Patent Application
20080041005
The features and advantages of the present invention should become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring now to the drawings,
The membrane 12 can be made of any weather barrier material that can be provided in an indefinite-length elongate web and that is capable of being stored and shipped in a spiral roll 16. For example, the membrane 12 can be made of paper, tar paper, felt, roofing felt, or the like. If thermal bonding of the spacer elements 14 is desired, the membrane is preferably made of a polymeric material such as a thermoplastic material, a synthetic resin, olefin resin, polyolefin polymer, polypropylene, high density polyethylene, polystyrene, nylon, PVC or the like. In addition, the membrane 12 can be a woven material, a non-woven material, a dry-laid non-woven material, a wet-laid non-woven material, a hybrid non-woven material, a polymer-laid non-woven material, a spun-bonded non-woven material, a flash-spun non-woven material, or the like.
The spacer elements 14 according to the present invention are filaments 18. Each filament 18 is bonded to a face 20 of the membrane 12 and extends essentially in a generally longitudinal direction on the membrane 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the filaments 18 are laterally spaced-apart, do not intersect, and extend substantially parallel to each other and parallel to a longitudinal axis “A” of the elongate membrane 12. Thus, each filament 18 shown in
Each filament 18 illustrated in the drawings has a substantially circular cross-section of a predetermined diameter “D”. Of course, other cross-sectional shapes can be utilized, such as square, rectangular, oval and triangular filament cross-sections. Accordingly, each filament 18 projects a distance “D” from the face 20 of the membrane 12 to provide spacing between an adjacent building material and the face 20 of the membrane 12. In addition, a series of depressions 22 are formed in the filaments 18 to provide transverse drainage paths “P” across the filaments 18.
The depressions 22 can be created by flattening the filaments 18 at spaced-apart intervals along the length of the filaments 18. Thus, as best illustrated in
The filaments 18 are preferably made of polymeric materials capable of being extruded onto the membrane or a surface of a conveyer, drum, or the like. For example, the filaments 18 can be made of nylon, polypropylene, polyester, polyolefin, polyethylene, or like material. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, each filament 18 can be extruded such that it has a diameter “D” between about 1/64 to ¼ inch, can be flattened in intervals “I” of about 0.5 to 6 inches, and can be spaced a distance “S” of about ⅛ to 1 inch from adjacent filaments. Of course, other dimensions, shapes, patterns, etc. can also be utilized.
Preferably, the filaments 18 are thermally bonded to the membrane 12. The polymeric material of the filaments 18 and weather resistive membrane 12 engage, melt and then solidify together to fuse the filaments 18 to the membrane 12 via the application of heat and/or pressure. Thus, no adhesive is required, and a strong bond is formed. The depressed sections 22 of the filaments 18 that are flattened are particularly strongly fused to the membrane 12 since the pressure exerted on the filaments 18 to create the depressions 22 also results in the formation of a strong bond between the filaments and membrane. Adhesive bonding, sonic bonding, mechanical bonding, or other techniques can be utilized depending on the materials of the filaments and membrane.
An assembly 26 of an exterior wall of a building is illustrated in
During construction of the assembly 26, the wrap 10 according to the present invention is unrolled on, and secured to, the inner sheathing members 28 such that the weather resistive membrane 12 completely covers the inner sheathing members 28 and such that the filaments 18 face away from the inner sheathing members 28. Typically, the elongate web of wrap 10 is secured to the inner sheathing members with staples or the like and extends horizontally within the assembly 26. Several slightly-overlapping, horizontally-extending rows of the wrap 10 may be required to cover the entire elevation of the assembly 26. Accordingly, the filaments 18 of the wrap 10 extend substantially horizontally within the assembly 26 and the depressions 22 permit moisture to drain vertically, or downwardly, within the assembly 26 transversely across the filaments 18.
An exterior building material 32 is affixed on the outer side of the assembly 26 such that it overlies the wrap 10 and sandwiches the wrap 10 between the inner sheathing member 28 and exterior building material 32. The exterior building material 32 can be, for instance, a wood or fiber-cement siding product or wooden shingles such as cedar shakes. The exterior building material 32 can also be brick, stone, stucco, exterior insulation finish systems (EIFS), vinyl, metal, asphalt, rubber, thermoplastic, and other exterior siding and roofing materials.
As best illustrated in
A method of making the wrap 10 according to the present invention includes the steps of bonding a series of separate, laterally spaced-apart, elongate polymeric filaments 18 to the face 20 of an elongate web of weather resistive membrane 12 and of flattening sections 22 of the filaments 18 at spaced intervals to create drainage paths “P” that extend transversely across the filaments 18. Preferably, the filaments 18 are bonded to the face 20 of the membrane 12 such that the filaments 18 extend in a substantially longitudinal direction on the elongate membrane 12.
The filaments 18 can be bonded to the membrane by simultaneously extruding a series of laterally spaced-apart, continuous, elongate polymeric filaments directly onto the face 20 of the membrane 12. Alternatively, the filaments 18 can be extruded onto a surface of a traveling conveyor, drum or the like and then transferred to the face 20 of the membrane 12. For example, a plurality of spaced filaments 18 can be simultaneously extruded by an extrusion head onto the surface of a traveling conveyer, drum, or the like. At a downstream location, an indefinite length web of the membrane 12 can be unrolled into engagement with the surface of the conveyer or drum such that the face 20 of the membrane 12 engages the filaments 18. A roller or the like press can be used to apply pressure to the membrane 12 to engage the surface of the traveling conveyor and filaments 18 to cause the filaments 18 to bond to the face 20 of the membrane 12.
The surface of the traveling conveyor or drum can be textured to provide a pattern of recesses and ridges that enable the filaments 18 to be flattened only at desired spaced intervals. For example, where the filaments 18 extend over the ridges of the conveyor or drum, the depressions 22 are formed because the filaments 18 become flattened by the pressure exerted between the underlying ridges and overlying membrane 12. However, where the filaments 18 extend in the recesses of the surface of the conveyor or drum, the filament 18 substantially maintains its extruded cross-sectional shape. Such an arrangement provides a continuous manufacturing process in which the filaments 18 are provided with alternating flattened and full size sections, 22 and 24.
Preferably, the weather resistive membrane 12 is made of a polymeric material and the extruded polymeric filaments 18 are thermally bonded to the face 20 of the membrane 12 when engaged therewith. The heat retained by the filaments 18 upon being extruded can be efficiently utilized to aid thermal bonding of the filaments 18 to the membrane 12 upon contact. After cooling, the membrane 12 and bonded filaments 18 can be rolled into a spiral roll for efficient storage and shipment.
Thus, the above-described drainage-promoting wrap, wall and roof assemblies, and method of manufacture according to the present invention provide a cost effective building product for use in managing moisture within wall and roof building structures.
While preferred wraps, assemblies, and methods have been described in detail, various modifications, alterations, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.
