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