Profile Design

1. This roll-forming equipment shall be placed inside the factory shop floor of a predetermined size for an efficient manufacturing and maneuvering of panels (this shall depend on the size of an individual panel & working area requirement). This equipment requires a flat, leveled and a solid-compacted surface so that it can be properly aligned. Hence the building contractor shall cooperate with Proarch roofings provider and their Project / Site Engineers.
2. There will be a labor force of approximately 25-30 people involved in the manufacturing process, depending on the length & weight of the panel. This involves all the activities pertaining to the manufacturing of the TFP panels.

TFP Panel Interconnection Process

Once the panels are fabricated and placed on the ground, they are taken up for inter-connection with each other. These panels are placed on top of each other, sideways, so that they fit into their male-female formation.

Metal hooks / hangers to suspend light fixtures / cable trays / False ceilings / ducts / point loads, etc., will be placed at their (PRE-DETERMINED) locations before the panels are placed on top of each other. Each of these hooks / hangers has a load bearing capacity of approx. 50-75 kgs. point load (however, this shall depend on the final thickness of the material that has been chosen). It is mandatory for the lay-out to be predetermined and to be spelt out to Proarch ’ Engineers where such provisions are necessary. It would not be possible to provide such requirements once the profile is seamed.

The male-female formation is crimped together using mechanical seaming machines, which imposes a load of approximately 5 tons to ensure the seaming is of the required rigidity. These panels are connected in sets of 3 panels each, depending on the lifting capacity of the crane & other relevant factors. Each set of 3 panels is called a PICK. After seaming, a clear epoxy lacquer is applied on the inner side of the panel ends (6”-wide band). This forms a protective layer between the surface of panels and concrete beam to avoid direct contact and prevent any kind of damage to the material. This epoxy lacquer will also be provided at the cut edges before erection to ensure added protection against corrosion.

Visuals of ‘Before & After’ seaming the panels and the provision of hooks / hangers are shown in the figure (2) below. Also, the drawing of the hangers with its dimensions is shown in figure (3) below. For this operation, 4-6 skilled labor-team members are required.

The RCC substructure has to be designed considering the arch reaction data & load combinations given by Proarch roofing. It shall be within the purview of the clients Consulting Engineer to ensure the structure is designed to cater to the adverse load conditions.

Installation Process

Proarch Roofing Profile, the TFP, is installed over concrete gutter-beams. The conceptual design / drawing of the required RCC gutter-beams are shown in figure (4)

Accessories like ventilators and skylights can be provided with Proarch Engineering Roofing at the crown/ridge only by making cutouts in the Proflex panel. Cut out can be provided at every 20th panel (i.e. 20ft) incase of OFP and 10th panel (i.e. 20 ft) incase of TFP in the longitudinal direction of the building.

The size of the ventilator is 24” diameter and its capacity is 2200 CFM. As thumb rule calculations, you can provide one ventilator for every 100 Sq. mtrs area.

Skylights are of 2 mm polycarbonate or FRP material. 2’ x 7’ is std., but can be offered in other sizes.

Hangers for lighting requirements can also be provided.

The maximum load that we can hang from the roof is between 10-15 kg UDL per sq. meter. (uniformly distributed load) The maximum point load that we can hang is between 60-70 kgs but would vary and depend on the location at the roof and its end application. But this needs to be informed before material selection so this criterion can be taken into design consideration. Besides it is equally important to have a layout for hanging points in order to confirm the loading with respect to client’s end application requirements.

The line, level and the alignment of the same along the entire length of the beam will be checked by the Engineer after the concreting. No plaster on the slope of the beam will be allowed. Contractor will be given the guidance by the system provider to ensure the work is as required. In case of any flaw, the Consulting Engineers office should be referred for the ways the rectification is to be carried out.

Before erection, a Hammer test of the concrete will be carried out to ensure that the anchor bolts could be securely fixed on the support.
The scheme of Roll Forming, Fabrication and Seaming on the ground will be finalized by Proarch with respect to their operation, storing of raw materials, movement of cranes, assembly of the panels, etc.

The installation process has to be carried out from inside the building from the shop floor. In this case, a hard-compacted & leveled floor is required, where the crane shall be placed & moved along the length of the building as the installation is carried out. The installation shall start from one end of the building in one bay, and moving along the length of the building, the process shall be completed. The second bay shall be completed by following the same process.

Each PICK of panels will be lifted with the crane using a spreader bar and a sling evenly placed to ensure no distortion of the panel takes place during lifting and placing. The crane shall hold / support the PICK of panels till the alignment is done and completed using a plumb & a water tube, and is bolted into the beam. To ensure these panels don’t shift from their alignment, they shall be tied up with a guy rope to hold them in place. They will be supported with this rope till enough panels are installed to form a square, i.e., till the length and span are of an equal dimension.

The junction of the panels to the gutter beam shall be made using either 2-3 anchor bolts of the desired size on each end of the panel (depending on the stability requirement as derived from the Design calculations). GI anchor Bolts of required sizes and type, with 2.5 inches G.I vicer & neoprene washers would be provided as determined by the analysis during Design.

The installation process shall not be carried out in case of unfavorable weather conditions like rain and / or in case when the wind-speed is higher than 28 km/hour.

After all the panels are in place and installed, the same epoxy lacquer is applied at the junction of the panels to the beam where it has been bolted to form a protective layer on the bolts and the holes underneath.

After installation of the TFP panels, because of the profile design, trapezoidal voids are created between the gutter-beam and the panel corrugation. These voids will then be covered by a flashing, fabricated from the same sheeting material, or brick mortar. These voids shall be covered to make the system water-tight. This shall be done by the CLIENT or their appointed agencies.

Life of the roof depends on the substructure. However, based on the raw material that we use i.e. Galvalume, we can estimate a life span of 35-40 years for the roof. Internationally, such roofs are in existence for the last 25 years.

Normally there is no maintenance required except for when there is a hole punctured in the panel. In such a case, the damage can be rectified by patching up that area with similar material using rivets and appropriate silicone sealants & adhesives. This is a simple and quick process to make the system full-proof again.

For preventive maintenance, it is advised that at every 6-8 month intervals, the roof be washed with water to get rid of the dust or foreign particulars that may have accumulated during the period of time. Clearing of dust would prevent it from affecting the color-coat for a longer period of time.

Secondly, it should be ensured that the side gutters and the valley gutters are cleaned regularly to prevent them from clogging and thereby avoid any water from overflowing into the building.