COURSE TITLE: Building construction I

COURSE NUMBER: CoTM2072

Instructor : ALEMU A.(MSc)
COURSE
ROOFS AND ROOF COVERINGS
1. INTRODUCTION
 A roof is defined as the upper most part of the building, provided as a structural
covering, to protect the building from weather.

A roof consists of structural elements, which supports roof coverings. The

structural elements may be trusses, beams, slabs, shells or domes.

 The roof coverings may be corrugated metal sheets, RC slabs, tiles, etc.

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Requirements of a roof
 The requirements of a good roof are summarised as follow:

i. It should have adequate strength and stability to carry the super-

imposed dead and live loads.
ii. It should effectively protect the building against rain, sun, wind,
etc. and it should be durable against the adverse effects of these
agencies.
 iii. It should be water proof and should have efficient drainage
arrangements.
iv. It should provide adequate thermal insulation.
v. It should be fire resistant.
vi. It should provide adequate insulation against sound.
2. TYPES OF ROOFS
 The general types of roofs are:

 Pitched or Slopping roofs,

 Flat roofs or terraced roofs, and
 Curved roofs.

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2. TYPES OF ROOFS
 The selection of the type of roof depends upon:

 Shape or plan of the building,

 Climatic conditions of the area,
 Type of construction materials available.
 Pitched roofs:
 Have slopping top surfaces.
 Are suitable in those areas where rainfall/snow fall is very heavy
 Use to cover satisfactorily those buildings with limited width and
simple shape

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 Flat roofs:
 Considered suitable for buildings in hot regions where rainfall is
moderate and snow fall is not there.
 Are equally applicable to buildings of any shape and size.

 Curved roofs:
 Have their top surface curved.
 Such roofs are provided to give architectural effects.
 Such roofs include cylindrical and parabolic shells and domes.
2.1 Slopping (pitched) roofs
 Pitched roof is the most common form of roof and is generally regarded as the
cheapest alternative for covering a structure.
 Pitched roof is almost always constructed in wood or steel.
 In pitched roofs a slope of less than l in 3 is generally not considered satisfactory
from drainage point of view.
 In areas of heavy snowfall, steeper slopes (1:1.5 or 1:1) are provided to reduce the
incidence of snow load on the roof.

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2.1 Slopping (pitched) roofs
2.1.1 Forms of sloping roofs
 Slopping roofs are basically of the following forms:
a) Shed roof: it is the simplest type and slopes only in one direction.
It is used for smaller span and is also known as lean to roof.
At the upper ends, the rafters are nailed to the wooden wall
plate, which may be of stone or brick.

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2.1.1 Forms of sloping roofs
b) Gable roof: it slopes in two directions and is commonly used.
 It is formed by a pair of inclined rafters with their upper ends
nailed to a common ridge piece.
c) Hip roof: It slopes in four directions such that the end formed by intersection of
slopes results in triangular and trapezoidal form.
d) Butterfly roof: It slopes in two directions and intersect at the centre of the span
and will have common drainage system.
e) Pyramid roof: It is similar to hip roofs, slopes in four directions and the
intersections of slopes make a pyramid.

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2.1.1 Forms of sloping roofs

Pyramid roof

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2.1.1 Forms of sloping roofs

Shed roof Gable roof

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Gambrel roof Hip roof
2.1.1 Forms of sloping roofs

Flat roof
Mansard roof

Gable dormer roof Shed dormer roof 13

2.1.2 Elements of slopping roofs
 Some of the important elements of pitched roofs are:
a) Span: It is the clear distance between the supports of an arch, beam or roof
truss.
b) Rise: It is the vertical distance between the top of the ridge and the wall plate.
c) Pitch: It is the inclination of the sides of a roof to the horizontal plane. Either
it is expressed in terms of angles (degrees) or as ratio of rise to span.
d) Ridge: It is defined as the apex line of the sloping roof. It is thus the apex of
the angle formed by the termination of the inclined surfaces at the top of a
slope.
e) Eaves: The lower edge of the inclined roof surface. From the lower edge
(eaves), the rainwater from the roof surface drops down.

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f) Hip: It is the ridge formed by the intersection of two sloping surfaces, where the
exterior angle is greater than 1800.
g) Valley: It is a reverse of a hip. It is formed by the intersection of two roof
surfaces, making an external angle less than 1800.
h) Rafters: are inclined wooden members supporting the purlins on
which roof covering rest.
i) Purlins: are horizontal wooden or steel members, on which roof covering rest.

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j) Eaves board: Also known as Fascia board. It is a wooden plank or board fixed
to the feet of the common rafters at the eaves. It is usually 25mm thick and 20cm
wide. The ends of lower most roof covering material rest upon it. The eaves
gutter, if any, can also be secured against it.
k) Battens: These are thin strips of wood, called scantlings, which are nailed to the
rafters for laying roof material above.
l) Truss: A roof truss is a framework, usually of triangles, designed to support the
roof covering or ceiling over rooms.

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2.1.2 Elements of slopping roofs

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2.1.2 Elements of slopping roofs

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2.1.3 Types of slopping roofs
 Pitched roofs are basically categorised under three categories.
 Single roof,
 Double or purlin roofs, and
 Tripled-member or framed or trussed roofs.
a) single roof: This roof consists of common rafters that are secured at the
ridge and wall plates. The various forms of this types are as follows:
i. Lean to roof: is a roof, which covers the verandas of a building and
projects from the main wall of the building.
 It is suitable for spaces up to 2.4m and is generally used for sheds, out-
houses attached to the main buildings, verandas, etc.

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2.1.3 Types of slopping roofs
ii. Couple roof: each couple or pair of common rafters is made to
slope upwards from the opposite walls and they are supported at
the upper ends at the ridge piece or ridge board in the middle.
 It is suitable for span up to 3.6m.

iii. Couple-close roof: It is similar to a couple roof except that the

legs of the common rafters are closed by a horizontal tie
known as tie beam.
 Under normal loading conditions, this type of roof can be used
for maximum span of 4.8m.

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2.1.3 Types of slopping roofs

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2.1.3 Types of slopping roofs
b) Double or purlin roof: Additional members called purlins are introduced to
support the common rafter at intermediate point.
 The purlins are used to tie the rafters together and act as intermediate
support.

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2.1.3 Types of slopping roofs
c) Trussed roof: Trussed roofs are usually used when the span exceeds 5m and
where there are no inside walls to support purlins.
The spacing of trusses depends upon the various factors, such as
loads on roof
Span and material of truss, etc.
There are three elements in a trussed roof system:
Rafters which support the roofing materials,
Purlins to provide intermediate support to rafters, and
Trusses to provide support to the ends of purlins.

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 Types of truss
Composite roof truss:
 Roof truss made of two materials are known as composite roof
trusses.
 In a composite truss, the tension members are made of steel, while
compression members are made of timber.

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2.1.3 Types of slopping roofs
Steel roof trusses:
 When the span exceeds 10m, timber trusses become heavy and uneconomical.
 Steel trusses are commonly used for the following reasons:

 More economical.
 Easy to construct or fabricate.
 Fire proof.
 More rigid and permanent.
 Steel
trusses are fabricated from rolled steel structural members such as channels,
angles, RHS, T-sections and plates.

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Steel roof trusses:

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37
Space frame
A space frame is a long-spanning three-dimensional plate structure based on the
rigidity of the triangle and composed of linear elements subjects only to axial tension
or compression.
Steel roof trusses:
 Steel trusses have the following advantages over timber trusses:
i. The sections comprising of a steel truss are readily available in the required dimension,
resulting in minimum wastage.
ii. Steel trusses are light in weight, and can be fabricated in any shape depending upon
structural and architectural requirement.
iii. Steel trusses are stronger and more rigid in comparison to timber trusses. The members are
equally strong in tension and compression.
iv. Steel truss can be used over any span, while timber trusses are suitable only up to 15m
span.
v. Steel trusses are fire proof and termite proof.
vi. The fabrication of steel truss is easier and quicker.

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Roof coverings for sloping roof
 Roof covering is a material, which gives a protective surface to the roofing
structure.
 The function of the covering is only to prevent entrance of heat and moisture
into the building.
 It does not withstand structural loads, which are directly taken by the roofing
elements.

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 Some of the different types of coverings which are used for slopping roofs are:

Thatch roof covering

Galvanized corrugated iron/steel sheet
Corrugated Asbestos cement Sheets
 Tiled covering

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2.1.3 Roof coverings for sloping roof
 The various types of roof coverings materials commonly used are: thatch, wood,
tiles, asbestos cement sheet, galvanised corrugated iron sheets, etc.
i. Thatch roof coverings
 It is one of the most ancient types of roof covering and is mainly used in village
areas.
 Thatch roof cover is suitable for rural buildings mainly because the cost is very low
and thatch is abundantly available in those regions.

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ii. Galvanised corrugated iron/steel sheet
 Galvanization means that the iron/steel sheet is covered with a thin layer of zinc to
protect it from rusting.
 The corrugation means that the sheet is made more resistant to bending stresses
lengthwise.
 The gauge indicates the thickness G-24=0.549mm, G-26=0.457mm, G-
28=0.376mm, G-30=0.315mm, G-32=0.274mm and G-35=0.2mm .
 It is required that a sheet should be strong enough to carry, without buckling, the
load of full grown man.

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iii. Corrugated Asbestos Cement Sheets
 Corrugated asbestos cement sheets were frequently used as the major covering
material for mainly steel roof structures.
 It was made from cement and about 15% asbestos fibers together with a
controlled amount of water.
 The sheets made out of these materials are light, cheap, impervious, durable and
fire resisting.
 It does not necessarily require any protective paint and cannot be eaten by
vermin.
 Nowadays, however, concern with the health risk associated with the
manufacture and use of asbestos-based products has led to the development and
production of alternative fiber-based materials.

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 Oldest roof covering
 Allahabad tile, Mangalore tile etc.
 Manufactured with clay
Advantages: non conductors of heat and cold, prevents extreme changes in
temperature within bldg.
2.2. Flat Roof
 A roof, which is nearly flat, with angles less than 100 to the horizontal, is
known as flat roof.
 With the advent of very reliable waterproofing and heat insulating material, flat
roof construction has replaced the pitched roofs in many types of constructions.
 Drainage of flat roofs is one of the basic requirements. The rainwater should
be drained-off from roof surface easily and quickly; otherwise it will lead to
leakage.
 To achieve watertight roof surface, the selection of slopes and drain-outlets,
depending upon the roofing materials and climatic conditions, should be done
carefully.

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 2.2. Flat Roof
 Flat roofs are often considered to be a simple form of construction, but they should
be designed and constructed properly.
 The common type of Flat Roof Covering is Reinforced flat

roof covering.
 Reinforced concrete flat roof is becoming very popular in construction of roofs for
modern roof.
Concrete is weak in tension and to overcome this, steel which is strong in tension is
embedded in concrete. Hence reinforced concrete member is equally strong both in
compression and tension.

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Advantages of Flat Roof
1) The roof can be used as terrace for playing, gardening, sleeping
and for celebrating functions.
2) Construction and maintenance is easier.
3) They require lesser area of roofing material than pitched roof.
4) Flat roofs are proved to be overall economical.
5) In multi-story buildings, flat roof is the only choice, since
overhead water tanks and other services are located on the
terrace.
6) The construction of upper floors can be easily done over flat roofs,
if so required in the future.

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Disadvantages of Flat Roof
1) The self weight of flat roof is very high. Due to this, the sizes of
beams, columns, foundations, and other structural members are
heavy.
2) They are unsuitable at places of heavy rainfall.
3) It is difficult to locate and rectify leak in flat roof.
4) The speed of flat roof construction is much slower than the pitched
roof.
5) The initial cost of flat roof is more than pitched roof.

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2.3. Curved Roofs
2.3.1 Shells
 A shell structure consists of relatively thin slab, which is curved in one or both
direction and may be stiffened along its edges to maintain its curvature.
 Advantages:

 The curved shapes are naturally strong structures

 Allow wide areas to be spanned
 No use of internal supports
 Gives an open space
 Ideally suited for architectural applications

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 Types of shell structures

Z shell
folded plates

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The lazy S
Short shells
Barrel shells
Shell structures

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2.3.2. DOMES
 is a roof of semi-spherical or semi-elliptical shape.
 They are constructed of stone, brick or concrete and are supported on circular or
regular polygon shaped walls.
 Domes are small in thickness and are used where architectural treatment is required
like churches, conference halls and modern recreation centers.

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 Advantages:

 They are completely span-free

 Aesthetically very pleasing
 Virtually any size and number of openings are possible
 excellent for athletic facilities, schools, auditoriums, churches,
convention halls, museums etc.
Types of dome structures

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Shell and Dome Roofs

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Choice of Roof covering
 In selection of suitable roof covering, the following factors need to be
seriously considered.
1. Initial cost.
2. Maintenance cost.
3. Slope of the roof.
4. Durability.
5. Resistance to fire.
6. Weight of the roof covering.
7. Appearance (Aesthetic value).
8. Heat insulation.

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THANK YOU!

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