THIS INVENTION relates to the capping of roofs. In particular, the invention provides a roof capping element. The invention extends to a roof ridging kit, and to a method of capping a roof. The invention also extends to a method of manufacturing a roof capping element.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a roof capping element which includes: a body for positioning over an apex of a roof to cover the apex; and at least one attachment formation fast with the body for attaching the body to a roof structure, to keep the body in position over the apex.

Preferably, each attachment formation is integrally fast with the body. By integrally fast with the body is meant that the attachment formation forms a permanent part of body and is not intended for removal and replacement, so that forced removal of the attachment formation will damage the body.

The body may include an operatively upper vertex and a skirt portion which slopes downwardly from the vertex, the skirt portion having an inner side for resting on part of a roof on which the capping element is fitted, in use, each attachment formation being located on the inner side of the skirt portion.

Typically, the body is a moulded element, each attachment formation forming part of an attachment member which is moulded into the body. By moulded into the body is meant that the member is embedded in a settable material during manufacturing, so that part of the member is held captive in the body once the moulding material has set. This is thus meant to include the application of a resin impregnated sheet of reinforcing material applied over the member to secure it to the body.

The capping element may include a stiffening structure moulded into the body to enhance the stiffness of the moulded body. In such case, the body may be elongated and have a constant cross-sectional profile, the stiffening structure being provided by a plurality of elongated stiffening members which are spaced in series along the length of the body, each stiffening member extending along opposed parts of the skirt portion on opposite sides of the vertex.

Preferably, the body is of a set resin-based material which is reinforced by sheet-like reinforcing material, the body optionally being reinforced by woven glass fibre matting or netting. Instead, the reinforcing material may be netting made of metal, a textile, or a compatible plastic such as polypropylene. In one embodiment of the invention, the resin-based material of which the body is made comprises a mineral crystal base and a water-based acrylic resin. Instead, the material may be moulded from a cement-sand mixture or any other settable moulding material.

Each attachment formation may be configured for engagement with a tensile fastening element, such as a wire tie or a fixing wire, to permit attachment of the body to a roof support structure by tensile fastening elements fastened to the respective

attachment formations. Each attachment formation may be a lug which projects from the inner side of the skirt portion, the lug providing an eye or hook for receiving a tensile fastening element.

The body of the element may be elongated and configured for covering an elongated roof apex, the body providing an engagement formation at at least one end thereof for co-operation with a complementary engagement formation on a similar capping element. In such case, the engagement formation may be configured for co- operation with a complementary engagement formation to form an overlap joint such that, in use, two capping elements which are connected together end-to-end overlap at their junction, while operatively outer surfaces of said capping elements are flush with each other. Preferably, the capping element has complementary engagement formations at its opposite ends, one engagement formation being in the form of a step in an outer side of the body at an end edge of the body, the step being complementary to the other end edge of the body.

At least one of the engagement formations may conveniently include a sealing member for providing sealing engagement between complementary engagement formations in use. In a particular embodiment of the invention, an operatively lower one of the engagement formations forms a gutter which extends along the outer side of the skirt portion, transverse to the lengthwise direction of the body, to channel water downwardly in use, the gutter being bordered adjacent the associated end edge of the body by an upwardly projecting lip, the sealing member being positioned for providing a sealed connection between the lip and an underside of a complementary engagement formation.

The roof capping element typically includes a plurality of attachment formations which are arranged on opposite sides of the vertex.

The outer surface of the capping element may be provided with a decorative surface pattern or texture imparted by an surface of a mould in. which the element is formed.

In a particular embodiment, the roof capping element is substantially conical in shape for fitting on an apex of a conical roof, a number of attachment formations projecting more or less radially inwardly from an inner side of a conical skirt portion of the body.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of capping a roof, which method includes: positioning a roof capping element on an apex of the roof, to provide a water resistant cover for the apex; and attaching the roof capping element to a support structure of the roof by means of at least one attachment formation which is fast with a body of the capping element.

Attaching of the capping element to the roof structure may comprise securing a fastening element to the roof structure and to at least one attachment formation of the capping element. Typically, the roof is a thatched roof and each attachment formation projects from an underside of the capping element, in use, positioning of the roof

capping element thus comprising insertion of each attachment formation into thatch forming part of the roof.

The method may conveniently include securing a fastening element to each of the attachment formations before positioning of the capping element on the roof apex The method may include positioning a plurality of complementary elongated capping elements along an apex of the roof so that the capping elements are engaged end-to-end to form an overlap joint between each pair of engaged capping elements.

Typically, the method includes positioning a plurality of identical capping elements along the apex, each element having complementary engagement formations at opposite ends thereof, so that each engagement formation is engaged with a complementary engagement formation on an adjacent capping element.

The method may further include engaging the elongated capping elements with one another such that a sealed joint is formed between each pair of adjacent capping elements, to inhibit the passage of water through the overlap joint and on to the roof.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a roof ridging kit which includes a plurality of roof capping elements as described above, the roof capping elements being elongated for positioning end-to-end in series along an apex of a roof to provide a water resistant cover or cap for the roof apex.

The kit may include at least one end element for positioning at an end of a series of capping elements, the end element having an engagement formation at one end thereof for engagement with a complementary engagement formation of a penultimate capping element, the other end of the end element providing a closed end formation.

According to yet a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a roof capping element for positioning over an apex of a roof, which method includes forming a body of the capping element such that an attachment formation for attaching the body to a roof structure is fast with the body.

Forming the body may comprise shaping the body from a settable cementitious or resinous material in a mould, each attachment formation being partly embedded in the settable material during the shaping process, so that part of each attachment formation is moulded into the body.

The method may include moulding a stiffening structure into the body to enhance the stiffness of the moulded body.

The method may include moulding the body from a resin-based material which is reinforced by sheet-like reinforcing material, the method optionally including the step of reinforcing the body with woven glass fibre netting.

According to yet another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a roof capping element which includes a body for positioning over an apex of a roof to

cover the apex, the body being elongated and being configured for covering an elongated roof apex, the body providing an engagement formation at at least one end thereof for co-operation with a complementary engagement formation on a like capping element such that, in use, two capping elements which are engaged end-to-end overlap at their junction, while operatively outer surfaces of said capping elements are flush with each other.

The roof capping element may have complementary engagement formations at its opposite ends, one engagement formation being in the form of a step in an outer side of the body at an end edge of the body, the step being complementary to the other end edge of the body.

At least one of the engagement formations may provide a sealing member for providing sealing engagement of complementary engagement formations in use.

Preferably, an operatively lower one of the engagement formations forms a gutter which extends along the outer side of the skirt portion, transverse to the lengthwise direction of the body, to channel water downwardly in use, the gutter being bordered adjacent the associated end edge of the body by an upwardly projecting lip, the sealing member being positioned for providing a sealed connection between the lip and an underside of a complementary engagement formation.

The roof capping element may be an element as defined with reference to the first aspect of the invention.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic three-dimensional view from above of a roof capping element in accordance with the invention, the element being in the form of an end element for positioning at the end of a series of roof capping elements arranged end-to- end on a ridge of a thatched roof; Figure 2 is a schematic longitudinal section of the capping element of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic cross-section of the capping element of Figure 1, the element being secured to a supporting structure of a roof to which the element is fitted; Figure 4 is a view corresponding to Figure 1 of a roof capping element in the form of a ridge element for end-to-end connection to identical ridge elements and/or to the end element of Figure 1; Figure 5 is, on an enlarged scale, a simplified longitudinal sectional view of an overlap joint formed between two of the ridge elements of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a view corresponding to Figure 5 of another embodiment of a pair of engaged roof capping elements in accordance with the invention; Figure 7 is a schematic three-dimensional view of another embodiment of a roof capping element in accordance with the invention, the capping element being an end element for forming a gable end of a roof ridge; and Figure 8 is a view corresponding to Figure 1 of yet another embodiment of a roof capping element in accordance with the invention, the capping element being for fitment on the apex of a conical roof.

In the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally indicates a roof capping element in accordance with the invention. The capping element 10 comprises a body

12 for positioning over an apex 14 of a thatched roof 15 to cover the apex 14 in a waterproof fashion, and a plurality of attachment formations 16 fast with the body 12 for attaching the body 12 to a support structure 18 of the roof 15 (see Figure 3).

The capping element 10 has an elongated body 12 with a substantially constant cross-sectional profile, comprising an operatively upper curved vertex 20 which runs along the element 10, and a skirt portion which slopes downwardly from the vertex 20. The skirt portion comprises two planar, plate-like skirt walls 22 which are operatively inclined relative to the vertical, so that the element 10 has an inverted V- shape in cross-section for fitting over a complementarily angled apex 14 of a thatched roof 15.

The body 12 is a moulded or cast element 10 of a synthetic material, being formed of a hardened or set reinforced resin. In this example, the body 12 is of a material available in under the trade name"MATERIAL ONE", being a"Master Works" product produced under licence in South Africa by A. M. T. Composites. The body 12 is thus of a resin-based material comprising a mineral crystal base and a water-based acrylic resin, the resin-based material being reinforced by sheets of woven glass fibre netting (not shown). The body 12 is formed in a mould, so that an operatively outer side or surface of the body 12 is formed by the inner shape of the mould, thus having smooth texture imparted by the set resin-based material, while the inside or underside 24 of the body 12 shows the glass fibre netting.

The outer surface of the element 10 is covered with a sealant to give it a shiny finish, to enhance is waterproofing and it UV-resistance, and to facilitate easy

cleaning of the element 10. It is also possible to colour the outer surface of the element 10. To this end the moulding material may be coloured by adding a pigment to it, or the outer surface of the element 10 can be painted. The outer surface of the skirt walls 22 are provided with a pattern of transversely spaced downwardly extending grooves and ridges, to give the outer surface of the element 10 a texture similar to that of thatch.

The attachment formations in this example are in the form of lugs 16 or ties which project from the underside 24 of the respective skirt walls 22, projecting into the included angle of the body 12 in cross-section and thus projecting away from the operatively upper surface of the capping element 10. Each lug 16 has an eye for receiving a tensile fastening element in the form of a fixing wire 26, to attach the element 10 to a roof support structure 18.

The lugs 16 are provided by a longitudinally spaced series of attachment members which are integrally fast with the body 12 of the element 10, the attachment members being pieces of wire which are bent to form the attachment eye and have anchor legs which are embedded in the body 12. The lugs 16 are positioned adjacent the bottom edge of the skirt walls 22 and are located on both sides of the vertex 20.

The element 10 includes a stiffening structure provided by a series of elongated stiffening members 28 which are integrally formed with the body 12, being embedded in the moulded material of the body 12. The stiffening members 28 are formed by cranked bars of a rigid polymeric plastics material, in this case being of polyester resin with reinforced fibreglass matting. Each stiffening member 28 lies in a plane which is more or less normal to the lengthwise direction of the element 10, having

two legs which extend along the respective skirt walls 22, the legs being connected by a cross portion which extends between the skirt walls 22 adjacent the vertex 20 of the body 12.

The capping element 10 of Figure 1 is an end element for forming a hip end of a roof ridge, having a rounded end formation at one end of the element 10, and an engagement formation 30 at the other end for end-to-end engagement with a ridging element 40 (see Figure 4). An attachment lug 16 is provided on the inside of the skirt portion at the end formation of the element 10.

The attachment members 16 are integrally fast with the body 12 of the element 10, not being intended for removal or replacement. To this end, each attachment member 16 is moulded into the body 12 of the element 10, being sandwiched between hardened sheets of reinforcing material and covered by the resin- based material, with substantially only the lugs 16 and the cross-portion of the stiffener members 28 projecting from the body 12.

The element 10 forms part of a kit for forming a roof ridge 42 (see Figure 3) extending along the ridge of a thatched roof 15, the kit including a plurality of ridging elements 40 as shown in Figure 4. Each ridging element 40 is similar in construction to the end element 10 of Figure 1, except that each ridging element 40 has a pair of complementary engagement formations 30, 28 at its ends, instead of having an end formation at one end thereof.

The ridging elements 40 are thus constructed for end-to-end connection or engagement to form an overlap joint between each pair of adjacent elements 40. An operatively inner engagement formation 30 is provided by a step formation in the outer or upper surface of the element 40 at the end edge of the element 40, while an operatively outer engagement formation 38 is provided by the end edge of the element 40 at an opposite end thereof. The step 30 is shaped such that when two of the elements 40 are positioned end-to-end, the upper surfaces of the adjacent elements 40 are flush with each other, being substantially co-planar and continuous, such that the surfaces are separated only by a seam or joint line where the upper end edge 38 of one element 40 fits lap-joint fashion over the inner engagement formation 30 of another element 40.

In the example shown in Figure 5, the inner engagement formation 30 includes a gutter formation 36 beneath the upper engagement formation 38, the gutter formation 36 extending downwardly along the associated skirt wall 22 and being bordered by the main portion of the body 12 on one side and by a gutter lip 32 on the other side. The gutter lip 32 thus projects operatively upwardly from a floor of the gutter formation 36 and extends along the end edge of the associated skirt wall 22.

A sealing member in the form of a sealing strip 34 is adhesively connected to the upper edge of the gutter lip 32 for sealing engagement with the underside of the upper engagement formation 38, in use. It will be appreciated that the sealing strip 34 can be omitted in some applications.

Figure 6 shows another embodiment of a pair of complementary engagement formations 38,41 in accordance with another embodiment of a roof capping element in accordance with the invention. The engagement formation 38 are similar to that described with reference to Figure 5, being provided merely by the end portion of one element 40, but the lower engagement formation 41 does not include a gutter lip 32 to space a gutter formation 36 from the upper engagement formation 38. The engagement formations 38,41 thus simply overlap to inhibit leaking of water through the joint between them onto an underlying roof 15, and to provide an aesthetically pleasing smooth transition between the pair of adjacent capping elements 40, because of the flushness of the abutting upper surfaces of the elements 40.

In use, the capping elements 10,40 are secured to an apex 14 of a thatched roof 15 to provide a ridge 42 for the roof. To this end, fixing wires 26 are first tied to the respective attachment lugs 16 and thereafter the ridging elements 40 are positioned on the roof 15 to extend end-to-end in series along the apex 14 of the roof 15.

A joint between each pair of adjacent ridging elements 40 are thus formed by the overlapping engagement formations 30,38, so that the upper surface of the resultant roof ridge 42 is substantially continuous, successive ridging elements 40 being flush with each other. The attachment lugs 16 project into and through a layer of thatch on which the underside 24 of the elements 10 rest, so that the fixing wires 26 can be reached by a builder standing inside the roof 15. These wires 26 are then tied to laths 17 supported on rafters or beams 19 forming part of the roof structure 18 (Figure 3), to attach the ridging elements 10,40 fixedly to the roof 15 and to keep them in position relative to the roof 15 and to one another.

The ridging elements can be of any length, but in a particular embodiment of the invention, the ridging elements 40 are supplied in lengths of 3m, 1m, and 0.5m.

When installing a run of ridging elements 40, only the last element 10 needs to be cut to the required length using a powered grinder or the like.

One of the end elements 10 is positioned at each end of the longitudinally extending series of elements 40, to provide a closed off end to the modular roof ridge 42 formed by the elements 10. Figure 7 shows an alternative end element 50 for this purpose, providing a gable end formation 52.

The roof ridge 42 thus provides a watertight covering for the roof apex 14, as the overlapping engagement formations 30,38 inhibit the passage of water to the interior of the roof ridge 42 through joints between adjacent elements 10. In the embodiment of Figure 5, water which passes through the abutting upper surfaces of the elements 10 is channelled downwardly in the gutter 36 provided by the lower engagement formation 38. The joint is sealed by the sealing strip 34 which abuts the underside of the upper element 10, so that the connection is watertight.

In Figure 8 of the drawings, reference numeral 60 shows a further embodiment of a roof capping element in accordance with the invention, having a conical body 12 for fitting over the apex 14 of a conical roof. Like reference numerals indicate like parts in Figures 1 to 7 and in Figure 8, unless otherwise indicated. This element can be fitted over the conical roof of structures with a round ground plan, such as a rondavel.

Roof capping elements in accordance with the invention can be formed with shapes different to those shown in the drawings. In particular, vaulted ridging elements can be provided, having an inverted U-shape cross-section instead of an inverted V- shape as shown in the drawings. A roof capping element similar to that of Figure 8 can also be formed with a part-spherical or domed shape.

A plurality of attachment lugs 16 are integrally fast with the body 12, projecting from the inner side of the conical body 12 adjacent a lower rim of the body 12. In this example there are four lugs 16 which are equiangularly spaced about the body 12.

It is an advantage of roof capping elements 10,40, 60 as described with reference to the drawings that the integral attachment formations 16 facilitate securing of the elements 10,40, 60 to the roof. These attachment formations 16 do not compromise imperviousness of the capping elements 10,40, 60 to water, unlike prior art roof capping elements which require the forming of attachment apertures in the skirt walls for receiving wire ties.

The overlapping engagement formations 30,38 furthermore not only promote a substantially uninterrupted upper outer surface of the roof ridge, but also enhance imperviousness of the roof ridge 42 to the ingress of water. As the attachment lugs 16 are located on the underside 24 of the element 10,40, 60, they are hidden from view, in use, and are thus unobtrusive.

The synthetic material from which the elements 10,40, 60 is made is more resistant to wear than conventional materials and thus enhances sustained aesthetic appeal of the roof ridge.