BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

CEng 3083

CHAPTER EIGHT
ROOF AND ROOF COVERINGS

INSTRUCTOR- Tibebu G.
 CONTENTS

8.1.Introduction
8.2.Types of roofs
8.3.Sloping (pitched) roofs
8.3.1.Forms of sloping roofs
8.3.2.Types of sloping roofs
8.3.3.Roof coverings for sloping roofs
8.1.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 support 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.
 Requirements Of A Roof

The requirements of a good roof are summarized as follow:

i. It should have adequate strength and stability to carry the superimposed
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.
8. 2. TYPES OF ROOFS

The general types of roofs are:

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

Cont.….

1. 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.
2. Flat roofs:
Considered suitable for buildings in plains or in hot regions where
rainfall is moderate and snow fall is not there.
Are equally applicable to buildings of any shape and size.
3. Curved roofs:
Have their top surface curved.
Such roofs are provided to give architectural effects.
Such roofs include cylindrical and parabolic shells and domes
8.3. 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.
Cont.…..

The various shapes of pitched roof depend on

The area covered
Materials available
Type of lighting and ventilation needed inside
Available appliance, etc.
8.3.1.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, brick or steel.
At the lower end the rafters are notched and nailed to the wooden post
plate.
Cont.….

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 and their low ends, notched and nailed to the
wooden wall plates embedded in masonry on the top of the wall on
either end.
C. Hip roof: It slopes in four directions such that the end formed by
intersection of slopes results in triangular and/ or trapezoidal form.
D. Butterfly roof: It slopes in two directions and intersect at the center 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.
Cont.…

F. Mansard roof ;-known as French roof , is a four sided roof with a

double slope on each side that meet forming a low pitched roof .
• Helps to create a great deal of extra living space.
G. Gambrel roof ;-or a barn roof is much like mansard in a sense that it
has two different slopes and provides extra living space.
• The difference between the two is that the gambrel only has two sides,
while the mansard has four.
H. Combination roof ;-incorporates a design using various roofs on the
same structure for aesthetic and practical reason. Example ;-a house may
have hip roof with gable roof over dormers.
Cont.….
 Cont.…..

ELEMENTS OF PITCHED ROOF

 Span: It is the clear distance between the supports of an arch, beam or roof
truss. .

 Rise: It is the vertical distance between the top of the ridge and the wall
plate.

 Pitch: It is the inclination of the sides of a roof to the horizontal plane. It is

expressed either in terms of degrees (angle) or as a ratio of rise to span.

 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.
Cont.….

 Eaves: The lower edge of the inclined roof surface is called eaves. From
the lower edge (eaves), the rainwater from the roof surface drops down.

 Hip: It is the ridge formed by the intersection of two sloping surfaces,

where the exterior angle is greater than 180°.

 Valley: It is a reverse of a hip. It is formed by the intersection of two roof

surfaces or Its an inward joint where two sloping roof meet.

 Raking Verge: The edge of a gable, running between the eaves and ridge,
is known as a verge.
 Cont.….

 Purlins: These 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.

 Common rafters: These are inclined wooden members running from the ridge
to the eaves. They are beveled against the ridge beam at the head and are fixed
to the purlins at intermediate point. They support the battens or boarding to
support the roof covering

 Eaves board or fascia board: It is a wooden plank or board fixed to the feet
of the common rafters at the eaves. It is usually 25 mm thick and 20 cm wide.
The ends of lower most roof covering material rest upon it. The eaves gutter, if
any, c an also be secured against it.
Cont.…..
Cont.…..
Cont.….

Shed roof Gable roof

Flat roof
Hip roof
Cont.….

8.3.2.Types of slopping roofs

• Pitched roofs are basically categorized 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 (Shed): 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 2.5m and is generally used for sheds, out-
houses attached to the main buildings, verandas, etc.
Cont.…

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. This type of roof can be
used for maximum span of 3.5 m.
• The lower ends of the common rafters are fixed to the wall plates
embedded in the masonry on the top of the walls.
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.
• This tie beam is connected at the feet of the common rafters to check
their tendency of spreading out wards and hence save the walls from
the danger of overturning.
• Under normal loading conditions, this type of roof can be used for
maximum span of 4.5m.
Cont.….
Cont.….

iv. Collar-beam roof: This is similar to the couple-close roof, except that
the horizontal tie is now raised up form the feet of the rafters to almost
the middle of the rafters.
• It is considered to be suitable for spans varying 4-5.5m.
 Cont.…..

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.
 Cont.….

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, position of cross walls, span, material of truss, etc. and are spaced
not more than 3m center to center.
• 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.
The various types of trusses include:
1.King-post 2.Queen-post 3.Combination of king and queen
4.Mansard 5. Truncated 6.Bel-fast
7. Steel 8.Composite
Cont.….
1.King-post truss: Consists of
a. lower tie beam
b. Two inclined rafters (Principal and common rafter)
c. Two struts, and
d. A king post
• The spacing of king post is limited to 3m.
• The truss is suitable for spans varying b/n 5-8m.
 Cont.….

2.Queen-post truss: differs from a king-post truss in having two vertical

posts , rather than one. The vertical posts are known as queen posts.
• The tops of queen post are connected by a horizontal piece known as
straining beam.
• These trusses are suitable for spans b/n 8-12 meters.
Cont.….

3. Combination of King-post and queen-post trusses:

• For greater spans, the queen-post truss can be strengthened by one or more
upright member, called princess-post to each side.
• They are suitable for spans up to 18m.
Cont.…

4. Mansard roof truss:

• It is a combination of king-post and queen post trusses.
• It is a two-storey truss, with upper portion consisting of King-post truss
and the lower portion of queen post-truss.
• The entire truss has two pitches. The upper pitch varies from 30- 40 while
the lower pitches varies from 60 to 70.
 Cont.…

5. Truncated roof truss:

• It is similar to mansard truss except that its top is formed flat, with a
gentle slope to one side.
• It is used when it is required to provide a room in the roof, b/n the two
queen posts.
6. Bel-fast roof truss (Bow string truss):
• This truss, in the form of a bow, consists of thin sections of timber,
with its top curved.
• If the roof covering is light, this roof truss can be used up to 30m span.
Cont.….

Belfast Roof Truss

 Cont.…

7. 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.
•Special fittings are required at the junction of steel and timber members.
Cont.…..

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 channel, angles, RHS (Rectangular hollow sections), T-sections and
plates.
• Steel trusses may be grouped in the following categories:
a. Open trusses b. North light trusses
c. Bow string trusses d. Arched rib trusses
Cont.….
 Cont.….

Steel trusses have the following advantages over timber trusses:

 The sections comprising of a steel truss are readily available in the
required dimension, resulting in minimum wastage.
 Steel trusses are light in weight, and can be fabricated in any shape
depending upon structural and architectural requirement.
 Steel trusses are stronger and more rigid in comparison to timber trusses.
The members are equally strong in tension and compression.
 Steel truss can be used over any span, while timber trusses are suitable
only up to 15m span.
 Steel trusses are fire proof and termite proof.
 The fabrication of steel truss is easier and quicker.
 8.3.3.Roof coverings for sloping roofs

• 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.
• There are various types of coverings and the selection depends on:
the character of the building,
the type of roofing structure,
Initial cost,
Maintenance requirement,
Fabrication facilities,
Fabrication and special features of the locality,
Durability, availability of the material and climate of the locality.
Cont.….

• The various types of roof coverings materials commonly used are:

thatch, wood, tiles, asbestos cement sheet, galvanized corrugated iron
sheets, aluminum sheeting, etc.
1. Thatch (ye sar kidan) 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.
Cont.…..

2. 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.
Cont.….
Cont.….

3.Wood;- thin, tapered pieces of wood primarily used to cover roofs and
walls of buildings to protect them from the weather
4.Tiles;- made of a ceramic material and is hard and brittle, poorly suited
for places where tree limbs can fall on a house's roof.

Tiles
Wood Tiles