GB2111557A

GB2111557A - Device for securing a ridge or hip batten to a room structure

Info

Publication number: GB2111557A
Application number: GB08235761A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Manfred Rinklake; Karl-Heinz Hofmann; Werner Horch
Original assignee: Redland Roof Tiles Ltd
Current assignee: Redland Roof Tiles Ltd
Priority date: 1981-12-17
Filing date: 1982-12-15
Publication date: 1983-07-06
Also published as: GB2111557B; DE3213358A1; DE3213358C2; ATA542481A; AT371526B

Abstract

A device for securing a ridge or hip batten to a roof structure comprises a U-shaped headpiece (1) for accommodating the ridge or hip batten and a web (2) projecting from the base of the headpiece and for connection with the roof structure. An elbow (3) is provided, one leg (5) of which can be fastened to a roof batten and the other leg (4) of which can be fastened to the web (2), it being possible for the web to be fixed in a number of positions relative to the elbow. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Device for securing a ridge or hip batten to a roof structure The invention relates to a device for securing a ridge or hip batten to a roof structure, comprising a U-shaped headpiece for accommodating the ridge or hip batten and a web which projects from the base of the headpiece and which can be secured to a structural element of the roof structure.

In a device of this type known from AT-PS 352 961, a relatively wide web projects downwards perpendicularly to the base of the U-shaped headpiece accommodating a ridge batten. This web can be nailed or screwed to rafters of the roof truss. It is a disadvantage here that any subsequently necessary alignment of the device can be carried out only with difficulty, since beforehand the nails or screws have to be removed. Moreover, the fastening to the rafters is disadvantageous insofar as, when roof insulating is used, the web normally consisting of steel sheet forms a thermal or cold bridge from the roof upper side through the insulation into the roof interior, in which case the thermal insulation layer is necessarily impaired by the web.

These disadvantages are obviated in the case of a support device known from DE-OS 30 16 659, which has legs diverging laterally downwards from a U-shaped headpiece, these legs cooperating with mountings securable to roof battens via an adjustable locking connection.

Although this support device has been proven in practice, it has the deficiency that its fastening to the roof truss is relatively complicated, since two roof battens lying opposite one another are required as support and the alignment of the headpiece has to be effected at two different locking connections. Furthermore, it is not possible to use the device for securing hip battens, since in the hip zone there are no roof battens extending mutually parallel and situated opposite one another.' It is an object of the invention to devise a securing device which can be installed and aligned rapidly and simply, and which preferably can also be used for securing hip battens.

Accordingly, the invention provides a device for securing a ridge or hip batten to a roof structure, comprising a U-shaped headpiece for accommodating the ridge or hip batten and a web which projects from the base of the headpiece and which can be secured to a structural element or the roof structure, characterised in that an elbow means is provided for connection to the roof structure, one leg of the elbow means being fastened to a roof batten and the other leg of the elbow means being connected to the web projecting from the head piece, the connection being adjustable to fix the web in a plurality of positions relative to the elbow means.

The device can be secured to a single roof batten and the height of the headpiece is rapidly adjustable.

For vertical adjustment of the headpiece it is especially advantageous to provide a toothed connection between the web and the leg on the web side.

It is also advantageous for the said other leg (on the web side) to have edge parts which are bent over and engage the web, in which case one edge part is provided with a row of holes for teeth provided on the web. The adjusting means formed thereby is simple to actuate if the edge part lying opposite the edge part provided with the row of holes has one or more resilient tongues provided with a bulge, these tongues embracing the web in the manner of a snap connection.

For secure connection to a roof batten it is possible for the said one leg of the elbow on the batten side to be provided with bent-over edges engaging the roof battens in U-shaped fashion.

Particularly in connection with the alignment of the U-shaped headpiece, it is advantageous to provide a predetermined bending point in the connecting zone of the legs of the elbow.

The adaptability of the device described above to different structural conditions of the roof is increased significantly if the said one leg of the elbow (on the batten side) is of two part design, in which case both parts, one of which is designed as a securing part securable to a roof batten and the other in one piece with the elbow leg on the web side, are mutually displaceable and/or rotatable and can be fixed in different positions. In this connection, it is advantageous for the fastening and fixing in position on the roof batten if the securing part has a bore for receiving a bolt or a projecting pin and in the second part a longitudinal slot assigned to the bolt is provided, and if in the securing part a slot is formed curved concentrically in relation to the bore and the bolt.

In connection with the securing in position on the roof batten, it is also advantageous to form in the one-piece part a row of holes extending parallel to the longitudinal slot and to form in the securing part a transverse slot (assigned to the row of holes).

A satisfactory compromise in respect of the requirements of adequate stability, on the one hand, and easy and cheap manufacture of the device, on the other hand, is achieved if the headpiece, web and elbow consist of zinc-plated sheet steel, preferably 1.5 mm thick.

The invention together with its further advantages and features will be apparent from the following description of one example of embodiment of the invention, with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the securing device according to the invention, in which the web projecting from a headpiece of the device is engaged with a leg of an elbow part of the device; Figure 2 shows the right-hand part of Figure 1 but with the web separated from the elbow; Figure 3 shows a device according to the invention fitted on a roof batten, in which case both parts of the two-part elbow leg on the batten side are rotated through 900 relative to one another; Figure 4 shows in schematic section the securing of a ridge batten, and Figure 5 shows in diagrammatic illustration the securing of a hip batten by means of the device according to the invention.

According to Figure 1, a device for securing a ridge or hip batten to a roof structure comprises a U-shaped headpiece 1, from the base of which a web 2 extends perpendicularly downwards, and also comprises an elbow means 3. One leg 4 of the elbow means can be connected to the web 2 by means of a locking connection, and the web 2 (in relation to its longitudinal direction and to that of the leg 4) can be fixed in a number of positions, as will be described in more detail below. The second leg 5 of the elbow means situated on the roof-batten side, comprises two-parts, one part acting as a securing part 5a and being able to be secured to a roof batten 6, for example evident in Figure 3. The other part 5b is formed in one piece with the leg 4 of the elbow 3.

It is evident from Figure 2 that the leg 4 of the elbow 3 on the web side has edge parts 7, 8 bent over by 900; the edge part 7 is provided with a row of holes 9 for engagement by teeth 10 provided on the web 2. The edge parts 8 are designed as spring.tongues and are provided with a bulge 11 for this purpose. If it is desired to connect the web 2 to the leg 4 of the elbow, firstly the teeth 10 are inserted in the desired position into the row of holes 9 and then the web 2 is pressed against the leg 4, in which case the edge parts 8 yield and because of the bulge 11 the web 2 is fixed, in the manner of a snap connection, in its final position, as illustrated in Figure 1 or Figure 3.

As is most clearly apparent from Figures 1 and 3, the two parts 5a and 5b of the leg 5 can be displaced and rotated relative to one another and can be fixed on the roof batten 6 in different mutual positions. For this purpose, the part 5a, which is designated securing part 5a in the following, has at one end a bore (not shown in the drawing) through which a threaded bolt 12 can be inserted. In the second part 5b of the leg 5 there is formed a longitudinal slot 13 through which the threaded bolt 12 is also insertable, so that relative to one another the two parts 5a and 5b are both displaceable along the slot 1 3 and are rotatable about the bolt 12.By means of a nut 14 fitted on to the bolt 12 it is possible for both parts 5a and 5b to be mutually tightened and thus fixed. It should also be noted that a slot 1 5 curved concentrically relative to the bolt 12 is formed in securing part 5a, and that between this slot and the bolt 1 2 a transverse slot 1 6 is provided, while in the part 5b, a row of holes 17 is formed extending parallel to the longitudinal slot 13. The purpose of these slots and holes is described below.

The leg 5 on the batten side or its securing part 5a is provided with bent-over edges 18, so that the securing part 5a can engage a roof batten 6 in U-shaped fashion. In the edges 18 as well as in the base of the securing part 5 it is possible for fastening holes 1 9 to be provided at various points, through which nails or screws can be passed for attachment to the roof batten. Holes 1 9 of this type are also provided in the legs of the U-shaped headpiece 1 which can likewise be connected by means of nails or screws to a ridge or hip batten.

In order to enable both legs 4 and 5 to bend relative to one another, a predetermined bending point 20 is provided, which in the example illustrated (Figures 1 and 2) is formed by notches.

The device according to the invention can be used in the following way. If the device is to be used for securing ridge battens, the securing part 5a is fastened to a roof batten 6, as shown in Figure 4, the part 5b projecting susbtantially perpendicularly from the securing part 5a, as is also shown in Figure 3. The web 2 is so engaged in the leg 4 that the headpiece 1 lies at the required height. Moreover, the leg 4 is so bent about its predetermined bending point 20 that the base of the U-shaped headpiece 1 extends substantially horizontally. Since the connection between the web 2 and the leg 4 is releasable, during the installation along a roof it is possible for the individual headpieces to be arranged subsequently at the desired height.Finally, the securing part 5a as well as the part 5b are fixed in relation to the roof batten 6 by driving in nails. As evident from Figure 3, a nail driven through a hole in the row of holes 1 7 can penetrate through the transverse slot 1 6 into the roof batten. The ridge batten 21 is likewise connected to the U-shaped headpiece 1 by means of nails or screws.

By referring to Figure 5 it is evident how, by means of the device according to the invention, a hip batten 22 (indicated in dashed lines in the drawing) is fastened above a roof truss. In the illustrated hip area the roof battens 6 converge on a hip rafter 23 at an obtuse angle. The hip batten 22 has now to be secured above this hip rafter 23, extending parallel to this latter. For this purpose, the securing parts 5a are engaged, on one side of the hip, with the roof battens and the part 5b is rotated about the threaded bolt 12 to such an extent in relation to the securing part 5a that the leg 4 together with the inserted web 2 is aligned in the hip direction. After the devices according to the invention have been fastened to different roof battens 6 in similar manner and their headpieces 1 aligned, the hip batten 22 can be inserted into the head pieces and connected thereto by nails. The fixing of the securing part 5a, as well as of part 5b, also takes place by means of nails, in this case it being possible for the nail which is driven through the hole 19 in part 5b to penetrate through the concentric slot 1 5 into the wood of the roof batten 6. A comparison of Figure 5 with Figure 4 shows that, in the case of securing a hip batten, the part 5b has been so mounted on the securing part that the leg 4 faces upwards, whereas in the case of the securing of a ridge batten according to Figure 4 the leg 4 faces downwards.Per se it is of no consequence whether the device is so assemblsd that the leg 4 faces downwards or upwards, however, a greater distance of the headpiece 1 from the associated roof batten 6 can be attained if the leg 4 faces upwards. This is frequently of advantage in the hip zone in particular.

As is clearly evident from Figure 4, the device according to the invention merely requires fastening on one side of the ridge or hip and no penetration of a thermal insulation 24 is necessary, since the fastening does not take place on the rafters 25 but on the roof battens 6 lying about the insulation. All the parts of the device according to the invention are preferably made from 1.5 mm thick, zinc-plated steel sheet, since this material firstly offers sufficient strength for the purpose in question and secondly enables the device to be manufactured in simple and inexpensive manner. It should be stressed that it is not absolutely necessary for the leg 5 of the elbow 3 to be made in two parts, as is shown in the example of embodiment. A one-piece design of the leg 5 can also be sufficient, particularly in connection with the securing or a ridge batten.

Similarly, the adjustment and fixing possibility shown between the web 2 and the leg 4 of the elbow 3 is only one of many possibilities. It is equally possible to provide a mutual toothing for both parts or to effect a connection by screws or the like, in which case a larger number of holes would be provided in each of the two parts.

Claims

1. Device for securing a ridge or hip batten to a roof structure, comprising a U-shaped headpiece for accommodating the ridge or hip batten and a web which projects from the base of the headpiece and which can be secured to a structual element of the roof structure, characterised in that an elbow means is provided for connection to the roof structure, one leg of the elbow means being fastened to a roof batten and the other leg of the elbow means being connected to the web projecting from the headpiece, the connection being adjustable to fix the web in a plurality of positions relative to the elbow means.

2. Device according to Claim 1, characterised in that a toothed connection is provided between the web and the said other leg.

3. Device according to Claim 1, characterised in that the said other leg has bent-over edge parts for engaging the web, a first edge part being provided with a row of holes for teeth provided on the web.

4. Device acdording to Claim 3, characterised in that the edge part opposite said first edge part provided with the row of holes has one or more resilient tongues provided with a bulge, these tongues engaging the web in the manner of a snap connection.

5. Device according to any of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the said one leg of the elbow means is provided with bent-over edges engaging the roof battens in U-shaped fashion.

6. Device according to any of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that in the connection zone of the legs of the elbow a predetermined bending point is provided.

7. Device according to any of Claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the said one leg of the elbow means is of two-part design, the two parts, one of which is designed as a securing part securable to a roof batten and the other part being in one piece with the said other leg of the elbow means, are mutually displaceable and/or rotatable, means being provided to fix the parts in different positions.

8. Device according to Claim 7, characterised in that the securing part has a bore for receiving a bolt or a projecting pin and in the other part a longitudinal slot for receiving the bolt is provided.

9. Device according to Claim 8, characterised in that in the securing part, a slot is formed curved concentrically in relation to the bore and the bolt.

10. Device according to Claim 8 or Claim 9, characterised in that in the said other part there is formed a row of holes extending parallel to the longitudinal slot and in the securing part there is formed a transverse slot, aligned, in use, with at least one of the row of holes.

11. Device according to any of Claims 1 to 10,, characterised in that the headpiece, web and elbow means consist of zinc-plated steel sheet.

1 2. Device for securing a ridge or hip batten to a roof structure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

13. A roof structure comprising at least one roof batten, a ridge or hip batten and a device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims securing the ridge or hip batten to the roof batten.