fastened in a conventional manner, such as by means of sheet like supporting means 7 disclosed in Figures 2 to 5 , tube like supporting structures (not shown) or in some other way known per se so that the snow guard 1 extends essentially transversely in relation to the inclination of the roofing 8, i.e. in the direction of the cornice 9. At the same time the snow guard 1 extends so high upwards from the surface of the roofing 8 that snowdrifts accumulated on the roof will remain resting at the guard. It should here be observed that in the individual cases the manner of attaching the snow guard 1 , regarding the location as well as the direction will be determined separately for each case is , which, however, does not have any actual impact in relation to the present invention.

Figures 2 an 3 disclose that the upper edge of a protrusion of the roofing, in the case disclosed in Figures 2 and 3 the crest 10 of the seams of the sheet metal roof, will be located close to the lower edge 4 of the snow guard, while the snow guard 1, again, in the horizontal direction is adjusted so that these protrusions 10 as such will be positioned in the cuttings 6 between the tongues 5, 5' according to the present invention. In order to facilitate the alignment the snow guard according to Figures 1 to 3 is provided with cut-out portions 3 and holes 3 ' , which can be freely aligned with corresponding slits 11- in said supporting means 7 in such a way that the position of the snow guard can be horizontally adjusted to some extent during the installation. If the alignment of said protrusion 10 does not succeed in spite of the fact that the seams 10 of a machine seamed sheet metal 8 usually will be located at standard intervals which favorably is taken into consideration at the location of the tongues 5, 5', each individual tongue 5, 5' is further favorably arranged so that it can easily be bent, also on site, away from a contact with a protrusion 10 of the roofing 8 (not shown in Figures 2 and 3) .

Now Figures 2 and 3 show that the present invention provides a situation where a gap 12 between the snow guard 1 and the surface of the roofing 8 is barred by means of the tongues 5, 5 ' in such a way that a skidding of snow and ice through said gap 12 downwards along the roof is effectively prevented. In a corresponding exemplifying manner Figures 4 and 5 disclose the adaptation of a snow guard 1 in accordance with the present invention in context with a tile figure roofing 8. Also in this example supporting means 7 are used, supported by which the body portion 2 of the snow guard is attached in a manner known per se. In the cases shown in Figures 2 and 3 the surface of the roofing 8, however, is considerably uneven, i.e. it has clear ridges 10' between which there are relatively deep valleys 13. Due to the high reliefs the gap 12 between the lower surface 4 of the body portion 2 of the snow guard 1 and the valleys 13 will also be quite considerable, which in context with conventional snow guards has proven especially problematic and required complicated special arrangements .

In the solution according to the present invention the above problem, on the other hand, does not exist . As evident from the Figures the tongues 5, 5' according to the present invention can easily be bent so that they, on one hand, extend sufficiently deep into the bottom of each valley portion 13, and, on the other hand, at the location of the ridges 10 ' remain bent upwards, as disclosed in Figure 5 by means of a reference 5". In both cases the bending can be effected also on site so that even individual exception from standard roofing shapes can be taken into consideration. The end result is a snow guard arrangement which in a simple manner effectively prevents snow and ice from moving along the surface of the roofing 8.

In practice the portion which comprises the dented means, i.e. said tongues 5, 5' is favorably formed as a part of the lowermost edge 4 of the snow guard 1, suitably so that said tongues 5, 5' are formed by removing portions 6 from the lower edge of the guard. Favorably this is made with such a distribution that a multiple of said tongue portions 5, 5', 6 essentially corresponds to a repetition of the surface formations of the roofing 8, i.f . for standard roofing e.g. a commonly used seam distance. Especially for tile shaped roofings 8 the tongues 5, 5 ' and, correspondingly, the cutting 6 can be sized already at the manufacturing stage so that the distribution at least roughly corresponds to the distribution of the creases 10' , 13 of a standard creased roofing.

In conventional installations a snow guard 1 is attached onto a roof so that the lower edge of the tongues 5, 5' follow the shape of the surface of the roofing 8 with a clearance, and thus, in normal cases the tongues 5, 5' will never touch the surface of the roofing 8 and thus they cannot break the surface finish either. If necessary individual tongues 5, 5' or even a group of tongues at a time are bent, e.g. by means of conventional tinsmith's tools, so that a suitable clearance between the surface of the roofing 8 and each tongue 5, 5' is achieved. In order to prevent, in special cases, any abrasion originated by a possible installation of the snow guard 1 or the roofing, and a consequent breaking of the surface finish, the tongues 5, 5¹ of the dented means can suitably be covered, at least at the lowermost edge, with a suitable soft material such as rubber or plastics.

In some embodiments said tongues 5, 5' and the intermediate cuttings 6 favorably constitute a separate dented assembly (not shown) which is attached to the lower edge of the snow guard portion proper 2 by means of gluing, screwing or in a corresponding way. In case one intends to use a lining comprising a material which is softer than sheet metal such an assembly may, as such, favorably be manufactured of such a softer material.

Above some favorable embodiments of the present invention are disclosed in an exemplifying manner only, but for the profes- sional in this field it is clear that the present invention can be altered also in many other ways within the scope of the appended claims. Thus e.g. such properties as the width and the depth of the tongues 5, 5' and, correspondingly, the cuttings 6 between them may, in accordance with the requirements, vary quite considerably both absolutely and with respect to the mutual dimensions.

Claims

1. A method for preventing a skidding of a material, especially snow and/or ice, on the surface of a roofing (8) , in which method an obstructing member (1) is used, which is supported by supporting means (7) to be attached to the roof and which is arranged transversely with respect to the direction of the slope of the roof, said obstructing member having a dented portion attached to the lower edge, wherein tongues (5, 5') of said dented portion are separate at least at their lower ends and are arranged to extend towards the surface (8) of said roofing, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in forming said dented portion as an integral portion of a sheet like body portion

(2) which is supported by said supporting means (7) and extends freely between them, and bringing said integral portion essentially to follow, within a clearance, the shape of the roofing (8) .

2. The method as disclosed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in forming said dented portion by removing portions

(6) from the lower edge (4) of said body portion (2) of said guard, favorably so that a multiple of the distribution of said dented portions (5, 5', 6) essentially corresponds to a repetition of the shape of the surface of the roofing (8) .

3. The method as disclosed in claim 1 or 2 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d in arranging the alignment of the tongues (5, 5') in relation to the surface of the roofing (8) favorably by bending and/or cutting, so that the lowermost edge (14) of the tongues (5, 5¹), respectively, remain at a distance from the surface of the roofing (8) .

4. A method as disclosed in any one of claims 1 to 3 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d in at least the lowermost edge of the tongues (5, 5') of the dented member is lined against abrasion by covering it with a suitably soft material or by forming the tongues themselves from such a material.

5. A snow guard having a body portion (2) which supported by supporting means (7) and attached thereto will be positioned on a roof 'transversely in relation to the slope direction of the roof, as well as tongues (5, 5') connected to a dented portion of said body portion (2) , said tongues being arranged, subsequently in a direction transversely to the slope of the roof, to extend towards the surface of a roofing (8) , c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said tongues (5, 5') are formed as a portion of a lower edge (4) of a sheet like body portion (2) , said lower edge being directed towards the surface of said roofing (8) , wherein said tongues (5, 5') will be located in an essentially open gap (12) between said lower edge (4) and the surface of said roofing (8) in such a manner that the lowermost edges (14) of said tongues will be positioned at a distance from the surface of said roofing (8) .

6. A snow guard as disclosed in claim 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the subsequent tongues (5, 5') are made by cutting away portions (6) between said tongues (5, 5¹) in such a way that said tongues (5, 5') constitute a dented lower edge of said snow guard, favorably so that each tongue (5, 5') separately or in context with other tongues (5, 5') can be bent into such a position where each tongue (5, 5¹) within a suitable clearance will be positioned in the gap (12) between body portion (2) of the snow guard and the roofing in such a manner that a skidding of snow and/or ice through this gap

(12) is prevented.

7. A snow guard as disclosed in claim 5 or 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said tongues (5, 5') are formed of a material which is softer than the sheet like material of the body portion (2), or covered with such a material at least at that portion which will be positioned towards the surface of the roofing (8) or close thereto.

8. A snow guard as disclosed in any one of claims 5 to 7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the distribution of the tongues (5, 5¹) and/or the open cuttings (6) between them are such, with respect to their location, that such portions (10, 10 ') of the roofing which rise generally above surface thereof will be placed naturally into a position between such tongues .

9. A snow guard as disclosed in any one of claims 5 to 8 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said tongues (5, 5') are pre-arranged to be of different lengths in accordance with the creases (11, 13) of a standard type creased roofing.