Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Gable or eave terminal construction – With conduit or passage means
Patent
1983-09-26
1986-04-08
Murtagh, John E.
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Gable or eave terminal construction
With conduit or passage means
52303, 98 37, F24F 1318, E04D 1315
Patent
active
045803749
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a soffit and fascia system for the eaves and/or verges of a building.
It is desirable to provide protection for the supporting member, i.e. rafters of a roof where they project beyond a wall and it is also desirable to close the underside of these roof supports to prevent entry by birds and to reduce maintenance. It is therefore known to provide a fascia board across the ends of roof rafters, from which a gutter may be supported, and to provide a soffit to bridge the gap between the fascia and the adjacent wall of the building.
It is known to use a wooden fascia board with a plastics fascia sheet attached to it, e.g. by nails. In one arrangement the soffit is constituted by a plurality of interlocking plastics panels, with the panel adjacent the fascia lockingly engaged in a channel extending along the bottom edge of the fascia. For reasons of expense, it is sometimes preferred to use soffits of other rigid sheet materials such as asbestos board. In one arrangement such a board is supported by a batten framework, the edge of the board projecting into a channel extending along the fascia. This arrangement, whilst simple and inexpensive, is vulnerable to thermal deformation, the fasica bowing out so that a gap appears between the board and the fascia.
This problem is dealt with in U.K. Pat. No. 1,587,461 which proposes that a capping, specifically in the form of a metal clip, be employed to lock the soffit in the channel. A disadvantage of this system is that the introduction of securing clips increases the expense and reduces the advantage of using inexpensive material such as asbestos board.
An object of the invention is therefore to provide a simple soffit and fascia system which has the advantages of the arrangement described in U.K. Pat. No. 1,587,461 but which is less expensive to manufacture.
According to the invention there is provided a soffit and fascia system for the eaves and/or verges of a building comprising a fascia sheet of plastics material and a soffit board of a non-plastics sheet material, the fascia sheet including an integral channel arranged to receive an edge of the soffit board and there being a groove formed in a surface of the soffit board, extending adjacent the edge thereof, in which is engageable a retaining portion provided in the channel so as to retain the baord edge in the channel.
Preferably, the board and fascia sheet form a snap fit, the retaining portion engaging resiliently in the groove. In general, the nature resiliency of the plastics material of the fascia sheet will be adequate to allow for this.
The retaining portion is preferably provided by suitably shaping the channel. Thus, in a preferred arrangement the sidewalls of the channel coverage away from the main portion of the fascia, the narrowest part acting as the retaining portion. The sidewalls may subsequently diverge away from the retaining portion, thus providing a suitable guide-in portion for when the soffit is being engaged with the fascia. During such engagement, the sidewalls will be resiliently pushed apart until the retaining portion reaches the groove, when it will snap into place.
The groove will generally be milled and of simple, i.e. rectangular, cross-section, although other cross-sections might be used to provide improved engagement in the channel. The retaining portion may be suitably shaped to provide an increased area of contact with the groove, for example having a flat, vertical face to abut against a vertical face of the groove.
A groove may be provided on both sides of the soffit, there being corresponding retaining portions on both sides of the channel. In general, however, one groove will be sufficient and will reduce cost. Where only one groove is provided, the channel sidewall on the other side of the soffit may have a terminal portion angled such that, when the soffit is in place, the terminal portion engages the surface of the soffit over a significant area. This terminal portion will also act as a guide-in for the soffit.
The fascia sheet may be of any sui
REFERENCES:
patent: 2995079 (1961-08-01), La Fontaine
patent: 3239985 (1966-03-01), Harter
patent: 3256654 (1966-06-01), Pinckney
patent: 3344566 (1967-10-01), Miles et al.
patent: 3938429 (1976-02-01), Perry
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