The Functions and Classification of Roofs

Introduction
The roof is an essential part of the building. One of the main functions of a roof is to provide protection to the occupants of the building from various climatic conditions of the day. Many clients take a lot of interest on the erection of the roof because it can create as well as destroy the image of a person or especially a company who resides or has established in that particular building. Roofs erected in different parts of the world are influenced by their culture, nationality and mainly by the cultural significance of that particular area. According to S.Rathugama a roof can be technically described as a framework of either timber, steel or concrete on which a covering of thatch, tile corrugated, asbestos or any other material of proper insulation is placed.

Functional requirements
The main purpose of a roof as stated above is too enclose a particular space and protect it from sun, rain, snow, wind and dust. The six main basic functions of a roof according to Rathugama are, 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) Weather resistant Strength and Stability Thermal insulation Sound Insulation Fire resistant Durability

Weather resistance: The weather resistance is provided by the covering of the roof. For the covering to be properly effective the framework of the roof should provide a proper pitch or in other words the roof should have a proper slope. All of these factors contribute to a proper weather resistance. Strength and Stability: Strength and stability is provided by a proper roof structure. It depends on the materials used and also upon the methods and techniques used to put up the structure together. The roof should be able to resist all types of environmental loads of any magnitude due to rain, snow and wind. Thermal insulation: People living in varying climatic conditions hugely consider this factor because the regulation of heat is very important for the comfort of the inhabitants of that particular building especially in rainy or winter seasons. Sound Insulation: Most roofs provide sound insulation up to a certain extent. In the cases of factories or studios other sound absorbing layers on the interior will have to be fixed for sufficient insulation levels. Fire resistant: As Rathugma has explained the resistance to fire provided by a roof depends on many factors and they are,

Proximity to other buildings. Area of the building which the roof covers. Structure of the roof including the materials used. Fire resistance quality of the materials used for the roof.

It would be an area of much concern if the inhabitant lives in an urbanized area because of the risk of the fire spreading from one building to another. Their shouldnt be any projections from one roof to another in adjacent buildings and the structure of the roof should be carefully designed so that the roof does not collapse early on in the case of a fire. Durability: Durability of the cover is the most important fact in a roof. The cover can start to decay due to many reasons such as seepages, tile disturbances, sheet splitting etc.

Cross section of a basic roof

Classifications of roofs
Roofs are classified mainly by how they are made and by what materials are used for their construction. It should be noted that roofs are not classified by their shapes. The classification as Rathugama has explained is,

Pitched roofs Pitched roofs are roofs with a particular slope or in other words a roof having a considerable rise which would make the pitch angle more than ten degrees. The three types of roofs which are classified underneath it are according to the various elements used and in their framework structure. Except for single and double roofs truss roof takes a special place because of the unique technology used in constructing it. Truss roofs These types of roofs come into use when the span of the roof exceeds 7.5 meters. Trusses are mainly used in factories, chapels, cathedrals etc. Using a trussed roof is one of the most economical ways of enclosing a large area and ensuring the strength of the roof. As Rathugama indicates the rigidity of a truss roof is based on the principle that the triangle is the strongest form of framework and that if its members are fixed adequately and are properly connected it cannot be deformed easily. Therefore all truss roofs are structured with the use of triangles. The two most common materials used to build the truss roofs are timber and steel. Steel is mainly used in industrial and commercial buildings and timber is commonly used in religious buildings. Flat roofs Flat roofs are roofs with a pitch angle less than ten degrees. Flat roofs are commonly used on very large buildings or on buildings with complex shapes. However as Rathugama points out flat roofs ought to be the final alternative for a roof. If design principles are properly followed flat roofs ought to be practicable only for the above mentioned buildings. With the

dullness of the flat roof gives to the building there are a few more considerable shortcomings such as, 1) It has poor thermal insulation 2) It tend to give a building the appearance of being unfinished (Barry,1969, as sited in Rathugama, 2011/5/13 ) Various methods can be adopted to improve the insulation as well as to hide the flat roof and improve the appearance of the building. The insulation can be improved by the addition of a weather proof layer or by applying any other type of insulation layer. As for the appearance a short creative parapet wall can be constructed around the edge of the roof. Flat roofs are usually built by timber or concrete. Concrete is a more preferable material in the Asian region. The cost of the flat roof can be possibly cheap than a pitched roof.

Roof Covering
For covering pitched roofs a huge variety of covering materials can be seen. A few of them can be listed as follows, 1) 2) 3) 4) Thatch and Grass Corrugated Asbestos sheet Tiles Galvanized corrugated iron sheets

Thatch and Grass: This is a traditional roof covering used in every part of Sri Lanka. It consists of a unique property to keep the interior of the house quite cool in the hot tropical heat. Great workmanship is not needed to put up a thatch and grass roof. However setbacks of this covering method are considerably high. It is not durable, it can easily catch fire and it also needs regular maintenance. The thatch and grass also gives residence to snakes, rats and insects as well. Therefore the attraction of these animals and insects to a thatch and grass covering is a very likely thing to happen which could be a problem. Corrugated Asbestos sheet: A very fragile material made from cement and asbestos. It should be taken care of when being transported and fixed and for that reason corrugated asbestos sheets are not a commonly used material. Tiles: Tiles are mainly made out of clay or cement. The tile roof has the ability to keep the interior of a building cool. However a tiled roof can be very costly. Galvanized corrugated iron sheets: This type of roof is cheap relative to many of the other types mentioned above. However there are many drawbacks in a covering of galvanized corrugated iron sheets. Some of the main purposes of a roof are to keep the interior reasonably cool in hot weather and to keep the inhabitants from getting wet on a rainy day. Around mid day people cannot possibly exist in a building covered by these sheets. The sheets often tend to rust at the bolt or nail holes and on rainy days there is a great chance for the water to start leaking.

Materials used for flat roofs can be named as follows, 1) Built-up felt roofing 2) Asphalt 3) Sheet metal The above materials are sheets which are placed upon the flat roof except for Asphalt which is tar like substance applied on the flat roof.

Protection for the roof covering

Fascias as shown in the above picture are installed to act as wind breakers so that the wind will be prevented from blowing into the space between the roof framework and the wall. That will prevent the roof from being ripped apart or being carried away by the wind. Corrosion is caused due to the chemical reactions caused acid rains and salty wind. Effects of corrosion can be reduced by painting the nuts and bolts exposed to the atmosphere. Since the roof is the highest point of a house and since the highest point is the place to which lightening gets attracted the use of a lightening conductor would be able to protect a roof from potential damage.

Summary
As I have discussed above a roof plays vital role in a building. The roof brings out the beauty of the building as well as the image of the owner of the building. There are many types of roofs which used all over the world. Many techniques are used to put them up as well. Finally the covering used for the roof has a wide range in the materials used as well as the colour schemes which can be used for it and many methods can be used to protect the covering of the roof as well.

References
Rathugama S, 13/5/2011, Roof, 1-5 Collar ties vs Rafter ties(Roof structure components), active rain, http://www.google.lk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nachi.org/images08/framing.jpg&imgr efurl=http://activerain.com/blogsview/1140800/collar-ties-vs-rafter-ties-roof-structurecomponents-&usg=__bv0k972xUkH06rfwnYyPdEbhPw=&h=388&w=599&sz=62&hl=en&start=12&zoom=1&tbnid=6 j9OqH4VxpIdEM:&tbnh=143&tbnw=202&ei=IM_UTciiCoWyrAf2qqHkCw&prev=/sear ch%3Fq%3Dcomponents%2Bof%2Ba%2Broof%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefoxa%26sa%3DG%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:enUS:official%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D636%26tbm%3Disch0%2C456&itbs=1&iact= hc&vpx=519&vpy=182&dur=3544&hovh=181&hovw=279&tx=173&ty=72&sqi=2&pag e=2&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:12&biw=1024&bih=636

Essay by Kevin de SIlva