Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02514688 2005-08-05
MEMBRANE APPLICATOR
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to membrane applicators and, more particularly,
to an
apparatus suited for applying bitumen rolls on roof structures.
Description of the Prior Art
Bituminous roofing membranes are typically torch-applied. The roofer holds a
torch
in his hands and swept the torch across the back side of an unrolled length of
bituminous membrane to cause the membrane to adhere to the underlying flat (or
low
pitch) roof decking surface. In addition to the torch welder, at least two
other
operators are needed to properly unroll and aligned the membranes in order to
provide for uniform and constant longitudinal lap joints along the sides of
adjacent
laid down membranes. This process is labour intensive and the quality of the
membrane installation varies greatly according to the skills and the attention
of the
operators. Also, this work is physically demanding and often results in
injuries. It
would thus be beneficial to limit the human intervention in the application of
roof
membranes.
This problem has been addressed by Flame Engineering Inc who has developed a
bitumen membrane applicator known as the "Red Dragon Modified Bitumen
Applicator MBA-800". The applicator comprises a wheeled carriage supporting a
bottom roll mount system and a series of propane torches for heating the
entire width
of the roll while the carriage is being displaced over the deck surface to be
covered.
One problem associated with such an applicator is that the distance between
the
torches and the roll or the BTU output must be continuously readjusted to
compensate for the reduction of the diameter of the roll as the membrane is
being
unrolled. If the distance between the roll and the torches is not re-adjusted
the portion
of the membrane at the end of the roll will be located at a greater distance
from the
heat source and will thus be less heated, thereby resulting in undesirable
variation in
the fusion process of the membrane on the deck surface. The Red Dragon
applicator
also lacks any means for ensuring that the membrane is properly aligned while
being
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applied. Furthermore, the Red Dragon applicator does not provide any means for
covering the excess melted bitumen squeezed out from the sides of the membrane
while the same is being applied onto the roof surface. This implies that
another
individual has to pass after the torch welder to cover with granules the
excess molten
bitumen that has swept out from the sides of the membrane. Furthermore, a gas
hose
extends between the Red Dragon carriage and the propane tank, which remains in
a
fixed position on the deck while the applicator is being displaced thereover.
This gas
hose is cumbersome and constitutes a further obstacle that has to be contoured
or
displaced by the operator drawing the red dragon applicator over the deck.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a new membrane
applicator
which addresses the above mentioned issues.
Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided an
apparatus
for applying a membrane to a substantially flat surface, the membrane having a
front
side and an adherent back side; the apparatus comprising a wheeled carriage
adapted
to ride on the surface to be covered with the membrane, a roll mount system
provided
on said carriage to support a roll of membrane on said carriage, an d a press
roll
mounted to said carriage and engageable with the front side of the membrane to
press
the back side thereof against the surface to be covered as the membrane is
being
unrolled from said roll mount system as a result of a displacement of said
carriage on
the surface.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a
roofing apparatus for applying rolls of roofing membranes to substantially
flat roof
surfaces, the roofing apparatus comprising a wheeled frame steerable over the
roof
surface upon which the roofing membrane is to be laid down, a roll mount
adapted to
support one roll of roofing membrane on said wheeled carriage at a distance
from the
roofing surface, and a press roll carried by said wheeled frame and adapted to
ride on
the roofing surface to press the membrane against the roof surface.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference will
now be
made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration a preferred
embodiment thereof, and in which:
Fig. 1 is a first perspective view of a membrane applicator in accordance with
an
embodiment of the present invention, some parts of the applicator being
omitted for
clarity;
Fig. 2 is a second perspective view of the membrane applicator shown in Fig.
1, some
parts of the applicator being omitted for clarity;
Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the membrane applicator;
Fig. 4 is a side elevation view of the membrane applicator shown in a position
ready
to receive a new roll of membrane;
Fig. 5 , is a side elevation view of the membrane application shown in the
process of
applying a membrane on a deck surface; and
Figs. 6A and 6B are enlarged side and front elevation views of a portion of
the multi-
point burner forming part of the membrane applicator.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Now referring to the drawings, and in particular to Figs. 1 and 2, a membrane
applicator embodying the elements of the present invention and generally
designated
by the numeral 10 will be described. The membrane applicator 10 is
particularly
suited for applying roofing membranes, such as elastomer membranes and
bituminous membranes, on substantially flat roof decking surfaces. However, it
is
understood that the membrane applicator 10 is not limited to roofing
applications and
could be used to apply other types of membrane on other surfaces as well.
As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the membrane applicator 10 generally comprises a
carriage having a wheeled frame 12 including front and rear wheels 14 and 16.
The
front wheels 14 are preferably power driven by a motor 18 powered by a battery
(not
shown) housed in a metal casing 20. A conventional steering system including a
steering wheel 22 is provided for allowing the operator to steer the front
wheels 14. A
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platform 24 and a vertical support 26 are provided at the front of the wheeled
frame
12 for removably receiving a propane tank (not shown). Vertically spaced-apart
arcuate retaining members 28 are provided along the vertical support 26 for
hugging
the propane tank. Standard attachments (for instance strap and buckle
arrangements)
are preferably associated with the arcuate members 28 to tightly encircle the
propane
tank and thus releasably secure the same on the platform 24.
As shown in Fig. 4, a fire extinguisher 30 is preferably mounted to the frame
12 at the
rear of the metal casing 20. The operator stands up on the carriage at that
particular
location behind the metal casing 20.
The rear portion of the frame 12 comprises a sub-frame assembly 32 pivotable
about
a pivot point 34 between a raised position (Fig. 4) and a lowered position
(Fig. 5). A
control lever 36 can be pivoted between a raised position (Fig. 5) and a
lowered
position (Fig. 4) to respectively lower and raise the sub-frame assembly 32.
The lever
36 is pivotally connected to a first link 38 which is, in turn, pivotally
connected to an
upstanding lifting arm 40, which is pivotally connected to the sub-frame
assembly by
a second link 42, which is pivotally connected at its opposed end to a fixed
cantilevered arm 44 projecting integrally rearwardly from the frame 12. It is
understood that various linking systems and lifting mechanisms could be used
for
allowing the operator to move and maintain the sub-frame assembly 32 in its
raised
and lowered positions.
As best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the sub-frame assembly 32 carries a bottom
press roll
46, a guide roll 48 and a multipoint burner 50. These elements are thus
movable with
the sub-frame assembly 32 for purposes that will be seen hereinafter. The
press roll
46 is mounted at the rear end of the sub-frame assembly 32 for rotation about
a
central axis thereof. When the sub-frame assembly 32 is pivoted to its lowered
position by operation of the control lever 36, the press roll 46 rides against
the
surface to which the membrane is to be applied. The multipoint burner 50 is
inclined
downwardly to heat the adhesive on the back surface of the bituminous membrane
just before the same be pressed against the surface to be covered by the press
roll 46
(see Fig. 5). The guide roll 48 is mounted at opposed end thereof to a pair of
pivot
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arms 52 for pivotal movement between a functional position (Fig. 5) and an
idle
position (Fig. 4).
As shown in Fig. 5, the membrane applicator 10 further comprises a roll mount
system 54 adapted to receive a roll of bituminous membrane M or other types of
membrane. The bituminous membrane M is typically rolled on a hollow
cylindrical
cardboard core C. The roll mount system 54 generally comprises a pair of
support
rolls 56 mounted to a fixed portion of the frame 12 for free rotation about
respective
axes thereof. As shown in Fig. 5, the roll M rests on the support rolls 56.
End guards
58, at least one of which is pivotable, (Figs, 4 and 5) are provided for
limiting axial
movement of the roll M on the support rolls 56. The guards or one guard 58 can
be
pivoted to the position shown in Fig. 4 to permit easy longitudinal loading of
the roll
M on the support rolls 56. After, the roll M has been positioned on the
support rolls
56, the guard(s) 58 is/are pivoted to the position shown in Fig. 5 to prevent
longitudinal withdrawal of the roll M from the support rolls 56. As opposed to
conventional roll mount systems which hold the roll M by the core thereof, the
present roll mount system is not limited to one specific size and type of roll
but can
rather virtually accommodate all commercially available size and type of
roofing
membranes. Furthermore, each end of the roll M can advantageously be placed
either
on the right side or the left side of the membrane applicator 10. This may be
advantageous when working with membranes having one longitudinal bonding side
edges.
The applicator 10 further comprises a tension roll 60 mounted to a pivot arm
62
pivotally connected to the frame 12 for pivotal movement between an idle
position
(Fig. 4) and a functional position (Fig. 5) in which the tension roll presses
the
membrane M against an underlying transfer roll 64 mounted to the frame 12. The
tension roll 60 is preferably fixedly mounted to the pivot arm 62. As shown in
Fig. 4,
the pivotable guard 58 is advantageously mounted to the pivot arm 62 with the
tension roll 60.
A cardboard catcher 66 is provided between the transfer roll 64 and the
support rolls
56 to prevent the core C from falling in front of the press roll 46 once the
membrane
M has been completely unrolled therefrom. According to embodiment of the
present
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invention, the cardboard catcher 66 is provided in the form of a transversal
plate
coextensive with the rolls 56 and 64 but extending at a higher elevation than
said
rolls 56 and 64 to act as a stopper for the cylindrical cardboard core C.
As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the outer diameter of the guide roll 48 gradually
decreases
towards the center thereof to reach a minimum value midway between the opposed
longitudinal ends of the roll where the diameter is at its maximum. This
configuration
of the guide roll 48 ensures that the membrane M be perfectly centered with
respect
to the applicator 10 while the applicator is displaced over the roof deck.
A visual alignment guide 68 is provided at one side of the applicator 10 to
facilitate
the alignment of the applicator 10 by the operator with the longitudinal side
edges of
a previously installed membrane or with the side of a deck surface to be
covered with
side-by-side membranes. By vertically aligning the alignment guide 68 over the
adjacent longitudinal side of a previously installed membrane, the new
membrane M
loaded in the applicator 10 will be applied over the deck surface with a small
overlap
of one side edges thereof with the adjacent longitudinal side edges of the
previously
installed membrane. This thus provides for the formation of perfectly uniform
lap
joints along all the length of adjacent membranes. In this way, the
impermeability of
the overall deck covering can be significantly improved. The alignment guide
68 and
the guide or centralizing roll 48 eliminate the needs of having recourse to
two
individuals for tending and properly aligning the membranes. In the past, this
operation has been known to be physically demanding. The applicator 10
advantageously eliminates the physical efforts while ensuring a better
precision in the
formation of the longitudinal lap joints between the membranes.
According to the illustrated embodiment, the alignment guide 68 comprises a
wheel
70 carried at the distal end of a rearwardly projecting inclined arm 72
mounted at the
end of a transversal beam 74 extending laterally outwardly from one side of
the frame
12 (see Figs. 3 and 4). In use, the wheel 72 rides on the adjacent side of the
previously installed membrane.
As best shown in Fig. 3, the multi-point burner 50 is adapted to heat the
entire width
of the roll of bituminous membrane M, thereby ensuring uniform fusion of the
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membrane M over the entire area of the deck. This is an important advantage
over the
standard hand-held torch method wherein an operator holds a torch in his hands
and
swept the torch across the back surface of the membrane M. The burner 50
generally
comprises a propane feed pipe 78 connected in fluid flow communication with
the
propane tank (not shown) mounted on the frame 12 via a gas hose 80 (Fig. 5). A
throttle lever 82 operatively connected to a valve is provided for allowing
the
operator to control the flow of propane to the burner 50. A pressure gauge
(not
shown) is preferably provided in a control box 83 (Fig. 4) for allowing the
operator to
adjust the pressure at which the propane is delivered to the multi-point
burner 50.
As shown in Fig. 3, the multi-point burner 50 comprises a plurality of BTU
outlets 84
uniformly distributed along a common propane distribution pipe 86 extending
along
the entire width of the roll M. The pipe 86 is connected is fluid flow
communication
with the feed pipe 78. As shown in Figs 6a and 6b, each outlet 84 comprises a
cylindrical sleeve 88 and a nozzle 90 mounted at the proximal end of the
sleeve 88. It
is noted that the nozzles 90 at the ends of the distribution pipe 86 have a
larger
discharged opening than the others because the longitudinal sides of the
membrane
needs more heat to ensure proper adherence thereof to the deck surface. A
number of
air holes 92 (four in the illustrated embodiment) are distributed about the
cylindrical
sleeve 88 near the nozzle 90. The holes 92 are sized and positioned to provide
an
optimum mixture of air and propane at the nozzle 90.
The front portion of the sleeves 88 is surrounded by a hood 94 to limit heat
dissipation upstream of the membrane M. The air holes 92 are located outside
the
hood 94. As shown in Fig. 6 a, the hood 94 flares in a direction away from the
nozzles 90 and the distribution pipe 86 to define a relatively large
rectangular
opening.
As shown in Fig. 4, an optional granule spreader 100 can be selectively
removably
installed on either side of the rear end of the frame 12. The granule
distributor 100
generally comprises a hopper 102 and a press wheel 104 for pressing the
granules
dropped from the hopper 102 onto the excess bitumen squeezed out from the lap
joint
between adjacent membranes as a result of the pressure exerted onto the
membrane
M by the press roll 46. It is understood that in its functional position the
spreader 100
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is positioned slightly outwardly of the overlap between the membranes so as to
be in
vertical alignment with the excess melted bitumen seeping out laterally from
between
the membranes. A cable 106 is connected to an operating lever 108 for allowing
the
operator to actuate a valve 110 provided at the bottom of the hopper 102 from
his
standing position on the frame 12. The valve 110 is actuated by the lever 108
to vary
the effective size of the opening at the bottom of the hopper 102 to thereby
adjust the
flow of granules falling down from the hopper 102. It is noted that wheel 104
is
located slightly rearwardly of the drop of granules. A guide 112 may be
provided to
ensure that the granules fall just in front of the press wheel 104.
It is noted that the press wheel 104 can be used without the hopper 102 to
further
press the membrane along one side thereof to cause excess molten bitumen to
seep
out laterally from that one side of the membrane M.
As shown in Fig. 5, the spreader 100 is preferably pivotally mounted for
rotation
about an upstanding pin 114 slightly inclined from the vertical and extending
from
the rear end of frame 12. As a result, the spreader 100 moves vertically while
being
rotated about the post 114. The spreader is pivotable between a functional
position in
which the spreader 100 is axially aligned with the applicator 10 and in which
the
press wheel 104 is lowered against the membrane M that has just been laid down
on
the deck surface, and an idle position in which the spreader 100 has been
pivoted
laterally outwardly on a side of the frame 12 with the press wheel 104 raised
at a
distance above the laid down membrane M.
In use, the tension roll 60 together with guard 58 is pivoted to their idle
position, as
shown in Fig. 4. Then, the roll M is positioned onto the support rolls 56. The
sub-
frame 32 has preferably previously been moved to it raised position as shown
in Fig.
4 in order to rise the press roll 46 above the deck surface to be covered.
Also, the
guide roll 48 is preferably pivoted to its idle position, as shown in Fig. 4
to permit
easy placement of the membrane below the press roll 46. A length of membrane
is
unrolled from the roll M and drawn downwardly underneath the press roll 46.
Then,
the sub-frame 32 is pivoted to its lowered position by operation of lever 36
so as to
lower the press roll 46 onto an underlying end portion of the membrane M, as
shown
in Fig. 5. The press roll 60 and the guide roll 48 are also pivoted to their
functional
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position to engage opposed sides of the membrane as shown in Fig. 5.
Thereafter, the
burner 50 is lighted up to heat the adhesive on the back side of the membrane
M and
the carriage is propelled in the direction of arrow A in Fig. 5 in order to
adhesively
apply the membrane on the deck. The tension roll 60 maintains the membrane M
under tension to prevent any slack in the membrane M on the deck. The operator
can
rely on the alignment guide 68 to ensure that the membrane is being applied
along a
straight line. If the membrane has a bituminous strip along one longitudinal
side, the
granulator 100 can be used to drop granules onto the excess melted bitumen
seeping
from the side of the membrane as the applicator 10 is advanced.
As opposed to the Red Dragon membrane applicator, which requires that the
position
of the heat source be readjusted during the operation to compensate for the
reduction
of the diameter of the roll of membrane, the distance between the heat source
and the
back side of the membrane M at the press roll 46 is constant irrespective of
the
diameter of the roll of membrane, thereby obviating the need to readjust the
position
of the heat source or recalibrate the BTU outputs thereof during use. This
provides a
significant advantage over the Red Dragon membrane applicator. Also, the use
of a
press roll 46 ensures that a constant pressure be applied on the membrane
throughout
the process irrespective of the size of the roll M.
The above description is meant to be exemplary only, and one skilled in the
art will
recognize that changes may be made to the embodiments described. For example,
if
the applicator is used to apply a membrane or a sheet material which does not
need to
be heated to adhere to the underlying surface, then the applicator can be
provided
without the burner 50. Also, it is understood that various types of heat
source could
be used to heat the adhesive on the membrane. Various types of fuel could be
used in
place of propane. Still other modifications which fall within the scope of the
appendent claims will be apparent to those skilled in the art, in light of a
review of
this disclosure.
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