[0001] Subject of the invention is a flange consisting of separate members connected together
during assembly on the roof, sealing the joint of the roofing with the adjoining elements
of the sheet metal framing being a part of the building structure passing through
the roof. Such a structure can be e.g. a frame of a roof window or roof hatch, or
of another structural element of the building. The basic function of the frame is
securing the joint from precipitation like rain, snow, etc.
[0002] A solution known from the patent application
WO 99/51835 and the patent specification
US 6 457 279 consists of a weather protecting sheet-metal frame sheathing of the joint of a part
of the building penetrating the roof with the adjoining roofing, which is a geometrically
complex shape element including vertical arms provided with formed profiling serving
to tack it to the next similar element of the flashing. The drawback of that solution
is the intricate process of cutting-out the sheet-metal element, and the fact that
the element cannot have more than two vertical arms provided with formed profiling
to connect it with the next element, which limits the possibility of adjusting longitudinally
two overlapping elements. The method of profiling the edge perpendicular to the roof
causing geometrical stiffening hinders in practice their free and manual bending.
This necessitates using special hand tools and entails additional time and labor outlay.
[0003] Known is a solution described in the patent specification
US 4 951 431 in which one of the examples of execution features adequately formed elements of
the flashing fitting generally parallel to the roof plane. These elements, being standard
angle shapes, are easy to manufacture and their fitting consists in lapped setting
in the angle between a part of the building penetrating the roof and the roofing,
with subsequent fixing them to the external part of the structure passing through
the roof. The method of fixing two elements together described in one of the examples
of execution consists in using a suitably shaped part in form of a clip fitted perpendicularly
on to the edges of these elements. The drawback of that solution is that this element,
on its surface parallel to the roof surface, has no water draining groove, which,
in case of increased water inflow to be drained in heavy rainfall, can cause leakage
to the inside of the roofing. It is also disadvantageous that the solution does not
provide durable fixing to the roofing. These elements are fixed to the roofing only
by being pressed down by the weight of the roofing in the part parallel to the roof,
and the perpendicular surfaces are joined together by means of clips.
[0004] In anther example of execution the properly shaped elements are connected together
and to the structural element by screwing or nailing them to the structural element
passing through the roof surface. The disadvantage of that solution consists in possible
leaking precipitation water under the roofing through nail or screw holes, and the
necessity to use special tools for assembly, thus entailing additional time and labor
outlay.
[0005] Known is also a solution described in the patent specification
SE 416 072, in which the element is shaped similarly to metal roof sheeting commonly called
trapezoid roofing. In one of the application examples that element is made as a corner
bent element, and on the plane parallel to perpendicular plane of the structural element
passing through the roof surface the element has an incision (a chamfer) making it
possible to bend and connect that part of the element with the perpendicular edge
of the next element. This limits the application of that solution to corrugated roofing
only. The disadvantage of that solution is lacking the possibility to effectively
fasten the element to the roofing surface structure or to the shielding elements of
the structure passing through the roof surface.
[0006] The aim the invention is making the flange as an element of the flashing of scale-type
roofing, the flange consisting of members connected together during assembly on the
roof, and sealing off the joint of the roofing with the adjoining elements of the
flashing being a part of the building structure penetrating the roof. In view of the
peculiarity of scale-type roofing, where the elements of the roofing have to be segmental,
the flange sealing the named joints consists of members the form and size of which
is fitting the particular roofing element.
[0007] That kind of roofing requires assembling the flange in concert with the roofing by
placing the successive layers starting by the lowest one. The separate flange members
are usually fastened by covering their arm parallel to the roofing surface by the
following layers, while the edge abutting to the external surface of the structure
penetrating the roof is usually being fixed by nails or screws. Since, however, the
emergence on the market of roof windows made of PVC shapes, using such type of fastening
became inadvisable. It became thus necessary to develop a fastening system including
connecting and fixing elements being a part of the flange and eliminating altogether
screws and nails as fasteners. The flange according the invention enables easy and
durable manual assembly of both the whole flange as of its particular parts without
additional tools The flange in the form and shape of a whole framing of the structure
penetrating the roof consists basically of three types of parts ― the bottom flange,
the top flange, and the symmetrical side strips consisting of members, the size of
which depends on the size of the corresponding roofing elements.
[0008] The shape of the members of the side strips, basically in form of the letter L, enables
their overlapping connection in the direction of the roof pitch. The essential and
indispensible feature of these members is providing tight and durable protection against
weather on the connection of the part of the building penetrating the roof with the
adjacent roofing.
[0009] The distinguishing feature of the invention consists in the shape of the fixing elements,
which connect the contiguous members of the flange in an effective and durable manner.
The toothed fixing elements, made by crosswise incisions on the external edge of the
arm adjacent to the external surface of the building structure penetrating the roof,
are an integral part of the particular members of the flange.
[0010] In order to block effectively any relative movement of two adjacent flange members
it is enough to provide each with at least one fixing element. When joining a flange
consisting of a greater number of members, it is indispensable to provide them with
at least two fixing elements to maintain locking on both ends, i.e. with the preceding
and the subsequent member. Upon placing the adjacent members of the flange it is possible
and essential to arrange them so, that the fixing elements are in line, with no full
overlapping being required. This enables easy manual bending of two fixing elements
jointly and it follows from the construction that the natural bending axis is the
line passing through the bottoms of the incised slots. The lock created in that manner
blocks any relative movement of the connected members of the flange.
[0011] In view of the fixing technique it is indispensable that the total width of the fixing
element and the incisions adjacent to it enables joint bending. That condition is
advantageously satisfied by keeping the condition that the sum of the widths of the
fixing element and the adjacent incisions is the same in the corresponding flange
members being joined. Full blocking of any relative movement of two flange members
is being advantageously achieved by providing equal widths of the fixing elements
and at the same time minimizing the widths of the adjacent incisions.
[0012] Applying a greater number of fixing elements along the edge of the flange member
allows increased freedom in relative longitudinal arrangement; however, the minimum
pitch is the spacing between the fixing elements. Full ease in determining the relative
longitudinal placing of members is given by providing fixing elements on the whole
length of the edge. The essential condition for free longitudinal arrangement of the
flange members is keeping, preferably, an equal width of the fixing elements and a
pitch, which is one of the multiples of the sum of the width of a single fixing element
and the incision width. The constant arrangement of the fixing elements and their
width enabling easy manual bending shall however be provided on at least that part
of the flange member, which overlaps the next one.
[0013] When the fixing elements are arranged uniformly it is possible to bend any number
of locks so made, as required locally.
[0014] A distinguishing feature of the invention is also the water draining groove created
in the arm of the member generally laying on the roof surface, lying parallel to the
roof pitch direction. That groove, functioning as a gutter, consists in its cross-section
view of three sides. The bottom side is preferably parallel to the plane formed by
the upper surface of the battens, and the sides, preferably perpendicular to the bottom,
act at the same time as gutter sides for the drained water, also fixing and locking
any crosswise movement. The side of the grove, which is closer to the bending edge
of the whole member, is preferably an extension of the member arm adjacent to the
building structure passing through the roof. The opposite side, basically parallel
to the first one, connects the groove bottom with the further part of the member,
which is a flat surface parallel to the surface the roofing elements and the dimensions
of which are fitting these elements. The actual thickness of the roofing elements
and their overlapping manner of assembling on the roof causes an out-of-parallel of
the plane formed by the battens in relation to the plane of arranging the roofing
elements. The existing angle is accounted for in the flashing element, i.e. the bottom
is parallel to the battens, while the side overlapping the roofing element is parallel
to that element.
[0015] The solution according the invention is described in the drawings of an example of
execution, in which fig. 1 presents the flange in disassembled state, fig. 2 ― the
flange assembled into a closed loop, fig. 3a ― a side member with fixing elements
made on the whole length of the arm, in its state before assembling, fig. 3b - a side
member with two fixing elements in its state before assembling, fig. 4 ― the joint
of two flange members before bending the fixing elements, and fig. 5 ― the joint of
two flange members after bending the fixing elements.
[0016] The invented flange in the first example of execution, in its state before assembling,
is shown in fig. 1, and consists of four main parts: the bottom flange
1, the top flange
2, and the side strips
3 consisting of the side members
4 the size of which depends on the size of the corresponding roofing element. The number
of members of the side strips 3 does not depend on the construction of the flange,
but on the size of the structure penetrating the roof and the number of rows of the
small-size roofing elements. The dimension of the flange in the direction parallel
to the battens is constant and depends on the corresponding dimension of the penetrating
structure. This means that the top flange 2 and the bottom flange
1 have constant widths, determined by the manufacturer.
[0017] The shape of the flange upon joining its parts into a closed loop is shown in fig.
2. In order to achieve the sealing function of the flange in the case of scale-type
roofing, it is indispensable to assembly it by the overlapping method jointly with
assembling the roofing, starting by the bottom flange
1, then by the side strip
3 consisting of the side members 4, and ending by laying the top flange
2, which, beside its fixing to the adjoining side members in its part covered and sealed
by the roofing elements, is to be secured to the battens.
[0018] The manner of durably connecting together the adjacent members using the fixing elements
6 is the same for all parts of the flange.
[0019] Fig. 3a shows a particular side member
4 in its state before assembling. The arm
5 of the flange member adjoining the building structure is made with incisions having
the width
k resulting from the applied fabrication technology, and the incisions are normally
perpendicular to the external edge of the arm
5. The incisions form a series of toothed fixing elements
6, having preferably an equal width
I, and being spaced with a pitch which is one of the multiples of the sum of the width
of one fixing element
6 and the incision width
k. The height of the fixing elements m is preferably small, but taking in account the
possibility of bending them by hand.
[0020] Connecting two members together, as they are shown in fig. 4 before bending the fixing
elements, consists in overlapping the members as necessary for the given roofing,
and then shifting one of them a bit longitudinally so as to achieve covering of the
selected number of the fixing elements of the overlapping side members
4 to be joined. In the case of the preferable uniform arrangement of the fixing elements
on the length of the flange member, fitting is achieved on all overlapping fixing
elements
6. This makes it possible to select freely the number of fixing elements to be manually
bent, which is shown in Fig. 5. Additionally, in order to facilitate manual bending
of the fixing elements
6, the arm
5 adjacent to the structure penetrating the roof is pre-bent by a small acute angle
deflecting it away from the surface of the structure, creating the edges
n and
o. The bending line is parallel to the external edge of the arm
5, and the distance between them is preferably not greater than the height
m of the fixing elements.
[0021] The second arm
7 of the side member adjacent to the roofing surface consists of two non-parallel surfaces:
the bottom one
7a parallel to the surface made by the structural element of the roofing, the surface
7b, parallel to the plane of the laid roofing element, and of the third, connecting
surface
7c, perpendicular to the two preceding ones. The surfaces
7a and
7c intersect at the line, which is parallel to the battens. The relative position of
the bottom surface
7b and the surfaces adjacent to it, i.e. the connecting surface
7c and the arm abutting to the structure passing through the roof, creates a water draining
channel. The surface
7a is basically parallel to the plane formed by the structural elements of the roofing,
while the surface
7b is basically parallel to the elements of the roofing. The water draining channel
constitutes moreover an element stiffening and locating the relative position of the
members of the flange. In conjunction with the fixing elements
6, upon bending them jointly, it forms a lock blocking all degrees of freedom of the
flange members, stopping any relative movement.
[0022] The described constructive solution enables fast, proficient, and effective joining
of the consecutive members to each other, with no use of tools, which results in considerable
economy of time and labor outlay. The solution makes it generally possible to adjust
the elements of the flashing to the majority of commercially available small-size
roofing elements.
[0023] The flange according the second example of execution is structurally equal to the
flange of the first example. The difference consists in applying the side element
of the flange according to fig. 3b, having a minimum number fixing elements. It is
a solution less universal, but having the advantage of lesser manufacturing costs.
Considering the standardization of roofing elements, one can adjust the spacing between
the fixing elements to typical lengths of small-size roofing elements.
[0024] The arm
5 of the flange member adjacent to the building structure has two fixing elements
6 spaced so as to fit the applied solution of the roofing structure. The fixing elements
6 are made by two twin cuts with a width
k as described in the first example, and a spacing making it possible to bend by hand
the so formed tooth. The distance between the incisions determines the width
l of the fixing element. Keeping equal the dimensions
m,
l, and
k safeguards the possibility to bend jointly the fixing elements, having previously
adjusted the side members
4 and forcing overlapping of the fixing elements. The remaining functional and constructive
features are the same as in the first example of execution.
1. Flange sealing the joint of a structure penetrating the roof with the abutting external
scale-type roofing, consisting of overlapping elements, the elements generally consisting
of two perpendicular arms, with the first arm adjacent to the external surface of
the structure penetrating the roofing surface, and a second arm generally perpendicular
to the first one and adjacent to the elements of the roofing surface, characterized in that the arm (5) of the flange member adjacent to the structure penetrating the roofing
surface has incisions, generally perpendicular to the external edge of the arm (5),
constituting fixing elements (6).
2. Sealing flange according claim 1 characterized in that it has at least two fixing elements (6).
3. Sealing flange according claim 2 characterized in that the total length of the width (I) of a single fixing element and the width of the
neighboring incisions (k) is the same in all fixing elements (6).
4. Sealing flange according claim 3 characterized in that the fixing elements (6) constitute a series with a toothed structure and uniform
spacing being one of the multiplicities of the sum of the width of a single fixing
element (/) and the width (k) of the incision.
5. Sealing flange according claim 1 characterized in that the adjacent flange members are connected together by joint bending of two mating
fixing elements (6).
6. Sealing flange according claim 5 characterized in that the adjacent flange members are connected together by joint bending of the fixing
elements (6) perpendicularly to the direction of the incision.
7. Sealing flange according claim 1 characterized in that the arm (5) adjacent to the structure passing through the roof, preferably parallel
to the surface of the external structure, is partly pre-bent away from the surface
of the structure, where the length (n) of the edge determined by the distance of the bending line from the external edge
of the arm is not greater than the height (m) of the fixing elements (6).
8. Sealing flange according claim 1 characterized in that the arm (7) of the member of the side strip adjacent to the roof surface consists
of two non-parallel surfaces (7a) and (7b) intersecting at a line basically parallel
to the battens and of the connecting surface (7c) basically perpendicular to them.
9. Sealing flange according claim 1 characterized in that the relative position of the bottom surface (7a) and of the adjoining surfaces (7c)
and the arm (5), creates a water draining channel.
10. Sealing flange according claim 1 characterized in that the surface (7a) is
basically parallel to the surface formed by the structural elements of the roofing
and the surface (7b) is basically parallel to the elements of the roofing.
11. Sealing flange according claim 3 and 6 characterized in that the fixing
elements (6), upon joint bending, and the surfaces constituting the water draining
channel form a lock blocking all degrees of freedom of the relative movement of the
flange members.