Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6354045
-
Patent Number
6,354,045
-
Date Filed
Friday, March 3, 200024 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, March 12, 200222 years ago
-
Inventors
-
-
Examiners
- Friedman; Carl D.
- Varner; Steve
Agents
- Hahn Loeser + Parks LLP
- Grant; Stephen L.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A system for roofing a substructure has a plurality of roof panels, a plurality of support members and a plurality of cap members. The roof panels each have a horizontal channel section bounded on a pair of opposing side edges by side flanges, with an upper end of each side flange bent to provide a groove opening outwardly laterally from the panel. The support members each have a pair of oppositely extending base flanges and a pair of oppositely extending top flanges, the base flanges and top flanges being positioned along a vertical web member. The top flanges are adapted to be received in the groove of one of a pair of adjacent roof panels and one of the base flanges of each support member is adapted to fasten the support member to the substructure. The cap members have side walls to retain the top flanges in the grooves without fastening the roof panel to the support member, thereby allowing some relative movement upon deflection of the roof panel. The length of the support members allows a single support member to be fastened to each of a pair of spaced-apart substructural members, such as purlins.
Description
The present invention relates to an improved roof panel system used on a building to provided increased resistance to wind uplift forces. Particularly, the invention relates to an improved roof panel system which provides increased wind uplift resistance through an improved panel support member which is used to join adjacent panels in a standing seam configuration. The support member of the present invention provides spanning, load-carrying and load-transferring capabilities which are not known in the prior art.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Since about 1990, wind uplift has become an important consideration in the design of roofing systems. In fact, it has been reported that the amount of wind damage to roofs incurred this decade from hurricanes alone amounts to $27 billion. A rectangular roofing surface
100
as is generally known in the prior art is shown in FIG.
1
. Such a roofing surface
100
may be broken up into a plurality of areas having distinct wind uplift requirements. A generally square area
102
located in each of the four corners has the highest demand put upon it by wind forces, and this area
102
is referred to as a “Zone 3” area. Each of the four Zone 3 areas
102
is bounded by two adjacent exterior side edges
104
and two interior side edges
106
. The next highest area of wind uplift forces is a generally rectangular area
108
located along the intermediate portions of the roof edges between a pair of the Zone 3 areas. Each of these areas
108
, which are also referred to as “Zone 2” areas, has one exterior side edge
110
, a parallel, opposing, interior side edge
112
, and a pair of opposed parallel side edges
106
. These side edges
106
are, of course, shared with the adjacent Zone 3 area
102
. The four Zone 3 areas
102
and the four Zone 2 areas
108
define the outside peripheral area of the roof surface
100
and their direct exposure to the wind forces places the higher demand upon them. The remaining roof surface area
114
is generally designated as “Zone 1” and it is bounded by two sets of opposed parallel sides
112
. These sides
112
are shared by the Zone 1 area
114
and the four adjacent Zone 2 areas
108
. It will be customary to lay roofing panels on a roofing surface area
100
in a manner that puts the panels either parallel to or perpendicular to these edges, rather than placing them obliquely.
A typical standing seam roof panel system of the type known in the prior art is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,684, to Petree, et al., which is commonly owned with the present invention. Petree '684 teaches a panel system for joining adjacent panels, using a plurality of spaced-apart bent metal clips which are aligned along the standing wall portions of adjacent panels to affix the panels to a building substructure. These clips bear the heavy burden of withstanding the wind uplift forces imposed in service. The surfaces which bear the majority of those forces are a base portion which extends laterally out from one side of the bottom of a connecting wall portion and a plurality of tab portions which project laterally outward from the top of the connecting wall portion. Each of the Petree '684 clips, as will be explained in more detail below, is affixed to the building substructure only through a single fastener. Unless any adjacent Petree '684 clips are affixed to the same piece of substructure, they are absolutely unable to transfer any load-bearing capability between them, other than through a roof panel shared by both clips, which is an untenable solution. While the Petree '684 clips are efficacious, it is necessary to place them on much closer spacings in the Zone 3 and Zone 2 areas than in the Zone 1 area of a roof in order to provide a roof which will resist wind uplift. In some applications, it is simply not possible to place the Petree '684 clips sufficiently close together to comply with wind-uplift resistance requirements.
It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide an improved roofing panel system where clips of the type known in the prior art may be used in some areas, such as Zone 1, but a novel support member possessing capabilities far beyond those of the prior art may be used in association with the roofing panels in Zones 3 and/or 2 to increase the wind uplift resistance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This advantage of the present invention is provided by a system for roofing a substructure. The system comprises a plurality of roof panels, a plurality of support members and a plurality of cap members. Each of the roof panels comprises a horizontal channel section bounded on opposing edges by a pair of side flanges. An upper end of each side flange is bent to provide a groove which opens outwardly laterally from the panel. Each of the support members has a pair of oppositely extending base flanges and a pair of oppositely extending top flanges. These base flanges and top flanges are positioned along a vertical web member. Each of the top flanges is adapted to be received in the groove of one of a pair of adjacent roof panels. At least one of the two base flanges is adapted to fasten the support member to the substructure. The plurality of cap members have side walls for retaining the top flanges in the grooves. In this way there is no direct fastening of the roof panels to the substructure, so that relative movement is permitted. The top flanges effectively bear the weight of the roof panels. In some embodiments, the support members further comprise a pair of oppositely extending shelf members, one on each side of the vertical web, so that each shelf member is positioned below the channel section of one of the roof panels when the top flange is received in the groove, such that the shelf member bears weight of the roof panel only when the roof panel is deflected, but the shelf member also acts to delimit deflection of the panel side wall.
This advantage of the invention is also achieved through a method for providing a roofing system for a substructure. The method is comprised of several steps. The first step is placing a first roof panel as described above onto the substructure such that one of the side flanges and its groove is exposed. This is followed by the step of placing a first support member as described above adjacent to the first roof panel so the vertical web member is adjacent to the exposed side flange. This allows one of the top flanges to be received in the exposed groove and to bear the weight of the first roof panel onto the top flange. This support member is then fastened to the substructure through an exposed base flange of the pair base flanges which is adapted for fastening, for example, as with having a fastener receiving hole therethrough. A second roof panel, also as described above, is placed adjacent to the first support member so that the groove on the side flange adjacent to the first support member receives the remaining top flange of the first support member to bear the weight of the first roof panel onto the top flange. This leaves the second side flange and its associated groove on the second roof panel exposed. The first support member has now received the bearing weight of two roof panels, and a cap member is placed onto the junction of the top flanges of the support member and the grooves of the two roof panels. The cap member joins the roof panels at the first support member without direct fastening to the substructure by the roof panels. The exposed side wall and groove of the second roof panel are then joined to the roof through a second support member in the manner described above. This process may be repeated a sufficient number of times with additional roof support members, roof panels and cap members to cover the substructure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A better understanding of the present invention will be had when reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein identical parts are identified by identical reference numerals and wherein:
FIG. 1
shows a schematic depiction of a plan view of a roof surface, showing various wind uplift classification zones;
FIG. 2
shows an perspective view of a clip as known in the prior art;
FIG. 3
shows a line of the clips of
FIG. 2
as used to provide a roof fastening system;
FIG. 4
shows a perspective view of a portion of a support member of the present invention;
FIG. 5
shows, in perspective view, both a partially installed roof seam and a completed roof seam using the support member of the present invention; and
FIG. 6
shows a perspective view of a portion of a second embodiment support member of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1
provides a general schematic plan view of a rectangular roofing surface
100
designating the wind uplift zones
102
,
108
and
114
as described in more detail above in the Background of the Invention. Edges of these zones are designated as
104
,
106
,
110
and
112
, also as described in more detail above.
FIG. 2
shows a clip
30
of the type taught in Petree '684. A plurality of these clips
30
provide a means for anchoring a roof panel system to a building substructure. The clip
30
is made from sheet metal, particularly sheet steel, and may be bent into position from a planar sheet of the metal using conventional metal forming techniques. In the embodiment shown, a base
31
is formed at one end of a connecting wall
34
, typically by bending a flap along a bottom edge of a planar metal blank used for forming the clip. The base
31
has a pair of raised portions
32
, a flat top surface
32
a
upon which a bottom surface of a roof panel may rest upon or be contiguous to in a spaced-apart relationship from the building substructure. An aperture
39
in the base
31
allows a fastener, typically a screw, to attach the clip
30
to building substructure. Base
31
extends perpendicularly outwardly from only one side of connecting wall
34
. However, a second roof panel will be held in place on the opposite side of the clip from base
31
. Therefore, a struck-out tongue
33
of the connecting wall
34
is provided so that this tongue
33
can act in a similar fashion to raised portions
32
a
, although on the opposite side of the clip. Across the top end of connecting wall
34
, tabs
35
,
36
and
37
are bent perpendicularly outwardly from the connecting wall so that they are all substantially parallel to base
31
. These tabs
35
,
36
,
37
alternate in direction, so that the example shown in
FIG. 2
has tabs
35
and
37
extending in the same direction as base
31
, while tab
36
extends in the opposite direction. These tabs
35
,
36
and
37
provide a member for insertion into a groove on a side flange of the respective roof panels. It is these tabs
35
,
36
and
37
which engage and provide the majority of support to the roof panels.
As is shown in
FIG. 3
, it is typical to position clips
30
in a spaced-apart row so that they may each be used to support roof panels of the type taught by Petree '684, which will be further shown and described below. Actually, in isolation,
FIG. 3
is somewhat deceptive in a few manners. First, it implies that the clips
30
are laid out on the building substructure and fastened into position before the roof panels are in place. In fact, the first of the two roof panels has already been set into position, and the panel terminates along its edge with a side flange, which extends perpendicularly upwardly from a horizontal channel. The top of the side flange has the groove formed from a bending of the side flange metal. With this first panel in place, a clip
30
is abutted to the side flange, so that tongue
33
slides under the horizontal channel and tab
36
fits into the groove. Since base
31
extends outwardly away from the panel, aperture
39
may be used to fasten the clip
30
down to the building substructure. Such clips
30
are fixed to the first panel in spaced-apart intervals in the manner shown in
FIG. 3. A
second possible misperception from the line of clips
30
is that they are aligned along a common support structure, such as a roof purlin or the like and that the exact spacing of the clips will be determined by amount of wind uplift resistance needed. Because the purlins in a roof structure are relatively narrow and may be spaced significantly apart from each other, as with many other structures in the building substructure, the almost continuous chain or sequence of clips
30
which would seem to be needed in a Zone 3 area may simply not be possible. A clip
30
is only useful when it has a substructure immediately below it to which it may be fastened. With only one aperture
39
for fastening the clip to a substructure, the clip
30
cannot be said to “span” from one substructural element to another.
Once the entire side edge of the first panel has been fixed to the building substructure by clips
30
, a second roof panel is positioned along the line of clips just installed, so that a side flange on the second panel abuts against the side of connecting wall
34
from which base
31
extends. Raised portions
32
a
slide under, and support, the horizontal channel of this second panel and tabs
35
,
37
on each of the clips
30
fit into the groove at the top of the side flange. Because the manner in which the first and second panels and the clips are fitted together, there is a great amount of accommodation provided for thermal expansion and contraction, as well as movement to dissipate wind-imposed stresses, including uplift forces. A cap member is placed over respective side flanges and the clip
30
at the area where the tabs
35
,
36
,
37
fit into the grooves. This covers and seals the gap provided between roof panels, rendering the roof surface so formed sealed and secured, although the cap member never actually touches the clip
30
.
While the clips
30
of Petree '684 are certainly effective and useful, particularly in Zone 1 areas of a roof, the simplicity provided by the bent metal forming of the clips does not allow for advantages which can be provided by an improved support member, which is the focus of the present invention.
FIG. 4
reveals an enlarged perspective view of a portion of a first embodiment
200
of the support member of the present invention. This support member
200
is preferably formed from an extruded metal in the same manner as an I-beam, although obviously in a thinner wall thickness. The support member
200
has a continuous vertical web member
202
, which is not interrupted by cut outs such as the struck-out tongue
33
in clip
30
. Along a bottom edge of vertical web member
202
, a pair of horizontal base flanges
204
a
,
204
b
, extend outwardly from each side of the web member. Above this bottom edge, but still low on the vertical web member
202
, a pair of shelf members
206
a
,
206
b
, extend outwardly parallel to the base flanges
204
. At the top edge of the vertical web member
202
, a pair of top flanges
208
a
and
208
b
are formed.
Base flanges
204
a
and
204
b
each extend laterally away from the vertical web member much farther than shelf members
206
a
,
206
b
. A series of apertures
210
(only one is shown in
FIG. 4
) may be punched or otherwise formed along at least one of the base flanges
204
a
,
204
b
. These apertures
210
are useful for insertion of fasteners, as with apertures
39
of clip
30
, to fasten the support member
200
to an element of building substructure. The top flanges
208
will typically be parallel to base flanges
204
, although in some applications it may be preferred to bend the top flanges downwardly somewhat into a “chevron” cross-sectional shape.
One important difference between clip
30
and improved support member
200
is that all flanges (including shelf members
206
) provided on support member
200
are continuous rather than discontinuous and that the base flanges
204
provide support on each side of vertical web member
202
. These continuous flanges have the advantages of reinforcing the vertical web member
202
, as well as limiting deflection of the roof panels along the entire length of the roof panel. Individual clips
30
which do not interact or mutually support each other lack this functionality.
The manner of installing a roof system using support member
200
is analogous to that used for clip
30
. Instead of installing a series of clips
30
, however, a single continuous length of support member
200
is used. Reference is now made to
FIG. 5
, which shows both a standing seam type roofing system
300
, with a partially installed roof seam as well as a completed roof seam. In
FIG. 5
, the installation has been made from left to right, so the rightmost seam, generally shown as
302
, is the partial or uncompleted standing seam, while the leftmost seam, generally shown as
304
, is completed. Focusing on seam
302
, support member
200
is shown in abutting relationship to a roof panel
306
having a horizontal channel section
308
bounded on the right side by a first side flange
310
and on the left side by a second side flange
312
. The first side flange
310
is bent at its upper end to provide a groove
314
. This groove
314
opens laterally outwardly from panel
306
. Support member
200
is abutted to the first side flange
310
, with base flange
204
a
being seated on the building substructure directly under panel
306
and with the base of the first side flange
310
being contiguous to shelf member
206
a
, it being understood that the majority of weight-bearing is accomplished at the top flange
208
a
rather than at shelf member
206
a
. Top flange
208
a
fits into groove
314
. Since base flange
204
b
extends outwardly away from first panel
306
, apertures
210
are exposed and are used to fasten the support member
200
down to the building substructure. While
FIG. 5
shows a single length of support member
200
, and this is the clearly preferred embodiment for most applications, the extruded metal comprising the support member can be cut into sections, which are then subsequently installed in spaced-apart relationship.
Referring now to the leftmost seam
304
now, completion of the seam will be taught. At this seam
304
, the second flange
312
of panel
306
has been positioned against an identical support member
200
after the support member
200
has been installed in an abutting relationship against a roof panel
316
having a horizontal channel section
318
bounded on the right side by a first side flange
320
, the left side of the panel not being shown. The first side flange
320
of panel
316
is bent at its upper end to provide a groove
324
, which opens laterally outwardly from panel
316
. When support member
200
is abutted to the first side flange
320
, with base flange
204
a
being seated on the building substructure directly under panel
316
and with the base of the first side flange
320
resting atop shelf member
206
a
, top flange
208
a
fits into groove
314
. Support member
200
has been fastened to the substructure. As the second flange
312
of panel
306
is positioned along support member
200
, base flange
204
b
rests under the panel
306
and the base of side flange
312
is contiguous to shelf member
206
b
, with the top flange
208
b
fitting into groove
324
. A cap member
330
has side walls
332
,
334
connected by a web
336
. The side walls
332
,
334
are shaped so as to be snapped into place atop the juncture of the panels
306
,
316
at the clip. The lower surface of the web
336
, that is, the surface which is inside the side walls
332
,
334
may be provided with a sealant, such as a resilient elastomeric strip or a bead of mastic material. It is important to note that this mastic or elastomeric material does not directly contact the support member
200
. Side walls
332
,
334
may be fitted to a desired degree of tightness about the juncture. In some embodiments, it may be desirable to use a second cap member placed atop the first cap member
330
. It will be recognized that this connection of the top flange
208
a
into the groove
314
(as well as the connection of top flange
208
b
into groove
324
) allows a limited amount of movement of the roof panel in two directions relative to the support member and a relatively free movement in the third direction, that being the axis of the top flange.
In addition to the advantages explicitly mentioned above, some other advantages are provided by the present invention roof panel system utilizing an support member. Although base flange
204
a
is not directly fastened to the building substructure, since the fastener passes through base flange
204
b
, the integral nature of base flange
204
adds force-bearing area and also prevents forces acting on the upstanding web member
202
from being a lever arm to pry the fastener out of aperture
39
, in the way that a force acting against web member
34
of the prior art clip
30
can use the bend which forms base
31
as a fulcrum of such a lever. The continuity of the vertical web
202
adds strength. This strength is enhanced by the continuity of outwardly extending flanges
204
,
206
and
208
. The continuity of flanges
206
and
208
provide a more stable seat for the adjacent roof panels to which they are affixed. The continuity of base flange
204
b
between fastener apertures
210
also strengthens the support member
200
against longitudinal bending moments.
FIG. 6
shows a second or alternate embodiment
400
of the support member of the present invention. This second embodiment
400
is preferably formed from an extruded metal in the same manner as the first embodiment
200
. The support member
400
has a continuous vertical web member
402
. At a bottom edge of vertical web member
402
, a pair of horizontal base flanges
404
a
,
404
b
, extend outwardly from each side of the web member. At the distal end of each of these base flanges
404
is a shelf member
406
, shelf member
406
a
being on base flange
404
a
and shelf member
406
b
being on base flange
404
b
. At the top edge of the vertical web member
402
, a pair of top flanges
408
a
and
408
b
are formed and extend outwardly.
Base flanges
404
a
and
404
b
each extend laterally away from the vertical web member
402
much farther than the width of either shelf member
406
a
or
406
b
, so a series of apertures
410
may be punched or otherwise formed along at least one of the base flanges
404
a
,
404
b
. These apertures
410
are useful for insertion of fasteners, as with apertures
39
of clip
30
. The top flanges
408
will typically be parallel to base flanges
404
, although in some applications it may be preferred to bend the top flanges downwardly somewhat into a “chevron” cross-sectional shape. A preferred embodiment of this second embodiment
400
also includes a broadened fillet-type cross-section
412
at the junction of base flanges
404
with vertical web member
402
.
It will be readily understood that this second embodiment support member
400
would be useful as a means for fastening roof panels to a building substructure in exactly the same manner as support member
200
is shown in FIG.
5
.
A further advantage of the support members
200
or
400
of the present invention is obtained when the roofing panels are installed in a manner such that the side flanges, like
310
, run across the roof surface substantially perpendicularly to a set of parallel roof purlins or other linear substructural members. As is well known, these purlins or other substructural members will be three or more feet apart from each other. When the clip
30
of the prior art is used, there is no spanning capacity provided between adjacent purlins by the clips
30
, other than the undesired burden placed on the roof panels. However, when a support member such as
200
or
400
is used, it effectively becomes an additional grid element in supporting and strengthening the roof, particularly in limiting deflection of the roof panels.
It will be readily recognized that the load transferring capabilities of the support member
200
or
400
will be equally applicable to both “positive” and “negative” pressures imposed on the roof panels, corresponding to upward and downward forces.
Support members
200
and
400
of the present invention are rigidly affixed only to the building substructure. There are no fasteners or the like passing through the roof panels and into the web member, the respective shelf members, the base flanges or the top flanges. This permits a great amount of ability to dissipate thermal expansion or wind forces through sliding motion of the panels relative to the support members.
It will also be recognized that the support members of the present invention, which effectively provide a linear anchor for a roof panel rather than a “point” anchor, will be useful with other types of roof panels in which the sliding engagement of the support member with the roof panel may be employed, rather than being limited only to use with the specific roof panels described above.
Although the present invention has been described above in detail, the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the present invention. Accordingly, the scope and content of the present invention are to be defined only by the terms of the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. A system for roofing a substructure, comprising:a plurality of roof panels, each of the roof panels having a horizontal channel section and a pair of opposed side flanges, an upper end of each side flange bent to provide a groove opening outwardly laterally from the panel; a plurality of support members, each of the support members having a pair of coplanar, oppositely extending base flanges and a pair of oppositely extending top flanges, the base flanges and top flanges positioned along a vertical web member, each of the top flanges being adapted to be received in the groove of one of a pair of adjacent roof panels and one of the base flanges adapted to fasten the support member to the substructure; and a plurality of cap members with side walls for retaining the top flanges in the grooves.
- 2. The roofing system of claim 1 wherein the top flanges effectively bear the weight of the roof panels.
- 3. The roofing system of claim 1 wherein the support members further comprise a pair of oppositely extending shelf members, one on each side of the vertical web so that each shelf member is positioned below the channel section of one of the roof panels when the top flange is received in the groove, such that the shelf member bears weight of the roof panel only when the roof panel is deflected.
- 4. The roofing system of claim 3 wherein the pair of oppositely extending shelf members extend outwardly from the vertical web member between the base flanges and the top flanges.
- 5. The roofing system of claim 3 wherein the pair of oppositely extending shelf members are affixed to the pair of the base flanges so that the shelf members are vertically between the base flanges and the top flanges.
- 6. The roofing system of claim 3 wherein the top flanges and the shelf member of each of the support members co-act to effectively delimit deflection of the side flanges to which the support member is fastened with one of the cap members.
- 7. The roofing system of claim 1 wherein the vertical web member of each support member is continuous.
- 8. The roofing system of claim 1 wherein the top flanges of each support member is continuous.
- 9. The roofing system of claim 1 wherein the base flange which is not adapted to fasten to the substructure is continuous.
- 10. The roofing system of claim 1 wherein the substructure comprises a plurality of spaced-apart structural members and at least one of the plurality of support members is adapted to be fastened to at least two adjacent spaced-apart structural members.
- 11. A system for roofing a substructure, comprising:a plurality of roof panels, each of the roof panels having a horizontal channel section and a pair of opposed side flanges, an upper end of each side flange bent to provide a groove opening outwardly laterally from the panel; a plurality of support members, each of the support members having a pair of oppositely extending base flanges and a pair of oppositely extending top flanges, the base flanges and top flanges positioned along a vertical web member, each of the top flanges being adapted to be received in the groove of one of a pair of adjacent roof panels and one of the base flanges adapted to fasten the support member to the substructure; and a plurality of cap members with side walls for retaining the top flanges in the grooves; wherein the support members further comprise a pair of oppositely extending shelf members, one on each side of the vertical web so that each shelf member is positioned below the channel section of one of the roof panels when the top flange is received in the groove, such that the shelf member bears weight of the roof panel only when the roof panel is deflected.
- 12. The roofing system of claim 11 wherein the top flanges effectively bear the weight of the roof panels.
- 13. The roofing system of claim 11 wherein the pair of oppositely extending shelf members extend outwardly from the vertical web member between the base flanges and the top flanges.
- 14. The roofing system of claim 11 wherein the pair of oppositely extending shelf members are affixed to the pair of the base flanges so that the shelf members are vertically between the base flanges and the top flanges.
- 15. The roofing system of claim 11 wherein the top flanges and the shelf member of each of the support members co-act to effectively delimit deflection of the side flanges to which the support member is fastened with one of the cap members.
- 16. The roofing system of claim 11 wherein the vertical web member of each support member is continuous.
- 17. The roofing system of claim 11 wherein the top flanges of each support member is continuous.
- 18. The roofing system of claim 11 wherein the base flange which is not adapted to fasten to the substructure is continuous.
- 19. The roofing system of claim 11 wherein the substructure comprises a plurality of spaced-apart structural members and at least one of the plurality of support members is adapted to be fastened to at least two adjacent spaced-apart structural members.
US Referenced Citations (5)