ROOFING SYSTEM

ELEMENTS DE TOITURE

English Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A roofing member which is of elongated construction and
which includes a plurality of spaced frame elements
each having a plurality of sides, the frame elements
being each interconnected by panels, the panels extending
along and between aligned sides of adjacent frame elements
and being attached to at least two sides of each frame
element.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property
or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A roofing member which is of elongated construction and
which comprises at least three roofing sheets and a plurality of
spaced frame elements, the roofing sheets being joined together
along their longitudinal edges and defining an enclosed duct, each
frame element being located within the enclosed duct with each side
of the frame element adjacent a roofing sheet thereby providing
shape rigidity, and the frame elements and roofing sheets being
associated to form a structure capable of bearing loads and which
can at the same time form at least a portion of a roof.
2. A roofing member as claimed in Claim 1, having at least
one of its ends closed off at least partially by at least one end
member to permit control of convection air currents.
3. A roofing member as claimed in Claim 2, in which the end
member is adjustable to permit adjustment of the rate at which
convection air currents pass through the roofing members.
4. A roof which is formed from roofing members as claimed in
Claim 1, located in parallel relationship.
5. A roof as claimed in Claim 4, in which gaps are left
between adjacent roofing members and the gaps are covered by
translucent sheeting.
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6. A roof as claimed in Claim 4, in which the roofing
members are supported at their ends by columns.

Description

THIS INVENTION relates to a roofing system.
According to the invention there is provided a roofing
member of elongated construction and which comprises at least three
roofing sheets and a plurality oE spaced frame elements, the rooEing
sheets being joined -toyether along their longitudinal edges and
deEining an enclosed duct, each frame element being located within
the enclosed duct with each side of the frame element adjacent a
roofing sheet thereb~ providing shape rigidi-ty, and the frame
elements and roofing sheets being associated to form a structure
capable of bearing loads and which can at the same time form at
least a portion of a roof.
The frame elements may have a variety of profiles. For
example, they may be triangular, square, rectangular, trapezoid, or
the llke.
The duct may be used as a service duct for accommodating
servlces such as water pipes, electric cables or busbars, fire
extinguishing services, telecommunication services, and the like.
The duct may also serve as an airconditioning duct.
One or both ends of the roofing members may be closed of~
or partially closed off by at least one end member or louvre which
may be adjustable to permit adjustment of the rate at which
convection air currents pass through the roofing members.

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The roofing members may be placed in abutting
side-by-side or parallel spaced relationship. When the roofing
members are ~paced apart, the spaces between them may be
covered by intermediate panels.
The roofing members may be placed at an angle to the
horizontal so that cooling of a building may be achieved by
convection air currents passing through the roofing members. In
colder climates or seasons, the end member or louvre may be closed
to trap air in the roofing members to permit heat to be radiated
from the roofing members.
In order to permit ingress of natural light into a
building, gaps may be left between adjacent roofing members. The
gaps may be covered by translucent sheeting.
The roof~ng members may be s~pported at their ends and/or
intermediate their ends by columns.
Th~ roofing sheets may be corrugated iron sheets, IBR
sheets, or the li~e.
The frame elements may be formed from angled, tubular, or
channel sections. The frame elements may be of metal, wood,
synthetic plastics material, or the like.
Various embodiments of the invention are now described by
way of example ~ith reference to the accompanying drawings, in
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which:
Figure 1 shows a three dimensional view of a roofing member in
accordance with the invention;
Figures 2, 3 and 4 show end views of different profiles of
roof.tng members;
Figure 5 shows a schematic side elevation of a roof formed with
the roofing members;
Figure 6 shows a schematic side elevation of a modified form of
the roof of Figure 5;
Figure 7 shows a schematic end view of a roof formed by the
roofing members; and
Figure 8 shows a schematic end view of a further form of roof
formed by the roofing members.
Referrlng to Figure 1, reference numeral 10 generally
indicates a roofing member which is of elongated construction and
which includes a plurality of spaced frame elements 12, only one of
which is seen in Figure 1. Conveniently, the frame elements 12 are
located at each end of the roofing member lQ and at spaced intervals
between the ends.
In the Figure 1 embodiment, the roofing member has a
triangular end profile and each of the aligned sides of the frame
elements 12 is covered by roofing sheets 14.1, 14.2 and 14.3 of IBR
sheeting. The roofing sheets 14.1, 14.2 and 14.3 are attached to
the frame elements in any suitable fashion~ eg with conventional
roof screws, and also are attached to each other along their
longitudinally extending overlapping edges.
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As sho~n in Figures 2 to 4, the roofing members can have
a variety of end profiles. Thus in Figure 2, the end profile of the
roofing member is triangular, in Figure 3 it is square, and in
Figure 4 it is trapezoid.
~ s shown in Figures 5 and 6, the roofing members 10 can be
located on columns 16 and may be laid at an angle to the horizontal
so that natural convection air currents occur through the enclosed
space defined by the roofing members. As shown in Figure 6, the ends
of the roofing members 10 can be closed off by louvres 20 so that
the rate at which convection air currents occur, can be adjustably
controlled.
As shown in Figure 7, the roofing membexs 10 can be laid
in abutting side-by-side parallel ra-tlationship. In order to permit
ingress of natural light, selected roofing members 10 can be raised
and translucent sheeting 22 can span the space between the raised
and lower rooing members.
~ n Figure 8, upright translucent sheets 22 support a cover
24 which, if necessary, may also be translucent.
The invention illustrated provides a relatively simple and
inexpensive method of forming a roof. By the use of simple frame
elements and roofing sheets, a roofing member is formed which can
resist flexural and shear stresses similar to the properties of a
beam, truss or girder. The roofing members can be used as primary,
secondary or tertiary roof structures. By reason of the air trapped
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or enclosed in the roofing members, natural ventilation and cooling
can occur or by closing off the ends of the roofing members or
restricting the inflow therethrough, heating can be achieved. The
applicant believes that long spans of up to 22,5 metres can be
provided with the roofing members thereby minimizing the number of
columns re~uired in large buildings.
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