WO2010101475A1

WO2010101475A1 - Fastener for equipment on a roof and use of same

Info

Publication number: WO2010101475A1
Application number: PCT/NO2010/000083
Authority: WO
Inventors: Magne Gabrielsen
Original assignee: Bremår Eiendom As
Priority date: 2009-03-04
Filing date: 2010-03-03
Publication date: 2010-09-10
Also published as: NO20100286L

Abstract

A fastener (1) for installing equipment (4) on a roof (2) including corrugated sheets (20) with wave troughs (22) and wave crests (24), the fastener (1) including: - an anchor (10) with a centre rod (12) which is hinged to fold-out arms (102), the arms (102) being arranged to be unfolded from a folded-up idle position into an extended position of use defined by at least one stop for the arms (102), the arms (102) being arranged to be fixed against the underside of the roof (2) in their position of use; - an anchor support (14) arranged to be fixed against the top side of the roof (2); - the anchor (10) and anchor support (14) being arranged to be releasably connected; and - at least one equipment holder (16) arranged to connect the anchor support (14) to said equipment (4) on the roof (2). The fold-out arms (102) are arranged to form a first bridge which extends across at least two neighbouring wave troughs (22) on the underside of the corrugated roof (2); and - the anchor support (14) is arranged to form a second bridge which extends across at least three neighbouring wave crests (24) on the top side of the corrugated roof (2). A method of installing the fastener (1) is described as well.

Description

FASTENER FOR EQUIPMENT ON A ROOF AND USE OF SAME

The invention relates to a fastener for equipment on a roof. More particularly, the invention relates to a fastener for use on relatively flat roofs including corrugated sheets. The equipment may comprise safety equipment for personnel working on the roof .

It is normal to provide petrol stations with roofs over the fuel pumps. The roof is to provide protection from precipitation. Normally, such roofs are relatively flat but with a slight slope for water to run off. At least a couple of times a year, such roofs must be inspected from the top side to make sure that drains are not tight. It may also be relevant to remove snow from such roofs. It is not usual to provide such roofs with any safety rail. Such roofs are usually constituted by self-supporting steel sheets. In particular, it is common to use corrugated steel sheets.

Such roofs involve the risk that personnel may fall down while carrying out work on the roof. Therefore, strict requirements are made of safety equipment, for example in the form of so-called lifts with work baskets. This makes it cumbersome to get work on such roofs under way. The work requires planning as necessary safety equipment is not normally available in the immediate vicinity of the work place . Therefore, there is a need to install equipment on such roofs that can provide the necessary safety for personnel, or that can be safe anchoring points for personal safety equipment such as harnesses with lines of a kind known per se. Further, there is a need for such equipment not to involve great investments and for it not to have a dominant or marring effect in relation to the visual expression wanted at a petrol station facility. There is also a need for such equipment not to be very noticeable most of the year, but for it to be ready for use in winter when snow falls are expected. There is also a need for safety equipment which can easily be retrofitted on existing roof structures.

The use of self-supporting sheets of the corrugated type on other types of roofs than roofs on petrol stations is known as well. Such roofs are used on so-called industrial buildings, for example. By sheets of the corrugated type are meant sinusoidal -profile sheets and trapezoidal -profile sheets. Normally, such corrugated sheets are constituted by a metal, for example steel, but they may also be manufactured from other materials, such as fibre cement, for example.

From the patent document US2002/0100244 is known a so-called safety anchor for use on a roof. In particular, the anchor may be used by firefighters working on a sloping roof, in order quickly to establish an anchoring point. The safety anchor is used by the anchor being provided with a pointed piercing element which is hammered or poked through the roof structure, for example a roofing underlay. The piercing element forms a hole in the roof . The piercing element has a centre shaft attached to it. The centre shaft is provided with two fold-out wings which will unfold, when having been passed through the hole formed in the roof, on the underside of the roof and form a counter-element as the centre shaft is pulled back up after the wings have been passed through the hole. The centre shaft is further provided with a movable locking collar. The locking collar is moved until it is in contact with the roof on the top side of the roof. The locking collar is provided with a locking handle which, in its locked position, will hold the locking collar fixed against the top side of the roof. At its upper end portion, the centre shaft is further provided with an attachment eye, to which a snap hook, for example, can be attached.

A safety anchor as described in the patent document

US2002/0100244 is not well suited for use on a roof formed by self-supporting, corrugated sheets. In their unfolded state, the two wings will form an elongated counter-element. This counter-element will either take a position parallel to the wave direction of the sheet, that is to say in the "wave crest" of the sheet, or the elongated counter-element will span across a wave from one "wave trough" to at least one neighbouring "wave trough" . In the case of the counter- element lying in the "wave crest" , there will be little support in a direction transversal to the waves, and the centre shaft of the anchor will take a flat position against the roof. In the case of the counter-element being tightened against two wave troughs, there is the risk that the counter- element will slide off and position itself parallel to the wave direction if the centre shaft is subjected to torsion. This will lead to the anchor becoming very loose as the distance along the centre shaft between the counter-element and the fixed locking-anchor support is substantially longer than the thickness of the sheet. In its position of use, the centre shaft forms a 90° angle with the roof surface.

The patent document SE 458695 discloses a safety anchor in which an elongated counter-element is passed through a hole formed in a roof or a wall. A "bolt and nut" arrangement extending through the hole clamps the counter-element to the underside of the roof or to the back of the wall. Further, the safety anchor is provided with a flexible fastening means or pulling means. When used on a roof constituted by- corrugated sheets, the same problem as that described for the solution in US2202/0100244 will arise when the counter- element is parallel to the waves. If the fastening means is very flexible, it will take a flat position on the roof and be difficult to find when covered with snow.

The patent document NL 1012982 discloses a safety anchor consisting of a lower portion constituted by four hinged wings, a centre shaft and a four-footed pre-tensioning device. The four-footed pre-tensioning device is movable along the centre shaft. This safety anchor is suitable for use on flat roofs, especially on concrete roofs which are provided with vertical through channels. The lower portion of the safety anchor is passed through the channel of the roof, so that the hinged wings unfold on the underside of the roof. Then the pre-tensioning device is moved along the centre shaft, or alternatively, the centre shaft is pulled up relative to the pre-tensioning device, and the pre-tensioning device is fixed to the centre shaft in such a way that the wings are pressing against the underside of the roof and the feet of the pre-tensioning device are pressing against the top side of the roof. In its position of use, the centre shaft forms a 90° angle with the roof surface. For use on a roof formed by corrugated sheets, this safety anchor is less suitable. The spacing of the feet of the pre-tensioning device must be adapted to the distance between the waves of the sheet in order for all the feet to have good contact with the roof surface. The spacing of the feet makes the safety anchor take relatively much space, which is a disadvantage when the roof is to be cleared of snow. The centre shaft cannot be laid down against the roof surface either, and the device is not provided with means for adjusting the angle of the centre shaft.

The patent document NL 1032910 discloses a fastener for a safety fence in which the poles of the safety fence are slipped onto the vertical pipe piece of the fastener. More particularly, this patent document teaches a fastener for putting up a safety fence on a floor consisting of so-called hollow-core deck slabs. A hole is formed from the top side of the deck, so that the hole formed connects to one of the elongated channels of the hollow-core deck. The fastener is provided with a pipe piece and this pipe piece is inserted into the hole. The fastener is further provided with an anchor support which is wider than the hole, so that the anchor support will rest on the deck and determine how far down into the hole the pipe piece can be moved. A lug on the lower portion of the pipe piece and a pivotable arm, which is pivoted into a locking position after the pipe piece has been placed in the hole, form barbs in the ceiling of the channel. The anchor support is further provided with two grooves for the insertion of wedges. By hammering the wedges into the grooves, the fastener is lifted up until the barbs are forced against the ceiling of the channel. A fixed connection between the fastener and the hollow-core deck is thereby achieved. The pole is slipped over the pipe piece until the lower end of the pole hits the floor of the channel, and thereby the pole cannot be moved further downwards. This fastener is not suitable for use on a roof consisting of steel sheets as the locking lug and the arm have too small projections relative to the jacket surface of the pipe. When loaded, the steel sheet will yield. The pole will stand at approximately 90° on a roof, and the device is not provided with means for adjusting the angle of the pole.

The patent document EP 1876315 discloses a fastener for safety equipment, especially for work on a faςade, the fastener consisting of a T-shaped anchor piece provided with a cavity and a coupling piece which is adapted for insertion into the cavity of the anchor piece . The anchor piece may be cast into the walls of the building during the erection of the building or be fixed to the steel structure of the building. The anchor piece is not adapted for retrofitting on existing buildings.

The invention has for its object to remedy or reduce at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art, or at least to provide a useful alternative to the prior art.

The object is achieved through features which are specified in the description below and in the claims that follow.

In a first aspect, the invention relates to a fastener for installing equipment on a roof including corrugated sheets with wave troughs and wave crests, the fastener including:

- an anchor with a centre rod which is hinged to fold-out arms, the arms being arranged to be unfolded from a folded-up idle position into an extended position of use defined by at least one stop for the arms, the arms being arranged to be fixed against the underside of the roof in their position of use; - an anchor support arranged to be fixed against the top side of the roof ;

- the anchor and anchor support being arranged to be releasably connected; and

- at least one equipment holder arranged to connect the anchor support to said equipment on the roof. The fold-out arms are arranged to form a first bridge which extends across at least . two neighbouring wave troughs on the underside of the corrugated roof. The anchor support is arranged to form a second bridge which extends across at least three neighbouring wave crests on the top side of the corrugated roof .

The equipment holder may be constituted by a fixed part and an adjustment part. Said equipment may comprise poles and fence poles, for example. At its free end the pole may be provided with an eye, known per se, for the attachment of, for example, a safety line by means of a snap hook. In an alternative embodiment, the pole may be provided with hooks, dogs and eyes, known per se, for fixing planks or nets which may form an edge guard. The anchor support may be provided with one or more equipment holders .

In a second aspect, the invention relates to a method for installing equipment on a roof including corrugated sheets with wave troughs and wave crests. The method includes the following steps:

- using a fastener as mentioned in a first aspect; - forming an opening in the roof ;

- from the top side of the roof, passing the anchor of the fastener, with arms folded, through the opening in the roof;

- folding out the arms of the anchor and extending the arms across at least two neighbouring wave troughs on the underside of the corrugated roof;

- extending the anchor support of the fastener across at least three neighbouring wave crests on the top side of the corrugated roof ;

- releasably connecting the centre rod of the anchor to the anchor support, thereby fixing the fastener to the roof; and

- by means of the equipment holder of the fastener, connecting said equipment to the anchor support in order, thereby,. to install the equipment on the roof.

The method may further include passing a securing means through the wave of the sheet, so that at least one of the arms is secured against sliding off its wave trough. The method may further include fixing the adjustment part of the equipment holder in such a position that the longitudinal axis of said equipment is substantially vertical .

In what follows is described an example of a preferred embodiment which is visualized in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the anchor of a fastener, with arms folded, being passed through an opening in a corrugated sheet ;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the fastener with unfolded arms in the position of use under a corrugated sheet and with an anchor support in its position of use resting on the top side of the corrugated sheet ;

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the fastener with the anchor and anchor support releasably connected and with the fixed part of an equipment holder; and

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the fastener provided with an equipment holder and a piece of equipment in the form of a pole.

In the drawings, the reference numeral 1 indicates a fastener for use on a roof 2. In the example, the fastener 1 is provided with four fold-out arms 102. At their end portions 109, the arms 102 are provided with two opposite attachment lugs 104. In a manner known per se, the arms 102 are hinged to a cruciform arm bracket 106 with a mounting bolt 108 which has been passed through the attachment lug 104 and the arm bracket 106. The mounting bolt 108 may also be constituted by a split pin, dowel, rivet or the equivalent, known per se. On its underside, the arm bracket 106 is provided with a stop (not shown) stopping the pivoting of the arms 102 as the end portions 109 of the arms hit the stop, as it is shown in the figures 2 and 3. In the figures, the arms 102 are shown with a flat cross profile. A person skilled in the art will know that, in an alternative embodiment, the arms 102 may be made with a U-shaped cross profile, which will give the arms 102 greater bending strength in the longitudinal direction of the arms 102. The arm bracket 106 is fixed to a centre rod 12. The centre rod 12, the arm bracket 106, the arms 102 and the associated elements form the anchor 10 of the fastener 1.

Figure 1 shows how the anchor 10 can be passed through an opening 3, which has been formed in the roof 2, by the arms 102 being folded up against the centre rod 12. The figures 2 and 3 show a further opening 3. After the arms 102 have been passed through the opening 3, the arms 102 pivot on the mounting bolt 108 until the end portions 109 hit the stop and the arms 102 take their positions of use as shown in the figures 2 and 3. The anchor 10 is held temporarily in place by means of the centre rod 12. An anchor support 14 provided with an opening 142 is slipped onto the centre rod 12 as shown in figure 2. Then the fixed part 161 of an equipment holder 16, which is provided with an opening (not shown), is slipped onto the centre rod 12. A joining means 18 is passed onto the centre rod 12 in such a way that a releasable joining of the anchor 10 to the anchor support 14 and to the fixed part 161 is formed. The joining means 18 is arranged to make the arms 102 be held clamped against the wave troughs 22 of a sheet 20, and the anchor support 14 be held clamped against the wave crests 24 of the sheet as shown in figure 3. In the example, the joining means 18 is shown as a nut that fits complementarily on a threaded portion of the centre rod 12. A person skilled in the art will know that in alternative embodiments, the joining means 18 may be constituted by, for example, a wing nut or quick-release coupling devices like a clamping-buckle device or a barbed connection. In an alternative embodiment, in which a permanent installation of the fastener is desired, the joining means 18 may be constituted by a welding seam, for example.

As shown in figure 4, the equipment holder 16 is constituted by the fixed part 161 and a complementary adjustment part 165 which is hinged to the fixed part 161. The hinge may be formed by a bolt connection 166. In the fixed part 161 is formed a slit 164, and in the adjustment part 165 is formed an opening 162 which will be in alignment with the slit 164. A screw or bolt (not shown) is inserted through the opening 162 and slit 164, forming, together with a nut (not shown), a tight connection so that the equipment holder 16 can be locked in the desired position. In an alternative embodiment, the fixed part 161 may be placed in a different place on the anchor support 14 from that shown in the figures . The fixed part 161 may be secured to the anchor support 14 by a screw connection, known per se, or by a welding seam. In a further alternative embodiment, the anchor support 14 may be provided with two or more equipment holders 16.

As shown in figure 4, a piece of equipment 4 may be constituted by a pole projecting upwards. The adjustment part 165 is provided with a pole foot 42 projecting upwards. One end portion 44 of the pole 4 is formed to fit the pole foot 42 complementarily, so that the pole 4 may be slipped onto the pole foot 42. The pole 4 is fixed to the pole foot 42 with a locking means 46, known per se, which is inserted into an opening 48 formed in the wall of the pole 4 and into an opening formed in the pole foot 42 (not shown) . In an alternative embodiment, the opening 48 may be formed with a threaded portion and the locking means 46 may be constituted by a set screw, known per se.

It appears from the description and the drawings that by an adjustment of the adjustment part 165, the pole 4 may take an approximately vertical position whether the roof 2 is completely flat or has a slope. If desired, the pole 4 can be laid all the way down against the roof 2 (not shown) by pivoting the adjustment part 165 on the bolt connection 166.

As shown in the figures, the sheets 20 in the example are manufactured from trapezoidal -profile sheets. The opening 3 is formed in the wave crest 24 of the sheet 20. Without being bound by size, the opening 3 can be formed by means of a hole saw with a cutting diameter of 90 mm. It is most appropriate to form the opening 3 in the wave crest 24 as this makes it easier to seal the opening 3 against water leakage. Such sealing means are not shown, but how to make such a seal falls under general knowledge in the art. On some roofs 2 it may be appropriate to form the opening 3 in the wave trough 22 of the sheet. The fastener 1 must then be adapted in such a way that the arms 102 will be long enough for them to form a first bridge which extends across at least three neighbouring wave troughs 22. Correspondingly, the anchor support 14 may be adapted in such a way that it forms a second bridge which extends across at least two neighbouring wave crests 24.

In the example, the anchor support 14 is shown as a rectangular plate . The anchor support 14 may be given alternative designs, such as circular or polygonal, as long as the anchor support 14 is large enough to form a first bridge which extends across at least three wave crests 24, when the opening 3 is formed in a wave crest 24.

In the example, the anchor 10 is shown with four arms 102. The person skilled in the art will know that two arms 102 will be enough, as long as they form a first bridge that extends across at least two neighbouring wave troughs 22. The person skilled in the art will further know that the arms 102 can be secured against sliding off the wave trough 22 by passing one or more screws (not shown) for example, through the wave trough 22 and further through the arm 102, possibly to the sides of the arm 102, possibly in such a way that the end of the screw will project into the space formed by a U- profile if the arm 102 is formed with a U-shaped cross section.

In further alternative embodiments, the anchor 10 may be provided with, for example, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 arms 102.

Claims

P a t e n t c l a i m s

1. A fastener (1) for installing equipment (4) on a roof

(2) including corrugated sheets (20) with wave troughs (22) and wave crests (24) , the fastener (1) including: - an anchor (10) with a centre rod (12) which is hinged to fold-out arms (102), the arms (102) being arranged to be unfolded from a folded-up idle position into an extended position of use defined by at least one stop for the arms (102) , the arms (102) being arranged to be fixed against the underside of the roof (2) in their position of use;

- an anchor support (14) arranged to be fixed against the top side of the roof (2) ;

- the anchor (10) and anchor support (14) being arranged to be releasably connected; and

- at least one equipment holder (16) arranged to connect the anchor support (14) to said equipment (4) on the roof (2), c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the fold- out arms (102) are arranged to form a first bridge which extends across at least two neighbouring wave troughs (22) on the underside of the corrugated roof (2) ; and

- that the anchor support (14) is arranged to form a second bridge which extends across at least three neighbouring wave crests (24) on the top side of the corrugated roof (2) .

2. The fastener (1) in accordance with claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the equipment holder (16) is constituted by a fixed part (161) and an adjustment part (165) .

3. A method for mounting equipment (4) on a roof (2) including corrugated sheets (20) with wave troughs (22) and wave crests (24), c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the method includes the following steps:

- using a fastener (1) according to any one of claims 1 and 2;

- forming an opening (3) in the roof (2) ; - from the top side of the roof (2) , passing the anchor (10) of the fastener (1) , with arms (102) folded, through the opening (3) in the roof (2) ;

- folding out the arms (102) of the anchor (10) and extending the arms (102) across at least two neighbouring wave troughs (22) on the underside of the corrugated roof (2) ;

- extending the anchor support (14) of the fastener (1) across at least three neighbouring wave crests (24) on the top side of the corrugated roof (2) ; - releasably connecting the centre rod (12) of the anchor (10) to the anchor support (14) , thereby fixing the fastener (1) to the roof (2) ; and

- by means of the equipment holder (16) of the fastener (1) , connecting said equipment (4) to the anchor support (14) in order, thereby, to install the equipment (4) on the roof (2) .

4. The method in accordance with claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that a securing means is passed through the wave trough (22) of the sheet so that at least one of the arms (102) is secured against sliding off its wave trough (22) .

5. The method in accordance with claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the adjustment part (165) of the equipment holder (16) is fixed in such a position that the longitudinal axis of said equipment (4) is substantially vertical.