Insulation blanket structure

March 7, 1967

3,307,306

R. E. OLIVER

INSULATION BLANKET STRUCTURE

Original Filed July 28, 1961

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United States Patent Office _p , J’³®^7,308

Patented Mar. 7, 1967

3,307,306 INSULATION BLANKET STRUCTURE Robert E. Oliver, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Adsure, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio

Original application July 28, 1961, Ser. No. 127,640, now ⁵Patent No. 3,121,649, dated Feb. 18, 1964. Divided and this application Jan. 15, 1964, Ser. No. 337,785

Claims. (Cl. 52—173)

This application is a division of my co-pending application, Serial No. 127,640, filed July 28, 1961, now ¹⁰Patent No. 3,121,649.

This invention relates generally to insulation for buildings and more particularly to a novel and improved insulating blanket particularly suited for installation of the _lgblanket between the frame of the building and the outer ¹surface thereof.

This invention is particularly suited to the construction of commercial metal buildings, but also has general application to all types of structures. In order to promote a ₂o clear understanding of this invention, it is described and illustrated in conjunction with commercial type metal buildings to which it is well suited, but it should be understood that the invention is not limited to such structures.

Metal building structures for commercial purposes, such ₂g as warehouses, factories and the like are often constructed without finished inner walls or ceilings. The structure of such buildings includes only the metal framing, outer roof and wall surface panels, and insulation. In the past it has been customary to erect the frame, stretch the in- 39 sulation over the frame and then install the outer wall and roof panels. With this construction it is necessary to erect scaffolding inside the building to enable workmen to reach and attempt to seal the joints in the vapor barrier after the insulation is installed. This method of 35 construction results in an inferior structure since it is impossible to provide a non-leaking seal at the joints between the vapor barriers due to the interference of the framing.

The necessity of a continuous vapor barrier is well 49 recognized since condensation within the insulation material causes rapid deterioration of the structure and greatly reduces the effectiveness of the insulation. Condensation occurs when the vapor laden air passing out of the building through the structure reaches the dew point. 45 It is therefore essential that the vapor barrier be on the warm side of the insulation to prevent the penetration of the vapor to the point in the insulation where the dew point is reached and condensation occurs. Since insulated buildings other than refrigerator buildings are warm gg on the inside, the vapor barrier must be on the inside of the insulation. To be effective the vapor barrier must provide a continuous non-leaking vapor seal.

A new and improved insulating blanket according to this invention results in an improved building structure 55 since a continuous vapor barrier is provided an the cost of construction is substantially reduced. The insulating blanket according to this invention is placed over the framing of the building so special fastening devices are not required, and the joints in the vapor barrier are com- gg pletely sealed from the outside of the building, eliminating the requirement of special scaffolding. The resulting vapor barrier provides a continuous non-leaking vapor seal which prevents vapor penetration into the insulating material and as a result eliminates the problem of con- 65 densation.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a new and improved insulating blanket for building structures and the like.

It is another important object of this invention to pro- ⁷⁰vide a novel and improved insulating blanket having ad2 hesive applied thereto in a manner to facilitate ease of installation with a continuous vapor seal.

_ It is another important object of this invention to provide a novel and improved insulation blanket suitable for installation on a building between the frame members and the outer panels thereof.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel and improved insulating blanket including an insulating body, a vapor barrier on one side thereof with adhesive to provide a vapor-tight bond with the vapor barrier of adjacent blankets.

Further objects and advantages will appear from the following description and drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the preferred method of installing insulation incorporating this invention on the roof of a typical metal building;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the structure of the adhesive strips on the insulation blanket illustrating how they cooperate to seal the vapor barrier between adjacent blankets;

FIGURE 3 is a section of one form of an insulating blanket according to this invention;

FIGURE 4 is a section of a second form of blanket incorporating this invention;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view of the blanket structure of FIGURE 4 illustrating how the vapor barriers of adjacent blankets are sealed; and

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a typical building having a roof frame illustrating the installation of insulation incorporating this invention between the building frame and roof proper.

Referring to FIGURES 1 through 3, an insulating blanket incorporating this invention is formed with a flexible and compressible body 10 of fiberous material such as fiber glass or rock wool with a vapor barrier 11 affixed to one side thereof. The vapor barrier may be formed of any suitable material such as aluminum foil, sheets of plastic film formed of plastic such as vinyl, lamination of foil, scrim and kraft paper, or vapor barrier paper which is formed of laminations of kraft paper reinforced with sisal fibers. The principal requirement of the vapor barrier 11 is that it provides a substantially impervious wall to prevent penetration of vapor into the insulating body 10.

The insulation blankets are normally manufactured in long strips which are rolled for shipment. To install the blankets the rolls are cut to proper length and the blankets stretched over the frame as described below.

The vapor barrier 11 extends laterally beyond the body 10 along one side of the blanket to form a lip or flap 12. A pressure sensitive adhesive 13 is bonded to the vapor surface of the lip 12 and is covered for shipment and storage by a separation strip 14. Polyethylene terephthalate resin material known as “Mylar” is particularly suitable for the separation strip since it is strong and somewhat elastic. Therefore, it can stretch to prevent breakage when the blanket is installed. The adhesive 13 can be applied directly to the lip surface by any appropriate technique such as roller coating, spraying or the like or by means of pressure sensitive tape. Preferably, the adhesive is carried on opposite sides of a suitable matrix such as thin paper which is interlaid between two strips of separation paper forming a continuous tape. In using such tape the separation strip is removed from one side of the adhesive carrier and the exposed adhesive is applied to the upper side of the lip 12 with the second separation strip 14 left adhered to the upper side of the adhesive for protection. The adhesive 13 and separation strip 14 are proportioned so that a portion along one edge of the strip carrier is free of adhesive. Therefore,

3,307,306 the separation strip 14 extends beyond the edge of the adhesive adjacent to the body 10 a short distance as indicated in FIGURES 2 and 3, so that the edge 16 of the separation strip adjacent to the body 10 is loose and can easily be gripped to start the removal of the separation strip. The pressure sensitive adhesive used can be chosen from many commercially available, preferably one having the properties of providing a permanent bond which is not affected by water or temperature variations and does not creep.

A similar second pressure sensitive adhesive strip 17 is bonded to the underside of the vapor barrier 11 adjacent to the opposite edge of the blanket as illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3. The structure of this adhesive and its application is the same as the adhesive applied to the lip 12. A second strip 18 covers and protects the adhesive 17. Here again, the adhesive 17 and the separation strip 18 are proportioned so that the separation strip 18 projects beyond the edge of the adhesive which terminates at a line spaced from the outer edge of the vapor barrier 11. This provides a loose edge 19 on the separation strip 18 which can be easily grasped to start the removal or stripping of the separation strip 18. In applying the adhesive strips to the vapor barrier pressure, and in some cases heat, is used so that a tight bond results.

FIGURES 1 and 6 illustrate how the insulating blankets are installed on the roofs of buildings. The building frame 20 is first erected which includes purlins 15 extending between the ends of the building to constitute the roof supporting frame. A first blanket strip 21 is stretched across the purlins 15 at one end of the building. The first course of outer surface material, such as sheet steel panels 22, is then installed over the first blanket 21 and fastened to the purlins 15 in the usual manner. In the illustrated building corrugated metal roof panels are used for the outer surface and screws or similar fasteners 23 extend through the insulating blanket 21 into the purlins 15 to securely anchor the roof panels 22 in position. Vapor leakage does not occur around the fasteners 23 because the vapor barrier 11 is tightly pressed against the upper side of the purlins by the panels.

The first course of roof panels 22 is positioned so that the edge of the blanket 21 projects beyond the edge of the first course of roof panels 22 as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 6. A narrow first course of roof panels, or a wide strip of insulating blanket, can be used to provide this projection or roof panels having the same width as the blankets but mounted to extend beyond the end of the building to provide an eave can be used to provide the required projection of the blanket 21 beyond the panel edges. The blanket 21 is arranged so that the lip 12 is on the side projecting beyond the edges of the roof panels 22.

A second blanket strip 24 is then stretched across the purlins with the adhesive 17, covered by the separation strip 18, overlying the lip 12 of the first blanket 21. A simple weighted clamp 27 can be used at each end of the blanket to provide the tension to evenly stretch the blankets in position. The clamp 27 comprises two pieces of wood with bolts extending therethrough adjacent to the ends so that the ends of the blanket can be positioned between the pieces of wood and the bolts tightened to clamp the wood to the ends of the blanket. A weight such as a bag of sand 26 is suspended from the clamp 27 to maintain a proper tension.

The workman then reaches down between the bodies 10 of the two blankets 21 and 24 and grips the separation strip 14 on the lip 12. The separation strip 14 is pulled up between the abutting edges of the insulating bodies 10 of the two blankets 21 and 24. It is easy to grip the separation strip 14 because the loose edge portion 16 which extends beyond the adhesive 13 is located at the inner edge of strip 14 immediately below the abutting edges of the first blanket 21, which has been secured to the purlins 15, and the second blanket 24, which has been tightly stretched into place. After the separation strip 14 is started, the workman then grips the edge of the separation strip 18 and also pulls it up between the bodies 1® of the two blankets. The separation strip 18 is also easily grasped because its loose edge 19 is on the outer side of the strip 18, immediately below the abutting edges of the blankets 21 and 24. The workman then walks along the first course of roof panels 22 pulling the two separation strips out between the insulation as illustrated in FIGURE 1 with the separation strip 14 about a foot ahead, of the separation strip 18. The separation strip 14 is stripped from the adhesive 13 before the strip 18 is pulled out because there is a tendency for the flap 12 to be pulled up slightly out of the plane of the barrier sheet 11 as the paper 14 separates from the adhesive 13. As the point of release of the strip 14 from the adhesive 13 is moved along, the flap 12 returns to its desired flat position within a distance less than about a foot. The separation strip 18, on the other hand, rolls under the edge of the second blanket 24 and tends to pull downwardly on the adhesive 17 at the point of release, so that the two adhesive strips 13 and 17 are brought into contact substantially in the plane of the vapor barrier sheets 11. After the strips 14 and 18 are removed, the insulation springs back into contact with the adjacent insulation.

When the adhesive 13 is initially exposed, it is aligned with, and can contact only, the separation strip 18. This separation strip is of such a material that it will not permanently bond with the adhesive or is wax-coated or similarly treated so that it adheres only lightly to the adhesive. To avoid any premature sealing the strip 18 is so treated or coated on both surfaces. When the separation strip 18 is pulled from the joint, however, the two adhesive strips 13 and 17 are aligned with each other and when they contact each other a firm cemented bond is provided between the lip of the blanket 21 and the left edge of the vapor barrier 11 of the blanket 24 and vapor cannot penetrate into the insulation. A light pressure on the edge of the blanket 24 insures proper bond between the two adhesive strips since a bond is established between two adhesive strips without substantial pressure. A smooth bonded joint results from the method of installation since the first blanket 21 is secured in position by the panels 22 and the second blanket 24 is retained smoothly in place by the weight 26 hanging on its ends. The second course of roof panels 22 is then installed over the second blanket 24 and the process repeated with a third blanket and so on until the roof is complete.

Because the adhesive is placed on the insulating blankets before the blankets are stretched across the purlins 15, a continuous bond is provided even in the area immediately adjacent to and on top of the purlins. The labor of installation is vastly reduced because it is not necessary to erect scaffolds underneath the roof after the roof is installed to apply the adhesive. No difficulty is encountered in properly positioning the consecutive blankets since the adhesive is covered while the blankets are stretched into place so that the blankets are easily moved into proper position. The adhesive is then uncovered and the bond established. The installation of the insulating blankets in this manner results in a continuous vapor barrier over the entire roof which prevents vapor from penetrating into the insulation and as a result eleminates condensation within the insulation.

When insulation is to be installed between the frame of the side wall of the building and the outer surface covering, the same method of application is used. The first blanket of insulation is positioned at the end of the building and the outer wall covering secured to the frame to hold the first blanket in place. The second blanket is then positioned adjacent to the first and the separation papers removed before the installaiton of the next course of wall panels. Hereagain, a continuous vapor barrier is provided with no passages or leakage points so condensation within the installation is eliminated.

3,307,306

In FIGURES 4 and 5 another embodiment of this invention is illustrated. Blankets according to this embodiment are formed with lips or flaps 31 and 32 on each side of the insulating body 10. Adhesive 33 and separation strips 34 are bonded to the lower side of each of the 5 lips 31 and 32, the separation papers extending inwardly beyond the adhesive so as to leave free inner edges 35. In the installation of blankets incorporating this embodiment the lips 31 and 32 are folded up between the two bodies 10 of adjacent blankets as illustrated in FIGURE 5 so that the lips of the adjacent blankets abut each other. The two separation strips 34 are then stripped away simultaneously, allowing contact between the adjacent adhesive strips 33 to establish the bond between the lips on adjacent blankets. Hereagain, the blankets are stretched 15 over the purlins 15 and bonded as the roof is installed as illustrated in FIGURE 6.

Although preferred embodiments of this invention are illustrated, it will be realized that various modifications of the structural details may be made without departing 20 from the mode of operation and the essence of the invention. Therefore, except insofar as they are claimed in the appended claims, structural details may be varied widely without modifying the mode of operation. Accordingly, the appended claims and not the aforesaid de- 25 tailed description are determinative of the scope of the invention.