GB2474501A

GB2474501A - Roof support member with substantially unsupported underside

Info

Publication number: GB2474501A
Application number: GB0918210A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew Thomson
Original assignee: Ultraframe UK Ltd
Current assignee: Ultraframe UK Ltd
Priority date: 2009-10-16
Filing date: 2009-10-16
Publication date: 2011-04-20
Anticipated expiration: 2029-10-16
Also published as: GB0918210D0; GB2474501B

Abstract

A roof support for a conservatory comprising a longitudinal beam 11, to which one or more roof members 12 are joined, the underside surface of which is substantially unsupported. The underside surface 11 a may be curved in cross section. The longitudinal beam may be hollow and may be adapted to function as a gutter.

Description

A ROOF SUPPORT

The present invention relates to a support for a roof structure of a building, especially to a roof support for a conservatory.

In buildings such as conservatories, roof members including glazing bars and glazing panels are typically pitched and supported by a longitudinal beam, often referred to as an eaves beam. An eaves beam is usually substantially horizontal and supported on its underside along its length by a wall structure or by the frames of underlying vertical glazing panels.

Usually an eaves beam is the uppermost structural element in the vertical plane containing said vertical glazing panels, and as such may have guttering to catch rainwater, etc., which drains off the pitched roof members. A gutter is typically of hollow box-section which is open on its upper side to allow water in, and affixed to an exterior vertical surface of an eaves beam. * *** * * I

It is however known to provide an eaves beam which has a box-section gutter I...

incorporated into it, so that the beam itself has an integral gutter component. I... I: 20

I.....

* 1 Conservatory design is constantly evolving, particularly with a view to providing an *I1I : increased glazed area, with the associated feelings of increased light and space, within what would otherwise have been a building having one or more conventional walls.

In some circumstances, it may be desirable to provide a conservatory roof over a substantially open (i.e. open to the outdoors environment) space. A problem arises in such cases as to the manner in which to support the roof member because a conventional eaves beam, whether with or without an integral gutter, requires support itself from underlying glazing panel frames, and as such is not suitable for purpose.

It would therefore be desirable to provide an eaves beam-type support structure which is suitable for use with such novel conservatory designs.

Accordingly the present invention provides a roof support for a conservatory comprising a longitudinal beam, to which one or more roof members are joined, the underside surface of which is substantially unsupported. By "substantially unsupported" it is meant that the majority, if not all, of the underside of the longitudinal beam is unsupported. If some underside surface support is present, it would only require a minority portion of the surface area. Such a roof support is especially useful because it can be used regardless of the pitch (i.e. the angle made with the horizontal) of the roof members and associated glazing panels.

To achieve a substantially unsupported longitudinal beam, the underside surface of : said beam is preferably curved in cross section. This curvature appears to be advantageous in terms of facilitating support of roof members of different pitch.

**, 20 Typically the longitudinal beam will be horizontal, as this is often preferred for the * : aesthetic of a building / conservatory. **** * * * ** S

* Preferably the longitudinal beam is hollow. Further preferably the longitudinal beam is S.* * adapted to function as a gutter. Whether to seal the ends of the gutter, or purely from an aesthetic point of view, the longitudinal beam may be provided with removably sealable end caps.

Typically the longitudinal beam may be supportable in at least two different locations along its length. Support may be provided at each of the ends of the longitudinal beam.

To provide the described support, a post may be provided at each end of the longitudinal beam.

In one embodiment, the posts may be substantially vertical and thereby able to downwardly distribute the weight of the supported roof members and associated glazing panels.

The posts may be joined to the underside of the longitudinal beam, preferably to a curved underside surface such that, regardless of the pitch of the roof members and associated glazing panels, the same posts may be used (i.e. different posts are not required depending on the pitch of the roof members).

As described earlier, the longitudinal beam may be adapted to function as a gutter, in S...

.. which case, the substantially vertical posts may be correspondingly adapted to function S...

as downspouts from the gutter S...

*:... In a second embodiment, the posts may be substantially horizontal and joinable to a further support structure, such as a wall structure associated with the conservatory, and thereby able to cantilever the weight of the supported roof members through to the S * further support structure.

Whether the posts are substantially vertical or substantially horizontal in their orientation, the posts may be connected to the aforementioned end caps. In this manner, the underside surface of the longitudinal beam is totally unsupported; rather it is the end surfaces of the beam which provide support for it.

In addition to, or as an alternative to one or more posts, supporting walls at each end of the longitudinal beam may provide support for it. Again, the underside surface of the beam is totally unsupported.

The roof support as hereinbefore described may be used in a roof in which one or more roof members are provided at a pitch of from 00 to 500. In practice, a typical pitch may fall in the range of from 50 to 450 When used in a conservatory, or other similar glazed structure, the roof members may be glazing bars onto which glazing panels are locatable and fixable in known manner.

The longitudinal beam may be fixed to each glazing bar in two different locations, preferably in one location on the upper surface of ihe glazing bar and prcferab!y in one location on the lower surface of the glazing bar. *...

.. : From an aesthetic point of view, the free ends of each of the glazing bars and glazing S..... panels may preferably terminate within the longitudinal beam. This may be more easily *.*.* 20 achieved when the beam is hollow, and is of course further advantageous from a functional perspective when the beam is adapted to function as a gutter. * S*

Typically the glazing bars and glazing panels will have one free end, i.e. that which is S.....

distal from the building, e.g. house, to which the conservatory or the like is constructed.

However it is possible that the conservatory or the like is free standing such that both ends of the glazing bars and glazing panels may be free ends, in which case a roof support according to the invention may be implemented at both ends.

A roof support according to the invention may be readily implemented in a conservatory roof, or the roof of another such glazed structure. A roof support according to the invention may be especially useful in a veranda roof.

For a better understanding, the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to and as shown in the accompanying schematic drawings (not to scale) in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a veranda style conservatory design incorporating a roof support according to the invention; Figure 2 is a detailed view of part of the roof support shown in Figure 1; Figures 3a and 3b are cross section through a roof support according to the invention showing the roof members at different pitches; Figure 4 is a perspective view of part of the roof support shown in the previous Figures; * * * ** * S... * S *.S.

Figures 5a and 5b are perspective views, exploded and assembled respectively, of part *.SS of the roof support shown in the previous Figures. *... * S*

S Figures 1 and 2 show a veranda style conservatory 10 comprising a roof support, in the **5S*S

S S

form of a longitudinal eaves beam 11, to which a number of roof members, in the form of glazing bars 12 and glazing panels 13, are joined. As is clearly illustrated, the underside surface ha of beam 11 is substantially unsupported along it length; in fact the underside surface 1 Ia is totally unsupported along its length.

Conservatory 10 further comprises vertical side walls 14a,14b and substantially vertical supporting post 15. Side wall 14b is shorter in length that side wall 14a, in that it does not extend to and beyond the ends of roofs members 12, 13 comprised in roof 16.

Rather one corner of the roof 16 is supported by post 15, with the other three corners being supported by side walls 14a,14b.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, roof 16 is at a pitch of around 7° to the horizontal.

As is more clearly shown in Figure 2, the underside surface ha of beam 11 is curved in cross section and beam 11 has been adapted to function as a gutter. The ends of beam 11 are provided with end caps 17a,17b, which are removably sealable and prevent leakage of water from within beam 11. End cap I 7a is used to fix beam 11 to wall 14a, whilst end cap 17b is used to cap beam 11 and also for joining to post 15.

Figure 4 shows end cap 17b screwed into position with screws 40 on one end of longitudinal beam 11. Figure 4 shows that end cap 1 7b is provided with a vertical tang 41 that engages with post 15 to thereby join post 15 to beam 11 and allow the weight of * ..S : supported roof members 12,13 to be downwardly distributed. **** * *

Further detail of longitudinal beam 11 is shown in Figures 3a and 3b, which show a roof **** 16 at different extremes of pitch: the pitch in Figure 3a is 5° whilst in Figure 3b the pitch is 40°. The glazing bar 12 and glazing panel 13 shown are provided with capping 21 to fix glazing panel 13 into place on glazing bar 12. Glazing bar 12 is additionally * provided with an under-fixed cladding 22.

The underside surface ha of beam 11 is again curved in cross section and beam 11 has been adapted to function as a gutter (it is hollow). Longitudinal beam 11 is so shaped such that its curved underside surface ha rises to form a flat surface lIb on one of its sides; said flat surface llb abuts cladding 22. Each of glazing bar 12, glazing panel 13 and capping 21 terminate inside beam 11 such that water can drain off each into the gutter and also to provide a decorative finish to the end of each.

Longitudinal beam 11 is fixed to glazing bar 12 in two locations 23,24 using conventional fixing means, e.g. screws. Upper location 23 fixes beam 11 to the upper surface 12a of glazing bar 12, whilst lower location 24 fixes beam 11 to the lower surface 12b of glazing bar 12. Providing fixing at the top and bottom of the hollow section reinforces the longitudinal beam by preventing distortion and then buckling of the beam when subjected to a load. Post 15 is joined to the curved underside surface ha of beam 11 at fixing point 15a. Because of the nature of the curved surface, i.e. it is of constant radius, as the pitch of roof 16 changes (shown from Figures 3a to 3b), beam 11 is simply rotated accordingly about its longitudinal axis such that vertical post 15 can be joined to the underside surface i Ia of beam ii without any probomz as to its orientation and manner of fixing.

.. : Figures 5a and 5b finally illustrate how water is able to drain out of longitudinal beam S...

S..... 11, when it is adapted to function as a gutter. The curved underside surface ha of beam 11 is provided with an aperture 50 which leads into hollow post 15, functioning as S...

a downspout. To prevent post 15 from becoming blocked with fallen leaves and other debris, an apertured cap 51 is fitted inside beam 11 and on top of aperture 50. Cap 51 is fitted with screws 52 which screw through screw holes 53 in beam 11 and into screw S.. S*.

holes 54 in post 15. The apertured cap 51 also reinforces the connection of the structural post 15 by distributing the load caused by the fixings.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A roof support for a conservatory comprising a longitudinal beam, to which one or more roof members are joined, the underside surface of which is substantially unsupported.
2. A roof support as claimed in claim I wherein the underside surface is curved in cross section.
3. A roof support as claimed in claim I or claim 2 wherein the longitudinal beam is hollow.
4. A roof support as claimed in claim 3 wherein the longitudinal beam is adapted to function as a gutter.
5. A roof support as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the longitudinal beam *:::: is provided with removably sealable end caps. * * **.*
6. A roof support as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the longitudinal beam **.* is supportable in at least two different locations along its length. *.*S* * * * S..

:
7. A roof support as claimed in claim 6 wherein support is provided at each of the ends of the longitudinal beam.
8. A roof support as claimed in claim 7 wherein a post is provided at each end of the longitudinal beam.
9. A roof support as claimed in claim 8 wherein the posts are substantially vertical, and thereby able to downwardly distribute the weight of the supported roof members.
10. A roof support as claimed in claim 9 wherein the posts are joined to the underside of the longitudinal beam.
11. A roof support as claimed in claim 9 or claim 10, when dependent on claim 4, wherein the substantially vertical posts are adapted to function as downspouts from the gutter.
12. A roof support as claimed in claim 8 wherein the posts are substantially horizontal and joinable to a further support structure, and thereby able to cantilever the weight of the supported roof members through to the further support structure.
13. A roof support as claimed in any of claims 8, 9 or 12, when dependent on claim * .* * : 5, wherein the posts are connected to the end caps. **** * * *.**
14. A roof support as claimed in claim 7 wherein supporting walls at each end of the *.** longitudinal beam provide support for it. *.** * * *
15. A roof support as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the one or more roof ****** * * members are provided at a pitch of from 00 to 50°.
16. A roof support as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the roof members are glazing bars onto which glazing panels are locatable.
17. A roof support as claimed in claim 16 wherein the longitudinal beam is fixed to each glazing bar in two different locations.
18. A roof support as claimed in claim 16 or claim 17 wherein the free ends of each of the glazing bars and glazing panels terminate within the longitudinal beam.
19. Use of a roof support as claimed in any preceding claim in a conservatory roof.
20. Use of a roof support as claimed in claim 19 in a veranda roof.
21. A roof support substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings. *S.. * I I I* * S... * .* IS * *I.I * S ****S55IIIb * . * S.. * . . S. SSI.....I