When made of wood it is usually covered with some sort of weatherproofing and sometimes an insulation material.
Purlin roof support.
The roof support system is a ridgepole and either rafters which run perpendicular from the top of the walls to the ridge or purlins which run parallel to the ridge.
The roof deck is the wood panel ply board or metal sheeting that creates the surface of the roof.
Purlins are 2 by 4 feet and are installed much like metal roofing.
Purlins support the loads from the roof deck or sheathing and are supported by the principal rafters and or the building walls steel beams etc.
By supporting the rafters they allow longer spans than the rafters alone.
Purlin plates in wooden construction.
E purlin is an engineered lvl roof underpurlin to support stick roofs for tile and metal sheet cladding.
They give added support to the roof and also provide a nailing surface for the end panels and drip edge.
A purlin plate in wood construction is also called an arcade plate in european english under purlin and principal purlin.
Several kinds of purlins exist.
The purlins of a roof support the weight of the roof deck.
Metal roof purlins are installed horizontally under metal roofs.
The term plate means a major horizontal supporting timber.
Purlin plates are beams which support the mid span of rafters and are supported by posts.