ROOF SEAMER

Abstract: A roof seamer having a plurality of longitudinally aligned pairs (18...) of rotatable seaming rolls (18A..., 19A...) straddingly engageable with abutting upstanding flanges on contiguous sheet metal roof panels and operative to form the flanges into a double-fold standing seam. At least some of the seaming rolls have circumferential flange engaging rims made of a resilient material, such as urethane rubber. The seaming rolls (18A...) to one side are jointly movable towards and away from the seaming rolls (18B...) to the other side by means of a lever (34) which is movable in a longitudinal plane. During the seaming operation the body (11, 24-27) of the seamer provides a rigid lateral support for the seaming rolls.

Description: ROOF SEAMER This invention relates to a roof seamer and, more particularly, to a mobile machine for forming abutting upstanding flanges of contiguous roof panels into standing seams. Roof seamers are used to join contiguous sheet metal roof panels on a supporting structure by bending abutting upstanding flanges of the panels to form a so-called standing seam. After the flanged panels have been posi- tioned side by side on the supporting structure with adjacent flanges abutting, the seamer is placed over the flanges with seam-forming rolls engaging opposite sides of the abutting flanges. The seam-forming rolls are the " rotated by a motor to cause the seamer to travel along the flanges and progressively bend them to form the seam. An object of the present invention is to provide a roof seamer which is simple in construction and use and low in cost and which is capable of forming the .seam without subjecting the sheet metal to undue stress, thereby damaging the protective metallic coating normally provided on sheet metal used as roofing material. Briefly, the invention contemplates a roof seamer comprising a plurality of aligned pairs of seaming rolls at least some of which have a circumferential flange engaging rim of resilient material, such as urethane rubber. The group of seaming rolls engaging one side of the abutting flanges are mounted on a common support and jointly movable toward and away from the other group of seaming rolls by means of an actuating mechanism. Pre- ferably, the actuating mechanism includes an operating lever which is movable in the direction of movement of the seamer. Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompany¬ ing drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevational view of a roof seamer embodying the invention; FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the roof seamer^ as viewed from the right in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line III-III of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line IV-IV of FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a plan view, partly in horizontal section, taken on line V-V in FIG. 3; FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view in cross-section showing the abutting upstanding flanges of contiguous sheet metal roof panels prior to the forming of the flanges into a double-fold standing seam; FIG. 7 comprises three subfigures designated I, II and III and being side elevational views of three pairs of seaming rolls, successive steps of the forming of the roof panel flanges into the double-fold standing seam being shown in phantom lines; FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the completed double-fold standing seam. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the illustrated roof seamer comprises an elongated body 11 formed of an inverted channel member. Idling supporting wheels 12 and 13 are mounted on respectively the front end and the rear end of the channel member 11. From FIG. 1 it is seen that with the supporting wheels 12, 13 resting on a horizontal surface the flat web 11A of the channel member 11 is slightly inclined forwardly and downwardly. Mounted on the channel member 11 are an electric motor 14 and an associated reduction gear 15 having an output shaft 15A which is perpendicular to the web 11A. Moreover, the body 11 is provided with a rear handle 16, and a front handle 17 is mounted on the reduction gear 15. Below the channel member 11 three longitudinally aligned pairs 18, 19, 20 of rotatable seaming rolls are provided, the axes of rotation of the seaming rolls being perpendicular to the channel member web 11A. The seaming roll 18A of the front pair 18 is connected directly to the output shaft 15A and drives the other seaming rolls through six spur gears 21, only two of which are shown in the drawings (FIG. 2 . The seaming rolls 18A, 19A, 20A, to one side and the seaming rolls 18B, 19B and 20B to the other side jointly define a row of nips 22 receiving the roof panel flanges to be seamed. The nip shape changes from one seaming roll pair to the next. 5 The seaming rolls 18A, 19A and 20A are rotatably journalled in a common support bar 23 of rectangular cross-section which is carried on three horizontal parallel rods 24, 25 and 26 of circular cross-section extending through the support bar 23. Angle bars 27 and 28 serve to 10 releasably connecting the rods 24, 25, 26 with the channel member 11. The support bar 23 is displaceable on the rods 24, 25, 26 but normally is rigidly backed by the angle bar 27. A longitudinally extending vertical plane 29 contains the axes of rotation of the seaming rolls 18A, 19A, 20A. 15 The seaming rolls 18B, 19B and 20B are similarly journalled in a rectangular support bar 30 which is parallel to the support bar 23 and slidably carried on the rods 24, 25, 26 so that it can be displaced transversely of itself. A vertical plane 31 parallel to the plane 29 20 contains the axes of rotation of the rolls 18B, 19B, 20B. § Compression springs 32 on the rods 24, 25, 26 urge the support bar 30 away from the support bar 23. By means of an actuating mechanism 33 the support bar 30 can be positively displaced on the rods 24, 25, 26 towards the 25 support bar 23 to a position in which the planes 29 and 31 are separated by a predetermined distance and in which the nips 22 are very narrow or closed. An operating lever 34 of the actuating mechanism 33 is pivotally movable about the intermediate rod 25 between a forward position (shown 30 in full lines in FIG. 1) in which the support bar 30 with the seaming rolls journalled therein is displaced to the just-mentioned "closed" position, and a rear position (shown in dashed lines in FIG. 1) in which the support bar 30 is displaced by the springs 32 to an "open" position 35 with the nips 22 wide open. FIGS. 3 to 5 show the actuating mechanism in greater detail. It comprises a pair of wedges 35 secured to the outer side of the support bar 30, and a slide 36 positioned between the longitudinal vertical flange 28A of the angle bar 28 and the adjacent side of the wedges 35. The slide 36 is positively displaceable in the longitudinal direction, i.e. along a line parallel to the planes 29, 31 and the row of nips 22, by means of the lever 34 which is connected to the slide 36 through a link 37. Antifriction bearing rolls 38 on the slide 36 support the slide on the flange 28A and the adjacent side of the wedges 36. The lever 34 is held in the position corresponding to closed nips 22, i.e. the full line position shown in FIG. 1, under the influence of the springs 32, because in this position the toggle linkage formed by the lever 34 and the link 37 has passed beyond the straightened or aligned position and the intermediate portion of the linkage is rigidly supported on the slide 36, see FIG. 4. The lever position corresponding to open nips 22 is defined by an abutment (not shown) formed, for example, by the rear end wall of the longitudinal slot of the channel member web 11 through which the lever extends. As is apparent from the foregoing description, the seaming rolls are rigidly or non-yieldingly backed by the body of the seamer, namely, the angle bars 27, 28 and the tie rods formed by the rods 24, 25, 26, when the nips 22 are closed. The construction of the seaming rolls of the three seaming roll pairs 18, 19, 20 is best shown in FIG. 7. Each roll comprises a pair of steel face plates 40, 41 and a rim or roll body 42 of a resilient material (represented by dotting) , such as urethane rubber (Adiprene, regd. trade mark) having a hardness of at least 80 International Rubber Hardness Degrees, IRHD, preferably in the range of 90 to 95 IRHD. The hardness may be varied with the gage and material of the roof panels to be seamed. Urethane rubber having a hardness approaching 95 IRHD have yielded excellent results when seaming roof panels of 0.6-0.7 mm zink coated sheet steel. The lower face plate 41' of the roll 18B is thicker than the lower face plates of the other rolls, and the top surface of this face plate also provides the lower wall of a circumferential groove of the roll 18B. Moreover, the lower face plate 41' of the roll 18B is slightly larger in diameter than the other face plates 41 • • and 41 111 , and its circumference is provided with a knurling (represented by cross-hatching) and adapted to engage the adjacent roof panel flange to ensure a non-slip driving engagement even if the roof panel flanges are wet or dirty. In an alternative embodiment which is not shown, the upper surface of the lower face plate 41' of the roll 18B is provided with a recess receiving a complementary portion of the roll body 42* which is shaped so that it alone effects the first step of the seaming process, i.e., so that only the circumferential surface of the face plate engages the roof panel flange. As a further possible alternative, which is also not shown, the portions of the seaming rolls corresponding to the roll bodies 42 of FIG. 7 may comprise a metal core provided with a circumferential coating or tyre of urethane rubber or other material of suitable hardness. Even though it is within the scope of the invention to make certain of the seaming roll portions engaging the roof panel flanges of metal as shown in FIG. 7.1 in respect of the roll 18B, it is essential to provide resilient material on all roll portions engaging surfaces on the roof panel flanges which are exposed on the finished seam. FIG. 6 shows the shape of the abutting upstanding flanges 43, 44 of the contiguous roof panels prior to joining the panels by seaming the flanges. The panel flange 43 comprises a vertical inner portion 43A perpen- dicular to the body of the panel, a horizontal intermediate portion 43B, and a downwardly directed terminal portion 43C including an angle of about 60 with the intermediate portion. The other panel flange 44 comprises a vertical inner portion 44A and a horizontal terminal portion 44B. Prior to interengaging the panel flanges 43, 44, a semi- solid sealant 45 is applied to the inner side of the panel flange 43 at the juncture of the inner and intermediate flange portions. A first seaming step comprises folding up the terminal portion 43C of the panel flange 43 toward the bottom side of the terminal portion 44B of the panel flange 44. This is effected by the first pair of seaming rolls 18A, 18B, see FIG. 7.1. As a second step, illustrated in FIG. 7.II, 5 the flange portions 43B, 44B and 43C folded together in the first step are jointly folded downwards. In a third, final step shown in FIG. 7.Ill the flange portions 43A, 44A, 43C, 44B, 43B are pressed together. It should be noted that the final pressing step does 10 not result in a shape of the seam that is exactly as shown for reasons of simplicity in FIG. 7.Ill, even though the' roll bodies 42 , , r of the final seaming roll pair 20 are cylindrical. Instead, because of the resiliency of the roll bodies, the more favorable shape shown in FIG. 8 is 15 obtained. This shape is characterized by a relatively . large radius of curvature of the reverse bent portions and a firm engagement of the flange portions between such reverse bent portions, so that the seam is watertight. The large radius of curvature means reduced stresses in the 20 sheet metal. In addition to a convenient and rapid manual simulta¬ neous opening and closing of all nips 22, the actuating mechanism renders a simple semiautomatic remote control of the seamer possible. Thus, if a large area is to be 25 provided with a roofing having- a large number of seams of approximately the same length, such control can be accomp¬ lished by means of a rope of suitable length attached at one end to the upper end of the control lever 34 at the other end to a suitable anchorage on the roof. After the o 30 roofer has applied the seamer over the abutting flanges at one end of the panels and manually moved the lever 34 forwardly to close the nips 22, the seamer is allowed to move unattended along the flanges until it reaches the other end of the panel when the rope is tightened so that 35 the lever is pulled rearwardly to open the nips. Using the control rope the roofer can then pull the seamer back to the first end and apply it to the next pair of abutting flanges.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Roof seamer for seaming abutting upstanding flanges of contiguous sheet metal roof panels, comprising: an elongated body (11) , 5 means (12,13) for supporting the body for longitudinal movement on the contiguous panels along the abutting panel flanges, first and second roll supports (23,20) on the body, first and second groups (18A,19A,20A; 18B,19B,20B) of 10 longitudinally aligned seaming rolls mounted for rotation about parallel axes on respectively the first roll support (23) and the second roll support (30) , the first group of seaming rolls being operatively associated with the second group of seaming rolls to form a plurality of longitudi- 15 nally aligned pairs (18,19,20) of seaming rolls, and power drive means on the body (11) for causing rotation of the seaming rolls with the seaming rolls of each pair(18,i9,20) rotating in opposite directions in engage¬ ment with opposite sides of the abutting panel flanges, 20 characterised in that at least some of the seaming rolls (18A,19A,20A, 18B,19B,20B) have a circumferential flange engaging rim (42* ,42",42' ' • ) of resilient material and, the first roll support (30) is mounted for transverse 25 movement so that the first group (18A,19A,20A) can be displaced in unison transversely of the second group (18B,19B,20B) . 2. Roof seamer according to claim 1, characterised in that the resilient material has a hardness of at least 80 •30 International Rubber Hardness Degrees. 3. Roof seamer according to claim 2, characterised in that the resilient material is urethane rubber having a hardness in the range of 90 to 95 International Rubber Hardness Degrees. 35 4. Roof seamer according to claim 1, characterised by means (24,25,26,27) on the body (11) rigidly backing the second roll support (23) against movement away from the first roll support (30) , spring means (32) urging the first roll support (30) away from the second support. (23) , and a positively acting actuating mechanism (33) for displacing the first roll support (30) toward the second roll support (23) against the action of the spring means (22). 5. Roof seamer according to claim 4, characterised in that the actuating mechanism (33) includes an actuating arm (34) which is pivotally movable in a longitudinal plane.

Inventors: PETTERSSON PER OVE, PETTERSSON, PER, OVE
Applicants: MASKINGRUPPEN 82 AB
Application year: 1983
Main classification: E04D15
IPC codes: E04D15