Sheet cladding system

Abstract: A sheet cladding system for a roof comprises a plurality of cladding panels 9, 10, 11 which are supported by an underlying support structure comprising a plurality of support members 12. The cladding panels each include a plurality of recesses 15 and, at transverse edges thereof, edge formations 22 a , 22 b . Clip means 20, 30 are provided by which the panels are secured to the support structure and to one another respectively.

Description: This invention relates to a sheet cladding system for a building, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a sheet cladding system for roofing a building. Such a sheet cladding system is described in GB-A-1350518, in which each cladding panel of the system has a male edge formation along one edge, and a female edge formation along an opposite edge, with ribs which extend generally parallel to the edges between the edges. The male edge formation of one panel overlaps with a female edge formation on the next panel and clips are provided secured to a support structure such as one or more rafters or other structural members beneath the panels which co-operate with the ribs, or with the overlapped edge formations as appropriate, to secure the cladding panels to the support structure. On site it is awkward to install panels with overlapping edges in this way and if any of the panels becomes damaged in use and needs to be replaced, it is difficult to disengage the damaged panel from the panels either side with which its edges are lapped. A similar arrangement having the same disadvantages is disclosed in GB-A-2184751 and in US-A-4406106. In the US specification channel beam lap supports are provided to stiffen and support the joints between overlapped panel edges. US-4,446,665 discloses an insulated sheet cladding system comprising a plurality of metal sheets, each having an underlying insulating blanket. Opposite edges of adjacent cladding sheets are disposed in side by side relationship and are fastened to a support structure by a clip means which co-operates with the side by side edges. The cladding sheets are relatively narrow and no securement to the support structure is provided between the edges of a sheet. Such a system requires the provision of a large number of relatively narrow separate sheets. It is accordingly an object of the invention to overcome or to reduce these disadvantages. According to one aspect of the present invention we provide a sheet cladding system for a building comprising at least two cladding panels and a support structure, the cladding panels each comprising opposite edges and at least one edge of each of the panels, in use, lying in side by side relationship with an edge of another panel, a first clip means which co-operates with the side by side edges of the panels, each said edge of the cladding panels comprising an edge formation which extends generally away from the support structure and has a crown part having an underside facing the support structure and an upstand, the first clip means comprising at least one clip which comprises a base, a pair of hooks which extend in opposite directions, one of the hooks engaging over an upstand of one of the panels to retain the edge formation relative to the support structure to which the clip is secured, and the other of the hooks engaging over the adjacent upstand of the other panel to retain the other edge formation relative to the support structure to which the clip is secured, wherein the cladding panels each have at least one recess between said edges and second clip means are secured to the support structure and co-operate with the recesses to secure the panels to the support structure at said at least one recess, and each first clip means has a pair of tongues which extend upwardly and outwardly in opposite directions and have at their upper ends inwardly directed flanges which provide abutments to engage said undersides of the crowns of the adjacent panels. The second clip may comprise a base flange and a pair of upstanding limbs, each limb having at its upper edge a downwardly and outwardly extending tail, the ends of the tail engaging a re-entrant formation of the recess. It has been found that such an arrangement provides distinct advantages compared with the prior art arrangements mentioned above. First, because the edges of the cladding panels lie side-by-side rather than in overlapping engagement, installation is considerably facilitated and replacement of any single panel is made easier. Also, on installation an arrangement in accordance with the invention enables roof lights and other roof devices such as soakers and upstands to be incorporated into the roof with more ease than with the lapping arrangements described. Further, the panels can be installed in either direction from a start position since the panels are not handed. This can be particularly advantageous where the system must be installed from a start position between the ends of the finished system. Because the first clip means engage with each of the adjacent edges, both of the adjacent edges are held securely and efficiently. With lapping arrangements it is common for clips along the lapped edges to engage only one of the edge formations of the panels, with the other edge being retained solely by its lapping engagement with the held edge. The recesses of the cladding panels of the present invention may each extend towards the support structure but preferably each extend away from the support structure so that intermediate parts of the panels between the recesses lie adjacent or in engagement with the support structure. Preferably, the or each recess of each panel is provided with an upstanding rib which extends generally longitudinally of the panel for example in a direction generally parallel to the edges of the panel, although the recess of the panel may comprise a plurality of discrete recesses provided in the panels if desired, with which the second clip means engage. The support structure may comprise a plurality of support members which underlie the panels, each support member having first and second clip means secured thereto. The or each recess of each panel may comprise a re-entrant formation with which the second clip means engage, preferably as the cladding panel is moved relatively towards the support structure. The second clip means may comprise at least one clip, which comprises a pair of limbs which are resiliently biased outwardly away from one another and snap inter-engage into a respective re-entrant formation of a recess. To provide weather protection, a capping strip may be provided which clips over and engages with the edge formations of the adjacent cladding panels or the hooks of the or each clip of the first clip means. The re-entrant formations of the recesses, where the recesses are provided by ribs, may be provided by rolled formations at the crown of the rib and the re-entrant formations thus may extend for the entire length of the rib, or only part of the way therealong as desired. The or each of the support members may extend transversely, generally perpendicularly to the edges of the panels, although other arrangements are possible. Where the rib or ribs of each of the panels extend longitudinally, the second clip means may comprise a plurality of clips, engaged with the support structure, to engage in the recesses provided by the rib or ribs at spaced positions along the lengths thereof. Additionally, the first clip means may comprise a plurality of clips, engaged with the support structure, to engage with the edges of the panels at spaced positions along the panels. The support structure may comprise a plurality of spaced support members which extend transversely to the edges of the panels. According to a second aspect of the invention we provide a method of affixing at least two cladding panels of a sheet cladding system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, to an underlying support structure wherein each cladding panel has opposite edges and the support structure has a plurality of first clip means secured thereto, each first clip means comprising a pair of clips spaced apart along the support structure, the method comprising engaging said opposite edges with clips of the first clip means, characterised in that each cladding part has a recess between said opposite edges and the support structure has a clip of a second clip means secured to the support structure between the clips of each pair of clips of the first clip means and the method comprising engaging one of the edges of a first of said panels with one of the clips of one of the first clip means moving the remainder of the first cladding panel towards the structural member so that a clip of one of the second clip means is engaged in the recess, engaging a second edge of the first panel with the second clip of said one of the first clip means, engaging one of the edges of the second of said panels with one of the clips of the other of the first clip means, moving the remainder of the second panel towards the structure so that the clip of another of the second clip means is engaged in the recess, and engaging a second edge of the second panel with the second clip of the other of said first clip means and selecting at will the one of the opposite edges of the panels to be engaged with said one of the clips of each of the first clip means. The cladding panel may comprise a panel of a sheet cladding system of the first aspect of the invention. Hence the clip or clips of the second clip means may be snap interengaged with a re-entrant formation of the recess. The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view through three panels of a sheet cladding system in accordance with the invention. FIGURE 1 a is an enlarged view of part of the system of Figure 1. FIGURES 2 a , 2 b are enlarged end and side views respectively of a clip of a second clip means for use in the system of Figure 1. FIGURES 3 a and 3 b are enlarged end and side views respectively of a clip of a first clip means for use in the system of Figure 1. FIGURE 4 is an end illustrative view showing how a panel is installed. FIGURES 5 a and 5 b are end and side views respectively of an alternative clip of a second clip means. Referring to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings, a sheet cladding system for a roof comprises a plurality of cladding panels, three of which are indicated at 9, 10 and 11, which are supported by an underlying support structure comprising a plurality of support members, one of which is indicated at 12, such as rafters which may in one example comprise part of a frame structure of a building. The rafters 12 may lie generally parallel to one another as in this example, and may be supported on purlins but any other suitable supporting structural arrangement could alternatively be employed. The cladding panels 9, 10, 11, each comprise a plurality of recesses across their width, which, in this example, are provided by two continuous upstanding ribs 15 which extend generally parallel to opposite edges 16, 17, of the panels 9, 10 and 11 throughout the lengths of the panels. For illustrative purposes, in Figure 1, only one rib 15 of panel 10 is shown, but in Figure 4, the two ribs 15 of panel 10 are shown. It will be appreciated that if desired, each panel 9, 10, 11 may have any number of such ribs 15 extending throughout the length thereof as dictated by the width of the panel, and the number of sites or recesses required for anchoring the cladding panels relative to the underlying support structure. Each rib 15 extends upwardly away from the support member 12, and has a re-entrant formation 18 at a crown 19 of the rib 15, which re-entrant formation 18 receives clips 20 of a "second" clip means, at spaced positions along the length of the rib 15 and secured to the support members 12. The clips 20 are secured to their respective support members 12 by a pair of bolts 21, for example, which pass through openings 21 a in the clips 20, although the clips 20 could be riveted or otherwise secured as desired. Each clip 20 is fabricated from a single piece of metal such as steel and has a pair of slits 23 extending downwardly from an upper edge thereof, with the metal between the slits 23 being bent in one direction out of a central plane P1 of the clip 20, to provide a first limb 24, and the metal to either side of the slits 23 being bent in an opposite direction out of the plane P1 to provide a pair of second limbs 25, each of the limbs 24, 25 having an upper edge bent over at about 45° to the limbs 24, 25, to provide tails 26 which extend generally away from the plane P1 and the ends of the tails 26 provide abutments 26 a . In this example, the included angle between the limbs 24, 25 is preferably also about 45°. The clips 20 also each have a further bend to provide a base flange 27 which extends at about 90° to plane P1, the base flange 27 having the openings 21 a for the bolts 21 or other fasteners which secure the clips 20 to the support members 12. In use, the abutments 26 a engage within the re-entrant formations 18 of the ribs 15 to retain the cladding panels 9, 10, 11 relative to the support member 12. By providing at least some of the support members 12 with a clip 20 for each rib 15 across the widths of the panels 9, 10, 11, the entire length of the cladding panels 9, 10, 11 is retained by the clips 20. Any alternative suitable clip configuration may be used for the clips of the second clip means. For example, an alternative configuration clip is shown in Figures 5 a and 5 b at 20'. The clip 20' is again made from sheet metal e.g. steel bent to shape, but is generally of channel shape. A base 27' of the channel is provided with a pair of apertures 21 a ' for fasteners, whereby the clip 20' can be secured to a support member beneath. Side limbs 24', 25' of the channel, each have downwardly folded tails 26' which at their ends, provide abutments 26 a ' which in use engage within the re-entrant formations 18 of the ribs 15. The limbs 24', 25' of the clips 20', like the limbs 24, 25, of the clips 20, exhibit resilience to permit the abutment 26 a to snap interengage in the re-entrant formations 18. To improve resilience, the side limbs 24', 25' may each be slotted as indicated in Figure 5 b at 23', to provide a plurality, in this example six, individual fingers. Still further alternative clip configurations are possible for the clips of the second clip means. For example, instead of such clips being made of metal, they may be formed in a suitable plastics material such as nylon, in which case the clips may have the form indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 5 a . In each case, means are provided to secure the clip to a support member, and abutments are provided to interengage within the re-entrant formations 18 of the ribs of the panels. Referring again to Figures 1 to 4, at each of the opposite edges 16, 17 of the panels 9, 10, 11, respective edge formations 22 a , 22 b are provided, with the edge formation 22 a for edge 16 being identical to edge formation 22 b for edge 17 but oppositely handed. It will be appreciated from Figure 1 that the edges 16, 17 of adjacent panels 9, 10, 11 do not overlap but lie alongside and adjacent one another. The edge formations 22 a , 22 b each comprise half of a further rib formation 15 a , a crown part 19 a of which has an upstand 19 b which terminates in a hook 19 c . The hooks 19 c of adjacent edge formations 22 a , 22 b , extend away from each other. The edges 16, 17 are retained by further clips 30 of a "first" clip means which are again secured to the support members 12 by bolts 31 or by any other suitable means. The clips 30 are made from a single piece of metal which is provided with a pair of downwardly extending slits 32, the metal between the slits 32 being bent in one direction out of a central plane P2 of the clip 30 to provide a first hook formation 34, and the metal to either side of the slits 32 being bent out of plane P2 in an opposite direction to provide a pair of second hook formations 33. At the lower end of the clip 30, there is a further bend to provide a base flange 36 which has openings 31 a to receive the bolts 31 or is provided with other securing means. Also two further pairs of pressed out tongues 37, 38 are provided, the tongues of each pair 37, 38 being pressed out of plane P2 in opposite directions. The tongues are each formed to extend upwardly and outwardly in opposite directions to provide a generally triangular shape as can be appreciated from Figure 3 a . In use, the hooks 34, 33 engage over the hooks 25 of the respective edge formations 22 a , 22 b so that the edges 16, 17 of adjacent cladding panels 9, 10, 11 are retained. The pressed out tongues 37, 38 each have an inturned flange at their upper ends which provide abutments 39 which engage the underside 19 d of the respective crown part 19 a of the respective edge formation 22 a , 22 b , to add rigidity to the connection. Thus, the panels 9, 10, 11 are each retained by the clips 20 intermediate their edges 16, 17 and by the clips 30 at their edges. A batten cap 40 of generally inverted channel configuration is clipped over the adjacent hooks 19 c to provide a joint therebetween and suitable sealant such as a non-setting butyl or other suitable sealant, not shown, is provided within the batten cap to weatherproof the joint. The batten cap 40 has downwardly and outwardly extending limbs 41 at the lower free ends of which are provided inwardly extending flanges 42 which provide an abutment part for engagement with the hooks 19 c to retain the batten cap in position. To instal the panels 9, 10, 11 the following method is adopted which will be described with reference to the illustration of Figure 4. First, the various clips 20, 30 are secured to the support members 12 of the support structure. With the panel 10 orientated as shown in Figure 4, the edge 16 of panel 10 is then secured to the support member 12 by a plurality of the clips 30 which are spaced along the length of the panel 10, by engaging the hook 25 of the edge formation 16 under the hooks 34 of the clips 30. The clips 30 may at this stage also be retaining the edge 17 of adjacent panel 9, although this is not shown in Figure 4. The panel 10 is then moved from the condition in which the panel is spaced from the support member 12 as seen in Figure 4, towards the support member 12 so that the clips 20 engage in the ribs 15. It will be appreciated that the limbs 24, 25 of each of the clips 20 will exhibit some resilience thus enabling the abutments 26 a of the tails 26 to snap interengage into the receiving formations 18 of the ribs 15. The method may conveniently be achieved by rolling the panel 10 into position, i.e. by deforming the panel to a slightly convex shape as indicated in Figure 4, and engaging the clips 20 within the ribs 15 across the width of the panels in turn. Finally, the edge 17 of the panel 11 is retained by clips 30 by engaging the hook 19 c of the edge formation 22 b under the hook 33 of the clip 30. The same method could be employed, using the clips 20' of Figures 5 a and 5 b instead of clips 20. Various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Any desired form of support structure underlying the cladding panels 9, 10, 11 may be provided, provided that clips 20, (or 20') 30 can be secured thereto. The cladding panels 9, 10, 11 shown in the drawings are only examples of configurations of cladding panels which may incorporate the invention. In the example shown, the cladding panels 9, 10, 11 include intermediate ribs 40 smaller than ribs 18 which each extend parallel to the edges 16, 17, and ribs 15 to add rigidity to the panels 9, 10, 11. These need not be required in an alternative construction, or ribs of different configurations may be provided as desired. The ribs 15 need not be of the configuration shown, although preferably the ribs 15 each have a re-entrant formation 18 to engage with the clips 20. Instead of extending away from the support member 12, suitably configured ribs may provide recesses which extend towards the member 12 if desired. Instead of the recesses with which the clips 20 or 20' engage being provided by continuous ribs 15, if desired, a plurality of discrete recesses may be provided over the areas of the panels 9, 10, 11 with which the clips 20 or 20' engage. However, it will be appreciated that by providing such recesses by ribs 15, the cladding panels 9, 10, 11 are more conveniently made, and installation is considerably simplified as alignment of clips with the ribs 15 is simpler. The clips 20 or 20' which engage in the recesses of the ribs 15 or other recesses may be of alternative configurations provided that the clips 20, 20' can co-operate with the respective ribs/other recesses. The clips 30 may be of alternative configurations to co-operate with the edge formations of the panels 9, 10, 11, which could also be of alternative configurations. The clips 20, 30 need not each be made from a single piece of metal as described, but could be otherwise fabricated as desired. Because the edges of the panels 9, 10, 11 do not overlap, any one panel may be removed in the event of that panel becoming damaged or otherwise requiring replacement more easily than if the edges of the panels were overlapped as with conventional arrangements. Furthermore, installation of the panels 9, 10, 11 is considerably simplified using the clips 20, 30, as described, and that no perforation of the panels 9, 10, 11 is required to enable the panels to be securely fixed to the supporting structure beneath. Also, by clipping the panels at the adjacent side-by-side edges the panels are held very securely by the first clip means whilst between the edges of the panels the engagement of the second clip means with the recesses provides an adequate grip. The features and method disclosed in the following claims may be utilised for realising the invention.

Claims: A sheet cladding system for a building comprising at least two cladding panels (9, 10, 11) and a support structure (12), the cladding panels each comprising opposite edges (16, 17) and at least one edge (16, 17) of each of the panels (9, 10, 11), in use, lying in side by side relationship with an edge of another panel, a first clip means (30) which co-operates with the side by side edges (16, 17) of the panels, each said edge (16, 17) of the cladding panels (9, 10, 11) comprising an edge formation (22 a , 22 b ) which extends generally away from the support structure (12) and has a crown part (19 a ) having an underside (19 d ) facing the support structure (12) and an upstand (19 b ), the first clip means (30) comprising at least one clip which comprises a base (36), a pair of hooks (33, 34) which extend in opposite directions, one of the hooks engaging over an upstand of one of the panels to retain the edge formation relative to the support structure to which the clip is secured, and the other of the hooks engaging over the adjacent upstand of the other panel to retain the other edge formation relative to the support structure to which the clip is secured, characterised in that the cladding panels (9, 10, 11) each have at least one recess (15) between said edges (16, 17) and second clip means (20) are secured to the support structure (12) and co-operate with the recesses (15) to secure the panels to the support structure at said at least one recess, and each first clip means (30) has a pair of tongues (37, 38) which extend upwardly and outwardly in opposite directions and have at their upper ends inwardly directed flanges which provide abutments (39) to engage said undersides (19 d ) of the crowns (19 a ) of the adjacent panels. A sheet cladding system according to claim 1 wherein the second clip means (20) comprises a base flange (27) and a pair of upstanding limbs (25), each limb (25) having at its upper edge a downwardly and outwardly extending tail (26), the ends (26 a ) of the tail (26) engaging a re-entrant formation of the recess (15). A sheet cladding system according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which each panel (9, 10, 11) has a plurality of recesses (15) extending away from the support structure (12) so that intermediate parts of the panels between the recesses (15) lie adjacent to, or in engagement with, the support structure (12). A sheet cladding system according to any one of the preceding claims in which the or each recess (15) of each panel (9, 10, 11) is provided by an upstanding rib (15) which extends generally longitudinally of the panel. A sheet cladding system according to any one of the preceding claims in which the support structure (12) comprises a plurality of support members (12) which underlie the panels, each support member having the first and second clip means (30, 20) secured thereto. A sheet cladding system according to any one of the preceding claims in which the or each recess (15) of each panel comprises a re-entrant formation (18) with which the second clip means (20) engage. A sheet cladding system according to claim 6 in which the second clip means (20) engages with the re-entrant formation (18) as the cladding panel is moved relatively towards the support structure. A sheet cladding system according to any one of the preceding claims in which the second clip means (20) comprises at least one clip (20), which comprises a pair of limbs (24, 25) which are resiliently biased outwardly away from one another and snap inter-engage into a respective re-entrant formation (18) of a recess (15). A sheet cladding system according to any one of the preceding claims in which the edges (16, 17) of the cladding panels (9, 10, 11) which lie adjacent one another each comprise an edge formation (22a, 22b) and each of the opposite edges (16, 17) of the panel have similar, but oppositely handed edge formations (22a, 22b), so that the panels themselves are not handed. A sheet cladding system according to any one of the preceding claims in which a capping strip (40) is provided with clips over and engages with the edge formations (22a, 22b) of the adjacent cladding panels or the hooks (33, 34) of the or each clip of the second clip means (30). A method of affixing at least two cladding panels (9, 10, 11) of a sheet cladding system according to any one of the preceding claims to an underlying support structure (12) wherein each cladding panel has opposite edges (16, 17) and the support structure (12) has a plurality of first clip means (30) secured thereto, each first clip means comprising a pair of clips spaced apart along the support structure (12), the method comprising engaging said opposite edges (16, 17) with clips of the first clip means (30), characterised in that each cladding part (9, 10, 11) has a recess (15) between said opposite edges (16, 17) and the support structure (12) has a clip of a second clip means (20) secured to the support structure (12) between the clips (30) of each pair of clips of the first clip means and the method comprising engaging one (16) of the edges of a first of said panels with one of the clips (30) of one of the first clip means (30) moving the remainder of the first cladding panel towards the structural member (12) so that a clip (20) of one of the second clip means is engaged in the recess (15), engaging a second edge (17) of the first panel with the second clip (30) of said one of the first clip means, engaging one of the edges of the second of said panels with one of the clips (30) of the other of the first clip means, moving the remainder of the second panel towards the structure (12) so that the clip (20) of another of the second clip means is engaged in the recess (15), and engaging a second edge (17) of the second panel with the second clip of the other of said first clip means (30) and selecting at will the one of the opposite edges (16, 17) of the panels to be engaged with said one of the clips (30) of each of the first clip means.

Inventors: FREDERIKSEN ANTON ROBERT, MCGREGOR WILLIAM, PROCTOR GORDON, FREDERIKSEN, ANTON ROBERT, MCGREGOR, WILLIAM, PROCTOR, GORDON
Applicants: WARD BUILDING SYSTEMS LTD, WARD BUILDING SYSTEMS LIMITED
Application year: 1990
Main classification: E04D3
IPC codes: E04D3