In most building structures there is the need to insulate the building from the heat and cold. Insulating the roof, floor or wall system can assist in insulating a building structure. Venting air and moisture from a structure can also assist in temperature control and building structure maintenance.
It can be very effective in a building's cooling and heating to significantly insulate just under the roof, floor or wall sheathing or covering before heat or cold can penetrate into the attic or room area. If insulation of higher R-value can be placed between rafters, joists or studs during the structures construction then time and possible energy costs can be saved.
In Ellis' patent, U.S. Pat. No. 7,818,922, Ellis does show a form of roof insulation placed on roof rafters but Ellis has no allowances for unevenly spaced rafter support members where insulation sheet ribs join the support members. Ellis does not specify his invention to be applied to joists or studs. If the rafters, joists or studs are not evenly spaced or warped Ellis' insulation sheet will not fit over the rafters or support members. Secondly, in Ellis, U.S. Pat. No. 7,818,922, the side of Ellis' insulation sheet does not seal out air flow or moisture around the support members but rather Ellis' rib sides are “inclined” away from the support members. Also, Ellis has no specified means to support a layer of concrete or cementous material. Significantly, Ellis has no specified means to provide additional support, if needed, between the insulation ribs and the support members.
Many parts of a roof or floors system of a structure need a protective poured covering or wear surface. During high wind storms structures can lose shingles along with roof sheathing, metal roofing or other roof covering, allowing moisture to get into the interior of the structure. Structures that are built with very wind resistant walls, such as insulated concrete forms (ICF's), during a high wind storm the walls may stay in tack but the roof is so damaged by the wind that much of the structure's interior is destroyed or lost. Concrete, cementous roof covering can help protect a structure against high winds and storms.
There have been developments in the use of a foam insulation form to assist in the pouring of concrete roofs. Most of the poured concrete roof applications have deal with the pouring of relatively flat concrete decks. In Boeshart's patents U.S. Pat. No. 6,272,749 and more recently U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,150, entail the use of a rigid foam insulation form and metal channels on the lower section of the form. The rigid foam insulation elongated flat form panel has top slots where when the decking is poured a solid top concrete layer has integrated “T-joists” formed within the slots. The metal channels give support during the concrete pour and can be used to attach ceiling material or other items, such as plumbing or electrical, underneath the insulated concrete decking form.
There have been further form styles implemented similar to that of Boeshart, using rigid foam and metal or wood support to form and pour concrete decking. In some applications the support to the rigid foam concrete decking form is shoring by placing support underneath the decking form, where there may not be any integrated metal channel or wood support within the rigid foam form. Most all of these rigid foam concrete roof/deck form applications have a very heavy flat poured solid top surface being at least two inches or more thick with T-joist slots. Most of the decking forms are not designed to efficiently pour a sloping concrete roof. None of these protective roof and floor coverings are placed directly on and between the roof rafters or floor joists.
What is needed is a cost effective and easy to install roof and floor, and in some wall systems, highly insulating assembly that can be placed in roof rafters, floor joists or on wall studs of a building. Also what is needed in the assembly is an insulating material with the flexural strength to hold the load of a layer of concrete/cementous material. Additionally what is needed is an insulated concrete roof or floor form that allows roof sheathing or other roof, floor or wall covering to be height adjustable, and a secure placement and attachment to the rafter, joist or stud.
The invention is a rigid foam insulating and supporting manufactured shape or form that is placed on and between a roof rafter, floor joist, and in some application in a wall system, on and between studs. The rigid foam form has raised end sections, support ridges that rest upon the rafters, joists or studs. The rigid foam manufactured form has overlapping sections of the rafter, joist or stud support ridge, the overlaps extending past the center of the upper or middle section of the rafter, joist or stud, which allows the rigid foam form to be able to be placed on rafters, joists or studs that are unevenly spaced or twisted. The rigid foam manufactured form lower side sections has squared sides that run parallel and abut the sides of the rafter, joist or stud. The rigid foam manufactured form is of a significant thickness, approximately 3½ to 9 inches thick in height, with an approximate R-value of approximately R16 to R40. The square side sections attempt to seal out air flow between the squared sides of the rigid foam manufactured form and the sides of the rafter, joist or stud. The center section of the upper surface of the rigid foam manufactured form between the raised rafter, joist or stud support ridge is the recessed upper or middle section. The recessed section is recessed inward from the support ridge at least approximately 5/8 to 1 inch from the height of the support ridge. The recessed section allows air and moisture to be vented out when sheathing or other covering is placed upon the rigid foam form. Also, if placed sheathing or covering has a radiant barrier low emissivity surface adhered on the sheathing's or covering material surface facing the recessed section air space then affective none re-radiation of radiant heat can occur. The rafter, joist or stud support member support ridge of the rigid foam manufactured form has spacer stud slots that spacer studs, approximately 3 to 6 inches in height, approximately 3 to 6 inches in length and approximately 1 to 2 inches in width, can be placed. Roof, floor or wall sheathing or other covering can be placed upon support ridge and fastened into the rafter, joist or stud. Alternatively, spacer studs can be placed into support ridge spacer stud slots before roof, floor or wall sheathing or covering is placed. The spacer studs giving a more solid surface and, if needed, height adjustment for attachment of sheathing or other covering.
A second benefit and important embodiment of the rigid foam manufactured form is that concrete, cementous or other poured protective composition material can be poured upon the upper surface of the rigid foam form. The rigid foam manufactured form has the flexural strength to hold an upper surface load of at least 0.17 psi (pounds per square inch). Another embodiment entails a vertical “T” slot manufactured into the recessed upper section of the rigid foam form to give added support to the roof or floor system when concrete or cementous material is applied to the rigid foam form surface and into the vertical “T” slot. Rebar, wire mesh or other reinforcing can be placed into the poured or applied concrete, cementous or other composition poured protective material. Spacer studs can be placed in spacer stud slots before any concrete, cementous or other poured protective composition material is poured upon the surface of the rigid foam manufactured form. In one embodiment the rafter or joist ridge lines have through openings that allow concrete, cementous or other poured protective composition material to flow through. Roof or floor sheathing can then be placed upon the spacer studs and the sheathing fastened into the rafter or joist.
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