U.S. patent application number 12/892629 was filed with the patent office on 2011-05-05 for underlayment with slip-resistant surface.
This patent application is currently assigned to OWENS CORNING INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL, LLC. Invention is credited to Lawrence J. Grubka.
Application Number | 20110104461 12/892629 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43925753 |
Filed Date | 2011-05-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110104461 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Grubka; Lawrence J. |
May 5, 2011 |
UNDERLAYMENT WITH SLIP-RESISTANT SURFACE
Abstract
A roofing underlayment comprising an asphalt-coated fibrous
sheet having an upper surface and a lower surface is provided. A
first portion of the upper surface has granules adhered thereto. A
slip-resistant member is bonded to a second portion of the upper
surface, an upper surface of the slip-resistant member having
substantially no granules adhered thereto.
Inventors: |
Grubka; Lawrence J.;
(Westerville, OH) |
Assignee: |
OWENS CORNING INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL,
LLC
Toledo
OH
|
Family ID: |
43925753 |
Appl. No.: |
12/892629 |
Filed: |
September 28, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61246203 |
Sep 28, 2009 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
428/206 ;
156/299 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04D 12/002 20130101;
Y10T 428/24893 20150115; Y10T 428/24372 20150115; Y10T 156/1092
20150115; B32B 5/16 20130101; B32B 11/12 20130101; B32B 11/10
20130101; E04D 7/005 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
428/206 ;
156/299 |
International
Class: |
B32B 5/16 20060101
B32B005/16; B32B 37/12 20060101 B32B037/12 |
Claims
1. A roofing underlayment comprising an asphalt-coated fibrous
sheet having an upper surface and a lower surface; wherein a first
portion of the upper surface has granules adhered thereto; and
wherein a slip-resistant member is bonded to a second portion of
the upper surface, an upper surface of the slip-resistant member
having substantially no granules adhered thereto.
2. The roofing underlayment according to claim 1, wherein the
slip-resistant member comprises film having a width within the
range of from about 1/2 inch to about 4 inches wide.
3. The roofing underlayment according to claim 1, wherein the
slip-resistant member is arranged longitudinally and substantially
parallel with an axis of the underlayment.
4. The roofing underlayment according to claim 1, wherein the
slip-resistant member is one of a plurality of slip-resistant
members.
5. The roofing underlayment according to claim 4, wherein the
plurality of slip-resistant members are arranged longitudinally and
substantially parallel with an axis of the underlayment and spaced
apart from one another.
6. The roofing underlayment according to claim 1, wherein the
slip-resistant member includes an upper surface having fine
abrasive particles adhered thereto.
7. The roofing underlayment according to claim 1, wherein the
slip-resistant member is formed from a material selected from the
group consisting of a polyester film, a polyolefin film, a paper
strip, a scrim material, a woven glass, a non-woven glass, a woven
polymer and a nonwoven polymer material.
8. A roofing underlayment comprising an asphalt-coated fibrous
sheet having an upper surface and a lower surface; wherein a first
portion of the upper surface has granules adhered thereto; and
wherein a slip-resistant member is bonded to a second portion of
the upper surface, an upper surface of the slip-resistant member
having fine abrasive particles adhered thereto.
9. A roofing underlayment comprising an asphalt-coated fibrous
sheet having an upper surface and a lower surface; wherein a first
portion of the upper surface has granules adhered thereto; and
wherein a second portion of the upper surface includes a plurality
of fine abrasive particles embedded in the asphalt-coated surface
thereof.
10. A method of making a roofing underlayment comprising: coating a
fibrous sheet with asphalt to define an asphalt-coated fibrous
sheet having an upper surface and a lower surface; adhering a
slip-resistant member to a portion of the upper surface of the
asphalt-coated fibrous sheet; covering the asphalt-coated fibrous
sheet, and optionally covering the slip-resistant member, with
granules to define a granule coated underlayment.
11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the slip-resistant
member has substantially no granules adhered thereto.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/246,203, filed Sep. 28, 2009, the disclosure of
which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Various embodiments of an underlayment for use on a roof are
described herein. In particular, the embodiments described herein
relate to an improved underlayment
[0003] In a typical roofing installation using asphalt shingles, an
underlayer or underlayment is first applied to the plywood deck of
the roof. The underlayment may take the form of an asphalt
saturated paper which is useful as a waterproofing member. Roofing
shingles are applied on top of the underlayment with the seams of
adjacent rows positioned in an offset relationship. In practice, a
starter row or strip is begun at the roof eaves using self-sealing
shingles. The end of the first shingle in the strip is trimmed such
that, when it is placed on the deck, the cutouts of the first
course of shingles will not be placed over the starter strip
joints. The starter strip and the shingles are nailed to the roof.
Successive rows of shingles are then secured to the deck or roof
using nails.
[0004] An underlayment may have granules embedded in an asphaltic
composition. When positioned on an upper surface of the paper or
membrane, the granules provide a high-traction surface upon which a
roofing installer can walk. Such membranes also offer reinforcement
and/or structural integrity, and allow lap sealing. Some of the
granules however, may not become embedded into the asphalt
material, thereby providing some amount of undesirable loose
granules. Further, some embedded granules may become loose by the
foot traffic of the roof installer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The above objects as well as other objects not specifically
enumerated are achieved by a roofing underlayment comprising an
asphalt-coated fibrous sheet having an upper surface and a lower
surface. A first portion of the upper surface has granules adhered
thereto. A slip-resistant member is bonded to a second portion of
the upper surface, an upper surface of the slip-resistant member
having substantially no granules adhered thereto.
[0006] According to this invention there is also provided a roofing
underlayment comprising an asphalt-coated fibrous sheet having an
upper surface and a lower surface. A first portion of the upper
surface has granules adhered thereto. A slip-resistant member is
bonded to a second portion of the upper surface, an upper surface
of the slip-resistant member having fine abrasive particles adhered
thereto.
[0007] According to this invention there is also provided a roofing
underlayment comprising an asphalt-coated fibrous sheet having an
upper surface and a lower surface. A first portion of the upper
surface has granules adhered thereto. A second portion of the upper
surface includes a plurality of fine abrasive particles embedded in
the asphalt-coated surface thereof.
[0008] According to this invention there is also provided a method
of making a roofing underlayment. The method includes the steps of
coating a fibrous sheet with asphalt to define an asphalt-coated
fibrous sheet having an upper surface and a lower surface, adhering
a slip-resistant member to a portion of the upper surface of the
asphalt-coated fibrous sheet, covering the asphalt-coated fibrous
sheet and optionally covering the slip-resistant member, with
granules to define a granule coated underlayment.
[0009] Other advantages of the roofing underlayment will become
apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed
description, when read in light of the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic elevational view of an apparatus for
making shingles according to the invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a plan view of an underlayment having
slip-resistant members in accordance with this invention.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a schematic elevational view of a portion of an
alternate embodiment of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present invention will now be described with occasional
reference to the specific embodiments of the invention. This
invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should
not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.
Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will
be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the
invention to those skilled in the art.
[0014] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms
used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of
ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The
terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for
describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be
limiting of the invention. As used in the description of the
invention and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an,"
and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless
the context clearly indicates otherwise.
[0015] Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing
quantities of ingredients, properties such as molecular weight,
reaction conditions, and so forth as used in the specification and
claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by
the term "about." Accordingly, unless otherwise indicated, the
numerical properties set forth in the specification and claims are
approximations that may vary depending on the desired properties
sought to be obtained in embodiments of the present invention.
Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting
forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the
numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as
precisely as possible. Any numerical values, however, inherently
contain certain errors necessarily resulting from error found in
their respective measurements.
[0016] As used in the description of the invention and the appended
claims, the word/phrase "axially oriented" is defined as running
longitudinally in the machine direction, as indicated by the arrows
34.
[0017] Referring now to the drawings, there is shown schematically
in FIG. 1 an apparatus 10 for manufacturing an asphalt-based
roofing material or underlayment 30 according to the invention. In
the illustrated embodiment, the manufacturing process involves
passing a continuous sheet 12 in a machine direction (indicated by
the arrows 34) through a series of manufacturing operations. The
sheet may move at any desired speed.
[0018] In a first step of the illustrated manufacturing process, a
continuous sheet of substrate or underlayment mat 12 is payed out
from a roll 14. The substrate can be any type suitable for use in
reinforcing asphalt-based roofing materials, such as a non-woven
web of glass or polymer fibers. The illustrated underlayment mat 12
is about 36 inches wide. Alternatively, the underlayment mat 12 may
have any other desired width.
[0019] The underlayment mat 12 may be fed through a coater 16 where
an asphalt coating is applied to the mat 12. The asphalt coating
can be applied in any suitable manner. In the illustrated
embodiment, the mat 12 contacts a roller 17, which is in contact
with a supply of hot, melted asphalt. The roller 17 completely
covers the mat 12 with a tacky coating of hot, melted asphalt to
define a first asphalt coated sheet 18. In other embodiments,
however, the asphalt coating could be sprayed on, rolled on, or
applied to the sheet by other means. The material of the asphalt
coating may comprise a mixture of asphalt and other desired
materials, such as a mixture of styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) and
asphalt. The asphalt material may be filled with a material such as
crushed dolomite, calcite limestone, and the like, amounting to at
least about 50 percent by weight of the asphalt/filler
combination.
[0020] It will be understood that more than one layer of asphalt
coating may be applied to the underlayment mat 12. Accordingly, the
manufacturing process may require that the underlayment mat 12 be
fed through more than one coater, such as the coaters 16 and 16'
shown in FIG. 3.
[0021] One or more strips of a slip-resistant material, such as
film or slip-resistant tape 19, as will be described in detail
herein, may then be payed out from a roll 20. In the embodiment
illustrated in FIG. 1, the tape 19 is provided from a continuous
roll. Alternatively, the tape 19 by be provided in discontinuous
portions, and applied to the first asphalt coated sheet 18.
[0022] The slip-resistant tape 19 adheres to the first asphalt
coated sheet 18 to define a second asphalt coated sheet 22. In one
embodiment, the slip-resistant tape 19 is attached to the sheet 18
by the adhesive properties of the asphalt in the first asphalt
coated sheet 18. The slip-resistant tape 19, however, may be
attached to the sheet 18 by any suitable means, such as other
adhesives. In one embodiment, the slip-resistant tape 19 is formed
from polyester. In another embodiment, the slip-resistant tape 19
is formed from polyolefin, such as polypropylene or polyethylene.
The slip-resistant tape 19, however, can be formed from any
material suitable for defining a slip-resistant surface on an
underlayment, such as, for example, paper, film, scrim material,
and woven or non-woven glass or polymer fibers, or a blend of the
foregoing.
[0023] The slip-resistant tape 19 includes an upper surface to
which granules substantially will not adhere. Alternatively, a tape
that provides improved traction may be provided in lieu of the
slip-resistant tape 19. For example, a tape that consists of fine
abrasive particles bonded by a tough, durable polymer to a
dimensionally stable plastic film may be used. One example of such
a tape is SAFETY-WALK.TM. tape manufactured by the 3M.TM.
Corporation.
[0024] The resulting second asphalt-coated fibrous sheet or second
asphalt coated sheet 22 may then be passed beneath one or more
granule dispensers 24 for the application of granules 25 to the
portion of the upper surface of the second asphalt coated sheet 22
not covered by the slip-resistant tape 19. The granules 25 will not
adhere to the slip-resistant tape 19, but will adhere to the
exposed portion of the asphalt coated sheet 22. In the illustrated
embodiment, the portion of the asphalt coated sheet 22 to which
granules 25 are adhered defines a first portion 38 of the upper
surface of the second asphalt coated sheet 22. Similarly, the
portion of the asphalt coated sheet 22 to which the slip-resistant
tape 19 is adhered defines a second portion 40 of the upper surface
of the second asphalt coated sheet 22.
[0025] In yet another embodiment, the axially oriented second
portions 40 of the asphalt coated sheet 22 may be provided with
fine abrasive particles or sand 25' in lieu of the slip-resistant
tape 19. For example, fine abrasive particles 25' having a grit
size within the range of from about 36 to about 54, may be used.
The particles 25' may be applied by one or more granule or particle
dispensers 24' to the second portions 40 of the upper surface of
the second asphalt coated sheet 22. In such an embodiment, the fine
abrasive particles 25' in the second portions 40 provide a greater
slip-resistance relative to the first portion 38 of the upper
surface of the second asphalt coated sheet 22.
[0026] In one embodiment, the slip-resistant tape 19 is about 1.25
inches wide. Alternatively, the slip-resistant tape 19 may have a
width within the range of from about 1/2 inches to about 4 inches.
In the one embodiment, the slip-resistant tape 19 is formed from
148 gage polyester.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, a continuous release sheet 26 may be
then be payed out from a roll 28, and applied to a lower surface of
the second asphalt coated sheet 22. The release sheet 26 may be any
desired release sheet, such as a paper or plastic film having a
siliconized surface. The release sheet 26 prevents the underlayment
30 from adhering to itself when arranged in the roll 32. The
release sheet may be removed by a roof installer so that the bottom
surface, or surface opposite the granule coated surface of the
underlayment 30, will adhere to a roof deck, a portion of which is
illustrated at 42 in FIG. 2, during installation of the
underlayment on a roof.
[0028] After all the granules 25 are deposited on the second
asphalt coated sheet 22 by one or more dispensers 24, and after the
release sheet 26 is applied, the sheet 22 becomes an underlayment
30. The underlayment 30 is then collected on a drum or roll 32 for
shipment.
[0029] As best shown in FIG. 2, the underlayment 30 includes a
plurality of longitudinally arranged slip-resistant tapes 19
adhered to the upper surface of the underlayment 30. In the
illustrated embodiment, there are four tapes 19 applied to the
upper surface of the underlayment 30. Alternatively, any other
number of tapes 19 may be applied to the upper surface of the
underlayment 30, such as one tape 19, two tapes 19, or between
three and eight tapes 19.
[0030] Each tape 19 defines a region that is free of granules 25.
Advantageously, the granule free regions of the underlayment 30
defined by the slip-resistant tapes 19 provide the roofing
installer with a roofing underlayment 30 having relatively greater
slip resistance than the portions of the underlayment 30 with
granules 25, but without the slip-resistant tape 19.
[0031] When installed between a roof deck 42 and any of asphalt
shingles, cedar shakes, concrete tile, slate roofing, and other
roofing material, the underlayment 30 helps to lock out damage from
wind-driven rain and ice damming.
[0032] The slip-resistant tapes 19 described above may be applied
to any underlayment material which includes granules embedded in
its upwardly facing surface, such as WEATHERLOCK.RTM. G
underlayment material, sold by Owens Corning, Toledo, Ohio.
[0033] Advantageously, as roofing installers walk across the
granule coated surface of the underlayment 30 described above, the
slip-resistant tapes 19 provide granule-free portions upon which
the roofing installers may have improved slip resistance.
[0034] In one embodiment, when the slip-resistant tapes 19 adhere
to the asphalt coating on the mat 12, ridges of asphalt coating may
be formed along the edges of the slip-resistant tapes 19. The
ridges extend outwardly of the surface of the mat 12 and may
provide a roughness on the surface of the mat 12 that further
improves slip resistance for the roofing installers.
[0035] The principle and mode of operation of the roofing
underlayment have been described in its preferred embodiment.
However, it should be noted that the roofing underlayment described
herein may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated
and described without departing from its scope.
* * * * *