Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to a method of fixing roof tiles
and/or to a roof tile.
Traditional slate tiles are attached to a building
member via two nails inserted in the top of a tile. The
lower edge of the tile is then attached to a lower tile via
a clip. Traditional slates provide inefficient coverage of
a roof as each slate overlaps about 50% of the previous
slate. Waterproofing relies merely on this large overlap.
-- Also fixing the tiles is complicated as nails and clips
o need to be selected in order to fix the tiles.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method of
fixing roof tiles and/or to provide a roof tile which will
obviate or minimise the foregoing disadvantages in a simple
yet effective manner or which will at least provide the
public with a useful choice.
Accordingly, in a first aspect, the invention consists
in a method of fixing tiles to provide a roofing structure,
comprising the steps of positioning one or more tiles so as
to overlap other adjacent tiles, and fixing at least some
of said tiles to one or more underlying building members by
fixing means engaged with fixing apertures, slots, or -~
knockouts in said tiles, each said tile having at least one ~ ;
said fixing means in common with an adjacent tile. ~-~
In a further aspect the invention consists in a roofing
2s tile having at least one fixing aperture, slot, or knockout
at or adjacent each of two edges thereof, said fixing
apertures, slots, or knockouts being so positioned that a
pair of said tiles may be overlapped and fixed to a
building member by engaging a fixing means with one of said
apertures, slots, or knockouts on one said tile and a
second of said apertures, slots, or knockouts on a second
said tile and anchoring said fixing means to a building
member.
To those skilled in the art to which the invention
relates, many changes in construction and widely differing
embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest
themselves without departing from the scope of the
invention as defined in the appended claims. The
disclosures and the descrip~ions herein are purely
illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense
15 limiting. ~:
One preferred form of the invention will now be
described with reference to the accompanying drawings, ~ ;
wherein
Figure 1 shows a plan view of a roof tile in accordance
with the invention and suitable for use in a method in
accordance with the invention; :~
Figures 2 and 3 show side views of roof tiles in
accordance with the invention showing fixing means and
alternative forms of means for compensating for overlap
angle of the tiles as herein described;
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Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a number of tiles
arranged in accordance with the invention; and
Figure 5 shows an exploded detail of tiles from Figure
4.
Referring now to the Figures, these show a tile
suitable for use in accordance with the invention, having
in general four edges being an upper or rear edge 1 side
edges 2 and 3 and a lower or front edge 4. The tile can be
produced in a range of materials, such as concrete,
lo terracotta and a variety of filled or unfilled polymers or
other suitable materials. It may be produced by a variety
of methods such as castingl pressing and moulding and may
be shaped by pressure, heat, vibration, or other physical
means and cured by a variety of chemical or physical means,
15 as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. ;
Fixing for the tiles is provided in a minimum of two
positions, at or adjacent to each of two edges respectively
of the tile such as rear edge 1 and side edge 2.
The fixing positions may comprise apertures, slots,
knockouts or the like suitable for engagement by tile
fixing means.
If a knockout rather than a full aperture is provided
the tile is thinned locally in the fixing area in such a ;;
way that the aperture can be readily produced by punching, ~:
drilling or other mechanical methods on site.
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The fixing position on side edge 2 is preferably
adjacent to the intersection of side edge 2 with front edge
4. The fixing positions suitably comprise fixing slots,
apertures or knockouts 5 and 6. One or more fixing
apertures 6 or knockouts are positioned on a side lug 7.
The rear fixing points 5 can be provided in multiple ~
positions so as to give adequate security to the tile ~-:
although it is envisaged that normally a total of three ~ :
fixing positions per tile would be utilised. With
reference to the embodiment shown in Figure 1, for example,
the two rear fixing points 5 together with one of the side
fixing points 6 may be utilised.
The fixing positions are so located on the tiles that ~:
when the tiles are positioned to form a roofing structure
lS in overlapping courses, at least one fixing position on a
first tile can be aligned with a fixing position on an :~
ad~acent tile so that the two tiles can be fixed by a ~:
common fixing means.
The fixing means 8 for the tiles can be provided in a
20 variety of ways by proprietary or special purpose fixings, .
or for example can comprise nails, screws, lugs, rivets,
fixing tabs as shown in Figure 3 or other suitable fixing
means 8, which can be engaged with the tiles and anchored
to a building member 9 such as a batten or continuous :
decking.
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In at least one form envisaged within the scope of the
invention, the fixing means can comprise upstanding lugs or
projections punched out from and integral with the batten
or other building member, which may for example comprise a
roll form metal batten. The tile or tiles is be positioned
so as to drive the batten lug through the tile at the ~-
fixing position and the top of the lug is then bent over to
secure the tile. ;
A further option is the use of a large headed nail or
the like, driven into the building member closely alongside
a tile at a fixing position. The head of the nail, -~
overlapping the edge of the tile, serves to secure that
tile.
Of course, in the presently preferred form illustrated,
the fixing means 8 can readily comprise nails driven
through the apertures or knock outs 5 and 6.
In at least the preferred form shown the tile will have
a side drainage channel 15 overlapped by a lip or overhang
16 on the neighbouring tile. Additional side drainage ;
channels 17 may be added to the first drainage channel 15
in order to carry away any water over-spill.
Adjacent the top or rear edge 1, water baffles 18 may
be incorporated to break the up-flow of wind-driven rain -
between tiles. In order to achieve a labyrinth effect, a
further baffle or baffles indicated by the dotted lines at
19 may be added to the underside of the tiles. The front
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edge 4 of the upper tile of an overlapped pair of tiles
will act as the first baffle in a labyrinth. The baffles
18 and 19 are preferably angled at their top faces to
provide water run off.
The underside of each tile is preferably strengthened
by one or more ribs shown in dotted outline at 20 which may ~ -
be relieved locally for example at 21 in Figure 2 to clear
the weather baffle on an overlapped tile, or alternatively
the baffles can be provided in sections so as to avoid the
lo rib or ribs on the underside of the upper overlapped tile.
Clearly the exact arrangement of water baffles may be
varied by one skilled in the art without departing from the
scope of the invention.
In order to assist location of the tile while being
fixed a rear rib shown in dotted outline at 22 of a local
or continuous nature can be provided. This can be used to
positively locate the tile on either battens or continuous
decking.
In order to further enhance the weather tightness of
the labyrinth, further projections such as lug extensions
23 can be added to the side edge of the front fixing lug 7
so as to provide a horizontal labyrinth path for water at
this point.
A further preferred feature is a raised area 24 around
the perimeter of the fixing apertures or knockouts so as to
provide further resistance against water penetration.
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In order to compensate for the difference in angle
~etween the fall of each tile relative to the horizontal,
when compared with that of the roof angle, due to the '
overlap of each tile from course to course, a series of ,~
fixing ramps 25 or alternatively localised pips or
projections 26 can be provided on the underside of the
tiles, so as to act as bearers on the bat~en or decking and
make up for the discrepancy in height between each tile '
under surface and the batten or deck adjacent to the fixing
lo points.
In use in the method according to the invention as
shown in particular in Figures 4 and 5, the courses of
tiles are positioned so that adjacent tiles are overlapped
~rom top to bottom and laterally and the tiles are fixed to
the building structure by way of fixing means 8 in a
minimum of two positions for each tile. As shown in Figure
5, fixing means 8 passes through a side aperture 6 of an
upper tile and then through a top edge aperture S of a tile
in a lower course. Each tile has at least one fixing means
8 in common with another tile in the stack~ The fixing
means are positioned through the apertures, slots,
knockouts or the like 5, 6 in the tiles, pairs of fixing
apertures, slots, knockouts or the,like 5 and 6 being
aligned in overlapping tiles. The fixing means are
anchored to building members 9 such as battens, decking or
the like. ,~
Thus it can be seen that at least in the preferred form
of the invention a roofing tile and/or a method of fixing
roofing tiles are provided, whereby the tiles are simple to
fix and are very secure when fixed. The fastening of more
than one tile together by common fixing means which have
been anchored to the underlying building members is simple
and economical and can provide substantially improved
weather security against wind, rain, snow and ice,
particularly when entering at angles to the horizontal -
lo ranging from about 20 to gO ie. vertical. The weather
security of the tiling system is additionally enhanced by
the provision of a baffle labyrinth, and the tiles can be
additionally strengthened by the provision of raised areas,
lugs, and ribs as hereinbefore described.
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