GB2147027A - Roof and tiles - Google Patents

Abstract

Fig. 1 shows the underside of a tile 9, end 15 being the upper end of the tile when in place on the roof. Tile 9 has roll 11 and flat 10 portions side by side. A cutaway portion of the free edge of roll 11 extends from its upper end 15 and has a transverse shoulder 22 at its lower end. The tiles are in staggered columns up the roof, so that a part of the flat portion 10 of each tile is received in the cut away portion of an adjacent tile. The lower end 31 of flat portion 10 of the upper tile is then next to transverse shoulder 22 of the lower tile and, in the region of the joint, on one of the tiles there is a longitudinally extending surface 24 positioned to prevent ingress of water between the two tiles in the space between the transverse shoulder 22 and the lower end of the flat portion of the adjacent tile. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Tiled roofs The invention relates to "Tiled Roofs" and more particularly to roofs which are tiled with tiles which are generally rectangular, each tile having a flat portion and a roll portion in side by side relation. Tiles of this general shape made from clay have been known for very many years and have been used particularly in southern france to create roofs having a pleasing visual appearance. In more recent years, attempts have been made to produce concrete roofing tiles having the same general appearance and enhanced performance vis-a-vis clay tiles of similar shape. one of the major difficulties, particularly in countries where building standards are not adhered to, is the lack of any consistency in the workmanship by the tilers who are responsible for assembling the tiles on a roof and achieving a satisfactory interlock of the tiles.This state of affairs is compounded by the inaccuracies which prevail in the machining and positioning of the tile battens on a roof. The problem of achieving a satisfactory roof structure using tiles as described above is discussed in more detail in Applicant's prior British Patents No. 201 3262 and 2082223. Both of these prior patents describe solutions to the problem of achieving a satisfactory interlock between tiles of the type described above arranged in staggered formation.

However, a number of the prior art arrangements, and even to some extent the arrangements described in the two British Patents mentioned above, have suffered from the disadvantage that, under certain weather conditions of wind and rain, water can be blown or drawn by negative pressure between the tiles.

The various rib formations on the tiles described in the above two British Patents have reduced this problem but it has still been found that, because of the gaps which exist between the tiles at the point where adjacent staggered tiles interlock, water can pass directly into the space below the tiles. The present invention seeks to overcome this problem.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a tiled roof comprising a multiplicity of roofing tiles, each tile comprising a roll portion and a generally flat portion in side by side relation and including a cutaway portion of the free edge of the roll portion of the tile extending from an upper end of the tile and defining a transverse shoulder at its lower end, the tiles being located in columns up the roof and arranged such that the tiles in adjacent columns are staggered with respect to one another with a part of the flat portion of each tile (other than end tiles of rows) being received in the cutaway portion of an adjacent tile in an adjacent column and with the lower end of the flat portion next to the transverse shoulder, in which there is provided in the region of the joint between the transverse shoulder and the lower end of the flat portion, on one of each two said adjacent tiles, a longitudinally extending surface which is positioned to prevent ingress of water between the two said adjacent tiles in the space between the transverse shoulder and the lower end of the flat portion.

The longitudinally extending surface is preferably sufficiently long that where two adjacent tiles are incorrectly positioned by a tiler and a definite gap exists between the lower end of the flat portion and the transverse shoulder, the surface will still be effective to inhibit the passage of water between the tiles.

In one embodiment the longitudinally extending surface is provided by an abutment on the cutaway portion adjacent the transverse shoulder. Preferably each tile further comprises a step formed in its lower end adjacent the free edge of the flat portion defining a longitudinal shoulder which cooperates with the abutment on the cutaway portion.

In a second embodiment the longitudinally extending surface is provided as an extension beyond the lower end of the flat portion of each tile which cooperates with the free edge of the roll portion in a position down the roof from the transverse shoulder.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, by way of example, of a preferred embodiment of a roof structure according to the invention and a modification thereto, the description being read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:: Figure 1 is an underneath plan view of a first roofing tile for use in the invention; Figure 2 is an end view of the tile in the direction of arrow 2 in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view of the tile along the lines 3-3 of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a section along the line 4-4 of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a section along the line 5-5 of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a longitudinal section through a roof according to the invention and including a number of tiles as shown in figures 1 to 5,; Figure 7 is a plan view of the roof of Figure 6; Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view showing part of the interlock between two of the tiles of Figures 1 to 5; Figure 9 is an underneath plan of a second tile; Figure 10 is an end view of the second tile in the direction of arrow A in Figure 9; and Figure 11 is an exploded perspective view similar to Figure 8 showing the interlock between tiles as in Figures 9 and 10.

Referring to the drawings, and first to Fig ures 1 to 5, first moulded concrete roofing tile 9 comprises two major portions, a portion 10 which is generally flat when viewed from above the tile and a portion 11 which is in the form of an approximately semi-circular roll.

These portions will hereafter referred to as the flat portion 10 and the roll portion 11. At the free edge of the flat portion 10, the thickness of the tile is reduced and there is provided an upturned edge 1 2 which defines a channel 1 3 extending along that edge of the tile. It will be seen from Figure 2 that the free edge of the roll portion 11 of the tile does not extend to the same level as the underside of the portion 10. The difference is equal to half the thickness of the portion 10 as viewed in Figure 2.

On its underside (see Figure 1) the tile 9 is provided with a projecting nib 14 which is formed on the flat portion 10 of the tile and is adjacent one end 1 5 of the tile. The tile is hung, in use, from a batten by means of the nib 14 and the end 1 5 of the tile is then the upper end of the tile.

The underside of the tile is also provided with weathering ribs 1 6 and 1 7 which extend across both the flat and roll portions of the tile to prevent capillary flow of water from one tile to another adjacent aligned tile when the tiles are laid on the roof in known manner. A rib 18 is formed on the underside of the roll portion 11 and extends across part of the width of that portion only and a boss 1 9 is also formed on the underside of the flat portion 10 of the tile. The rib 1 8 and boss 1 9 facilitate the stacking of tiles which, because of the thickness of an abutment 25 to be described hereinafter, would not otherwise form even stacks for packaging and transportation.

It will be seen from Figure 1 that the tile 9 is generally retangular in plan view but has a number of cutaway portions around its edges.

These will now be described in more detail.

The free edge 20 of the roll portion 11 of the tile is cutaway at 21 for approximately two thirds of the length of the tile extending from the upper edge 1 5 of the tile to a shoulder 22. The edge 20 of the tile is further cutaway at 23 to provide a generally square recess between the upper end 1 5 of the tile and the cutaway portion 21.

Adjacent the shoulder 22, the cutaway portion 21 of the tile has an enlarged wall portion 24. The tile at wall portion 24 is thickened at 25 to provide the wall portion 24, the depth of which is approximately double the thickness of the tile at cutaway portion 21.

The bottom edge 30 of the tile 9 is cutaway over the width of the flat portion 10 of the tile in two steps 31, 32. Step 31 extends across the width of the flat portion 10 of the tile excluding the upturned edge 1 2 and step 32 extends over the width of the upturned edge 12 and channel 1 3. Shoulders 33, 34 are defined by steps 31, 32 respectively.

The purpose of the various cutaway portions of the tile 9 and the shoulders thereby created will be apparent from the description below of a roof structure incorporating tiles 9.

It will be appreciated that, in order to complete the roof structure, trough tiles and short tiles approximately half the exposed length of the tile 9 (neither of which are illustrated) will be provided to complete the roof structure and will be designed to cooperate and interlock with tiles 9.

A roof structure embodying tiles 9 of Figures 1 to 5 will now be described with reference to Figures 6, 7 and 8.

The basic structure of the framework of the roof 39 is of known type and consists of rafters (not shown) extending upwardly from and fixedto the walls of a building on which the roof is located. Fixed transversly of the rafters are a number of first battens 40, 41, 42 which are spaced apart in the usual way by the length of the tiles 9 minus the required overlap between tiles in the same column. As can be seen in Figure 7, the tiles are laid in columns viewed up the roof, first columns of tiles being indicated by A and second columns of tiles being indicated by B. Second battens 43, 44, 45 are also fixed to the rafters transversly of the rafters but parallel to the battens 40, 41, 42 and spaced midway between those first battens. The tiles are then hung on the battens as follows.

A vertical column of the verge tiles (not shown in Figures 6 or 7) is first hung in mutually overlapping relation up the roof at the right had edge of the roof. Next, a first vertical column A of tiles 9 is hung on the first battens 40, 41, 42, the lowermost tile in the column being a short tile as hereinbefore described. The short tile 50 is hung from batten 40 with its roll portion 11 resting in the lower most trough tile (not shown). A tile 9 is then hung from batten 41 by hooking nib 14 over the batten, the second tile overlapping the first tile as shown in Figure 7. The rest of the first vertical column A of tiles 9 is then hung in similar fashion progressing up the roof.

A second vertical column B of tiles 9 is then hung on the battens 43, 44, 45, the lower most tile of the row B being hung by its nib 14 from batten 43 and the remaining tiles being hung in sequence progressing up the roof as described above for column A. In this way, the two rows A, B of tiles 9 are staggered in relation to one another, the amount of stagger being half the length of the exposed portion of the tile. Further rows of tiles 9 are then hung alternatly as rows A and B in similar fashion until the roof is completed, alternate columns A being hung from first battens 40, 41, 42 and alternate columns B hung from second battens 43, 44, 45.

As will be appreciated from Figure 7, the interlock between adjacent tiles in adjacent columns is relatively complicated and makes use of the cut outs in the tiles described above. Referring particularly to figures 7 and 8, it will be seen that the basic interlock between tiles in adjacent columns is achieved by the free edge of cutaway portion 21 resting in channel 1 3 of an adjacent tile. Shoulder 22 then faces step 31 of the adjacent tile and as will be seen in Figure 8, this means that wall portion 24 and shoulder 34 of the adjacent tile face each other. Although not clearly shown in Figure 7, it will be appreciate from a consideration of Figure 7 with Figure 1 that the thickened portion 25 of one tile 9 locates in cutaway portion 23 of an adjacent tile 9 in the same column and this is the purpose of cutaway 23.The location of thickened portion 25 in adjacent cutaway 23 ensures that the overlapping tile in any particular column rests as closely as possible on the underlying tile and the effect of this is that the portions of ribs 1 6 and 1 7 which extend on the underside of the roll portion 11 of one tile then lie closely over the upper surface of the roll portion of the underlying tile. As has been mentioned above this tends to prevent water (for example rain water) passing up the underlying tile and leaking into the roof space.

However, it will also be appreciated that while the ribs, 16, 1 7 tend to prevent water leaking into the roof in a way described above, they do have the effect of diverting that water down the roll portion 11 of the tile onto the flat portion 10 and thence along the step 32 of the overlying tile and into the channel 1 3 of the underlying tile. A problem which has been encountered with previous roll tiles of the same general type as tile 9 is that this water has tended to leak or be blown under the cutaway portion 21 and into the roof space. As will be appreciated from Figure 8, the relative disposition of wall portion 24 and shoulder 34 prevents this sideways ingress of water into the roof space.

Thus, the arrangement of ribs and cutouts described above has the effect of channelling rain water impinging on the roof into the channel 1 3 of the tiles and thence down the roof into guttering provided on the roof, or, as is commonplace in Southern France, the rain passes via water sports or gargoyle tiles to fall clear of the wall of the dwelling. The upturned edges 1 2 of the tiles help to present water passing down the channels 1 3 passing over the edges of the tiles into the roof space.

It is possible to make a satisfactory roof with modifications of the tile shown in Figures 1 to 5. A first modification is to omit the cutaway 23 and a second alternative modification is to omit the step 31 which defines the shoulder 33. It is preferred that in these arrangements the tile is foreshortened so that the length of the tile would be from the step 31 to the shoulder of the cutaway 23. Obviously the nib 14 would have to be repositioned further down the tile.

The above is a relatively simple modification but a tile which has been further modified is shown in Figures 9 to 11. This tile is similar to the tile which has already been described with reference to Figures 1 to 5 but the cutaway 1 23 is of less depth than the cutaway 23 in the first tile, and although there is a cutaway 131, instead of the further cutaway 32 there is provided an extension 140 of the upturned edge portion of the free edge of the generally flat portion of the tile and the extension extends beyond the step 131 which provides the lower end of the flat portion of the tile.

Figure 11 shows how two adjacent tiles cooperate together on the roof and it will be seen that the extension 140 underlies the roll portion of the adjacent tile. In addition the extension 1 40 of each tile in one column is partially accommodated in the space provided by the cutaway 123 in the tile disposed one tile down in the next column.

It will further be appreciate that double battening arrangement described above allows the construction of the roof with tiles arranged in staggered columns but using only identical tiles through out (except at the edges of the roof).

A roof as described above simulates roof made from the sort of clay tiles which are commonly found in Southern France where the clay tiles are laid in staggered formation.

In this way it is possible to form a roof having all the advantages of moulded concrete tiles yet having a traditional appearance.

The invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments described above and various modifications may be made. For example in practice, the roof may be tiled not by hanging complete vertical rows of tiles as described above but by hanging a few tiles of a first vertical column A then a few of a second column B and a third column A and then returning to the first column. In addition the invention may usefully be applied to tiles with two hanging ribs as disclosed in said British Patent No. 2013262.

Claims (11)

1. A tiled roof comprising a multiplicity of roofing tiles, each tile comprising a roll portion and a generally flat portion in side by side relation and including a cutaway portion of the free edge of the roll portion of the tile extending from an upper end of the tile and defining a transverse shoulder at its lower end, the tiles being located in columns up the roof and arranged such that the tiles in adjacent columns are staggered with respect to one another with a part of the flat portion of each tile (other than end tiles of rows) being received in the cutaway portion of an adjacent tile in an adjacent column and with the lower end of the flat portion next to the transverse shoulder, in which there is provided in the region of the joint between the transverse shoulder and the lower end of the flat portion, on one of each two said adjacent tiles, a longitudinally extending surface which is positioned to prevent ingress of water between the two said adjacent tiles in the space between the transverse shoulder and the lower end of the flat portion.

2. A tiled roof as claimed in Claim 1 in which the longitudinally extending surface is provided by an abutment on the cutaway portion adjacent the transverse shoulder.

3. A tiled roof as claimed in Claim 2 in which each tile further comprises a step formed in its lower end adjacent the free edge of the flat portion defining a longitudinal shoulder which cooperates with the abutment on the cutaway portion.

4. A tiled roof as claimed in Claim 1 in which the longitudinally extending surface is provided as an extension beyond the lower end of the flat portion of each tile which cooperates with the free edge of the roll portion in a position down the roof from the transverse shoulder.

5. A tiled roof as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which each tile further comprises an upturned edge portion of the free edge of the generally flat portion of the tile, the upturned edge defining a channel in which the cutaway portion of an adjacent tile is located.

6. A tiled roof as claimed in Claim 5 as dependent from Claim 4 in which the longitudinally extending surface is formed as a downwardly extending projection of the upturned edge portion.

7. A tiled roof as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the roll portion of each tile has a cutaway recess at its upper end extending from the cutaway portion, the abutment of one tile being located, in use, in the cutaway recess of an adjacent tile in the same column.

8. A tiled roof as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which all the tiles (other than at the edges of the roof) are substantially identical.

9. A tiled roof as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising ribs formed on the underneath of the tile for averting the ingress of water.

10. A tiled roof substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 8 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A tiled roof substantially as hereinbefore described modified with reference to and as shown in Figures 9 to 11 of the accompanying drawings.