Improvements in Sheet-metal Roofing.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 18th June, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 16th July, 1890-Accepted, 6th Sept., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sheet-metal Roofing.
We, ALFRED MOORE and HENRY PETTS, of No. 360 Euston Road, in the Adminis-
trative County of London, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to improvements in sheet metal roofing, and its objects are
first, to provide, in a more perfect manner than has hitherto been effected, for the
expansion and contraction of the sheets forming the roofing; secondly, to obviate
the necessity of cutting the rolls; thirdly, to prevent any trifling inaccuracy in
punching the sheets bindering the quick laying of the roof; and fourthly, to shield
the screw holes in the sheets from wet.
In carrying our invention into effect, we continue the under sheet over the screw
hole in the roll, and slot the embossed hole in the top sheet, thereby changing a round
hole of the same size as the shoulder of the screw into a slot with round ends.
We provide an oval or oblong washer embossed about its longitudinal centre line
for a sufficient area to cover the embossment in the top sheet, and to also leave space
for the linear motion of the latter, due to expansion and contraction, under it.
But
the hole in the washer is round, i.e., of the same area as the cross section of the shoulder
of the screw, so that the washer itself does not move but acts as a sort of elastic
packing between the screw head and the top sheet and also as a guard against the
passage of wet through the latter.
Dated this 18th day of June 1890.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sheet-metal Roofing.
We, ALFRED MOORE and HENRY PETTS, of 360, Euston Road, in the Administrative
County of London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to improvements in sheet metal roofing, and its objects are,
:
Firstly to provide, in a more perfect manner than has heretofore been effected, for
the expansion and contraction of the sheets constituting the roofing:
Secondly to obviate the necessity of cutting the wood rolls:
Thirdly to prevent any trifling inaccuracy in punching the sheets hindering the
quick laying of the roofing.
Several attempts have been made to produce a perfect washer for sheet metal
roofing, i.e., one adapted, in virtue of its construction and operation, to offer no check
to the expansion or contraction of the sheets, and, at the same time, capable of shielding
the holes in the sheets against the entrance of water. One such method has been to
mortice a metal plate into the top of the wood roll, which plate has had a central slot
formed in it in a line with the said roll. A nut has been fitted to this slot in such a
way that it could slide up and down it, and, besides. it has received the holding screw.
But the projection of the nut beneath the inetal plate necessitated the formation in
the wood roll of a groove of a width at least equal to the diameter of the nut; and in
length not less than the maximum travel thereof up and down the plate. Now the use
of such a device has been attended with the following drawbacks. The wood rolls had
to be grooved regularly to receive the nuts, and morticed with equal regularity to
receive the plates, i.e., each roll had to be cut twice, onco-to receive-the plate and a

page_text: second time to receive nut. Moreover, greater care had to be taken with the punching
of the sheets, lest any inaccuracy in distancing or positioning the holes should hinder
the progress of laying the roofing, by necessitating the punching of fresh holes, or the
enlargement of some already made.
So, according to our present invention, we discard both metal plate and sliding nut
and, with them, the double necessity of punching the sheets with perfect accuracy and
cutting the wood roll, the result being that the task of laying a roof is a straight-
forward one; the only preliminary caution which it is necessary to take is to see that
the several sets of holes are respectively equidistant from the bottom edges of all the
sheets.
In order that our invention, and the means by which the same is to be carried into
practical effect may be thoroughly understood, we will now describe them in detail,
referring in so doing to the accompanying figures which are to be taken as part of this
specification.
Fig. 1 is a transverse section taken on the line C D of Fig. 3.
Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken along the line A B of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of Fig. 1 looking at it from the left hand
side, as indicated by the arrow.
Fig. 4 is a plan.
E is the boarding of the roofing; and F, the wood roll. G is a bottoin, and H, a
top sheet of the roofing. So far the parts illustrated are old and well known to the trade.
The bottom sheet G has formed in it a plain slotted hole 1, and the top sheet H has
formed in it, in a corresponding position, an embossed slotted hole J. This embossed
slotted hole in the top sheet is aligned with the corresponding plain slotted hole I
under it.
K is an embossed washer, in contour corresponding with the embossment of the
hole J, but large enough to cover it. It has formed in it a central, and circular hole
through which the holding screw L is passed into the roll; and has an allround
flange k.
The oval or oblong embossed washer, which, as has been pointed out, is of the same
contour as the embossed hole in the top sheet, is held in one position over the wood
roll and cap in consequence of the hole in the washer being of the same shape and size
as the cross section of the screw at its shoulder.
The slotted holes in the top and bottom sheets, respectively, are each, as heretofore,
sufficiently long to allow for the maximum expansion and contraction in each sheet;
that is to say, the linear motion of the respective holes I and J will always be under
the embossed washer and within the area which it covers.
F
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declaro that what wo
claim is
1. The oval or oblong embossed washer having a central hole of the same size as
the shoulder of the holding screw and being long enough to permit of the linear motion
of the oval or embossed hole and the slot in the top and bottom sheets, respectively,
to take place under it and within the area which it covers, as set forth.
2. The combination of holding screw, oval or oblong embossed washer, embossed
slotted hole in the top sheet, and slotted hole in the bottom sheet, as set forth.
3. Providing for the expansion and contraction of the sheets and at the same time
safeguarding the holes therein against the entrance of wet in combination with
an uncut wood roll, as set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 16th day of July 1890
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
22, Sonthampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.