A SKYLIGHT WINDOW WITH ATTACHMENT COLLAR FOR A VAPOUR BARRIER MEMBRANE

Abstract: For sealed connection of a skylight window to a frame structure (1) of the kind wherein in an inner edge side of each frame member, a longitudinal mounting groove (9) is arranged for an internal vapour barrier membrane (4) in an underroof structure, a collar-shaped attachment device is procured. The attachment device is designed as a whole collar (11) of welded attachment elements (12-15) of flexible webs of a material with vapour barrier properties corresponding to the vapour barrier membrane (4). Press-in pieces (18, 19) of a relatively stiffer material are fastened to a strip-shaped zone (16) parallel to and in short distance from the inner side edges (17) of the attachment elements (12-15), for pressing-in of said zone (16) into the grooves (9) of the frame structure (1). To each corner between the mutually adjoining attachment elements (12-15) there are used two angular press-in pieces (19) fastened to said zone (11) in each of the two elements.

Description: A Skylight Window with Attachment Collar for a Vapour Barrier Membrane The present invention relates to a combination of a skylight window with a frame structure and an attachment device for sealing attachment of the frame structure to an internal vapour barrier membrane of an underroof structure, which attachment device is designed as a whole collar of welded attachment elements of flexible webs of a material with vapour barrier properties corresponding to said membrane. In order to obtain a tight connection between the frame of the skylight window and the vapour barrier membrane of the underroof by the installation, the existing vapour barrier membrane at the cut-out opening for the window may as a rule be supplemented with separate attachment elements which are connected to the membrane by means of tape or staples. In frame structures of the type known per se, which in an inner edge side of each frame member are provided with a longitudinal mounting groove, such attachment elements may be pressed into the mounting grooves on the inner edge sides of the frame members by means of separate plate members, e.g. of insulation material, before the mounting of an inner cladding in the form of a board layer or panels on the innerside of the underroof structure. The mounting and installation work is thus hindered to a considerable degree. If the mounting grooves in the frame members should subsequently be used for mounting of lining panels for cladding of the sides of the embrasure or the reveal, the plate members pressed-in by the mounting must be removed again, such that the pressed edges of the vapour barrier can subsequently be retained by the lining panels. From international patent application WO 96/06996, a whole collar designed as an attachment device of the above type is known. The object of the invention is to provide an attachment device to be used in a combination of the stated kind which facilitates the mounting work to a considerable extent. According to the invention, this is achieved in the way that said frame structure is of the kind where a longitudinal mounting groove is provided in an inner edge side of each frame member and that press-in pieces of a relatively stiffer material are fastened to a strip-shaped zone parallel to and in short distance from the inner side edges of the attachment elements for pressing-in of said zone into the grooves of the frame structure, said press-in pieces being designed with dimensions for form-fit pressing-in into said grooves, whereby at each corner between mutually adjoining attachment elements two angular press-in pieces are fastened to said zone in each of the two elements close to said corner. By means of such an attachment device designed as a whole collar with press-in pieces fastened thereto, the need for retaining the collar in the mounting grooves of the frame members by separate elements is eliminated, and the lining panels can subsequently without difficulties be mounted in the mounting grooves on the pressed-in edge portions of the vapour barrier collar. The invention will in the following be explained more in detail with reference to the schematical drawings , where Fig. 1 in perspective shows a section of a roof structure during installation of a skylight window when using a conventional mounting technique, and Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are a perspective, a side view, and a folded-out section, respectively, of an embodiment of an vapour barrier collar according to the invention. Fig. 1 shows the frame 1 of a skylight window being installed between two neighbouring rafters 2 in a roof structure with an underroof structure arranged essentially between the rafters 2 and with an inner cladding 3 in the form of a board layer or panels fastened to the inner side of the rafters 2, a vapour barrier membrane 4, which may be produced by plastic foil, aluminium foil, kraft paper or laminates hereof, an isolation layer 5, the outside of which is arranged at a distance below the outside of the rafters 2 in order to provide ventilation, and an outer cladding 6, on the outside of which a non-shown weather-shielding outer membrane is positioned and to which is fastened an arrangement of counter battens 7 and battens 8 as a support for a non-shown outer roofing which can consist of tiles or slates. In the illustrated frame structure 1, mounting grooves 9 serving for the mounting of non-shown lining panels or another form of cladding of the embrasure or the reveal to finish the mounting are provided in the internal edge sides of the top, bottom and side members. To obtain a tight connection between the frame structure 1 and the vapour barrier membrane 4 , the latter is by known mounting technique usually supple- mented with separate attachment elements which, as described in the preceding, are pressed into the grooves 9, by use of the separate plate members 10, e.g. of isolation material, fitting into the grooves. The mounting work is thus made more difficult and expensive to a considerable extent. By the invention, a significant simplification of the mounting work is obtained by means of an attachment device designed as a whole collar, in the following designated as a vapour barrier collar which may be designed as shown in Fig. 2-4. As shown in Figs . 2 and 3 , the vapour barrier collar 11, which is preferably produced of the same material as the vapour barrier membrane 4 or of a material with corresponding vapour barrier properties, is composed of four collar members 12, 13, 14 and 15, respectively, connected by welding of which the members intended to be fastened on the top and botton members 12 and 14 of the frame structure are essentially rectangular, whereas the members 13 and 15 intended to be fastened on the side members of the frame structure 1 are trapezoidal, such that the elements composed to a whole collar 12-15 after fastening into the frame grooves 9 are in abutment against the sides of the embrasure or reveal . Before the mounting of the inner cladding, the collar elements 12-15 are bent or folded against the vapour barrier membrane 4 possibly with a seal to assure a tight connection. As it appears most clearly from Figs . 4 a and b showing sections of the collar elements 12 and 13 for connection with the top member and the one side member of the frame structure 1 before and after the mounting, respectively, the fastening of the vapour barrier collar 11 in the mounting grooves 9 is facilitated in the way that press-in pieces 18 and 19 of a material which is stiffer compared to the collar itself are fastened to a strip zone 16 in each collar element parallel with and in a short distance from the inner side edge 17 of the collar element. The strip-shaped zone 16 and the press-in pieces 18 and 19 can have a width corresponding to that of the mounting grooves 9, such that the press-in pieces 18 and 19 can be pressed form- fit into the grooves 9 and thus retain the vapour barrier collar 11 to the frame structure 1. The press-in pieces 18 and 19 are designed as oblong and angular pieces, respectively, of an elastic deformable material, e.g. a thermoplastic material. The angular press-in pieces 19 are positioned in the strip-shaped zones 16 at the corners between the mutually adjoining collar elements and comprise a leg 19a which is fastened in the strip-shaped zone 16 and a leg 19b projecting perpendicularly from the zone towards the inner side edge 17 of the collar element . In connection therewith, a splitting 21 is formed in the edge zone 20 positioned between the strip-shaped zone 16 and the inner side edge 17 of each collar element to extend along the side edge of the projecting leg 19b facing away from the corner. When mounting the vapour barrier collar, the angular press-in pieces 19 in the collar elements adjoining a corner are pressed into the grooves 9 at the corner between two mutually perpendicular frame members, such as shown in Fig. 4b.

Claims: P A T E N T C L A I M S 1. A combination of a skylight window with a frame structure (1) and an attachment device for sealing attachment of the frame structure to an internal vapour barrier membrane (4) of an underroof structure, which attachment device is designed as a whole collar (11) of welded attachment elements (12-15) of flexible webs of a material with vapour barrier properties corresponding to said membrane (4) c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said frame structure is of the kind having a longitudinal mounting groove (9) provided in an inner edge side of each frame member and that press-in pieces (18, 19) of a relatively stiffer material are fastened to a strip-shaped zone (16) parallel to and in short distance from the inner side edges (17) of the attachment elements (12-15) , for pressing-in of said zone (16) into the grooves (9) of the frame structure (1) , said press-in pieces (18, 19) being designed with dimensions for form-fit pressing-in into said grooves (9) , whereby at each corner between mutually adjoining attachment elements (12-15) two angular press-in pieces (19) are fastened to said zone (11) in each of the two elements close to said corner. 2. A combination according to claim 1, c h a - r a c t e r i z e d in that the attachment device (11) is made of vapour-proof plastic foil, and the press-in pieces (18, 19) are formed of oblong or angular pieces of an elastic deformable material with larger inherent stiffness than said plastic foil. 3. A combination according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the press-in pieces are made of pieces of thermoplastic material. 4. A combination according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said angular press- in pieces (19) comprise a leg (19a) fastened to said strip-shaped zone (16) and a leg (19b) projecting from said zone towards the inner side edge (17) of the attachment element, a splitting (21) being provided in the edge zone (20) of the attachment element (12-15) positioned between the strip-shaped zone (16) and the inner side edge (17) to extend along the side of the projecting leg (19) facing away from the corner.

Inventors: SOEBORG ARNE, SOEBORG, ARNE
Applicants: SOEBORG ARNE, VELUX IND AS, SOEBORG, ARNE, VELUX INDUSTRI A/S
Application year: 1998
Main classification: E04D13
IPC codes: E04B7, E04D13