Roofing structure

A roofing structure including tiles preferably molded of a lightweight fire resistant cement product and having grooves at their underside adapted to receive upwardly projecting flanges of coacting elements attached to a roof support structure, to locate the tiles, and with those elements desirably being shaped to extend between two adjacent tiles at a location to intercept rain falling between the tiles and direct that rain downwardly toward lower ends of the tiles. The molded bodies of the tiles contain short tubes embedded in those bodies and defining passages within the tube through which nails can be driven to secure the tiles in place. The tubes are preferably located during production of the tiles by welding the tubes to reinforcing material contained within the tile bodies, with that reinforcing material desirably including a sheet of expanded metal mesh and two channel shaped elements of expanded metal secured to the main sheet of such material and extending about the previously mentioned locating grooves at the underside of the tiles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to improved roofing structures and methods. Various 
types of molded roofing tiles or shingles have been proposed in the past, 
formed of numerous different materials intended to attain improved 
structural characteristics in a roof. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 848,537 
issued Mar. 26, 1907 to C. C. Davis on "Reinforced Tile Or Slab" shows a 
roofing tile formed of concrete containing corrugated expanded metal mesh 
embedded within the concrete and reinforcing it. The tiles of this patent 
are secured in place by lugs projecting downwardly from the tiles and 
adapted to be secured by bolts to angle irons attached to the rocf support 
structure. U.S. Pat. No. 2,142,305 issued Jan. 3, 1939 to C. F. Davis on 
"Building Unit And Construction" shows a number of different types of 
building slabs or units molded of cementitious material and having metal 
edge members and/or internal reinforcing sheets. Others types of shingles 
or tiles are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 912,057, 2,644,410, 881,522, 
1,093,761, 4,262,466 and 1,150,425. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved molded roofing 
tile which can be formed of a relatively light material but is reinforced 
in a manner preventing breakage in use and assuring long life 
characteristics to a roof formed of such tiles. The tiles are desirably 
fire resistant and also resistant to deterioration by moisture, 
infestation, or other adverse conditions normally encountered by roofs 
continually exposed to the elements. 
Certain particular features of the invention relate to unique structural 
arrangements designed to facilitate positioning and attachment of a series 
of the tiles in a proper pattern on a roof support structure, in a manner 
reducing the amount of time required for roofing a building, and also 
preventing any possibility of leakage between adjacent tiles in the 
completed roof. 
Proper attachment of the tiles to a roof in leak preventing relation is 
attained by providing in conjunction with the tiles a number of mounting 
and protective elements which are adapted to extend between adjacent side 
edges of two adjacent tiles at a location to catch or intercept rain water 
which may fall between those edges, and direct that water downwardly at an 
inclination to lower ends of the tiles in a manner preventing leakage of 
any of that water through these protective elements and to the underlying 
rafters and other roof support structure. Each of these elements may take 
the form of a channel shaped part formed of sheet metal or the like and 
having a bottom wall extending between adjacent edges of two of the tiles 
and projecting beneath at least one of the tiles and carrying a flange 
projecting upwardly into a groove formed in the underside of that tile in 
a relation forming a guide trough within which moisture is trapped and by 
which it is directed downwardly to the appropriate discharge location at 
lower ends of the tiles. In one form of the invention, each of these 
protective elements has two flanges extending along opposite edges thereof 
and projecting upwardly into grooves formed in two adjacent tiles in water 
confining relation. In another form of the invention, each protective 
element is permanently attached to and has portions embedded within one of 
the adjacent tiles, and then projects from that tile beneath a next 
successive tile to carry a flange projecting upwardly into a groove 
therein. 
In order to enable a tile embodying the invention to be secured to a roof 
support structure by a simple nailing operation without danger of 
splitting the tile or damaging a protective glaze or other coating applied 
to its upper surface, a feature of the invention relates to the provision 
of short nail receiving tubes embedded within the molded material of the 
tile body and extending downwardly therein, to provide a preformed passage 
within each of these tubes through which a nail can be driven downwardly 
into a rafter or other support structure without damage to the material of 
the molded body. These tubes are preferably held in place during molding 
and curing of the concrete or other material of which the tile body is 
formed, and during use of the tile, by preattaching the tubes to 
reinforcing material which is also to be contained within the molded 
substance. Desirably the reinforcing material takes the form of a sheet of 
expanded metal to which the tubes may be welded. In addition to the 
principal sheet of reinforcing material, there may also be provided two 
channels of such reinforcing material welded or otherwise secured to the 
underside of the sheet and having flanges extending downwardly, preferably 
at opposite sides of the previously mentioned grooves, to effectively 
strenghten the tile body at the critical groove locations.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The building roof structure 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5 includes a 
number of identical roofing tiles 11 assembled in a series of overlapping 
rows R1, R2, R3, etc. and interfitting with and located by a number of 
water directing protective channels 12. The tiles and channels are 
illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 as attached to a conventional roof support 
structure 13, including the usual parallel inclined rafters 14 and a 
series of spaced parallel furring boards 15 nailed to the upper inclined 
surfaces 16 of the rafters. The inclination of rafter surfaces 16 and the 
parallel upper surfaces 17 of boards 15 with respect to a horizontal line 
represented at 18 in FIG. 2 is such as to give the overall roof structure 
a desired pitch angle a. 
Each of the tiles 11 is desirably of rectangular configuration as viewed in 
FIG. 1. With reference to the central one of the tiles illustrated in that 
figure, each tile has parallel top and bottom end edge surfaces 19 and 20, 
and has two opposite side edge surfaces 21 and 22 which are parallel to 
one another and perpendicular to surfaces 19 and 20. Each of these edge 
surfaces 19, 20, 21 and 22 is desirably perpendicular to an essentially 
planar upper surface 23 of the tile and an essentially planar undersurface 
24 of the tile parallel to surface 23. The thickness dimension t of the 
tile is of course relatively small as compared with the width w and length 
l as seen in FIG. 1. 
The main body 25 of each tile is desirably molded to the discussed 
rectangular shape from a light weight, fire resistant, structurally very 
strong concrete composition. Preferably, this concrete is of essentially 
the composition disclosed and claimed in my copending U.S. patent 
application Ser. No. 6/727,794 filed Apr. 26, 1985 on "Building Material 
And Manufacture Thereof". To the ingredients specified in that prior 
application, I preferably add a quantity of small wood particles 
impregnated with a substance selected from the group consisting of sodium 
pentachlorophenol and carbon tetrachloride, to improve the heat and sound 
insulative characteristics of the ultimate tiles while assuring against 
inflammability. The details of the process disclosed in my prior 
application are incorporated herein by reference. With the addition of the 
impregnated wood particles, the preferred composition for forming the 
concrete tiles includes the following ingredients in about the proportions 
set forth below, by weight, intermixed with water in an amount rendering 
the composition moldable: 
______________________________________ 
Portland Cement 70 to 94 parts 
Gypsum 10 to 30 parts 
Sodium Hydroxide 1 to 3 parts 
Sodium Silicate 150 to 275 parts 
Solution (saturated) 
Particles of a metal or 
1/4 to 11/2 parts 
metals selected from the 
group consisting of 
aluminum and zinc 
An Acidic Ingredient 
2 to 5 parts 
(preferably Sodium 
Thiosulfate) 
Wood particles impreg- 
up to about 50% of the 
nated with a substance 
total composition by weight 
selected from the group 
(preferably between about 
consisting of sodium 
25% and 50%) 
pentachlorophenol and 
carbon tetrachloride 
______________________________________ 
These ingredients are all intermixed intimately together to form the 
moldable composition, and are then placed in an appropriate mold of the 
proper rectangular configuration (with reinforcing elements and other 
parts to be discussed later), and allowed to dry, preferably for a period 
of several days (say four days) to a hardened porous condition. The wood 
particles are preferably not over about 1/4 of an inch in maximum 
dimension, for best results between about 1/16 and 1/8 of an inch, and may 
be formed of virtually any available hard or soft wood, desirably the 
latter, such as Pines, Spruce, Hemlock, Cedar or Fir. These particles 
should be impregnated under a pressure sufficient to substantially fill 
their pores with the impregnating substance. As an example the particles 
may be immersed in pentachlorophenol or carbon tetrachloride at a 
temperature of about 70.degree. F. and pressure of about 15 p.s.i. for a 
period of 1 hour. 
The concrete material of the body of each tile is strenghtened by a sheet 
26 of reinforcing material, which may be midway between and essentially 
parallel to the upper and lower surfaces 23 and 24 of the tile body 25. 
This reinforcing sheet 26 may have the same rectangular outline 
configuration as body 25, to extend continuously between opposite side 
edges 21 and 22 and between top and bottom edges 19 and 20. Sheet 26 
desirably contains a large number of apertures distributed across the 
entire area of the sheet, to allow the cement composition of body 25 to 
enter these apertures and form an effective mechanical bond with the 
reinforcing sheet. In the preferred arrangement, sheet 26 is formed of 
expanded metal, desirably expanded steel. In addition to the sheet 26, the 
body 25 of each tile is also strenghtened and reinforced by two identical 
inverted channel elements 27 and 28 extending within the tile body near 
and essentially parallel to its opposite side edges 21 and 22. These 
channel elements, like sheet 26, preferably contain a large number of 
apertures distributed over their entire area, and optimally are formed of 
the same type of expanded sheet steel utilized in forming sheet 26. As 
seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, each of the channel elements 27 and 28 has a top 
wall 28' which is parallel to and is rigidly secured to the underside of 
reinforcing sheet 26, desirably by tack welding the parts together as 
represented at 29. Projecting downwardly from opposite side edges of the 
top wall 28' of each channel element, that element includes two flanges 30 
and 31 which are parallel to one another and parallel to the planes of 
opposite side edge surfaces 21 and 22 of the tile body. Top wall 28' of 
each channel element and its flanges 30 and 31 extend continuously along 
the entire length of the tile from its upper edge surface 19 to its lower 
edge surface 20, with the element 27 having the cross-section illustrated 
in FIG. 3 along that entire length between surfaces 19 and 20. 
Near the two opposite side edges 21 and 22 of each tile 11, the otherwise 
essentially planar undersurface 24 of that tile contains two similar 
grooves 32 and 33. These grooves are of uniform cross-section along the 
entire length of the tile body between end surfaces 19 and 20, with that 
cross-section being as illustrated in FIG. 3. With reference to that 
figure, groove 32 has a top wall 34 extending parallel to top and bottom 
surfaces 23 and 24 of the tile body, and has two side walls 35 and 36 
extending parallel to one another and parallel to side edge surfaces 21 
and 22 and perpendicular to top wall 34 of the groove. Similarly, groove 
33 of each tile has a top wall 34' and opposite side walls 35' and 36' 
corresponding to walls 34, 35 and 36 of groove 32. Each of these grooves 
is preferably located within and extends longitudinally of one of the 
channel shaped reinforcing elements 27 or 28, with the flanges 31 of that 
channel being received at opposite sides of the corresponding groove. 
Each of the channel elements 12 is received beneath side edge portions of 
two adjacent tiles, at their meeting or proximate parallel side edges 21 
and 22, to assist in locating the tiles during assembly of the roof, and 
to subsequently function for directing moisture downwardly from the top 
ends 19 of two of the tiles to their lower ends 20. Elements 12 may be 
stamped of imperforate sheet metal, preferably galvanized sheet steel of 
an appropriate gauge, say 26 gauge. As viewed in FIG. 1, each channel 12 
is of an elongated rectangular outline shape, having a rectangular bottom 
wall 37 which is planar for engaging the planar undersurfaces 24 of the 
tiles. Extending along opposite edges of this bottom wall, each element 12 
has two flanges 38 projecting upwardly perpendicular to bottom wall 37 and 
extending parallel to one another and parallel to edge surfaces 21 and 22 
of the tiles in the assembled condition of the parts. Element 12 has a 
length corresponding to the length dimension l of each of the tiles, to 
present a first end edge 39 lying in the plane of the upper end edges 19 
of the corresponding tiles, and a second edge 40 of element 12 lying in 
the same plane as the bottom end edges 20 of the corresponding tiles. The 
channel shaped cross-section of element 12 is uniform and as illustrated 
in FIG. 3 through the entire length of element 12 between its end edges 39 
and 40. Flanges 38 are located for reception within grooves 32 and 33 of 
two adjacent tiles in the FIG. 3 assembled condition of the parts, and 
have a vertical dimension b which is slightly less than the vertical 
dimension of the grooves to allow the undersurfaces of the tiles to engage 
the bottom walls 37 of elements 12 at 41. Bottom walls 37 are thin enough 
to allow nails to be easily driven downwardly through those bottom walls 
near top edges 39 and into boards 15 as represented at 42 in FIG. 4, to 
thus attach each of the channels 12 to the roof support structure 14-15 
prior to placement of the corresponding tiles on the channel. 
The tiles are secured in place on the supporting structure and channels 12 
by nails 43 (FIG. 3) driven downwardly through the tile bodies and into 
boards 15 of the roof support structure. In order to prevent splitting of 
the tiles by these nails, and to prevent damage to a paint or baked glaze 
surface coating 44 which is desirably applied to the upper surface 23 of 
each tile, there are pre-embedded within the body of each tile a number of 
short desirably metal tubes 45 and 46 which extend dowardly from the upper 
surface 23 of the tile and have their axes perpendicular to that surface 
and to undersurface 24, and each of which is dimensioned to receive one of 
the nails 43 driven through the tube and tile perpendicular to surfaces 23 
and 24. These tubes preferably have an internal diameter between about 1/8 
and 3/16 of an inch. In the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 1, each of the 
tiles has two of the tubes 45, with these tubes being located directly 
above the two grooves 32 or 33 respectively near the top and edge 19 of 
the tile. Tubes 45 are preferably tack welded at 47 to reinforcing sheet 
26, and desirably terminate downwardly at that sheet to leave a thin wall 
48 of the concrete material beneath sheet 26 through which a nail must be 
driven in order to extend downwardly from tube 45 into and through the 
corresponding groove 32 or 33. In addition to the two short tubes 45, each 
of the tiles is illustrated as having two longer tubes 46, which are also 
tack welded to sheet 26 at 49, and which extend through openings in that 
sheet and through the entire vertical thickness of the tile between its 
upper and lower surfaces 23 and 24. These tubes 46 may be of the same 
diameter as tubes 45, and are located laterally inwardly of the expanded 
metal reinforcing channel 47. 
In manufacturing each of the tiles 11, the expanded metal reinforcing sheet 
26, expanded metal channel elements 27 and 28, and tubes 45 and 46 are 
first welded together as a preassembly as illustrated in FIG. 5, to hold 
these parts in their deisred relative orientation, and to hold the tubes 
45 and 46 in a proper vertically extending position as illustrated. This 
welded sub-assembly is then positioned within a mold, and the concrete 
composition is poured into the mold about the various metal elements as 
illustrated by the broken lines 50 of FIG. 5. The composition is allowed 
to dry and cured to a hardened condition about the metal elements to thus 
complete the tiles. The grooves 32 and 33 may be either molded into the 
underside of the tile, or cut into that undersurface by a routing 
procedure after the tile has been completed. 
In assembling the tiles and protective channels 12 on a roof, these parts 
are of course applied in successive rows as in conventional roofing 
procedures, with the row R1 of FIG. 1 being applied first, then the row 
R2, then the row R3, etc. In attaching the initial row R1, a workman first 
attaches a series of the channel elements 12 to the roof support structure 
in properly spaced relation, by driving nails downwardly through the upper 
end portions of those elements 12 as illustrated in FIG. 4. The tiles 11 
are then placed on these channels 12, with the opposite side edge portions 
of each of the tiles being supported on two of the channels 12 as 
illustrated, and with the flanges 38 of the channel elements projecting 
upwardly into grooves 32 and 33 of the tiles. The interfitting 
relationship of the flanges and grooves acts to locate the tiles generally 
in proper positions with respect to channel elements 12, while at the same 
time allowing substantial lateral adjustment of the tiles relative to the 
flanges to permit the side edges 21 and 22 of two adjacent tiles to be 
brought into close proximity and preferably continuous engagement with one 
another. To permit this lateral shifting movement of the tiles, the 
horizontal width of each of the grooves is substantially greater than the 
thickness of the corresponding flange, preferably several times the 
thickness of that flange. After a particular tile has been properly 
positioned with respect to the supporting channel elements 12 and the 
engaging adjacent prepositioned tile, nails are driven downwardly through 
tubes 45 and 46 and into boards 15 and/or rafters 14 to positively secure 
the tiles in place. The nails driven through tubes 45 above grooves 32 and 
33 are forced through the short wall 48 of concrete and then downwardly 
through the corresponding grooves and through bottom wall 37 of each of 
the channel elements. The tile and channels are preferably so located 
relative to one another as to assure such extension of the nails 43 
downwardly into bottom walls 37 of the channel elements and at the inner 
sides of flanges 38, as illustrated in FIG. 3. The nails which are driven 
downwardly through the longer tubes 46 do not pass through channel 
elements 12. It is also noted that after one of the nails has been driven 
into one of the tubes, the tile is then free to pivot slightly about that 
nail to any desired position in adjusting the tile to a proper 
orientation. 
After the first row R1 of tiles and channel elements 12 has been attached 
to the roof support structure, the second row R2 can be applied in a 
similar manner. As seen in FIG. 1, this second row should be so positioned 
that the lower end portions of the tiles of row R2 and the lower end 
portions of the channel elements 12 of row R2 overlap or overlie the upper 
end portions of the tiles and channels of row R1, and in particular 
overlie the nails 42 and 43 which secure the tiles and channels of row R1 
in place. The next successive row R3 is similarly attached to the roof 
support structure in overlapping relationship with respect to row R2, and 
subsequent rows are in similarly overlapping relation until the entire 
roof has been completed. Ridge and valley tiles similar to those 
illustrated but specially shaped can be provided at the ridges and valleys 
of the roof. 
After the roof has been completed, the channels 12 positively prevent any 
leakage through the roof at the locations between successive tiles. Any 
rain water which falls donwardly between the engaging edges 21 and 22 of 
two adjacent tiles will strike the bottom wall 37 of the underlying 
channel element 12, and will flow downwardly along that bottom wall for 
discharge onto the upper surface of a tile of the next lower row. During 
its travel downwardly along the inclined bottom wall 37 of the channel 
element, the water is confined effectively between the two side flanges 38 
of that element 12, to prevent any lateral escape of the water. In this 
way, all water is directed downwardly from the topmost portion of the roof 
to its bottom edge without danger of leakage through the roof. 
FIG. 6 illustrates a variational arrangement in which each of the tiles 11a 
may be identical with the tiles 11 of FIGS. 1 through 5 except for the 
manner in which a channel element 12a serving the function of the channel 
12 of the first form of the invention is formed and mounted. Channel 12a 
of FIG. 6 has a planar bottom wall 37a corresponding to bottom wall 37 of 
the first form of the invention, and has two upwardly projecting flanges 
38a and 38aa for engaging two successive tiles. In FIG. 6, element 12a is 
not handled separately from the two tiles, but rather is permanently 
attached to one of the tiles, specifically the righthand tile as seen in 
FIG. 6. Bottom wall 12a of the channel may be prewelded at 51 to nail 
receiving tubes 45a and 46a corresponding to tubes 45 and 46 of the first 
form of the invention, and flange 38aa may project upwardly into the 
molded cement body 25a of the attached tile. Bottom wall 37a extends along 
the undersurface of that molded body of the tile by which it is carried, 
and projects laterally beyond side edge surface 21a to locate the second 
flange 38a for reception within groove 33a of the next successive tile. 
The expanded metal reinforcing sheet 26a and expanded metal reinforcing 
channels 27a may be identical in FIG. 6 with the corresponding elements of 
the first form of the invention. In forming the tile of FIG. 6, all of the 
metal parts are prewelded together in a manner similar to that illustrated 
in FIG. 5, and with the addition of the preassembled metal channel 12a, 
after which the cement material is molded in place about the metal parts 
and to the desired configuration. 
The tiles of FIG. 6 are attached to the supporting boards 15 by driving 
nails downwardly through tubes 45a and 46a as in the first form of the 
invention. Also, the tiles of each row are positioned to overlap the upper 
edge portions and attaching nails of the preceding row, as in FIG. 1. The 
channels 12a of the second form of the invention function to catch any 
water which flows downwardly between the adjacent edges 21a and 22a of 
successive tiles, with that water being confined between the flanges 38a 
and 38aa at the sides of element 12a, to thus be directed downwardly at an 
inclination within the channel element and to its lower end as in FIGS. 1 
to 5 to prevent leakage of water through the roof assembly. 
While certain specific embodiments of the present invention have been 
disclosed as typical, the invention is of course not limited to these 
particular forms, but rather is applicable broadly to all such variations 
as fall within the scope of the appended claims.