Background and Summary of the Invention
The invention relates generally to building structures and more particularly to raised roof edge constructions for such building structures.
Various raised rood edge assemblies, gravel stop assemblies, water dams, and the like, have been provided for purposes of anchoring sheet-like roofing membranes, retaining gravel ballast or other roofing materials controlling water drainage, and for supporting fascia members at the edge of the roof of a building structure. Examples of such previously-provided assemblies are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,719,010; Re. 26,056; 4,071,987, 4,472,913, and 4,488,384, the references cited therein, and in two copending U.S. applications owned by the same assignee as the present invention: Ser. No. 309,062, filed Oct. 6, 1981, entitled ROOF EDGE CONSTRUCTION; and Ser. No. 733,641, filed May 13, 1985, and also entitled ROOF EDGE CONSTRUCTION. The disclosures of these patents and these applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The roof edge assemblies disclosed in the above-referenced patents and applications represent great strides over previous roof edge constructions in terms of stability, simplicity, cost-effectiveness, ease of installation, and effectiveness in anchoring roofing membranes. It has been found, however, in many instances that it is desirable to even further increase the anchoring engagement of a roofing material at the edge of a building structure, and to even further increase the resistance of the roof edge assembly to wind or other uplift loads. It has also been found that the use of preformed roof-covering members, frequently referred to as "roofing pavers", has become highly desirable, and thus the use of such roofing pavers has dramatically increased.
Therefore, the present invention seeks to provide such further increased stability, and such increased anchoring and holding power of a roofing material, in a fascia mounting and supporting assembly that forms a raised roof edge or gravel stop at the outer edge of the roof structure and that is applicable in roofing systems employing roofing pavers or other such roof-covering members. The invention further addresses itself to increasing both the simplicity of the components involved in the assembly and the ease of their installation.
According to the present invention, an assembly is provided for forming a raised roof edge on a building structure of the type that typically has a generally vertical outer face and a generally horizontal roof surface with one or more roof-covering members thereon. The assembly according to the present invention includes a dam member, preferably with a vertical dam portion having an inwardly directed face for generally confronting the outer face of the building structure, and that is anchorable to the building structure generally adjacent an edge portion of the roof surface. A fascia member is installable on the dam member and preferably includes a generally concave upper portion for receiving the upper dam portion therein, as well as a lower fascia portion for receiving a lower edge portion of the dam member therein, when the fascia member is installed on the dam member.
A clamping member is provided in the above-described roof edge assembly for clampingly securing the fascia member to the dam member when the fascia member is installed thereon. Preferably the clamping member is connectable with the dam member with a portion of the clamping member engaging the fascia member so as to bias the fascia member generally against the dam member. A flashing member, which can be a separate flashing member or a flashing portion of a one-piece clamping and flashing member, generally overlaps a portion of the dam member and a portion of the roof-covering member so as to be biased against the roof-covering member and against the dam member when installed thereon. Preferably, a sheet-like roofing material is included on the horizontal roof surface, either above or below the roof-covering member or members, with the roofing material being anchored between the clamping member and the dam member. Either of the separate clamping and flashing members or the one-piece clamping and flashing members, can be either relatively resilient and compressible or relatively rigid in their compositions.
In one embodiment of the invention, a portion of the dam member includes a generally vertical intermediate portion that serves as an end stop for the roof-covering member or members. In an alternate embodiment of the invention, however, such intermediate portion slopes generally downwardly and inwardly relative to the building roof structure to engage the edge portions of the roof-covering member or members, which can be either generally squared-off or beveled in configuration.
Additional objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary raised roof edge assembly secured to the top edge of a building in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the roof edge assembly of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, similar to that of FIG. 2, but illustrating another embodiment of the roof edge assembly according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 2, but illustrating still another embodiment of the roof edge assembly according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 2, but illustrating a further embodiment of the roof edge assembly according to the present invention.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
FIGS. 1 through 5 illustrate various exemplary embodiments of an assembly for forming a raised roof edge on a building structure in accordance with the present invention. It should be noted, however, that the present invention is applicable in roof edge assemblies for building structures other than that shown for purposes of illustration in the drawings, as well as in other applications for forming building edge constructions.
In FIGS. 1 and 2, a preferred raised roof edge assembly 10 for forming a raised roof edge and water dam on a horizontal roof surface 12 of a building structure 14 generally includes a dam member 20, a fascia member 40, and a clamping and flashing member 50 for securing the fascia member 40 to the dam member 20. Preferably, and perhaps more commonly in practice, the assembly 10 also includes a portion of a preferably flexible and resilient roofing material 80 overlappingly engaging the dam member 20 and being grippingly interposed between clamping and flashing member 50 and the dam member 20. In the application illustrated in the drawings, the building structure 14 includes one or a number of roofing pavers or other roof-covering members 90 on the horizontal roof surface 12. Such roofing pavers are typically in the form of preformed concrete roof paving blocks or panels, or other preformed or precast generally flat roof-covering members, although other forms of roof-covering members can be employed.
The preferred dam member 20 includes a generally vertical dam portion 22 having an inwardly directed face 24 positionable in a generally confronting relationship with an outer face 16 of the building structure 14. The vertical dam portion 22 extends generally upwardly from a lower dam edge portion 26 to an upper dam portion 28 disposed above the roof surface 12 of the building structure 14 when the vertical dam portion 22 is positioned thereon. The dam member 20 preferably also includes a sloping transverse dam portion 30, extending generally downwardly and inwardly from the top of the upper dam portion 28, and a generally vertical intermediate dam portion 31. The intermediate portion 31 serves as an end stop for the roofing pavers 90. A generally horizontal flange portion 32, which is preferably provided at the lower edge of the intermediate dam portion 31, can be secured to building structure by roofing nails or other suitable fasteners 34 for attaching the transverse dam portion 30 to the roof 12. Such fasteners 34 may not be necessary in some applications, however, because of the anchoring effect of the roofing pavers 90 as a result of their overlapping engagement with the flange 32. Fasteners 36 are preferably provided, however, for attaching or anchoring the vertical dam portion 22 to the outer face 16 of the building structure 14. The lower dam edge portion 26 can advantageously be bent or otherwise formed in a generally downwardly and outwardly extending direction (as shown in the drawings).
The preferred fascia member 40 is formed of a sheet material, such as sheet metal, extruded metal, or plastic, for example, and preferably includes a generally vertical fascia portion 42 extending between a lower channel portion 44 and a generally concave upper portion 46. As is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the concave upper portion 46 receives and overlappingly engages a compression portion 52 of the clamping and flashing member 50, and the lower channel portion 44 interlockingly receives the lower dam edge portion 26. A flashing portion 54 of the one-piece clamping and flashing member 50 overlaps part of the transverse dam portion 30 and the roofing paver 90. A number of fasteners 56 preferably secure the clamping and flashing member 50 to the transverse dam portion 30 in order to bias the fascia member 40 generally against the dam member 20 and to bias the flashing portion 54 generally against both the dam member 20 and the roofing paver 90. Thus the fascia member 40 is securingly and interlockingly retained on the dam member 20, and the roofing paver 90 is urged against the roof surface 12, by the clamping and flashing member 50, which can be formed from a resilient sheet-like spring material, such as aluminum or spring steel, for example. If formed from such a resilient material, the clamping and flashing member 50 is resiliently and compressively deflected by the fasteners 56 in order to resiliently bias the fascia member 40 against the dam member 20 and to resiliently bias the flashing portion 54 against the dam member 20 and the roofing paver 90.
The roofing material 80 is preferably a flexible sheet-like material, which may be a resilient plastic, a resilient rubber or other elastomeric material, a tar paper, a roofing felt, or other suitable roofing materials known to those skilled in the art. The roofing material 80 is preferably flatly retained and anchored on the roof surface 12 by the roofing pavers 90. A portion of the roofing material 80 is interposed and gripped between at least the sloping dam portion 30 and the compression and flashing member 50. The roofing material 80 is shown in FIGS. 1 through 5 as extending over the upper dam portion 28 to be grippingly engaged by the clamping and flashing member 50 and to also overlappingly engage the vertical dam portion 22 and be grippingly engaged between the vertical dam portion 22 and the fascia member 40. Although such an arrangement is preferred, it may be found to be sufficient in some applications if the roofing material extends only far enough to be engaged and grippingly secured between the clamping and flashing member 50 and the dam member 20.
Because the roofing material 80 is grippingly anchored between the clamping and flashing member 50 and the dam member 20, and flatly anchored to the roof surface 12 by the roofing pavers 90, it is very positively and securely retained on the building structure and protected from wind or other forces. By such an arrangement, tears, fatigue failures or punctures tht could cause leaks in the roofing material 80 are substantially avoided, thereby adding to the durability and life of the overall roof structure. Furthermore, because of the above-described anchoring engagement of the roofing pavers 90 with the dam member 20, the stability and resistance to uplift of the entire roof edge assembly 10 is greatly enhanced over that of more conventional roof edge structures.
FIG. 3 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the invention, wherein a raised roof edge assembly 10a is generally similar to the raised roof edge assembly 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, with the exception of the provision of alternate two-piece clamping and flashing means in the form of a separate clamping member 52a and a separate flashing member 54a. Since the remaining components of the alternate raised roof edge assembly 10a are substantially similar to the corresponding components of the raised roof edge assembly 10, the same reference numerals are used to indicate such similar corresponding components. It should also be noted that the various optional variations pointed out above in connection with the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 are generally also applicable in the other embodiments of the invention.
The alternate clamping member 52a and separate flashing member 54a shown in FIG. 3 are similar in function to the one-piece clamping and flashing member 50 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, except that they are separate members and the preferably resilient clamping member 52a engages and preferably resiliently biases the separate flashing member 54a, in a generally flat configuration against the transverse dam portion 30 of the dam member 20, as well as against the roofing pavers 90. In order to accomplish such a result, the clamping member 52a preferably includes an angulated portion 53 that is curved or angulated in a direction opposite that of a generally arcuate or concave portion 55a of the clamping member 52a. In virtually all other respects, however, the roof edge assembly 10a is generally functionally equivalent and structurally similar to the roof edge assembly 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2.
In FIG. 4, another alternate embodiment of the invention is illustrated, wherein the roof edge assembly 10b is generally similar to the roof edge assembly 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2, except for the substitution of a dam member 20b that eliminates the generally vertically-extending intermediate dam portion 31 of the dam member 20 in FIGS. 1 and 2. The dam member 20b generally includes a vertical dam portion 22b, an inwardly directed face 24b, a lower dam edge portion 26b, an upper dam portion 28b, a transverse dam portion 30b, and a flange portion 32b. It should be noted in this regard that the alternate dam member 20b can also optionally be employed with the alternate clamping member 52a and separate flashing member 54a of FIG. 3.
Also, FIG. 4 illustrates the use of an optical roofing paver 90b, which has a beveled edge. It should be noted that either the optical beveled roofing paver 90b, shown in FIG. 4, or the generally squared-off roofing paver 90, shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, and 5, can be used in any of the embodiments shown and described herein.
In the alternate construction shown in FIG. 4, the alternate dam member 20b does not provide as much of a positive end stop for the roofing pavers 90, but rather it provides a somewhat increased supporting effect for the roofing material 80 between the roofing pavers 90 and the gripping engagement of the clamping and flashing member 50 (or the alternate separate flashing member 54a). In other aspects, the roof edge assembly 10b is generally functionally equivalent and structurally similar to the embodiments of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, and therefore the remaining elements are illustrated with the same reference numerals as those used for similar or corresponding elements in the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2.
FIG. 5 illustrates still another optional construction, wherein a roof edge assembly 10c includes a roofing material 80c that is disposed above, rather than below, the roofing pavers 90 and thus can be used to substantially prevent the introduction of water or other foreign material between the roofing pavers 90. Although this alternate arrangement does not provide for the above-discussed anchoring of the roofing material 80c by the roofing pavers 90, it can optionally be employed with any of the above-discussed embodiments, or variations thereon, if deemed to be advantageous in a particular roof structure application. Similar to the alternate or optional embodiments discussed above, the remaining components are substantially similar to the corresponding elements of FIGS. 1 and 2 and thus are similarly numbered in FIG. 5.
The foregoing discussion discloses and describes exemplary embodiments of the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings, that various changes, modifications, and variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.