Chapter-4

Roofs
Roof
 Chapter-4
Roofs
4.1 Roofs & their types
4.2 Timber roofs (Single/double/
multiple timber roofs)
4.3 Steel trusses and their
components (Angle & tubular truss)
4.4Roof coverings
 4.1 Roofs & their types
ROOF
• Roof may be defined as a covering provided
over the top of a building
• To protect the building from the atmospheric
effects (like rain, snow, sun and wind )
 Two main component of building roof

i. Structural element
• Design for supporting
roof covering
• Should be strong so
that it should carry
the load
• May be trusses, portals,
beams etc
Two main component cont….

ii. Roof covering

• Layer of covering on the structural element
• Should be water proof , fire resistance
• May be tiles, galvanized corrugated, iron
sheets, slates etc
 The functions of any roof
• To keep out rain,
wind, snow and dust
• To prevent excessive
heat loss in winter
• To keep the interior
of the building cool in
summer
• Designed to
accommodate all
stresses encountered
 The functions cont….
• For drainage
• For strength and
stability of building
• For durability and free
from maintenance
• Provide resistance to
the passage of sound
• Safety to occupants
• Aesthetic beauty
 Technical Terms of Roof cont…
1. Span:
The clear distance
between the
supports
2. Rise of roof:
It is the vertical
distance between
the wall plate and
the top of the
ridge
 Technical Terms of Roof cont…
• Pitch of roof:
- inclination of the
sides of roof to the
horizontal is termed
as pitch of roof
- expressed either
in terms if degree
(angle) or as a ratio
of rise to span
 Technical Terms of Roof cont…
• Ridge:
- The spine of the
roof and is
essentially a pitching
plate for the rafters
which are nailed to
each other through
the ridge board
 Technical Terms of Roof cont…
• Hip:
- The ridge formed
by the intersection
of two sloping
surfaces, where the
exterior angle is
greater than 180°
 Technical Terms of Roof cont…
• Valley:
- a reverse of a hip
- formed by the
intersection of two
roof surfaces,
making an external
angle less than 180°
Technical Terms of Roof cont..
 Technical Terms of Roof cont…
• Common rafters:
- main load
bearing members
of a roof are
common rafters
- span between
wall plates at
eaves level and
the ridge
 Technical Terms of Roof cont…
• Hip rafters:
-the sloping rafters
which form the hip of a
sloped roof
-They run diagonally
from the ridge to the
corners of the walls to
support roof coverings
-They receive the ends
of the purlins and ends of
jack rafters Hip rafter
 Technical Terms of Roof cont…
• Valley rafters:
-These are the
sloping rafters which
run diagonally from
the ridge to the eaves
for supporting valley
gutters
-They receive the
ends of the purlins and
ends of jack rafters on
both sides
 Technical Terms of Roof cont…
• Jack rafters:
- are the rafters
shorter in length
which run from
hip or valley to
the eaves or
ridge
respectively
Technical Terms of Roof cont…
 Technical Terms of Roof cont…
• Wall plates:
-long wooden members
which are provided on the
top of the stone or brick
wall
-for the purpose of fixing
the feet of the common
rafters
- Wall plates actually
connect the walls to the
roof
 Technical Terms of Roof cont…
• Ceiling joist:
- the wooden member
that functions as tie to
the feet of the rafters
and provides support
to the ceiling boards on
the undersides and any
cistern housed within
the roof void
 Technical Terms of Roof cont…
• Dragon ties:
- the tie placed
across the corners
and over the wall
plates and helps to
provide resistance
the truss of a hip
rafter
 Technical Terms of Roof cont…
• Purlin:
- Are horizontal
wooden or steel
members, used to
support common
rafters of a roof
when span is large
-Purlins are
supported on
trusses or walls
 Technical Terms of Roof cont…
• Struts:
- Are the
compressive
members that
transfer load of
purlin to a suitable
load bearing
support within the
span of roof
 Technical Terms of Roof cont…
• Eaves:
- Lower edge of roof
- The primary function of
the eaves is to keep rain
water off the walls
• Verge:
- Edge of roof coverings,
slates, CGI sheets or
tiles on the roof.
- Roof overhang at a gable
end
 Technical Terms of Roof cont…
• Cleats:
-Are small
pieces of
wood fixed
on rafter to
prevent
purlin to
slide down.
Technical Terms of Roof cont…
 Types of Roof

A. Pitched or Sloped roof

B. Flat roof
C. Shelled roof
D. Doomed roof
 A) Pitched or Sloped roof :
• Roof with sloping surface
• Considered suitable for buildings in areas
where rainfall/snowfall is very heavy
• Normally the sloped roof has the slope from
10⁰ to 70⁰
 Pitched or Sloped roof cont…
• Pitched roofs are basically of the following
forms:
a) Lean-to-roof
b) Gable roof
c) Hip roof
d) Gambrel roof
e) Mansard or curb roof
f) Deck roof
Pitched or Sloped roof cont…
 B) Flat roof
• Are considered suitable for buildings in plains
or in hot regions
• Are either horizontal or practically horizontal
with slope less than 10
• Even a perfectly horizontal roof has to have
some slope at top so that rain water can be
drained off easily and rapidly
Flat roof cont…
 C) Shelled roof
• Type of roof that has
thin section
• May be constructed
in curved surface
such as parabola,
hyperbola or
segment of curve
Shelled roof
 D) Domed roof:
• Curved roof having the
roof area more than
semicircle
• Has largest roof area
compare to all types of
roofs
• Can be constructed by
the use of R.C.C or
arch technology
 Domed roof cont…
• Care must be taken in the construction as it
requires high skill
 4.2 Timber roofs (Single/double/
multiple timber roofs)
• Single roofs:
-Those which consist of
only the rafters which
are supported at the
ridge and at the eaves
- Such roofs are used
only when the span is
limited to 5 meters
- Otherwise the size of
the rafters will be
uneconomical
 Single roofs cont…
Single roofs are of four types:
i. Lean-to-roof
ii. Couple roof
iii. Couple close roof
iv. Collar beam roof
v. Collar and scissor roof
 Single roofs cont…
i. Lean-to-roof:
-The simplest type of
sloping roof in which
rafters slope to one side
only
-Suitable for maximum
span of 2.5m
-Are provided for sheds,
out-houses attached to
main building,
verandahs etc
 Single roofs cont…
ii) Couple roof:
-Roof is formed by
couple or pair of
rafters which slope
to both the sides of
the ridge of the
roof
-Used when the
span is limited to
3.6 meters
 Single roofs cont…
iii) Couple close roof :
-Similar to the couple roof , except that the
ends of the couple of common rafters is
connected by horizontal member called tie
beam to prevent the rafters from spreading
and thrusting out of the wall
-A couple-close roof is economically suitable
for spans up to 4.2 m
Couple close roofs cont…
 Single roofs cont…
iv) Collar beam roof:
-When the span increases, or when the load is
more, the rafters of the couple close roof have
the tendency to bend
-Avoided by raising the tie beam and fixing it
at one-third to one-half of the vertical height
from wall plate to the ridge
-This raised beam is known as the collar beam
(collar tie)
 Collar beam roofs cont…
-This roof is suitable for spans up to 5 meters
 Single roofs cont…
v) Collar and scissor
roof:
-Similar to the collar
roof, except that two
collar beams crossing
each other to have
an appearance of
scissors is provided
as shown in the fig
 Timber roofs cont…
• Double or Purlin roofs
-A double roof is the one in which purlins are
introduced to support the common rafters at
intermediate point
-Such roofs are used when the span exceeds
5meters
- The function of purlin is to tie the rafters
together and to act as an intermediate
support to the rafters
Double or Purlin roofs cont…
Double or Purlin roofs cont…
 Triple-membered or framed or
trussed roofs:
• Consists of three sets of members: i) common
rafters ii) purlins and iii) trusses
• The purlins which give an intermediate support to
the rafters, are themselves supported on trusses
which are suitably spaced along the length of a
room
• Provided when the span of the room is greater
than 5 meters and when the length of the room is
large, i.e. where there are no internal walls or
partitions to support the purlins
 Triple-membered or framed cont…..
• Various types of Triple membered or framed
or trussed roof are :
1) King-Post Truss 2)Queen-Post Truss
3)Combination of King-Post and queen post
Trusses
4)Mansard Truss 5)Truncated Truss
6)Bel-fast Truss 7)Steel Trusses
8)Composite Trusses
 Triple-membered or framed cont….

1)King-Post Truss:
• A King-Post consists of following components:
• Two inclined principal rafters
• Lower tie beam
• Two struts
• King post
 King-Post Truss cont….

• Principal rafters support the purlins

• Purlins support the closely-spaced common
rafters which have the same slope as the
principal rafters
• Common rafters support the roof covering as
usual.
• Suitable for spans varying from 5 to 8meters
King-Post Truss cont….
King-Post Truss cont….
 Triple-membered or framed cont….

2)Queen-Post truss :
• Differs from a king post truss in having two
vertical posts rather than one
• Vertical posts are known as queen-post, the
tops of which are connected by a horizontal
piece known as straining beam
• Are suitable for spans between 8 to 12 meters.
Queen-Post truss cont….
Queen-Post truss cont…
 Triple-membered or framed cont….
3)Combination of King-Post and Queen-Post
Trusses:
• Queen-Post trusses are suitable for spans up to
12meters
• For greater spans the queen-post truss can be
strengthened by one or more upright member
called princess-post to each side
• ( fig a) and fig (b) shows the resulting
combination of King-Post and queen-post trusses,
which are suitable up to 18m span.
Combination cont….
 Triple-membered or framed cont….

4) Mansard roof truss:

• Combination of King-
Post and queen-Post
trusses
• A two-storey truss,
with upper portion
consisting of king-post
truss and the lower
portion queen post
truss
Mansard roof truss cont….
 Triple-membered or framed cont….

5)Truncated truss:
• Similar to Mansard
truss, except that its
top is formed flat
with a gentle slope
to one side.
 Triple-membered or framed cont….
6) Bel-fast roof truss ( Bow
string truss)
• In the form of a bow,
consists of thin sections
of timber, with its top
chord curved
• If the roof covering is
light, this roof truss can
be used up to 30m span.
 Triple-membered or framed cont….
7) Composite roof
trusses:
• Roof trusses made of
two materials such as
timber and steel
• Some common types
of composite roof
trusses, using fittings
such as C.I. head, C.I
shoe, steel angle
bolts and straps etc
Composite roof trusses cont….
 Triple-membered or framed cont….
8) Steel Truss :
• Used for span more than 10m
• Commonly used these days since they are
more economical, easy to construct or
fabricate , fire proof , more rigid and
permanent
• Consists of rolled steel sections welded and
bolted in gusset plates and may be tube (pipe)
or angles
Steel Truss
 4.3 Steel trusses and their
components (Angle & tubular truss)
• Steel roof Truss – Angular:
• Angle sections and plates are
commonly used for fabrication,
though channel sections and T-
sections can be also used
• Designed that the members carry
only direct stresses, (i.e., either
compression or tension) and no
bending stress are induced
• Principal rafter as well as the main
tie are generally made of two
angle sections placed side by side,
while the struts and ties are
generally made of single angle
sections
 Steel trusses cont….
• Members are jointed together,
using a gusset plate, either
through rivets or by welding
• Minimum pitch should not be less
than three times the rivet
diameter, while the maximum
pitch is limited to 15cm for
compression members and 20 cm
for tension members
• Generally, 15 mm diameter rivets
are used for small spans and
20mm rivets are used for large
spans
 Steel trusses cont….
• At least two rivets should be
used at each joint
• Gusset plate should not be less
than 6mm, though its thickness
is designed on the basis of
forces carried by members to be
jointed
• At the foot of the truss, short
angles are fitted on both the
sides of the gusset plate, which
are connected to the bearing
plate
 Steel trusses cont….
• The bearing plate is
jointed to concrete
bed through rag
bolts
• At the apex,
suitable ridge
section is fitted
Steel trusses cont….
 Steel trusses cont….
• Steel roof Truss – Tubular:
 Steel roof Truss – Tubular cont….
• Tubular Steel roof trusses are used for large
span constructions such as factories, industry
work sheds, shopping malls, huge exhibition
centers, multiplexes etc
• Are generally used for spans as large as 25-
30m
• Are quite popular since they are light weight
and economical
 Steel roof Truss – Tubular cont….
• Since external loads are transferred to a truss
at the joints, various members of a truss are
subject only to direct stresses, either tensile or
compressive
• However, purlins are designed as flexural
members
• Various members of a roof truss are jointed
together usually by welding
 Steel roof Truss – Tubular cont….
• Usually fabricated
in three parts,
transported and
then assembled at
the site
• As shown in fig a
simple triangular
truss is fabricated
in three parts: Part
ABC, Part EBD and
Part CD
 Steel roof Truss – Tubular cont….
• In order to support purlins,
rectangular plates (with
holes) are also welded to the
principal rafter at the joints
(such as F and G) , and these
pieces are kept projected
• The tubular purlins are
provided with holes at the
ends with internal threads
• Studs are placed through the
holes in the projected
rectangular plates and
tightened in the internally
threaded ends of purlins
 4.4 Roof coverings

I. Thatch
II. Wood Singles
III. Tile roofing
IV. CGI-sheet
V. AC-sheet (Asbestos Cement)
VI. Slates
[Link] weight roofing
 Roof coverings cont….
i)Thatch:
• Organic material
available in nature and
used for the roof.
• Sometime, the rice,
and wheat straw are
also used in the roof
• But the thatch is
special grass available
in wild land
 Roof coverings cont….
• Simply tied tightly in a
bunch in to the battens
in closely distanced
about 30cm) layers
• Thickness may be from
10cm to 15cm
• Used largely in rural
areas and slope of this
roof is normally more
than 40°
• Thatch is combustible,
absorbs moisture and
is liable to rot or decay
 Roof coverings cont….
ii) Wood Shingles:
• Shingles are thin
slabs of wood
used to cover
roofs
• The use of
shingles is
common to hilly
areas where local
timber is easily
available at low
cost
 Roof coverings cont….
iii) Tile roofing :
• Tiles are manufactured from clay and concrete
to a wide range of design
• The standard size of plain tile is 265X165 mm
and thickness of minimum 10mm
• Tiles are somehow raised to drain out the rain
water and raised part is called camber
• It prevents the rainwater being drawn up
between the tiles by capillary action, as it
would be if the tiles were absolutely flat
Roof coverings cont….
 Roof coverings cont….
• The tiles while fixing on the
roof have to be overlapped
and hung in to the battens in a
definite interval
• Overlapping is called LAP and
the interval is called GAUGE
• Gauge= (Length of tile-Lap*2)
• Example. For 265mm length
and lap of 65mm, gauge,
G=(265-65*2)=135mm
 Roof coverings cont….
iv) Galvanized Iron corrugated sheets (C.G.I
sheets):
• CGI sheets are very much popular these days
in different region of Nepal
• Relatively cheap as well and very easy to fix
on the roof
• The rafter is fixed to wall plate and the ridge
and purlin is laid on it
 Roof coverings cont….
• The C.G.I sheets are nailed or bolted to purlins
• Eaves board is nailed to the ends of rafter
• The slope of roof for CGI sheets should be
more than 25° and lapping 15cm on edge & 1
& ½ corrugation at side
 Roof coverings cont….
v) Asbestos cement sheets
( A.C sheets)
• AC sheets are produced
by the mixture of
cement, asbestos fibers
and water
• Cheap, light,
impervious, durable and
fire resistant
• Available in 2 to 3
meters in length and has
the same procedure as
CGI sheet to fix on the
roof
 Roof coverings cont….
vi) Slate roofing:
• Slates may be of different
types and may be fixed
on the roof in different
ways as well
• For the method of fixing,
slates are nailed to the
battens that are fixed on
planks or direct on
rafters
• Slates are overlapped by
50-75%.
 Roof coverings cont….
vii)Light weight roofing :
• For wide span industrial structures, it is
desirable to reduce the weight of roof so that
structural framing can be economized
• Conventional roofing materials (such as tiles,
slates etc) are heavy and required heavy
framing to support them
 Roof coverings cont….
• The light weight roofing materials are of two
types:
a) Sheeting
• Aluminum sheets
• Asbestos cement sheets
 Roof coverings cont….
b) Decking
• Wood wool
• Straw board
• Aluminum alloy and steel decking.