Thermal breaker structures for use with roof decking assemblies

• US 20060174571A1
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Original Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Inventors: Panasik, Cheryl L., McGarel, Owen J., Gong, Yongping, Stupar, Jeffrey M., Puppala, Madhav S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,712,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/478
• CPC Class Codes: E04D 2003/3612 Separate fastening elements fixed to the roof structure and comprising plastic parts for avoiding thermal bridges
• CPC Class Codes: E04D 2003/3615 Separate fastening elements fixed to the roof structure and consisting of parts permitting relative movement to each other, e.g. for thermal expansion
• CPC Class Codes: E04D 3/361 by specially-profiled marginal portions of the slabs or sheets

Abstract

Thermal breaker or thermal barrier structures are disclosed for use in connection with roof decking assemblies wherein the thermal breaker or thermal barrier structures effectively prevent the respective transmission of heating gradients from the interior or exterior building environments to the exterior or interior building environments by thermal conductivity so as to render buildings more energy efficient.

Claims

1. A thermal breaker assembly, for connecting roofing panels to joist members of a roofing substructure so as to effectively prevent the transmission of thermal gradients between the roofing panels and the joist members, comprising:

a clip member;

tab means connected to said clip member and adapted to be connected to side edge portions of adjacent roofing panels so as to connect the side edge portions of the adjacent roofing panels together;

a thermal breaker, having a predetermined axial extent, fabricated from a thermal insulation plastic material, having a base portion for seating upon and connection to at least one of the joist members of the roofing substructure, and adapted to be connected to said clip member so as to effectively prevent the transmission of thermal gradients between the roofing panels and the at least one of the joist members of the roofing substructure; and

first structure integrally incorporated upon an undersurface portion of said thermal breaker for rendering said undersurface portion of said thermal breaker non-planar so as to minimize the surface-to-surface contact defined between said thermal breaker and the at least one of the joist members of the roofing substructure and thereby minimize the transmission of thermal gradients between the at least one of the joist members of the roofing substructure and the roofing panels.

2. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said thermal breaker comprises:

a lower base portion which is adapted to be fixedly connected to the at least one of the joist members of the underlying roofing substructure; and

an upper domed portion integrally connected to said lower base portion.

3. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein:

said upper domed portion of said thermal breaker has a substantially diamond-shaped cross-sectional configuration comprising a plurality of oppositely disposed inclined external surface regions and an upper substantially planar surface region upon which the side edge portions of the adjacent roofing panels are to be supported.

4. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 3, further comprising:

second and third structures integrally incorporated upon predetermined ones of said plurality of oppositely disposed inclined external surface regions, and said upper substantially planar surface region, of said upper domed portion of said thermal breaker for rendering said predetermined ones of said plurality of oppositely disposed inclined external surface regions, and said upper substantially planar surface region, of said thermal breaker non-planar so as to minimize the surface-to-surface contact defined between said thermal breaker and the side edge portions of the adjacent roofing panels so as to thereby minimize the transmission of thermal gradients between the roofing panels and the at least one of the joist members of the roofing substructure.

5. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 4, wherein:

said first, second, and third structures is selected from the group comprising axially oriented rib members, wavy sinusoidal members, axially oriented projections having substantially triangular cross-sectional configurations, an irregular coarse surface structure, an irregular coarse surface structure, a plurality of bump members, a plurality of stand-off members, and a plurality of dimple members.

6. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 3, further comprising:

a plurality of axially oriented voids defined within said upper domed portion of said thermal breaker for further enhancing the prevention of the transmission of thermal gradients between the roofing panels and the at least one of the joist members of the roofing substructure.

7. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 6, wherein:

each one of said voids has a substantially right-triangle cross-sectional configuration.

8. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 7, wherein:

said plurality of axially oriented voids comprises four axially oriented voids wherein hypotenuse portions of each one of said right-triangle configured voids are disposed substantially parallel to said plurality of oppositely disposed inclined external surface regions of said upper domed portion of said thermal breaker so as to not only define, along with said plurality of oppositely disposed inclined external surface regions of said upper domed portion of said thermal breaker, a first set of inclined reinforcing rib members, but in addition, vertically oriented leg members of said right-triangle configured voids define a second set of vertically oriented reinforcing rib members therebetween, and horizontally oriented leg members of said right-triangle configured voids define a third set of horizontally oriented reinforcing rib members therebetween.

9. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 8, wherein:

said clip member has a substantially inverted T-shaped cross-sectional configuration; and

a slot, having a substantially inverted T-shaped cross-sectional configuration, is defined within predetermined ones of said horizontally and vertically oriented reinforcing rib members so as to accommodate the disposition of said clip member within said thermal breaker in a movable manner and thereby permit expansion and contraction movements of the roofing panels.

10. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said clip member comprises:

a structure having predetermined parts folded over upon themselves; and

means for fixedly securing one folded part of said clip member to another part of said clip member such that said clip member remains intact in its folded state despite being subjected to external forces attendant wind uplift conditions impressed upon the roofing panels.

11. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 10, wherein:

a plurality of through-apertures are defined within said clip member; and

a plurality of tab members extend from one side of said clip member, inserted through said through-apertures of said clip member, and folded into engagement with an opposite side of said clip member.

12. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 11, wherein:

said clip member has a substantially inverted T-shaped cross-sectional configuration; and

a slot, having a substantially inverted T-shaped cross-sectional configuration, is defined within said thermal breaker wherein said slot has relatively wide and relatively narrow sections for accommodating different portions of said clip member, including said folded portions, said relatively narrow section of said slot serving to retard the transmission of thermal gradients.

13. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 3, wherein:

said upper domed portion of said thermal breaker comprises a hollow structure for further enhancing the prevention of the transmission of thermal gradients between the roofing panels and the at least one of the joist members of the roofing substructure.

14. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 3, wherein:

said thermal breaker comprises a two-part structure; and

a plurality of fasteners are disposed within said two-part structure wherein said plurality of fasteners not only secure a first part of said two-part structure to a second part of said two-part structure, but in addition, said plurality of fasteners secure said thermal breaker to the at least one of the joist members of the roofing substructure.

15. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said clip member has a substantially L-shaped cross-sectional configuration having a first, relatively long, substantially vertically oriented leg member, and a second, relatively short, substantially horizontally oriented leg member; and

said thermal breaker comprises a sleeve member enveloping said second, relatively short, substantially horizontally oriented leg member.

16. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 15, wherein:

upper and lower plies of said sleeve member have a plurality of apertures defined therein for accommodating fasteners for securing said thermal breaker assembly to the at least one joist member of the roofing substructure; and

said lower one of said upper and lower plies of said sleeve member is integrally provided with a plurality of upstanding bushings for reception within said plurality of apertures defined within said upper one of said upper and lower plies of said sleeve member so as to insulate said fasteners from said second, relatively short, substantially horizontally oriented leg member of said clip member.

17. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

both said clip member and said tab means are fabricated from a metal material; and

said clip member and said tab means comprises a single integral component.

18. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

an axially oriented slot is defined within said clip member; and

said tab means has a lug member projecting through said slot defined within said clip member so as to permit said tab means to be movably mounted upon said clip member.

19. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

both said clip member and said tab means are fabricated from a metal material.

20. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 19, wherein:

said clip member has a substantially planar configuration; and

said thermal breaker comprises a pair of upstanding plate members spaced from each other so as to define a slot therebetween within which a lower end portion of said clip member is fixedly disposed.

21. The thermal breaker assembly as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

said clip member is fabricated from a plastic material; and

said tab means is fabricated from a metal material.