Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
86
This invention relates to strip insulation adapted
for quick installation. The insulation is T-shaped to fit be-
tween parallel support members.
The prior art includes a number of patents which dis-
close batts of insulation adapted for implacement on or between
parallel support members. U. S. Patent 3,488,905 to Campbell,
for example discloses a one piece batt of insulation with thin
lateral flanges which do not support the batt. However, the
insulation is secured to corrugated sheets which rest on parallel
joists.
U. S. Patent 3,474,583 to Manias discloses the use
of two apparently identical pieces of insulation which are laid
on top o each other but slightly offset so as to form a notch
on each side of the batt.
A number of patents show batts of insulation with
facing sheets which rest on parallel support members. Hoffman
patent 3,835,604 discloses a solid piece of insulation with a
facing sheet on one surface. The facing sheets of parallel ad-
jacent batts are secured to joists in an overlapping fashion.
Similarly the U. S. Patent 3,729,879 to Franklin shows a batt
of insulation in which the facing material forms lateral flanges
which are placed on parallel joists. Waterman patent 2,271,515
discloses a similar batt and Bennett in U. S. Patent 3,231,944
discloses a similar batt which is merely placed in the void
formed by parallel joists. German Offenlegungsschrift 2,320,507
discloses a rectangular plate of insulation which is held in a
rectangular box of facing material having lateral flanges. The
facing flanges overlap on parallel joists.
U. S. Patent 1,874,659 to Upson shows a batt which
has longitudinal edge portions which are relatively thin or com-
10~886
pressed.
The features of this invention result in a batt of
insulation which is both inexpensive and simple to install.
The batt can be installed simply by unrolling the insulation
on top of a support structure and can be secured by attaching
a covering panel. Thus the invention is particularly adapted
for but not limited to use in roofs of prefabricated metal build-
ings. The T-shaped batt can be constructed inexpensively in a
one or two piece form. Moreover, if a roll of insulation should
run out before the void between the parallel structural members
is filled, means are provided for joining consecutive batts of
insulation while maintaining a water impervious barrier.
This invention relates to a T-shaped batt of insula-
tion with a U-shaped vapor barrier covering the lower surface of
the batt. The vapor barrier extends beyond the longitudinal ends
of the batt. Consecutive batts are connected by folding adjacent
vapor barrier extensions upwardly and connecting these extensions
in any suitable manner. The T-shaped batts are formed either by
notching out the edges of the batt using a high speed saw or by
attaching a wider piece of insulation on top of a narrower one.
The batts of insulation fit s~bstantially between parallel sup-
port members; however, the narrow horizontal flanges of adjacent
T-shaped batts overlap on top of the support members and are re-
tained by a covering panel.
The invention will now be described by way of exam-
ple only, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in
which:
Figure 1 shows a perspective view of one end of a
batt of insulation and the extension of the vapor barrier beyond
the end of the batt.
86
Figures 2 and 3 show cross-sectional views of a
one and a two piece batt of insulation respectively.
Figure 4 shows how two strips of insulation can be
connected in an end-to-end fashion.
Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the T-shaped
insulation installed in a roof structure.
Referring specifically to the preferred embodiment,
a T-shaped batt of insulation is shown in Figure 1. The batt
consists of a T-shaped batt of insulating material 10 and a U-
shaped vapor barrier 12. As shown in Figure 2 the vapor barrier
12 contacts only the lower surfaces 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22 of the
T-shaped batt A.
The vapor barrier 12 may be sheet vinyl, foil-rein-
forced kraft, vinyl-reinforced foil, vinyl-reinforced polyester
or any other material substantially impervious to water vapor.
The barrier 12 is applied to the insulation 10 with a suitable
adhesive using conventional lamination equipment.
The batt 10 can be made in either one or two pieces
as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The solid batt 10 is shown in Figure
2. It is made by notching out the lower corners of a rectangular
batt indicated in dashed lines to form notch 24 consisting of
walls 14 and 16, notch 26 consisting of walls 20 and 22, and also
to form flanges 28 and 30. The cutting can be done with a high
speed saw. The size of the notches 24 and 26 and their geometry
is totally at the discretion of the user. Figure 2 shows the
preferred form in which the vertical height of the notches 24 and
26 is substantially greatér than the height of the flange sections
28 and 30. More specifically in the preferred form the notch height
is from two to four times the height of the flange. The flange
could have a height of approximately two inches.
36
The two piece batt B shown in Figure 3 is made by
connecting two strips of insulation 32 and 34. The top strip
32 which is wider than the base strip 34 is attached in any
suitable manner and preferably is glued to the base strip.
Consecutive batts are connected together in the
manner indicated in Figure 4. As shown in Figure 1, each batt's
vapor barrier 12 extends beyond each longitudinal end of the
batt 10. The vapor barrier extension sections 40 and 42 are
folded upwardly flush against the end of its batt C or D. The
extension 40 shown in Figure 1 should be long enough to provide
a crest 44 or 46 above the upper surface of the batt which could
be about two inches or about 1/4 to 1/2 of the height of the batt.
Thus the length of the extension 40 may be from 1 1/4 to 1 1/2
times the height of the batt 10. The adjacent upstanding vapor
barrier extension sections 40 and 42 are then spliced together
b~ folding and stapling the protruding crests 44 and 46 together,
heat sealing them if a plastic vapor barrier is used, or by any
other suitable means.
One method of installing the insulation is illustrated
in Figure 5 which shows a roof structure having parallel Z-shaped
purlins 50, roof panel 52, fasteners 54 and insulation batts E,
F, G and H. The batts of insulation, supplied in rolls, are
unrolled so that the vertical portion 58 of each batt fits into
the void between the purlins 50 while the horizontal flange por-
tions 60 and 62 rest atop the purlins. If a roll runs out before
the entire length of the channel between the purlins is filled,
a new bat can be spliced to the old as described above and il-
lustrated in Figure 4.
~djacent parallel batts such as batts F and H adja-
cent to batt G are laid to insure that the horizontal flange por-
-
86
tions 60 and 64, and 62 and 70 overlap. Thus each flange must
have a width greater than half the width of the purlin 50. Fig-
ure 5 shows an arrangement wherein every other batt such as batt
E and G are laid first and intermediate batts such batts F and
H are laid so as to overlap the first laid batts. However, other
arrangements could be used including laying batts a row at a time
so that one horizontal flange portion on each batt would be atop
the adjacent batt and the other flange portion would be below
the other adjacent batt.
The insulation shown in Figure 5 is secured and com-
pressed into the voids between purlins by laying roof panel 52
on top of the purlins and overlapping horizontal flange portions.
The roof panel can then be secured to the purlins by fasteners
54. ~n this way the horizontal 1ange portions serve as a bar-
rier to heat transfer by conduction between the roof panel and
the purlins.
While this invention has been described as having
a preferred design, it will be understood that it is capable
of further modification. This application, is therefore, in-
: 20 tended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the in-
vention following the general principles thereof and including
such departures from the present disclosure as come within known
or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains,
.~ and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set
forth and fall within the scope of this invention or the limits
- 26 of the claims.