Patent Grant
8082650
The present invention relates to an apparatus for the seaming of roof assemblies for a building structure, wherein the apparatus includes a vertically configured roller and a plurality of horizontally configured rollers to simultaneously produce a hook in the female panel edge and seam the male and female edge together. Such an apparatus thus permits the utilization of virtually any type of metal paneling to create the desired roof assembly, with the capability of providing a secure seal within the seam to increase the waterproofing and uplift protection potential thereof. The versatility permitted with such an apparatus allows for ease in placement of the targeted metal panels prior to seaming with the aforementioned increase in reliability of the ultimate roof assembly in terms of shear force protection. The method of seaming with such an apparatus is also encompassed within this invention.
Standing seam roof assemblies have been utilized for simpler manufacturing, particularly in order to reduce complexity in erecting buildings. In such assemblies, numerous panels are supplied with differing end portions, each having what is termed a female portion and a smaller male portion. In such a manner, the panels are laid one next to the other and secured through seaming the male and female portions of adjacent panels together. Such roof assemblies are designed to provide excellent watertight seals as well as effective wind resistance to ensure leak-proof structures as well as high stability against updrafts. Additionally, the seams include panel portions that are allowed to flex to compensate for temperature variations so the roof itself will not disintegrate upon contraction or protraction. For simplification of the overall assembly system, the seamed panels are attached to the building structure via brackets or like components, at a limited number of points in each connected panel. Thus, it is very important to provide excellent seal strengths upon seaming of such individual roof assembly panels together in order ensure the roof assembly does not destabilize at the seam attachment points.
The panels themselves are made generally from metal materials that exhibit excellent strength characteristics, low propensity for rusting, and, of great importance, suitable flexibility for seaming to be accomplished. The seam between the two panels provides not only waterproof seals between panels, but also the ability to hold the two panels together effectively to prevent or at least substantially reduce any slippage between them, as alluded to above. Any appreciable reduction in the dimensional stability of the roof assembly itself would result in roof failure from a leakage perspective, at least.
The seam itself should exhibit the highest shear strength to reduce slipping between the panels; it is thus important to provide the strongest joint seal possible, with the lowest degree of manufacturing complexity and the highest level of safety for the builder as well. In the past, the female portion of each panel was produced with an extra hook that permitted an extra joint to be created over the outer edge of the male portion of the adjacent panel. Such a hook thus provided a more robust seal to be attained at the seam after suitable pressure was applied over the entire panel. It has been measured that a seam including such a hook portion can increase the strength of the seam by at least 50% over a non-hook design at a five foot purlin spacing; at a 2½ foot purlin spacing, the increase is even more dramatic, about 75%. Thus, the inclusion of such a hook within the female portion of a panel to be seamed to a male portion of an adjacent panel provides excellent shear strength properties, according even greater reliability as a leak-proof and wind-proof roof assembly. Unfortunately, the typical hook design (wherein the panels are provided with such a hook on the edge of a female portion prior to transport to a building site and placement on a target edifice) has created some noticeable problems that have yet to be overcome.
Such roof assemblies require intensive manpower to first lift and place the panels as needed, and further to initialize the sealing procedure. At a roof height of at least 12 feet, it is imperative for safety purposes to facilitate such roof assembly procedures through simplifying the procedure and best ensuring that cumbersome lifting movements are reduced. With previously produced panels including hook designs within the female portions thereof, instead of a simple placement of the target panels over one another and subsequently seaming such, it has been necessary to actually lift each panel in succession and make sure the hooked female portions actually engage the smaller male portions prior to seaming through a roll-lock procedure. In such a manner, safety precautions must be undertaken to permit such labor intensive actions. The panels themselves are generally quite heavy and mere placement aids in reducing the strain and possible safety compromises that are readily present when the typical pre-hooked panels are utilized. As such, there exists a definite need to provide a simpler, yet just as reliable, manner of seaming standing roof assembly panels.
A need has thus long been recognized for providing such high strength roof assemblies but without the potential dangerous and labor intensive lifting of panels due to the pre-hooked designs used therein. Such pre-hooked panels are generally produced at a panel production plant, rather than on-site at the building location. However, even were such panels produced on-site, the same issues with lifting rather than placing of the panels would be an issue. A manner of actually creating a hook to be integrated within a panel after placing in the target roof location is thus a desired outcome. To date, unfortunately, such a result has not been accorded the metal roofing industry.
One distinct advantage of the inventive apparatus and method is to provide extremely strong seals at the female/male portion interface of an elevated seam roof assembly. Another advantage is the provision of a much safer procedure for such roof assembly seaming while providing high strength seals. Yet another advantage is the capability of reducing complexity in manufacture, transport, storage, engagement, and ultimate seaming of roof panels through utilization of the apparatus and method of this invention.
Accordingly, this invention encompasses a roof panel seaming apparatus including a series of at least three rollers attached in rotatable relation to a base and aligned for engagement with elevated female and male roof panel portions of separate but adjacent panels at the same time, wherein said female and male roof panel portions have overlapping edges when placed one over the other in parallel fashion, wherein said rollers are arranged in such a manner that at least one of said rollers creates a hook along said edge of said female roof panel portion, wherein said other rollers create a seam between said female and male roof panel portions, and wherein said roof panel portions are substantially flat except for said elevated female and male roof panel portions. Preferably, the hook-creating roller is configured in such a manner that it rotates in a plane perpendicular to the plane within which the other rollers rotate. Another manner of describing such an apparatus is that at least one roller is configured vertically in relation to said base, and at least one is configured horizontally to said base. Also encompassed within this invention is a method of creating a hook within the edge of a female roof panel portion during a seaming process for sealing of such a panel to a male roof panel portion in which the female portion overlaps said male portion, said method comprising:
a) providing a first roof panel having an elevated female end portion and an opposite elevated male portion, said female portion having an edge, and said male portion having an edge substantially parallel to said female portion edge, providing a second roof panel substantially identical to and having the same type of female and male end portions as said first roof panel, wherein said first and second roof panels are placed in overlapping, parallel relation to each other, wherein said female end portion of said first roof panel is present over said male end portion of said second roof panel, and wherein said roof panels are substantially flat except for said elevated female and male portions thereof;
b) placing an apparatus including at least three rollers for engagement with the overlapping edges of said female and said male end portions of said first and second roof panels;
c) adjusting said rollers to the proper alignment for seaming of said overlapping end portions;
d) activating said apparatus thereby permitting automatic movement of the apparatus over the overlapping end portions of said first and second roof panels in a direction parallel to the direction in which said first and second roof panels are placed on said roof; and
e) removing said apparatus upon completion of movement over said overlapping first and second roof panel end portions,
wherein said movement of said apparatus causes a hook over the entire length of the edge of said female end portion to be created and a seam between said female and male end portions to form.
In this manner, an entire roof assembly including such particular panels having elevated end portions for seaming may be reliably attached to one another in series. The resultant roof provided by such seamed joints thus exhibits excellent strength due to the hook created by the apparatus during the seaming process.
As alluded to above, safety is of extreme concern with any occupation that requires intensive labor at elevated heights off of the ground. In the roofing industry, it is evident that an edifice is first erected through providing the building skeleton (girders, beams, etc.) as well as potentially, particularly for commercial buildings, brick, stone, or other like materials for outside walls. The roof thus must be constructed on site, and atop the building skeleton. Multiple types of roofing materials could be utilized for such a purpose; the types at which the inventive apparatus and method are directed are those that involve relatively long, but relatively narrow, panels that, as discussed throughout, are attached through seams to produce a single roof assembly. Such panels include the elevated female and male members as noted above for such seaming purposes; in addition, though, the seams provide excellent characteristics in relation to thermal expansion and contraction possibilities, in addition to the low slippage and watertight properties highly desired. The stronger the seam, however, the better the overall protection to the roof assembly from damaging high winds.
Such panels are generally made from different gauge metals (such as steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and the like), and are selected in terms of their load properties, among other reasons. The flexibility of the panels is important in terms of the above-discussed characteristics for thermal expansion and wind resistance; however, the load itself also contributes to the potential difficulties with seaming of the elevated end portions together as well. This potential issue can be compensated for with a proper motorized seaming apparatus (such as a motor attached to a movable base) exhibiting the proper torque to maneuver the female and male end portions as needed for proper seaming to be accomplished. Generally, aluminum exhibits the lowest gauge and thus is easier on the motor of the seaming apparatus; however, such a material also exhibits the least reliability in terms of roof assembly panels as well, due to its malleability level. Steel and stainless steel (and other like higher gauge metals) are thus preferred. Additionally, to protect from environmental and water damage, the metal surface is usually accorded a proper coating (anti-rust paint, for example).
Furthermore, the adjacently disposed roof panels are supported by an underlying support structure to which the panels may also be attached through clips or other like objects. Backer and/or cinch plates may be added to the overlapped edge seams in the roof assembly as well, if desired, to increase the overall strength of the roof.
The features, benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the drawings and appended claims.
Referring to
Also included is a secondary structural system 20 including a number of open web beams 22 attached to and supported horizontally by the primary beams 18. Alternative structures may be employed in place of these web beams 22, if desired. A plurality of roof panels 24 are supported over the secondary structural assembly 20 by a plurality of panel support assemblies 26 and are attached to the upper flanges of the web beams 22. The roof panels 24, only portions of which are shown, are depicted as being standing seam panels with interlocking standing seams 25 connected by clip portions of the panel support assemblies 26. Alternatives to such clips may be practiced as well and other clips may be incorporated within the panels to hold them in place with the building skeletal portions noted above.
The remaining
As depicted, then, in all of the remaining FIGURES, a seaming apparatus 210 is provided with a base component 212 including lower arms 214, 216 (two other arms shown in
The remaining components of the apparatus 210 are present to effectuate the needed seaming of the overlapping edges 292 along the length of the combination 290. To accomplish such a seaming operation, in this embodiment, there are provided four rollers 228, 240, 242, 244, three of which (228, 242, 244) are oriented horizontally in relation to the target panels (110, 160 in
Another preferred embodiment of this inventive apparatus 210 is the inclusion of an adjustable panel guide comprising a damping post 224 attached to a monolithic movable portion 226. The guide is further, preferably, attached to the controller 231 for the first horizontal roller 228 to permit uniform movement of the two apparatus components. In this manner, the panel guide permits uniform initiation of pressing the overlapping ends 292 into the desired folded end configuration (such as in
The entire apparatus 210 is driven by a motor 250 (
Thus, through this unique apparatus, a properly crimped and hooked safe and secure roof assembly may be constructed in a relatively safe manner without any pre-hooked panels. In terms of storage and transport, the lack of pre-hooked panels aids in permitting easy stacking of the individual panels without any extra maneuvering to ensure proper nesting for maximum efficiency. Again, in terms of actual utilization, the lack of pre-hooked panels permits simple placement rather than lifting and engaging of the panels during installation on a roof.
Alternatively, an apparatus may be used that includes two sets of each component noted in the FIGURES, but disposed atop the provided apparatus in mirror image to such components. In such a manner, two users may be employed to start the apparatus along one set of roof panels, and the second user may return it to the other by flipping the apparatus over and seaming the next combination of roofing panels as well. Such a process is extremely efficient and is well within the scope of this invention as long as at least one set of components includes the necessary vertical roller to create the hook within the target female edges during a seaming operation. The resultant roof assembly thus exhibits the highly desired level of strength accorded through the inclusion of a hook portion within the final seams thereof, and reduces the complexity of roof assembly itself by merely requiring the placement, rather than actual engagement, of two roofing panels over one another prior to seaming.
It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts which have been described and illustrated herein in order to explain the nature of this invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principles and scope of the invention as expressed in the following claims.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20100077595 A1 | Apr 2010 | US |
