Concrete eave system
A concrete eave method and system is disclosed which can be used in commercial or residential construction. The concrete eave formed by the system and method disclosed is separate from the roof truss system and, as such, the roof truss system is not subject directly to any upward forces that might be generated on the eave. The concrete eave disclosed may be formed using several concrete construction methods. The concrete eave can be formed using precast methods or poured-in-placed methods.
This application claims priority from and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/844,201, filed Sep. 13, 2006, entitled “Concrete Eave System,” which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUNDRoofs are an integral element of buildings. Generally, these roofs are constructed with engineered roof truss systems. These systems extend past the building exterior walls creating an eave. In high wind velocity areas, strong uplift and lateral forces are often generated, and these forces can damage or tear off the roof from the main structure. Because of these strong forces, trusses are often strapped, bolted or anchored to these exterior walls.
The roof system is a critical item in the design of a house. The roof system is to be designed to sustain substantial pressure exerted by hurricanes, storms and possibly tornadoes. Many buildings are designed to the minimum code requirements to reduce cost of construction. Many times, the minimum design criteria, though, can still leave a building, particularly the roof system, vulnerable to storms that generate forces stronger than those called for by minimum code requirements. During a storm, the roof can be damaged due to the uplift forces, and the roof may be compromised. The structural integrity of the building may be weakened. Wind gusts can sometimes momentarily surge under the eave, and this surge can damage eaves and soffits in a very short time. Once such damage occurs, the roof system becomes significantly more vulnerable and is susceptible to greater damage and structural failure.
Other than eliminating the eave, there are currently no acceptable alternative methods to address these issues. Due to hurricanes and tornadoes, roof systems need to be as strong as possible. Accordingly, there is a need for a stronger eave system that greatly helps maintain the integrity of the current system design.
SUMMARYAccording to one aspect of the present invention, a roofing system includes a roof truss system and a concrete eave attached to a concrete sidewall, wherein the concrete eave is formed separate from the roof truss system and the roof truss system is connected to the concrete eave. The concrete eave of the roofing system may also be formed integral with the concrete sidewall. The concrete eave of the roofing system may be precast with the concrete sidewall, and the precast concrete eave may be formed on site or off-site. The concrete eave of the roofing system may also be poured-in-place.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for forming a concrete eave separate from a roof truss system includes providing an eave form, a sidewall form and a roof truss system; positioning the eave form and the sidewall form adjacent to one another; pouring concrete into the eave form and the sidewall form; allowing the concrete to cure to an appropriate stripping strength to form a concrete eave and a concrete sidewall; and placing the roof truss system in relation to concrete eave. The method may include connecting the roof truss system to the concrete eave. The method may further include having an aesthetic design on the formed concrete eave.
In some aspects of the method, the forms may be a tunnel construction system; an insulated concrete form system; a concrete block construction system; a handset form system; or a gang form system. The eave form of the method may include a wood blocking, wherein the wood blocking may be used as a nailer for drip edge or for gutter installation or wherein the wood blocking creates a truss bearing recess notch. The eave form may include a stiffener. The roof truss system of the method may be connected to the concrete eave using standard hurricane straps and fasteners.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a building includes a number of floor slabs, a number of concrete sidewalls having formed concrete eaves formed thereon, wherein the concrete sidewalls are connected to the floor slabs. The building also includes a roof truss system supported by the concrete sidewalls, wherein each concrete eave is a separate structure from the roof truss system.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where:
A concrete eave system of the present invention removes the uplift pressure from the truss system and transfers the force to the exterior wall and decreases the lateral forces acting on the roof trusses or rafters. This quality increases the structural integrity of the building envelope and improves the building's ability to withstand hurricanes and storms. A concrete eave system provides a clean aesthetic condition as well as structural qualities.
In the disclosure herein, two main concrete eave forming methods and systems are described. One method and system is a precast method and system, and the other method and system is a poured-in-place concrete eave method and system. The precast concrete cave method typically includes the use of a monolithic precast concrete panel with an eave either brought to a construction site or fabricated on site and erected to form the exterior building walls, and it is formed with a notch and an embedded strap to accept roof trusses or rafters. The poured-in-place concrete eave method and system is typically poured monolithically with the exterior solid concrete walls or with concrete block with concrete filled cell. A poured-in-place concrete eave system is typically accomplished by using fabricated steel or aluminum forms. Wood forms can be used, but are limited due to reusability and precision. A notch is also used in these methods to eliminate the use of ledgers, which decreases the expense of additional materials and labor.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
At this point, the concrete can be poured to fill the forms and create the walls 120, a slab 112, and an eave 125 all at once. All forms are removed after the concrete has cured to the appropriate stripping strength. Depending on the eave form 140, the eave 125 may have an aesthetic design 150 when complete. The pressure treated wood blocking 181 is left in place. The roof truss system 184 is placed above the slab 112, strapped and finished using conventional methods. The roof truss system 184 is separate from the concrete eave 125 and not subject directly to any upward forces that might be generated on the eave 125.
Referring to
After the precast panels 221 with eaves 225 are set, the shoring can be removed, and the roof truss system 284 can be installed. The precast panels 221 with eaves 225 are pre-notched to accept the truss system. The trusses 284 are secured by using a through bolt 271 and a roof strap 270 that is embedded into the precast panel 221 with eave 225. As with the previously described embodiment, the roof truss system 284 is separate from the concrete eave 225 and not subject directly to any upward forces that might be generated on the eave 225.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
While the invention has been discussed in terms of certain embodiments, it should be appreciated that the invention is not so limited. The embodiments are explained herein by way of example, and there are numerous modifications, variations and other embodiments that may be employed that would still be within the scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A roofing system, comprising:
- a roof truss system; and
- a concrete eave attached to a concrete sidewall, wherein the concrete eave is formed separate from the roof truss system and the roof truss system is connected to the concrete eave.
2. The roofing system of claim 1, wherein the concrete eave is formed integral with the concrete sidewall.
3. The roofing system of claim 2, wherein the concrete eave is precast with the concrete sidewall.
4. The roofing system of claim 3, wherein the precast concrete eave is formed on site.
5. The roofing system of claim 3, wherein the precast concrete eave is formed off-site.
6. The roofing system of claim 2, wherein the concrete eave and the concrete sidewall are poured-in-place.
7. A method for forming a concrete eave separate from a roof truss system, comprising:
- providing an eave form, a sidewall form and a roof truss system;
- positioning the eave form and the sidewall form adjacent to one another;
- pouring concrete into the eave form and the sidewall form;
- allowing the concrete to cure to an appropriate stripping strength to form a concrete eave and a concrete sidewall; and
- placing the roof truss system in relation to concrete eave.
8. The method for forming a concrete eave of claim 7, further comprising:
- connecting the roof truss system to the concrete eave.
9. The method for forming a concrete eave of claim 7, wherein the formed concrete eave has an aesthetic design.
10. The method for forming a concrete eave of claim 7, wherein the sidewall form is a tunnel construction system and the eave form is connected to the tunnel construction system.
11. The method for forming a concrete eave of claim 7, wherein the sidewall form is an insulated concrete form system and the eave form is connected to the insulated concrete form system.
12. The method for forming a concrete eave of claim 7, wherein the sidewall form is a concrete block construction system and the eave form is connected to the concrete block construction system.
13. The method for forming a concrete eave of claim 7, wherein the sidewall form is a handset form system and the eave form is connected to the handset form system.
14. The method for forming a concrete eave of claim 7, wherein the sidewall form is a gang form system and the eave form is connected to the gang form system.
15. The method for forming a concrete cave of claim 7, wherein the eave form includes a wood blocking.
16. The method for forming a concrete eave of claim 15, wherein the wood blocking is used as a nailer for drip edge or for gutter installation.
17. The method for forming a concrete eave of claim 15, wherein the wood blocking creates a truss bearing recess notch.
18. The method for forming a concrete eave of claim 7, wherein the eave form includes a stiffener.
19. The method for forming a concrete eave of claim 8, wherein the roof truss system is connected to the concrete eave using a through bolt and a roof strap.
20. A building, comprising:
- a plurality of floor slabs;
- a plurality of concrete sidewalls having formed concrete eaves formed thereon, wherein the concrete sidewalls are connected to the plurality of floor slabs; and
- a roof truss system supported by the concrete sidewalls, wherein each concrete eave is a separate structure from the roof truss system.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 11, 2007
Publication Date: Mar 13, 2008
Inventor: Michael Aranda (Jupiter, FL)
Application Number: 11/900,229
International Classification: E04H 9/14 (20060101);