The present invention relates to a flashing suitable for flashing, for example, parts of the envelope of a building.
Many forms of flashing are known. Traditionally flashings were formed from sheets of lead and were conformed on site to shapes required. Lead is both heavy and expensive and requires a lot of labour. It is also difficult to have it satisfactorily retain a painted surface.
The present invention recognises the prospect of providing lightweight flashings (preferably tile trim flashings) that are versatile as to their use (even though they may be pre-shaped for convenience) and demand little in the way of skill in their use. It is to this that the present invention is directed.
I have determined that an effective conformable region of a flashing structure can be prepared by associating a conformable yet shape retaining layer having a mesh, perforate or other “open” character (eg; expanded sheet aluminium of a “mesh” character) using an appropriate adhesive bonding with a flexible weathering layer and thereafter relying on a tack retaining adhesive surface (whether simply “show through” adhesive or adhesive in addition) for associating such a conformable region to a surface of a region to be flashed.
There are instances however where it is desirable to have part of a flashing underlying a cladding panel or member. An example may include a transition from a wall into a roof line. With such an arrangement it is not necessary for that region to be overlayed by a cladding panel or member (or indeed even plaster) to be conformable yet shape retaining since it is held in place not by its own inherent shape retention but rather by the overlaying panel or other cladding. Nevertheless there is a need, since it is the transition that is to be flashed, for there to be continuity in the weathering surface. There are other instances where such an arrangement is applicable which may not involve rooves and therefore the term “flashing” and its variations should not be so restricted.
As used herein the term “weathering layer” includes any single material or multiple materials, whether laminated, mixed or otherwise, to provide a layer (not necessarily planar nor of constant thickness) of which an outer surface is to act as the weathering surface and another surface of which can act as a surface to be bonded by said adhesive matrix to said conformable layer.
As used herein the term “conformable yet shape retaining layer” includes metal (eg, aluminium) expanded sheet into a perforate “mesh-like” form but is not confined thereto. It can include perforated or non perforated metal (eg, lead or aluminium) or other sheeting (eg; steel wire mesh or zinc) and irrespective, if perforate, whether sheet-wise expandable or not.
In a first aspect the invention is a three dimensional flashing comprising or including
a substantially three dimensional region in use to be exposed to the weather, and
a less three dimensional region adapted in use to underlie and/or attach to at least in part a cladding material or cladding materials of a building,
wherein said three dimensional region and said less three dimensional region can articulate relative to each other at an articulation zone,
and wherein said three dimensional region has at least one flexible material providing an exterior flexible weathering surface therefor that extends at least as part of said less three dimensional region,
and wherein said three dimensional region is at least in part held in its three dimensional form by a conformable yet shape retaining three dimensionally conformed material,
and wherein there is sufficient tack retaining adhesive available on the non weathering side of said three dimensional region to associate such three dimensional region to a substrate to be flashed thereby.
Preferably said less three dimensional region is substantially planar.
Preferably said three dimensionally conformed material is a metal.
Preferably said metal is sheet aluminium.
Preferably said three dimensional region is configured so as to exhibit a substantially sinusoidal section when being viewed in section towards said articulation zone.
Preferably a suitable natural or synthetic rubber material or plastics material provides said exterior flexible weathering surface (eg; a UV resistant EDPM, TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin), TPU (thermoplastic urethane) or FPVC (flexible PVC)).
Preferably, in some embodiments, said three dimensionally conformed material is mould embedded at least in part in another material, said another material (eg; a cheaper rubber or plastics material to UV resistant EDPM) being flexible but not necessarily being said flexible material(s) (eg; EDPM) providing the exterior weathering surface.
Preferably a release sheet (eg, siliconised paper) is associated with said tack retaining adhesive.
Said three dimensionally conformed material is preferably a sheet metal (eg; aluminium, galvanised steel or COLOURSTEEL™). It is either bonded or mechanically attached. For example a piece of steel may or not be any particular profile that extends in part into the less three dimensional region.
Preferably said three dimensionally conformed material is a perforate or expanded sheet of a suitable metal.
Preferably said less three dimensional region includes a plurality of weather seal ridges, flanges, or the like.
Preferably said less three dimensional region includes a number of openings therethrough to allow penetrative fixers (eg; nails or screws) to affix the same for subsequent overlying by a cladding material or cladding materials (eg; wallboards).
Preferably said articulation zone is a defined region between what is almost exclusively a three dimensional region and what is almost exclusively a substantially planar region save for sealing and/or other contoured features thereof.
Preferably said flashing is of a form and/or structure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one or more of the accompany drawings.
In another aspect the invention consists in a three dimensional flashing (preferably being a ridge capping or other preshaped flashing) (hereafter “flashing form”) which extends into at least one flanking conformable yet shape retaining three dimensionally conformed region
wherein said three dimensionally conformed region has at least one flexible material providing an exterior flexible weathering surface therefor that extends at least as part of said flashing form,
and wherein the or each such conformed region has sufficient tack retaining adhesive available on the non-weathering side thereof to associate that region by adhesion to a suitable roofing material where said less three dimensional region is substantially planar.
Preferably said three dimensionally conformed material is a metal.
Preferably said metal is sheet aluminium.
Preferably said flashing form is flanked to either side with a said three dimensionally conformed region.
Preferably the (or both) three dimensional region(s) is (are) configured so as to exhibit a substantially sinusoidal section when being viewed in section towards said flashing form.
Preferably a suitable natural or synthetic rubber material provides said exterior flexible weathering surface.
Preferably said three dimensionally conformed material is mould embedded at least in part in another material, said another material being flexible but not necessarily said flexible material providing the exterior weathering surface.
Preferably a release sheet is associated with said tack retaining adhesive.
Preferably said three dimensionally conformed material is a perforate or expanded sheet of a suitable metal.
Preferably said flashing form is a capping form which steps its weathering surface orthogonally of said flanking three dimensionally conformed regions. In other forms it does not step (eg; is straight).
Preferably said flashing is of a form and/or structure substantially as herein described with reference to any one or more of the accompany drawings.
In another aspect the present invention consists in a flashing comprising or including
a flexible weathering layer having one part adapted to flash from underneath cladding (eg; wall panel) of a structure and another region to flash over part of cladding (eg; roofing) of the same structure, said flashing being characterised in that said flexible weathering layer has at least part of said region to overlie part of the cladding rendered conformable yet shape retaining by the association to at least part of its underside of a conformable shape retaining layer of a mesh, perforate or other “open” sheet material using an appropriate adhesive.
Preferably a tack retaining adhesive surface is provided whereby at least one of the following becomes possible,
(a) at least part of the region of said flexible weathering layer underlaid by said conformable yet shape retaining member has sufficient adhesive to enable its adhesive association with a substrate forming part of the structure to be flashed,
(b) at least part of the flexible weathering layer not underlaid by said conformable yet shape retaining member but nonetheless being part of the underside (i.e. not to be directly weathered) is provided with sufficient tack retaining adhesive to allow its association to a substrate to be flashed thereby, and
(c) both (a) and (b).
Preferably said flashing includes a release sheet detachably associated with the tack retaining adhesive surface to allow (upon its removal) at least part of said flashing to be associated with a substrate to be flashed.
Preferably said flashing is provided in a form whereby the conformable yet shape retaining region or at least part thereof is provided other than in a flat condition.
Part of the flashing which includes said conformable yet shape retaining region can be provided in a substantially sinusoidal form which ensures a sufficient amount of the conformable region being available for a flashing like association with a complex underlying three dimensional surface without any need for stretching of the conformable yet shape retaining layer.
Preferably said conformable yet shape retaining member including region is provided in a three dimensional form that facilitates its being matched to a likely profile to be encountered during its flashing use or from which it can be easily deformed.
To this end see
In some forms of the present invention, when viewed if plan, preferably said flashing is substantially of a rectangular or square form with an apparent straight fold line separating said regions which (usually) in use are to extend in different planes, the region on one side of said fold line which includes said conformable yet shape retaining member having a three dimensional form whereby, were it along with the other region (if necessary) to be notionally flattened down into the plane of the plan view, would mean that the area of said three dimensional form region thereof significantly increases.
Preferably the arrangement is of a kind contemplated by enclosed
In still a further aspect the present invention consists in a flashing of a kind substantially as hereinafter described in whole or in part but substantially having the characteristics described with reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings.
In yet a further aspect the present invention consists in the use or methods of use of a flashing of any of the aforementioned kinds.
In a further aspect the present invention consists in a structure flashed by a flashing of the present invention.
Preferred forms of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which;
As an example of a preferred form of the present invention, a simple form of flashing useful, for example, for providing a flashed transition from under cladding of a wall on to a roof line (whether tiled or covered with corrugated iron) referred to in the drawings.
A moulded component 1 of an appropriate weathering material that is flexible (eg; EPDM) is provided. As shown in
The moulding of the component 1 can have the shape of the region 2 (as depicted in
In the preferred form of the present invention the arrangement as depicted in
Preferably a region only as depicted in the accompanying drawings is reinforced by the layer 7 but sufficient so as to hold at the distal edge 8 the desired confirmation after its transition out from the region 9.
A number of different ways of associating the conformable yet shape retaining layer to part of the underside of the zone 2 of the component 1 can be provided.
As can be seen preferably the moulded member shown in
The preferred material of the flexible weathering layer can be any appropriate material. A preferred material is a UV resistant EPDM (eg; ROYLENE of Uniroyal, USA or ESPRENE™ of Cymatium Corp of Japan) although other options for that component include at least UV resistant silicone rubber (eg; SILPLUS™ of General Electric, USA), flexible PVC, SANTOPRENE™, NEOPRENE™, and similar materials (eg; TPO or TPU).
Such materials can be readily precoloured, eg; to terracotta and other tile or the like matching colours.
Preferably the region “B” is to be less prone to flexible bending and to this end can be either a modified or different material to the rest of the flexible layer “A”, eg; two different but compatible feed streams could be provided into the mould to produce the flexible layer. Alternatively the region “B” can be thicker to the same end. Region “B” can even be a metal.
At least the material 7 is associated with the underside of the region 2 at zone 11 in the embodiment depicted. In this respect it can be associated therewith by a butyl adhesive matrix that will provide a show through of the openings 12 (preferably both visual as well as physical show through) which not only associates the material 7 to the zone 11 but also confers at least some adhesive tack to a level to enable the distal region of the zone 2 to be adhesively affixed to a substrate. A suitable adhesive matrix is one of butyl adhesive such adhesive can be provided simply as a viscous butyl adhesive mass layer from one of several ways of butyl adhesive layers whether tape (eg; PVC) or re-informant (eg; P.P. or nylon) carried are possible, eg; double sided tapes or sheets of butyl adhesive of Bostik or 3M.
One option simply is to interpose a layer of butyl adhesive between 11 and 7 and to rely on a consolidation process to provide the desired show through. In such an arrangement double sided tapes, each carrying a sufficient quantity of butyl adhesive can be provided with that side to be directed downwardly having a sufficient depth to provide the requisite show through. Alternatively an over layer of butyl adhesive can be applied over the exposed mesh 7 shown in
In some preferred forms of the present invention the whole underside or substantially all of the underside of the zone 2 can have a substrate attachment surface of an appropriate adhesive (preferably the same butyl adhesive). Moreover even the zone 3 can be provided with an undersurface carrying such an adhesive. All such tack retaining adhesive surfaces to facilitate fixing are preferably covered with an appropriate release sheet, eg, of siliconised paper or plastics (eg; SCOTCHCAL SCW-33™ of 3M, USA).
With the arrangement as depicted in the drawings the
In some preferred forms of the present invention the weathering layer can be defined by a variety of materials particularly where some of the weathering area is to be less exposed to the effects of the weather. For example, a UV resistance EDPM can be used to define a top weathering surface for some or all of the flashing and that can be supported by a flexible material of lesser cost which does not have the same weathering characteristics. For example, separate masses of a suitable plastics or rubber material can be provided one of which is to associate either by a sliding capture, adhesive attachment or moulded capture to the preferred shape retaining conformable material such as, for example, solid aluminium sheet or perforate or expanded aluminium sheet.
With such a structure if desired the articulation axis could be provided by the EDPM material alone rather than any underlying support material but most preferably there is a significant degree of integrity to the flashing structure through the articulation zone.
Also shown in
A suitable material for the moulded component shown in
As can be seen the region 18 includes a plurality of openings 20 adapted to facilitate penetrative fixing.
The arrangement as shown in
In the form as depicted in
Persons skilled in the art will appreciated the options that abound in order to take advantage of the three dimensional conformable yet shape retaining already three dimensional conformed regions of a flashing or any of the kinds defined.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention provides an alternative to existing flashing systems.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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507270 | Sep 2000 | NZ | national |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10381207 | Aug 2003 | US |
Child | 12230335 | US |