Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~3677~
The present invention relates to the field of building
materials, and building techniques. In particular, the present
invention provides a novel reinforced foam sheathing board, and
a construction technique ut; 1 i 7 ing such a board.
It i8 conventional for construction of a wall for a
structure having an exterior facing surface to be constructed
using a frame of studs, between which is packed insulation
material, such as fibreglass. Sheathing, typically plywood or
chip-board is nailed to the studs. A further layer of insulation
in the form of a board of, for instance, polystyrene, may then
be applied over the sheathing, and then a waterproofing layer may
be applied followed by a fini~h;n~ layer such as brick, stucco,
or prefabricated siding.
There i8 no substantial structural drawback to the
construction technique broadly outlined above, and many
structures have been successfully completed according to such a
technique. The external insulation layer mentioned is often
excluded, because it lacks structural strength, however.
Moreover, the manufacture of wood based sheathing cu~ ~ timber
resources, both renewable and non-renewable.
The present invention is concerned, therefore, with both of
the drawbacks to traditional stud-frame construction mentioned
above: the tendency not to apply external or "added" insulation,
and the desire to utilize materials other than wood to
manufacture sheathing.
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The problems of the present art are adhered by the present
invention in that the present invention provides a novel
sheathing board, to replace wooden sheathing boards. The novel
board of the present invention itself has significant thermal
5 insulating properties.
In a broad aspect, therefore, the present invention relates
to a sheathing panel comprising a foamed thermosetting polymer
sheet in which are dispersed reinforcing fibres or filaments.
Preferably, the said fibres or filaments are selected from
10 the group including fibreglass, kevlar, nylon and other fibres
or filaments having sufficient tensile strength to reinforce a
rigid foam panel.
Moreover, the thermosetting polymer is in a preferred
: ~ ~ir t selected from the group including polyurethane,
15 polystyrene, polyisocyanate, polyiso~:y~lluL~e~ and other rigid
setting thermoset polymers.
In another broad aspect, the present invention relates to
a process for manufacturing a fibre or filament reinforced foamed
thP .ct polymer sheathing panel, comprising the steps of: (a)
20 arranging one or more mats of fibres or filaments in a first
zone; (b) applying to said mat or mats an ~Yr~nfl;ng thermoset
plastic foam; (c) permitting said foam to expand, whereby said
mat or mats of fibres or filaments expands with said foam to form
a reinforced foam sheet; and (d) at a predet~; n~d thickness of
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-foam, pressing said foam sheet to cause it to Get at such
thickness, whereby a smooth reinforced thermoset foam sheet is
obtained .
In the process for manufacturing a fibre or filaDent of the
5 present invention, the fibres or filaments are preferably
selected from the group including fibreglass, kevlar, and other
fibres or filaments having sufficient tensile strength to
reinforce a foamed thermoset polymer.
Also, in the process for manufacturing a fibre or filament
10 of the present invention the th~ .ct polymer is most
effectively selected from the group including polyurethane,
polystyrene, polyisocyanate, polyisocyanurate, and other
thermoset polymers capable of forming a rigid sheathing board.
In a further broad aspect, a method of constructing a wall
15 comprising the steps of: (a) erecting a frame of studs; (b)
applying over that frame the sheathing panel of the present
invention, or a sheating panel manuf actured in accordance with
the manufacturing method of the present invention; (c) applying
over said panel a reinforcing mesh of fibres or filaments chosen
20 from the group including fibreglass, kevlar, and other fibres or
filaments of equivalent or higher tensile strength; and (d)
applying over said reinforcing mesh two or more coatings of a
cementitous, acrylic, or acrylic/cementitous mortar or parge.
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The final coating of mortar or parge is architecturally
textured .
Fur~h- ,le, it will be understood that the studs are made
from a material selected from steel or wood.
In drawings that illustrate the present invention by way of
example:
Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a stud-frame wall
constructed with the sheathing board of the present invention,
and according to the method of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a flow chart of the sheathing manufacturing
techni~ue of the present invention;
Figure 3 is a cross section view of a concrete wall finished
with the sheathing board of the present invention, according to
the method of the present invention;
Figure 4 is a perspective schematic of a sheathing layout
according to the present invention; and
Figure 5 is a cross sectional view of an expansion joint
between sheathing boards of the present invention.
Referring now to Figures 1 and 4 of the drawings, a typical
application of the present invention is illustrated. A frame of
studs 1, which may be either wood or steel ( or other metal ) in
composition is provided. In the case of wooden studs, 2 X 4 or
2 X 6 f ir studs are typical . In the case of steel studs,
preferably cold formed galvanized sheet steel, meeting ASTM 446,
hot dip galvanized or zinc coated, for corrosion resistance.
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. .
Insulating material, such as fibreglass bats, may be inserted
between the studs for thermal insulation.
In a prior art installation, it will be understood that
plywood or similar sheathing board will then be applied directly
5 to the studs, and then an insulation board, optionally, over the
sheathing. In the present invention, however, a sheathing board
3 that is fabricated from fibreglass (typically) reinforced
f-Yr~n~l~cl foam is attached directly to the stud 1 frame. As can
be observed from Figure 4 the application of the sheathing boards
10 3 of the present invention the boards are applied in horizontal
orientation, staggered so that joints are not vertically aligned.
Moreover, at the outer corners of the t,LLU.;~ULl:S, an alternating
arrangement is also achieved, as may be seen in Figure 4.
The sheathing boards are attached to the studs by corrosion
resistant fasteners 2, preferably conforming to ASTM C1002.
Choice of a suitable fastener will, however, be obvious to one
skilled in the art.
A reinforcing mesh, such as a #0040 fibreglass mesh is then
fastened to the exterior surface of the sheathing board, in a
20 smooth, and even manner. The mesh is then bonded to the face of
the sheathing board by one, and preferably two applications of
a preparation coat such as DuRock Prep Coat R. This is an
acrylic based, cementitous coat, designed to firmly bond the
fibre mesh to the sheathing boar~. After setting, a base coat,
25 such as a coat of acrylic DuRock Base Coat is applied. A final
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textured coat is applied over the base coat, with a fini~::hin~
sealer optionally applied over the textured coat.
Referring to Figure 3, it will be seen that the sheathing
board of the present invention may also be utilized with positive
5 effect over solid concrete walls 9. In such a case, it will be
observed, fibre mesh 4 is wrapped around behind the sheathing,
and the aforementioned cementitous-acrylic prep-coat 5 is applied
in a fairly heavy coat between the sheathing and the concrete
wall .
E~eferring to Figure 5, it will be noted that in applications
involving layer wall surfaces - for instance surfaces more than
250 sq. feet, or in applications in which there i8 a transition
to a different building material - such as brick - a ~ ssion
6eal 8 is desirable. A suitable, es~ion seal is an Emseal~
15 Backerseal, under compression, and coated on its external surface
with a silicone sealant. The edges of the sheathing forming the
joint ought to be lined with a waterproof lining.
Referring now to Figure 2, the novel manufacturing process
of the present invention to fabricate the sheathing boards of the
20 present invention is schematically illustrated. ~ne, and
preferably two, fibreglass mats are wound off of rolls to a board
forming area having a smooth, flat surface. A series of spray
nozzles above that surface sprays a curable ~r~nrqi n~ thermo-
setting foam, such as a polystyrene or polyurethane foam into the
25 fibreglass mats. As the foam expands, it tends to expand the
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f ibreglass mats, and as it expands to a predetermined thickness,
it is drawn through an expansion area to a roller or the like,
where it is pressed to maintain the predet~r-n; n~d thickness. It
has been observed that the fibre from the mats expands with the
5 foam throughout the final board and adds sufficient structural
strength to permit the board of the present invention to be used
without an underlying plywood or similar sheathing board.
It is to be understood that the examples described above are
not meant to limit the scope of the present invention. It is
10 expected that numerous variants will be obvious to the person
skilled in the field of building materials and design and
manufactur without any departure from the spirit of the
invention . The ~srp~rled claims, properly construed, f orm the
only limitation upon the scope o~ the invention.
