Seam plate for retaining roof decking membrane

• US 6,665,991 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2003
• Issued: 12/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: OMG Roofing, Inc. (Steel Partners Holdings LP)
• Original Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Inventors: Hasan, Riaz
• Primary Examiner(s): Friedman, Carl D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thissell, Jennifer I.
• Application Number:
  US10/449,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20030196398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 204 Days
• Field of Search: 524/10, 525/12, 525/060.5, 524/08, 411/545, 411/461, 411/462, 411/463, 411/466
• US Class Current: 52/410
• CPC Class Codes: E04D 5/14 Fastening means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E04D 5/142 along the edge of the flexible material
• CPC Class Codes: E04D 5/145 Discrete fastening means, e.g. discs or clips
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 43/00 Washers or equivalent devices; Other devices for supporting bolt-heads or nuts circlips F16B21/18; for indicating tensile load F16B31/02; forming a whole with the bolt or nut F16B33/00; locking bolts or nuts by means of a fixed plate or ring, or washer-like resilient plates F16B39/10, F16B39/24

Abstract

A stress plate or seam plate for use in connection with securing membrane sheets to underlying roofing decking substructure comprises a circular disk having a central aperture for receiving a screw fastener. A plurality of concentric ribs are defined between the central aperture and the peripheral edge of the plate for providing reinforcing and bending or flexibility characteristics to the stress plate or seam plate, and in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention, a plurality of circumferentially spaced, downwardly extending projections having substantially V-shaped cross-sectional configurations are provided upon the underside of the seam or stress plate so as to engage the membrane sheets and retain the same at their desired locations upon the underlying roofing deck substructural assembly. Contrary to conventional stress plates having sharp-pointed prongs or tangs, the projections of the present invention have substantially rounded or radiused apices so as not to puncture or rupture the membrane sheets.

Claims

1. A seam plate for securing a membrane sheet to an underlying substructure, comprising:

a plate;

an aperture defined within a central portion of said plate for receiving a fastener for securing said plate to an underlying substructure; and

a plurality of projections, respectively severed from said plate along first opposite regions, integrally connected to said plate along second opposite regions, and having rounded engagement portions extending downwardly from said plate, and continuously between said second oppositely disposed integrally connected regions, for engaging a membrane sheet so as to effectively secure the membrane sheet to the underlying substructure without piercing the membrane sheet so as not to cause tearing and rupture of the membrane sheet when said plate is fixedly secured to the underlying substructure by the fastener.

2. The seam plate as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

each one of said plurality of downwardly extending projections has a substantially V-shaped cross-sectional configuration, and said rounded engagement portion of said downwardly extending projection comprises a radiused apex portion of said substantially V-shaped projection.

3. The seam plate as set forth in claim 2, wherein:

each one of said substantially V-shaped projections comprises a pair of sides with an included angle defined at said apex portion of 90°

.

4. The seam plate as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

each one of said downwardly extending projections is severed from said plate along longitudinally extending sides thereof and are integrally attached to said plate along longitudinally separated ends thereof.

5. The seam plate as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

a plurality of radially inner and radially outer upwardly and downwardly extending annular rib members are provided upon said seam plate in order to provide said seam plate with reinforcing and flexibility characteristics.

6. The seam plate as set forth in claim 5, wherein:

said plurality of downwardly extending projections are arranged within circular arrays substantially coincident with said radially inner and radially outer downwardly extending annular rib members.

7. The seam plate as set forth in claim 6, wherein:

a first radially inner circular array of said downwardly extending projections comprises six projections equiangularly spaced from each other; and

a second radially outer circular array of said downwardly extending projections comprises eight projections equiangularly spaced from each other.

8. The seam plate as set forth in claim 5, wherein:

said plurality of radially inner and radially outer upwardly and downwardly extending annular rib members have substantially sinusoidal configurations.

9. The seam plate as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

each one of said plurality of downwardly extending projections has a substantially semi-circular cross-sectional configuration wherein said rounded engagement portion of said downwardly extending projection is disposed at a lowermost position of said downwardly extending projection for engagement with the membrane sheet.

10. The seam plate as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said seam plate has a predetermined geometrical configuration.

11. The seam plate as set forth in claim 10, wherein:

said predetermined geometrical configuration comprises a substantially circular configuration.

12. A seam plate for securing a membrane sheet to an underlying roof decking substructure, comprising:

a plate;

an aperture defined within a central portion of said plate for receiving a fastener for securing said plate to an underlying roof decking substructure; and

a plurality of projections respectively severed from said plate along first opposite regions, integrally connected to said plate along second opposite regions, and having rounded engagement portions extending downwardly from said plate, and continuously between said second oppositely disposed integrally connected regions, for engaging a membrane sheet so as to effectively secure the membrane sheet to the underlying roof decking substructure without piercing the membrane sheet so as not to cause tearing and rupture of the membrane sheet under wind uplift conditions when said plate is fixedly secured to the underlying roof decking substructure by the fastener.

13. The seam plate as set forth in claim 12, wherein:

each one of said plurality of downwardly extending projections has a substantially V-shaped cross-sectional configuration, and said rounded engagement portion of said downwardly extending projection comprises a radiused apex portion of said substantially V-shaped projection.

14. The seam plate as set forth in claim 13, wherein:

each one of said substantially V-shaped projections comprises a pair of sides with an included angle defined at said apex portion of 90°

.

15. The seam plate as set forth in claim 12, wherein:

each one of said downwardly extending projections is severed from said plate along longitudinally extending sides thereof and are integrally attached to said plate along longitudinally separated ends thereof.

16. The seam plate as set forth in claim 12, wherein:

a plurality of radially inner and radially outer upwardly and downwardly extending annular rib members are provided upon said seam plate in order to provide said seam plate with reinforcing and flexibility characteristics.

17. The seam plate as set forth in claim 16, wherein:

said plurality of downwardly extending projections are arranged within circular arrays substantially coincident with said radially inner and radially outer downwardly extending annular rib members.

18. The seam plate as set forth in claim 17, wherein:

a first radially inner circular array of said downwardly extending projections comprises six projections equiangularly spaced from each other; and

a second radially outer circular array of said downwardly extending projections comprises eight projections equiangularly spaced from each other.

19. The seam plate as set forth in claim 16, wherein:

said plurality of radially inner and radially outer upwardly and downwardly extending annular rib members have substantially sinusoidal configurations.

20. The seam plate as set forth in claim 12, wherein:

said plate has an outer peripheral edge portion which is inclined upwardly at a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal plane such that said outer peripheral edge portion does not puncture and tear the membrane sheet under wind uplift conditions.

21. The seam plate as set forth in claim 12, wherein:

each one of said plurality of downwardly extending projections has a substantially semi-circular cross-sectional configuration wherein said rounded engagement portion of said downwardly extending projection is disposed at a lowermost position of said downwardly extending projection for engagement with the membrane sheet.

22. The seam plate as set forth in claim 12, wherein:

said seam plate has a predetermined geometrical configuration.

23. The seam plate as set forth in claim 22, wherein:

said predetermined geometrical configuration comprises a substantially circular configuration.

24. In combination, a roof decking substructure assembly, comprising:

a roof decking substructure;

a first membrane sheet having a first end portion which is adapted to be secured atop said roof decking substructure;

a second membrane sheet having a second end portion which is adapted to be overlapped and secured to said first end portion of said first membrane sheet so as to form a seamed connection with said first membrane sheet;

a seam plate for securing said first end portion of said first membrane to said roof decking substructure; and

a fastener for securing said seam plate to said roof decking substructure;

said seam plate having an aperture defined within a central portion thereof for receiving said fastener for securing said seam plate to said roofing decking substructure; and

a plurality of projections respectively severed from said seam plate along first opposite regions, integrally connected to said seam plate along second opposite regions, and having rounded engagement portions extending downwardly from said seam plate, and continuously between said second oppositely disposed integrally connected regions, for engaging said first end portion of said first membrane sheet so as to effectively secure said first end portion of said first membrane sheet to said roof decking substructure without piercing said first end portion of said first membrane sheet so as not to cause tearing and rupture of said first end portion of said first membrane sheet under wind uplift conditions when said seam plate is fixedly secured to said roof decking substructure by said fastener.

25. The combination as set forth in claim 24, wherein:

each one of said plurality of downwardly extending projections has a substantially V-shaped cross-sectional configuration, and said rounded engagement portion of said downwardly extending projection comprises a radiused apex portion of said substantially V-shaped projection.

26. The combination as set forth in claim 25, wherein:

each one of said substantially V-shaped projections comprises a pair of sides with an included angle defined at said apex portion of 90°

.

27. The combination as set forth in claim 24, wherein:

each one of said downwardly extending projections is severed from said seam plate along longitudinally extending sides thereof and are integrally attached to said seam plate along longitudinally separated ends thereof.

28. The combination as set forth in claim 24, wherein:

a plurality of radially inner and radially outer upwardly and downwardly extending annular rib members are provided upon said seam plate in order to provide said seam plate with reinforcing and flexibility characteristics.

29. The combination as set forth in claim 28, wherein:

said plurality of downwardly extending projections are arranged within circular arrays substantially coincident with said radially inner and radially outer downwardly extending annular rib members.

30. The combination as set forth in claim 29, wherein:

a first radially inner circular array of said downwardly extending projections comprises six projections equiangularly spaced from each other; and

a second radially outer circular array of said downwardly extending projections comprises eight projections equiangularly spaced from each other.

31. The combination as set forth in claim 28, wherein:

said plurality of radially inner and radially outer upwardly and downwardly extending annular rib members have substantially sinusoidal configurations.

32. The combination as set forth in claim 24, wherein:

said seam plate has an outer peripheral edge portion which is inclined upwardly at a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal plane such that said outer peripheral edge portion does not puncture and tear said first membrane sheet under wind uplift conditions.

33. The combination as set forth in claim 24, wherein:

each one of said plurality of downwardly extending projections has a substantially semi-circular cross-sectional configuration wherein said rounded engagement portion of said downwardly extending projection is disposed at a lowermost position of said downwardly extending projection for engagement with said first membrane sheet.

34. The seam plate as set forth in claim 24, wherein:

said seam plate has a predetermined geometrical configuration.

35. The seam plate as set forth in claim 34, wherein:

said predetermined geometrical configuration comprises a substantially circular configuration.