Chapter 7 Roof Coverings Roof covering is a material which gives a protective surface to the roofing structure. The function of the covering is only to prevent ingress or egress of heat and moisture into the building. It does not withstand structural loads which are directly taken by the roofing elements. IT Is only to take loads to the extent over which it is supported on the roof members, There are various types of coverings depending on the character of the building the type of roofing structure, local conditions, cost, etc. Tiling Tiles have been used from olden times as a means of covering the roof. Various shapes of different specifications have been improved from time to time for use. Clay tiles are mostly used after they have been burnt thoroughly in a fashion similar to bricks. Sometimes cement concrete tiles have also been used but their use is limited on account of excessive cost and the difficulties in their manufacture. The preparation of roof for tiling is precisely the same as that for slating. The battens are usually of 4x2 to 2% cm in size and are set out to the required gauge depending upon the tile size. The tiles are hung to the battens with same projections which are made in the tile itself. Some courses of the tiles are also nailed to give added strength. Tiles are mainly kept in position by a sort of interlocking action on account of their self-weight. Tiles are a better non-conductor of heat and cold and as such the use of battens only is not very objectionable. If boarding is used, the tiles have to be fixed on battens nailed to the boards or otherwise counter battens may also be used and should be less than 4x12 cm in section. In normal cases, the pitch of the common rafters or the surfaces on which the tiles are laid should not be less than 40° for plain tiles and 35° for single lap tiles. Where abnormal conditions may be expected, for example, near coasts or in areas where heavy snowfall occurs, these pitches may not ensure full protection from the weather. In such cases the pitch may be increased or the roof may be felted. Alternatively counter battens may be used with or without boarded background. The pitch of the outer surface of the tile gets further decreased due to the fact that each tile is tilted up at its lower edge by the tiles below and thus this slope becomes lesser than the pitch of the common rafters. Plain Tiles Plain tiles measuring about 25x15 cm to 28x18 cm in size are used in thickness from 9 mm to 15 mm. They have continuous projections on one end or may have two small projecting nibs. These nibs for hand-made tiles should not be less than 9 mm wide Page 1 of 17 1 83Fig 7-1:Details of the fixing of plain tiles yA BONNET HIP TLE Finn of & Fig 7-2:Abonnet hip tile & Plan of hip comer using bonnet tiles 7 end should have a depth of not less than 9 mm. Camber should not be less than 5 mm and not more than 10 mm. These values can be slightly decreased in machine made tiles. Two nails are provided, the center of each nail hole being not less than 25 mm from the side of the tile and 15 mm from the under side of the nib. The lap and gauge in tilling are quite important. The maximum gauge should be about 10 cm giving about 6cm lap for a 26cm tile. For a lesser gauge, i.e., about 8% em the number of tiles needed per unit surface of the roof area gets increased. Special tiles are made for the under course at eaves and top course at the ridges to avoid cutting Special tiles are also made for the hips and valleys. Hip tiles may be in a bonnet shape or may have the shape of a half round one or angular. The valley tiles may be in angular or rounded form. The bonnet hip tiles give a satisfactory finished appearance. There is no hard line at the intersecting plane and slight amount of latitude in use is allowed. The half round tile is suitable for ridges but is somewhat difficult to be used on the hips of small roofs. Half round tiles are bedded along their lower edges only and their under are pointed, The angular hip tile is mainly used with handmade tiles to allow for any distortion or warping of the tile during burning Page 2 of 17 2Valley tiles made in angular or rounded form must be preferred to open or secret gutters as they preserve the homogeneous appearances of the roof, which is better from aesthetic considerations. Alternatively the valley may be laid with mixed tiles and the joints made waterproof by the use of soakers in a manner similar to slating. Whenever open or secret gutters are used, the lead sheet is suitably bent over the fillets and carried up over each side slopes about 20 cm higher than the meeting place. Secret gutters are not suitable as they get filled with dirt. Where verges occur, the tiles are bedded and pointed in cement. A tilt along the edge is given so as to throw water inwards, One or two courses of tiles are bedded in cement along the wall. A projection of a about 5 cm is given on the outside. Whenever the gable has a parapet wall, the roof is kept satisfactorily finished with lead soakers and stepped flashing of a cement fillet Single Lap Tiling This differs from the plain tilling in a manner that it overlaps only the tile immediately in the course below and not in the course which is next to one below it. They are not suitable to resist the weather owing to their being only one thickness of tiles in most parts of the roof except at laps. The breaking of one tile or some crack may cause leakage. To prevent leakage some tiles are bedded with mortar and pointed. A better method would be to use boarding, felt and battens or counter battens. Pan Tiles This is one of the oldest type of clay tiles, The roof is covered by the use of bent tiles. ‘There is saving in the quantity of materials and consequently in the weight of the covering. This is on account of the fact that the lap of these tiles is only with the tile just below it. Precaution against leakage from the vertical joints is provided by the next tile in the tile which turns over and completely covers the edge of the next tile in the same course. As the tile is practically segmental in section, water is diverted to the central channel immediately it falls and hence there is little chance of it leaking from the joints. The tiles are about 30 to 35 cm long and are about 20 to 25 cm wide. The head or longitudinal lap varies from 7.5 to 10 cm according to the pitch of the roof and the degree of exposure. The two opposite corners at a joint may be cut to the depth of the lap so that reasonable cover is maintained between the tiles; otherwise four thickness of tiles would occur at the comers resulting in open joints due to tilting, ete. The joint of the bottom left hand corner of a tile with the top right hand corner of the tile below and to the left is called shouldering, Pan tiles are nailed in a manner similar to that of plain tiling. They are fixed to tiling batters of about 4x1 om size. At eaves, the pap tiles are bedded with mortar on plain Page 3 of 17 3 85