MODULAR ROOFING PANEL

Abstract: The roofing panel comprises a substantially flat or corrugated or fretted body (1) and two opposite longitudinal profiled edges (5, 6). One of the edges has a continuous leg (5) inclined with respect to the body (1) so as to rise above the top of the corrugations or frets (2), and defines , at its own base, a drain channel (7). The other edge (6) extends in an overlapping fashion so as to cover, in use, the leg (5) and the respective drain channel (7) of an adjacent modular roofing panel to delimit therewith a drain duct (16).

Description: The present invention relates to a modular roofing panel. In the art it is known how to effect splicing of roofing panels or other modular roofing elements for covering flat or fret-shaped roofs by a notch and overlap method to continuity of the roof covering between one roofing panel and the other, thereby preventing infinltration of rainwater at least in the roof's standard operating conditions. US-1.822.134, for example, discloses a lap joint for roofing panels, or sheets, having an arch-like rib, on the edge of one sheet, and a bent flange on the edge of the other sheet. However, with the conventional flat or fret-shaped elements, when the water level in the collecting and dischathe channels delimited between adjacent roofing elements exceeds the top level of a vertical leg in the locks, the roof leaks. This can occur in a number of occasions, e.g. owing to heavy rainfall which obstructs the channels, to rain combined with wind in which case water is driven above the level of the vertical rib in the locks, to a high ratio between the length (L in meters) and the inclication (I in percentage) of the pitches of a roof, e.g. L/I > 2, to abundant hail which fills the channels between the roofing elements followed by rain, so that all the water cannot be drained away, and thus its level rises, and to melting snow, which may restrict or prevent water draining, especially at the front end of the roof pitches, where thaw is delayed. It has already been suggested to provide various types of sealing along the roofing element overlaps, but the problem of water infiltration has not been satisfactorily solved since thermal expansion and contraction movements and unavoidable aging of the sealants, at least in the long run, inevitably cause leakages. French patent No. 1.321.562 discloses a method for assembling roofing panels wherein a hook member engages the overlapping edges of two adjacent panels without any holes on the edges. An object of the present invention is to provide a modular roofing panel suitable for sealantless splicing between one panel and the other thereby obtaining panel roofs highly reliable against water infiltrations. An object of the present invention is to allow the said roofing panel to be manufactured according to various corrugated or fretted or flat configurations. Another object of the present invention is to provide a roofing panel suitable for obtaining roofs with a very high L/I ratio, i.e. also for flat or almost flat roofs. Another object of the present invention is to provide hold down means for secuting roofing panels to a supporting structure without requiring the perforation or nailing of the roofing panels. Another object of the present invention is to provide a roofing panel which can be manufactured at competitive costs compared with conventional corrugated or fretted roofing panels. These and other objects which will be better appair hereinafter are achieved by a roofing panel as claimed in claim 1. Such a configuration allows a much higher rate of flow for the longitudinal lock than that at the joint between the longitudinal edges or lips of two conventional adjacent roofing panels arranged side by side. The water within the lock is not disturbed by the wind and is better protected against inclemency of the weather, e.g. hail, snow and against freezing and, above all, a substantially watertight seal in a transverse direction is obtained. Any water which may infiltrate in the drain duct or lock through the edges or lips of two roofing panels, e.g. owing to the action of the wind is discharged into the gutter within wide margins of safety without leakages to the underlying structure. Further features and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of some preferred embodiments, given by way of non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a front view of a roofing panel according to the invention; Figure 2 is an axonometric sectional view of a portion of roof covered with roofing panels according to Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional view of a portion of a roof at a drain duct joint between two roofing panels according to the invention; Figures 4 and 5 are views, similar to Figure 3, illustrating further embodiments of roofing panels; Figure 6 is a front view of a portion of a roof covered with roofing panels according to another embodiment of the invention; and Figure 7 is a cross-section view of a seal gasket. With reference to the above described figures of the drawings, where identical or similar parts or components have been indicated by the same reference numerals, it will be seen that a roofing panel comprises an intermediate body 1 which is planar or formed with stiffening ribs 2, as shown in Figure 1, 2 and 6, or a fretted or corrugated intermediate body, and two opposite lateral edges 5 and 6. Edge 5 is shaped as a leg which rises inclined with respect to the lying of intermediate body, so as to form a high water head having a height considerably greater than the level of intermediate body 1. At its base, each leg 5 defines a longitudinal drain channel 7, which in the embodiments of Figure 1 and 5 to 7 has its bottom at a higher level than the level of the intermediate body 1 owing to the provision of two adjacent ribs 8 and 9. The edge 6 opposite to the edge 5 is cap-shaped so as to overlap the leg 5 and its respective drain channel 7 of a roofing panel arranged side by side and to delimit therewith a drain duct or lock 16. More particularly in Figure 1 the edge 6 is shaped in such a way as to have a base rib 60 which is followed, in sequence, by a fold with a short overhanging portion 64, a wall 65 which extends from the portion 64 at an angle with respect thereto and is substantially parallel to the leg 5, a top portion or bridge 66 which extends substantially parallel to the body 1 (Figures 1 and 2 and 3 to 5), and a counter-rib 67 terminating with an edge formed with a rib 68 which is disposed at a short distance from or above the portion 64 (in the examples of Figures 1 and 2 and 3 to 6). The leg 5 of each roofing panel (see Figures 2 and 3 to 6), is designed to be surmounted, in use, by an overlapping edge 6 of an adjacent roofing panel, so that the leg 5 leans against or is close to its wall 65 and delimits an inner tubular duct or lock 16 and, below its ribs 8 and 9, recesses 69a, 69b arranged to receiving a hold down clamp or fastener 20 in Figures 2 and 6, or 50 in Figure 5, or 70 in Figure 7, or 80 in Figure 8. The duct or lock 16 has a capacity or height greater than that of the drain channel 7. The clamps are designed to fix the roofing panels in position without forming holes in them, this being an important feature, since the provision of holes in the roofing panels is inevitably responsible for undesired infiltrations. Each clamp 20, 50, 70 or 80 is secured, e.g. by means of screws 21 (Fig. 2), to a solid decking or supporting structure 22 arranged underneath and allows the roofing panels to expand and contract. In the embodiment shown in Figures 6 and 7 each roofing panel 1 comprises a sandwich, i.e. two parallel metal skins 81 and 82 attached to an intermediate sheet or layer 83 e.g. made of foamed heat-insulating material. The skins 81 can have ribs 2, 8 and 60, whereas the skin 82 can be formed with respective beads 84 and 85. Between the channel 7 and the rib 68 at each joint between adjacent panels there is provided a sealing gasket 86 of plastic material or rubber or another suitable material, designed to prevent water infiltration into the lock 16. The gasket 86 advantageously has a side bead 87 arranged to be seated, in use, in a respective narrow seat 88 in the duct 7, and a curved laminar body 89 from which one or more serrations 90 extend outwardly in order to tightly engage against the rib 68. It will be noted that a modular roofing panel according to the invention as described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings besides preventing water infiltration at the joints, brilliantly solves the problems regarding thermal expansion, and can be used for covering roofs with small inclination. Moreover, a roofing panel according to the invention can comprise panels either flat or corrugated having a length equal to that of the roof pitches. Roofing panels can be manufactured using a variety of materials, such as metals and metal alloys, plastic materials, reinforced plastic materials, e.g. fiberglass-reinforced plastics, or other suitable materials which can be rolled or extruded. Tests have shown a very high reliability of the roofing panels according to the invention on roofs having a pitch ratio L/I = 20, i.e. for L = 20 m and I = 1% or L = 10 m and I = 0.5%; that is even with flat or almost flat roofs, which are conventionally covered with resilient materials, such as bitumens or synthetic resin sheets. In practice a roof covered with roofing panels according to the present invention has an unlimited life, ensures safe seal, even with 0.5% pitch inclination and, independently of the length of the pitches, has excellent walkability and applicability to any base structure 22, as ilustrated in Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5. Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the scope of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims: A roofing panel comprising a first longitudinal shaped edge (6) and a second longitudinal shaped edge (5), an intermediate body portion (1) between said first longitudinal edge and said second longitudinal edge, said first longitudinal edge being adapted to overlap another second longitudinal edge of another first adjacent juxtaposed roofing panel, said second longitudinal edge being adapted to be overlapped by another first longitudinal edge of another second first adjacent juxtaposed panel to define an overlapping configuration; characterized in that said first longitudinal edge comprises a first raised rib-like portion (60), and a second raised portion formed by a substantially U-shaped fold, said second raised portion defining an overhanging portion (64), said overhanging portion being connected to an inner wall (65) and said inner wall being connected to a top portion (66), said top portion being connected to an outer wall, said outer wall including a counter-rib structure (67) having a lower rib (68) substantially horizontal, said inner wall having a lower portion connected to said overhanging portion; said second longitudinal edge (5) comprising a third raised rib-like portion (8), and a fourth raised portion (9), connected to a substantially vertical wall (5); in said overlapping configuration of said first longitudinal edge (6) on said second longitudinal edge (5) of a first adjacent panel, said first raised portion (60) of said first edge (6) defining a first recess (69) with said third raised portion (8) of said second edge (5), said fourth raised portion (9) of said second edge forming a second recess (69) with said overhanging portion (64) and said lower portion of said inner wall (65) of said first edge; said vertical wall (5) of said second edge being substantially adjacent to said inner wall (65) of said first edge (6) and having substantially the same inclination and height; said lower rib (68) of said outer wall (67) of said first edge being adjacent to said fourth raised portion (9) of said second edge; said roofing panel further comprising securing means (20) for securing said panel to a supporting structure (22), said securing means comprising a clamp having a base, adapted to be fastened to said supporting structure, and a hook portion adapted to hold said panel, said base being adapted to be inserted in said first recess, said hook portion being adapted to be inserted in said second recess; said fourth raised portion (9) of said second longitudinal edge forming a drain channel (7) with said substantially vertical wall (5), said outer wall (67) of said first longitudinal edge (6) forming a drain duct (16) with said drain channel (7) and with said substantially vertical wall (5) of said second edge. A roofing panel, according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a sealing gasket (86) inserted between said substantially horizontal lower rib (68) of said first longitudinal edge and said fourth raised portion (9) of said second longitudinal edge. A roofing panel, according to claim 1, characterized in that said intermediate body portion (1) is composed or two parallel sheets (81,82) comprising an insulating material (83) therebetween.

Inventors: MENEGOLI, FABIO
Applicants: ISCOM S.R.L.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: E04D3
IPC codes: E04D3, E04D1