Insulation board with improved performance

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 11319708
  • Patent Number
    11,319,708
  • Date Filed
    Monday, May 17, 2021
    3 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, May 3, 2022
    2 years ago
Abstract
A roof assembly, having: a roof deck; an insulation board assembly mounted onto the roof deck; and a roofing membrane adhered onto the insulation board assembly, wherein the insulation board assembly comprises: a foam insulation board, a woven top facer on a top side of the foam insulation board, and a woven bottom facer on a bottom side of the foam insulation board.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to improved insulation board performance imparted by enhanced physical properties through the use of woven mats as facers for insulation boards used in building construction in general and in roofing construction in particular. When used in a roof assembly, the present invention permits the roofing system to meet the Very Severe Hail (VSH) testing rating with a low or typical density insulation board.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently, facers for polyurethane or polyisocyanurate (Polyiso) foam roofing insulation boards are typically made either from a Glass Reinforced Paper (GRF) facer or from a Coated Glass Facer (CGF) material. Facers serve a few purposes on the insulation board and in the roof system. For example, facers help provide structural integrity to the foam board and protect the friable foam surface from forces exerted by hail, foot traffic, heavy HVAC equipment and construction equipment. Facers also provide added strength to the foam board with regard to wind uplift performance. Both GRF and CGF contain fiberglass and thus are skin irritants during the manufacturing process and in end-use application. With GRF facers, glass fibers are added to the paper to improve dimensional stability, especially when the facer is wet. However, the glass fibers do not prevent the board from warping due to dimensional change in the GRF facer after exposure to moisture, or from losing strength while exposed to moisture, such as a leak. While coated glass facers do offer improved resistance to moisture and mold when compared to GRF facers, these facers discolor after exposure to moisture, and are rigid so they do not spread force across the board, and also have the tendency to absorb excessive amounts of chemicals during the production of the foam board. Additional disadvantages of these fiberglass containing facer materials include: (a) they do not offer sufficiently strong indentation resistance, (b) they tend to peel off and delaminate from the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate insulation boards, and (c) the glass fiber content results in handling complaints during production and installation of the boards.


Importantly, the fasteners that secure these foam roofing boards to the roof also pass through the boards' facers. Unfortunately, wind uplift across the boards can cause fastener pull-through which results in failure of the fully adhered roof system. To improve wind uplift performance of the roof system, additional fasteners are typically driven through the insulation board to keep the board anchored to the roof deck.


Therefore, what is instead desired is a polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam roofing insulation board facer material that would both provide load spreading and added surface strength. Specifically, it would be desirable to provide a facer that assists in spreading surface loads such that the potential for fastener pull-through during wind uplift can be reduced or eliminated. The advantage of load spreading to prevent fastener pull-through also helps to firmly secure the foam insulation board to the roof. Another advantage of such added surface strength is that it would offer increased indentation resistance. This indentation resistance would be advantageous against hail hitting the roof. Most preferably, the ideal roofing system would be able to pass the recently announced “Very Severe Hail” test rating announced by Factory Mutual as described in FM 4470 (Class 1—VSH). In addition, a facer having the desired indentation resistance would also be advantageous against workers kneeling on the roof or foot traffic on the roof during installation or roof repair. As will be explained, the present system provides this strength and load-spreading advantages. In fact, the present system has been shown to meet the Very Severe Hail (VSH) test rating. In addition, the present facer even preferably permits the roofing system to meet the Very Severe Hail (VSH) test rating even when a low or typical density insulation board is used (For example, such a density range can even be as low as found in typical density insulation boards, and could even be in the range of 0.5 to 6.0 pcf).


While load spreading will allow higher wind uplift values to be achieved with equivalent fasteners, load spreading will also allow an equivalent uplift to be achieved utilizing fewer fasteners. Reducing the number of fasteners in a roof system while maintaining wind uplift performance is highly advantageous because it requires less labor to install a roof system with fewer fasteners, fewer fasteners reduces the material cost of the roof system, and fewer fasteners results in fewer penetrations of the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam board, minimizing heat sinks, thereby leading to improved insulating performance of the insulation board.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention comprises an insulation board assembly, having: a foam insulation board (which may optionally be polyurethane or polyisocyanurate, or a phenolic material or an expanded polystyrene material (EPS)); a woven mat as the top facer attached onto a top side of the foam insulation board; and a woven mat as the bottom facer attached onto a bottom side of the foam insulation board. Optionally, the woven facers may be made of natural and/or synthetic yarns and/or tapes. Suitable synthetic yarns or tapes can be made from polymers such as polyethylene, ethylene and alpha-olefin copolymers, polypropylene, propylene and alpha-olefin copolymers, nylon, polyester, acrylic polyester, polyamide, aramid etc. Suitable natural yarns can be made from nature fibers, such as cotton, cellulose, wool, rayon, silk, hemp, sisal, etc.


The present invention also comprises a roof assembly, comprising: a roof deck; an insulation board assembly mounted onto the roof deck; and a roofing membrane adhered onto the insulation board assembly, wherein the insulation board assembly comprises: a foam insulation board, a woven top facer on a top side of the foam insulation board, and a woven bottom facer on a bottom side of the foam insulation board.


The woven mats can have different weave density. Fabric Mesh is a measure of the density of the fabric weave as the number of yarns or tapes per inch in both the Warp (machine) and Weft (cross) directions. Ends per inch (EPI) is the number of warp yarns or tapes per inch of woven fabric and picks per inch (PPI) is the number of weft yarns and tapes per inch of woven fabric. For example, the weave density can be 2 tapes per inch×2 tapes per inch (EPI×PPI) to 100 tapes per inch×100 tapes per inch. Preferably, the weave density would be 4×4 to 60×60 mesh. Most preferably, the weave density would be 4×4 to 30×30 mesh. Optionally, the woven mats have different weave density along warp and weft direction, for example, the weave density can optionally be 4×8 mesh in one embodiment.


The present woven mats can have different weights, typically measured by the fabric weight in ounces per square yard or grams per square meters. For example, the woven mat weight can optionally be from 10 gsm to 400 gsm. Preferably, the woven mat weight could be from 20 gsm to 200 gsm. Most preferably, the woven mat weight could be from 40 gsm to 100 gsm. Alternatively, the woven mats can have different thicknesses. For example, the woven mat thickness can be from 1 mil to 200 mil. Preferably, the woven mat thickness could be from 2 mil to 100 mil. Most preferably, the woven mat thickness could be from 2 mil to 50 mil.


Optionally, the woven mat can have a coating on one or both sides of the surface. The coating can be of different polymer compositions, such as polyethylene, ethylene and alpha-olefin copolymers, polypropylene, propylene and alpha-olefin copolymers, silicones, acrylates, natural rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, etc. Advantageously, such coating will provide bleed through resistance during the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate board manufacturing process, water resistance during foam board transportation, and slip and water resistance during field installation. The coating may additionally provide improved adhesion to the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam during manufacturing and provide improved compatibility and adhesion to bonding adhesives during field installation. The bonding adhesives can consist of different polymer compositions, such as polyurethane, nitrile, neoprene, chloroprene, silane-terminated polyether, styrene butadiene rubber, acrylic, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), etc.


Optionally, each of the top and bottom woven mats can have an additional layer of non-woven material laminated to one or both sides. The lamination could optionally be done with adhesives or with a tie layer. When the non-woven layer is in contact with the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate insulating foam during the manufacturing process, the non-woven layer may increase the surface roughness and surface area of the woven mat to allow the woven mat to have better adhesion or bonding with the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam. When the non-woven layer is positioned on the outside (i.e.: top or bottom) of the foam insulation board, it may enhance the slip resistance and improve adhesion performance with bonding adhesives during the field installation. The non-woven fiber can optionally be made of different polymer composition, such as polyester, polyethylene, ethylene and alpha-olefin copolymers, polypropylene, propylene and alpha-olefin copolymers, nylon, glass, Kevlar, basalt, carbon fiber, etc.


Optionally, the woven mats may be laminated with a glass scrim, glass mat, carbon fibers scrim, or coated PET scrim. When laminated to the woven mat, these materials could potentially improve dimensional stability of the facer and the insulation board.


Optionally, the woven mats can be made of low shrinkage polymer yarns or tapes. The shrinkage rate of polymer tape can be assessed by the percentage of length change when the polymer tape is heated from room temperature to 100° C. Preferably, the polymer tape used in the woven mat has <10% in shrinkage rate. Most preferable, the polymer tape has <5% shrinkage rate.


Optionally, flame retardants can be added to polymer yarns or tapes to enhance the fire resistance of the woven facer.


In another aspect, the present invention comprises a rolled woven facer material having a sufficiently desirable strength in both its machine direction and its cross direction. This rolled woven material can then be used as a top and/or bottom facer to a polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam insulation board. Preferably, this rolled woven facer material is quite thin and has low weight.


In preferred embodiments, the present woven polypropylene facer has a tensile strength greater than 80 lbf/3 inch in both a machine direction and a cross direction, and also has a tongue tear strength of over 15 lbf in both a machine direction and a cross direction.


Advantages of the present woven facer material include the fact that it provides added surface strength, load-spreading and durability as compared to existing GRF and CGF facers. Such added surface strength and load-spreading allows for foot traffic and kneeling on the insulation boards during roof installation. It also provides superior hail resistance and equivalent mold/moisture resistance to that of CGF. Specifically, the present roofing system comprising the present facer has been shown to meet the “Very Severe Hail” test rating announced by Factory Mutual as described in FM 4470 (Class 1—VSH).


The present woven facer is preferably a light but strong and heavy duty material. An advantage of the present woven facer material is that it has higher fastener pull through force, and thus provides excellent wind uplift resistance after the insulation board has been secured to the roof. In addition, the present woven facer system is also very durable and lengthens the effective lifespan of the foam roofing insulation board. In optional embodiments, the woven facers are made of a polymer, such as polyethylene, ethylene and alpha-olefin copolymers, polypropylene, propylene and alpha-olefin copolymers, nylon, polyester, polyamide, etc. However, it is to be understood that other woven materials including both natural and synthetic yarns or tapes, such as cotton, cellulose, rayon, silk, hemp, sisal, etc. can be used as well.


As such, the present woven facer system also offers the advantages of a higher flex modulus and a higher fastener-plate pull-through resistance as compared to traditional GRF and CGF facers.


In the case of a woven polypropylene material, the present facer can optionally be made from a plastic film that has been drawn into filaments or tapes, and then woven to create a fabric sheet or mat. In these preferred aspects, the woven mat optionally comprises a nonwoven layer on one side that will promote adhesion to the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam and polymer coating on the other side that will enhance water, moisture and bleed through resistance. The polymer coating can optionally provide improved compatibility and adhesion to bonding adhesives during field installation.


Another advantage of the present woven facer material is its low cost. In addition, the present woven facer materials can optionally be made from recycled plastics, providing environmental benefits.





BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS


FIG. 1 is a sectional side elevation view of a foam insulation board with top and bottom woven facers.



FIG. 2 is a sectional side elevation view of a foam insulation board similar to FIG. 1, but with a non-woven layer or coating above and below each of the top and bottom woven facers.



FIG. 3 is a sectional side elevation view of a foam insulation board similar to FIG. 2, but with a tie layer securing the woven and non-woven layers together.



FIGS. 4A to 5B illustrate various embodiments of roofing assemblies in which the present insulation board assembly is incorporated, showing many different possible uses for the present insulation board assembly, as follows.



FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the present insulation board assembly secured to a corrugated roof, with a protective coverboard thereover and a fleece backed membrane adhered over the top of the coverboard.



FIG. 4B is a view similar to FIG. 4A, but with a non-fleece membrane instead adhered over the top of the coverboard.



FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the present insulation board assembly secured to a corrugated roof, similar to FIG. 4A, but with the protective coverboard removed.



FIG. 5B is a view similar to FIG. 5A, but with a non-fleece membrane instead adhered directly onto the top of the present insulation board assembly.





DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM

As stated above, in one embodiment as seen in FIG. 1, the present system provides an insulation board assembly 10 that comprises: a foam insulation board 12 that may optionally be made of polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam, or a phenolic material or an expanded polystyrene material (EPS)); a top woven facer 20A attached onto a top side of the foam insulation board, top facer 20A being made of woven material that may optionally include polypropylene; and a woven bottom facer 20B attached onto a bottom side of the foam insulation board, bottom facer 20B also optionally being made of woven polypropylene. In alternate aspects, other woven materials may be used instead, including both natural and synthetic fibers.


In another embodiment, the present system provides a thin, rolled woven facer material that has sufficient strength in both its machine and cross directions that can be attached onto the foam insulation board (for example, during an extrusion process with the foam being sandwiched between top and bottom woven facers).


Traditionally, polyurethane or polyisocyanurate is a closed-cell, rigid foam insulation board consisting of a foam core sandwiched between two facers. It is the most widely used insulating material for above-deck commercial roof construction in North America. In many existing systems, the facer materials are fiberglass, but even kraft paper has been used. These polyurethane or polyisocyanurate insulation boards are attached to the roof deck with various mechanical fasteners and construction adhesives or held in place with ballast stones or concrete pavers placed above the roofing membrane. Typically, the roofing membrane also may be mechanically attached through the foam insulation, adhered to the top polyurethane or polyisocyanurate facer or even held in place with ballast.


In accordance with the present system, the present inventors experimentally tested various facers (GRF, CGF, Non-woven polyester and woven polypropylene facer materials). The results of these experimental tests are shown in Table 1, below:









TABLE 1







Common physical properties of different facer materials.












GRF
CGF
Nonwoven PET
Woven PP















Tensile (MD)
46
69
107
132


(lbf/3 in.)


Tensile (CD)
38
67
67
119


(lbf/3 in.)


Breaking
1.7
2
39
14


Elongation-MD (%)


Breaking
2
2
50
12


Elongation-CD (%)


Tear MD (lbf)
0.4
0.6
6.8
47.0


Tear CD (lbf)
0.7
0.8
10.5
49.0









In addition, the present inventors also experimentally tested the same facer materials for “Pull-Through” and “wind uplift”. The results of these experimental tests are shown in Table 2 below.


The Pull-Through test procedure is designed to evaluate the strength of substrate/stress plate combinations by using tensile loading. The test method described below utilizes a nominal 14×14 in. test sample and test jig. The test method is intended to be used to evaluate various membranes, membrane/stress plate combinations, substrates or substrate/stress plate combinations for comparison to each other in order to determine the products are to be used large scale wind resistance classification testing.


The detailed testing procedure is as follows. The 14×14 Substrate Test Jig is secured to the moving crosshead of the Tinius Olsen machine. When ready for testing, the sample is slid into the 14×14 Substrate Test Jig with the stress plate located on the underside of the test sample. The screw end of the fastener is then secured in into the stationary jaw. Zero the Tinius Olsen machine to clear data before the first sample is tested. Force is exerted in a direct line perpendicular to the plane of the substrate/stress plate interface at a crosshead speed of 2 in./min (51 mm/min). While the sample is being tested, the sample shall be visually examined to ensure that it continues to meet the Conditions of Acceptance. Continue the testing until the sample fails, higher forces are unable to be attained or maintained, or at the discretion of the test sponsor. Failure is considered to occur when the Conditions of Acceptance are no longer being met or until the tensile force is no longer able to be maintained. Upon completion of the test, the sample shall be examined and any item not conforming to the Conditions of Acceptance noted. The results of the Pull-Through Test shall be stated in pounds. The result assigned to the sample shall be the maximum force which the sample reached prior to failure. Conditions of Acceptance are: 1. all samples should remain secured in their test jig until failure of the test sample; 2. the overall sample results shall be determined based on the average of three (3) tests. If the standard deviation of the three values divided by the mean is greater than 20%, an additional test(s) shall be conducted. The results of all tests shall be used to determine the final average.









TABLE 2







Performance of polyisocyanurate board


with different facer materials.











Facer Type
GRF
CGF
Nonwoven PET
Woven PP





Pull-through (lbf)
177
262
263
455


Wind uplift
1-60
1-90
1-105
1-120









While the woven facer performed exceedingly well when compared to GRF and CGF with fastener pull-through/wind uplift, it also shows superior performance with regard to moisture resistance per ASTM C209-Water Absorption. This is shown below in Table 3.









TABLE 3







Moisture absorption of polyisocyanurate


board with different facer materials.











Facer Type
GRF
CGF
Non woven PET
Woven PP





Water Absorption
0.39%
0.30%
0.07%
0.06%









As a result of this testing, it was discovered that woven polypropylene facers 20A and 20B offered substantial benefits (as described herein) over traditional GRF and CGF facers.


In particular, the present woven facers 20A and 20B provide the advantages of strength in both (perpendicular) machine direction and cross directions. In preferred aspects, the strength in the cross direction is at least 70% of the strength in the machine direction.


In the case of woven facer materials supplied on rolls, the present facer materials preferably have weight of 20 gsm to 200 gsm; and a tensile strength of at least 80 lb. The advantage of this small thickness is that it makes the facers easier to roll.


In various optional aspects, the woven facers 20A and 20B can be made of natural and/or synthetic yarns and/or tapes. The synthetic yarns or tapes can be made from polymers such as polyethylene, ethylene and alpha-olefin copolymers, polypropylene, propylene and alpha-olefin copolymers, nylon, polyester, acrylic polyester, polyamide, aramid etc. The yarns can be made from natural fibers, such as cotton, cellulose, wool, rayon, silk, hemp, sisal, etc.


In preferred embodiments, the present insulation board assembly meets the Very Severe Hail (VSH) rating of FM 4470 (Class 1). This can even be accomplished using low or typical density insulation board. In one embodiment, the foam insulation board has a density of 0.5 to 6.0 pcf. This represent an advantage over existing (and costlier) approaches of using gypsum or press board to achieve the Very Severe Hail (VSH) rating.


In addition, the adhesion between the insulation board and the facer could potentially be stronger than can be achieved by existing standard density insulation boards and facers made of paper, glass fiber reinforced paper or coated glass facers (GRF/CGF), foils, films or laminates.


In optional preferred embodiments, the present insulation board with woven facer may also be used under a sheet of roof membrane, such as EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer), TPO (thermoplastic olefin), PVC (polyvinyl chloride), KEE (ketone ethylene ester) or Hypalon, of various thickness to provide a roofing structure capable of achieving the Very Severe Hail (VSH) rating. Optionally, EPDM, TPO, PVC, KEE and Hypalon roof membrane can have non-woven materials laminated on the back side. The non-woven fleece could potentially improve the adhesion performance of roof membrane to the insulation board.


In other optional preferred aspects, bonding adhesives are used to adhere the roof membrane onto the insulation board. Optionally, such bonding adhesive can include extruded coatings, spray coatings or roller applied coatings. Examples of such adhesive promoters include Flexible FAST™, TPO bonding adhesive, Cav-Grip III™ and EPDM bonding adhesive.


Roof System Performance


Factory Mutual's 4470's procedure for Very Severe Hail (VSH) Testing is a new test standard that has had a significant impact on the construction of commercial roof systems in fourteen states throughout the Midwest. The test involved propelling a 2-inch-diameter ice ball at a roof system test specimen at a velocity of 152 to 160 feet per second. The membrane must not be punctured and it must remain adhered to the substrate board. The substrate boards cannot be cracked or have the facers delaminated from the foam to pass this test.


Two widely used cover boards (i.e.: High Density (HD) Polyiso and Gypsum board), that are used in the commercial roofing industry have been unable to withstand this VSH test (See Table 4 and 5 below). The only roofing systems that have been able to achieve limited success on the VSH rating so far have incorporated OSB cover boards and Plywood cover boards (See Table 6 below). However, the OSB and Plywood boards have significant limitation since they are expensive, heavier than 0.5″ HD Polyiso, and are not able to achieve the same fire ratings that systems containing Gypsum or HD Polyiso cover boards.









TABLE 4







VSH test results for ½″ SecurShield HD Polyiso board.
















Deck


Reason





Construction
Testing
VSH
for


Insulation
Membrane
Adhesive
Type
Location
Results
failure





½″
145 EPDM Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail
Cracks


SecurShield
115 EPDM Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail
in HD


High Density
90 mil EPDM
EPDM Bonding
FIG. 4B
FM
Fail
Board


Polyiso Board
75 mil Sure-
EPDM Bonding
FIG. 4B
FM
Fail



Tough



145 White EPDM
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail



Fleece



115 White EPDM
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail



Fleece



90 mil White
EPDM Bonding
FIG. 4B
FM
Fail



EPDM



135 PVC Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail



115 PVC Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail



80 mil PVC
PVC Bonding
FIG. 4B
FM
Fail



135 TPO Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail



115 TPO Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail



80 mil TPO
TPO Bonding
FIG. 4B
FM
Fail
















TABLE 5







VSH test results for ½″ DensDeck Prime board (Gypsum).
















Deck


Reason





Construction
Testing
VSH
for


Insulation
Membrane
Adhesive
Type
Location
Results
failure





½″
145 EPDM Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail
Loss of


DensDeck
115 EPDM Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail
Adhesion


Prime Board
90 mil EPDM
EPDM Bonding
FIG. 4B
FM
Fail
(gypsum



75 mil Sure-
EPDM Bonding
FIG. 4B
FM
Fail
turned to



Tough




powder



145 White EPDM
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail
at area of



Fleece




impact)



115 White EPDM
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail



Fleece



90 mil White
EPDM Bonding
FIG. 4B
FM
Fail



EPDM



135 PVC Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail



115 PVC Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail



80 mil PVC
PVC Bonding
FIG. 4B
FM
Fail



135 TPO Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail



115 TPO Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail



80 mil TPO
TPO Bonding
FIG. 4B
FM
Fail
















TABLE 6







VSH test results for StormBase (OSB) board.
















Deck


Reason





Construction
Testing
VSH
for


Insulation
Membrane
Adhesive
Type
Location
Results
failure





StormBase
145 EPDM Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail
cracks


(OSB)
115 EPDM Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail
in



90 mil EPDM
EPDM Bonding
FIG. 4B
FM
Fail
OSB



90 mil White
EPDM Bonding
FIG. 4B
FM
Fail



EPDM



75 mil Sure-
EPDM Bonding
FIG. 4B
FM
Fail



Tough



115 White EPDM
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail



Fleece



145 White EPDM
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Pass



Fleece



135 PVC Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail
heat



115 PVC Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4B
FM
Fail
aging



80 mil PVC
PVC Bonding
FIG. 4A
FM
Fail
fail



135 TPO Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
FM
Pass



115 TPO Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4B
FM
Pass













80 mil TPO
TPO Bonding
FM
Pass










In contrast to the above existing systems, various embodiments of the present invention (i.e.: systems containing high density and normal density Polyiso insulation boards made with woven polypropylene facer materials) showed significant improvement and were able to withstand the VSH Test. The present roof systems successfully passed both internal and Factory Mutual tests due to the unique physical properties provided by the present woven facers. The results are summarized in the Table 7 and 8 below.


As can be appreciated, the present roof systems using standard density or high density insulation board and woven PP facers can be paired with TPO FleeceBACK, EPDM FleeceBACK, PVC FleeceBACK, KEE FleeceBACK and bareback TPO, EPDM, PVC and KEE HP. These membranes may optionally be bonded with two-part polyurethane adhesive, TPO Bonding adhesives, PVC adhesives, EPDM Bonding Adhesives, water based adhesives, LVOC bonding adhesives and Cav-Grip III. This type of roof system has significant performance advantageous over that with OSB and plywood board as the insulation board with woven PP facer delivers higher R-value per inch and is less costly.









TABLE 7







VSH test results for ½″ HD Polyiso board with woven PP facer.

















Deck








Construction
Testing
VSH


Insulation
Source
Membrane
Adhesive
Type
Location
Results





½″ HD
This
45 mil TPO
Cav-Grip III
FIG. 4B
in-house
pass


Polyiso w/
invention
60 mil TPO
Cav-Grip III
FIG. 4B
in-house
pass


Woven PP

90 mil White
90-8-30A
FIG. 4B
in-house
pass


Facer

EPDM




105 EPDM Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 4A
in-house
pass




60 mil TPO
Cav-Grip III
FIG. 4B
FM
pass




80 mil TPO
Cav-Grip III
FIG. 4B
FM
pass
















TABLE 8







VSH test results for normal density Polyiso board with woven PP facer.

















Deck








Construction
Testing
VSH


Insulation
Source
Membrane
Adhesive
Type
Location
Results





Standard
This
80 mil TPO
Cav-Grip III
FIG. 5B
in-house
pass


Density
invention
90 mil White
90-8-30A
FIG. 5B
in-house
pass


Polyiso w/

EPDM


Woven PP

105 EPDM Fleece
Flex FAST
FIG. 5A
in-house
pass


Facer

60 mil TPO
Cav-Grip III
FIG. 5B
FM
pass




80 mil TPO
Cav-Grip III
FIG. 5B
FM
pass









In preferred aspects illustrated in FIG. 2, the woven facers preferably include chemical coatings to make them waterproof. Specifically, system 10 comprises a foam insulation board 12, having a top woven facer 20A and a bottom woven facer 20B, as described above. Preferably, top woven facer 20A and bottom woven facer 20B comprise no glass fibers. Foam insulation board preferably has a density of 0.5 to 6.0 pcf and the fastener Pull-Through value is higher than 300 lbf. Preferably, the roof assembly 10 consists of roof membrane, bonding adhesive and the insulation board, and wherein the roof assembly meets the Very Severe Hail rating of FM 4470 (Class 1).


Preferably, each of woven facers 20A and 20B comprise yarns or tapes made from synthetic polymers such as woven polypropylene and/or propylene alpha-olefin copolymers or ethylene alpha-olefin copolymers having a warp density from 4 to 30 EPI or a weft density from 4 to 30 PPI, a weight from 40 to 200 grams per square meter, and a thickness of 2 mil to 50 mil. Preferably, each of the top and bottom facers 20A and 20B have a tensile strength greater than 80 lbf/3 inch in both a machine direction and a cross direction and a tear strength of over 15 lbf in both a machine direction and a cross direction.


As seen in FIG. 2, each of facers 20A and 20B may optionally have a polymer coating on one or both side of one or both of the top and bottom facers (i.e.: 22A, 24A, 22B and 24B). In preferred aspects, some or all of polymer coating layers 22A, 24A, 22B and 24B are selected from the group consisting of: polyethylene, ethylene and alpha-olefin copolymers, polypropylene, propylene and alpha-olefin copolymers, silicones, acrylates, polyurethane, natural rubber, and styrene butadiene rubber.


Alternatively, each of facers 20A and 20B may optionally have a non-woven material laminated on one or both side of one or both of the top and bottom facers (i.e.: layers 22A, 24A, 22B and 24B). The non-woven material layers may be selected from the group consisting of polyester, polyethylene, ethylene and alpha-olefin copolymers, polypropylene, propylene and alpha-olefin copolymers, nylon, glass, Kevlar, basalt, and carbon fiber. As such, layers 22A, 24A, 22B and 24B can comprise various polymer coatings or other non-woven material. Optionally, layers 24A and 24B can comprise a laminated glass mat, a glass scrim or a coated glass scrim.


As seen in FIG. 3, the non-woven layers 24A and 24B can be laminated to the woven layers 20A and 20B via an adhesive or a tie layer 26A, 26B.


In alternate aspects, the present system comprises a rolled insulation facer formed from a woven material having a tensile strength greater than 80 lbf/3 inch in both a machine direction and a cross direction, and a tear strength of over 15 lbf in both the machine direction and the cross direction. In this aspect, the woven material comprises yarns or tapes made from synthetic polymers, including but not limited to polypropylene and/or propylene alpha-olefin copolymers and/or ethylene alpha-olefin copolymers. Preferably, the woven material is waterproof.



FIGS. 4A to 5B show four different roof assemblies into which the present insulation board assembly can be incorporated. The assemblies in each of FIGS. 4A to 5B are the assemblies that were specifically tested in each of Tables 7 and 8. As seen in particular in each of Tables 7 and 8, the present insulation board assembly (i.e.: an insulation board with top and bottom woven facers having properties as described herein), provides a system in which meets the Very Severe Hail rating of FM 4470 (Class 1).


Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present insulation board assembly will pass the Very Severe Hail rating of FM 4470 (Class 1) when used in any of the four configurations of FIGS. 4A to 5B. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the presently claimed invention encompasses all four roof assembly embodiments. This is particularly significant, however, with regard to the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B. Specifically, no coverboard (e.g.: OSB, Plywood, Densdeck®, HD Polyiso or Ecostorm®) is required to meet the Very Severe Hail rating of FM 4470 (Class 1).



FIG. 4A shows a corrugated roof 40 onto which insulation assembly 50 is fastened. A protective coverboard 60 is secured thereover and a fleece backed membrane 70 is adhered over the top of coverboard 60. FIG. 4B is similar to FIG. 4A, but with a non-fleece membrane 72 is instead adhered over the top of coverboard 60.



FIG. 5A shows a corrugated roof 40, similar to FIG. 4A, but with the protective coverboard removed. FIG. 5B is similar to FIG. 5A, but with a non-fleece membrane 74 instead adhered directly onto the top of insulation board assembly 10.

Claims
  • 1. A roof assembly, comprising: a roof deck;an insulation board assembly mounted onto the roof deck; anda roofing membrane adhered onto the insulation board assembly, wherein the insulation board assembly comprises: a foam insulation board having first and second opposing surfaces,a woven top single layer facer on a top side of the foam insulation board, wherein the woven top facer is in direct contact with the first surface of the foam insulation board, and the woven top facer defines an outermost top surface of the insulation board assembly, and wherein the top single layer facer has a warp density from 4 to 30 ends per inch or a weft density from 4 to 30 picks per inch and wherein the top single layer facer has a tensile strength greater than 80 lbf/3 inch in both a machine direction and a cross direction, and a tear strength of over 15 lbf in both the machine direction and the cross direction, and a woven bottom single layer facer on a bottom side of the foam insulation board, wherein the woven bottom facer is in direct contact with the second surface of the foam insulation board, and the woven bottom facer defines an outermost bottom surface of the insulation board assembly, and wherein the bottom single layer facer has a warp density from 4 to 30 ends per inch or a weft density from 4 to 30 picks per inch and wherein the bottom single layer facer has a tensile strength greater than 80 lbf/3 inch in both a machine direction and a cross direction, and a tear strength of over 15 lbf in both the machine direction and the cross direction, andwherein the top and bottom facers comprise no glass fibers.
  • 2. The roof assembly of claim 1, wherein the roof assembly meets the Very Severe Hail rating of FM 4470 (Class 1).
  • 3. The roof assembly of claim 1, wherein the roof deck is made of steel, wood or concrete.
  • 4. The roof assembly of claim 1, wherein the insulation board is made of polyisocyanurate or polyurethane.
  • 5. The roof assembly of claim 1, wherein the roofing membrane is made of thermoplastic olefin, ethylene propylene diene monomer or polyvinyl chloride.
  • 6. The roof assembly of claim 1, wherein the roofing membrane is fleece-backed.
  • 7. The roof assembly of claim 1, wherein the top and bottom facers are woven from yarns or tapes made from synthetic polymers.
  • 8. The roof assembly of claim 1, wherein the top and bottom facers comprise woven polypropylene material and/or propylene alpha-olefin copolymers or ethylene alpha-olefin copolymers.
  • 9. The roof assembly of claim 1, wherein the insulation board assembly exhibits a fastener Pull-Through value that is higher than 300 lbf.
  • 10. The roof assembly of claim 1, wherein the foam insulation board has a density of 0.5 to 6.0 pcf.
  • 11. The roof assembly of claim 1, wherein the top and bottom facers comprise yarns or tapes.
  • 12. The roof assembly of claim 1, wherein the top and bottom facers have a weight from 40 to 200 grams per square meter.
  • 13. The roof assembly of claim 1, wherein the top and bottom facers each have a thickness from 2 mil to 50 mil.
RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/015,295, filed Sep. 9, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/601,203 filed Oct. 14, 2019 and now U.S. Pat. No. 10,801,205 issued on Oct. 13, 2020, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/749,530 filed Oct. 23, 2018 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/819,089 filed Mar. 15, 2019, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties for all purposes.

US Referenced Citations (45)
Number Name Date Kind
4388366 Rosato Jun 1983 A
4764420 Gluck et al. Aug 1988 A
5001005 Blanpied Mar 1991 A
5098778 Minnick Mar 1992 A
5735092 Clayton et al. Apr 1998 A
5891563 Letts Apr 1999 A
6044604 Clayton et al. Apr 2000 A
6093481 Lynn et al. Jul 2000 A
6355701 Soukup et al. Mar 2002 B1
6368991 Horner, Jr. et al. Apr 2002 B1
6872673 MacAulay Mar 2005 B2
7607271 Griffin et al. Oct 2009 B2
7749598 Agrawal Jul 2010 B2
7785703 Agrawal Aug 2010 B2
7811663 Paradis et al. Oct 2010 B2
8105685 Paradis et al. Jan 2012 B2
8287997 Paradis et al. Oct 2012 B2
8453390 Letts et al. Jun 2013 B2
8479467 Johnson et al. Jul 2013 B2
8617699 Paradis et al. Dec 2013 B2
9145498 Ultsch Sep 2015 B2
9677277 Kalkanoglu et al. Jun 2017 B2
9701803 Cobb et al. Jul 2017 B2
10087634 Johnson et al. Oct 2018 B2
10801205 Leatherman Oct 2020 B2
20040142618 Porter Jul 2004 A1
20050284065 Shaffer Dec 2005 A1
20070234667 Lubker, II et al. Oct 2007 A1
20100267304 Fowler Oct 2010 A1
20110033684 Agrawal Feb 2011 A1
20110131910 Paradis et al. Jun 2011 A1
20130164524 Letts et al. Jun 2013 A1
20130264012 Johnson et al. Oct 2013 A1
20140205789 Zhou Jul 2014 A1
20150038629 Ultsch Feb 2015 A1
20150040503 Tackett et al. Feb 2015 A1
20160153127 Avio Jun 2016 A1
20160236455 Fay et al. Aug 2016 A1
20160361894 Ciuperca Dec 2016 A1
20170015027 Letts et al. Jan 2017 A1
20170203555 Wang et al. Jul 2017 A1
20170268143 Paradis et al. Sep 2017 A1
20170328062 Letts et al. Nov 2017 A1
20170362835 Nielsen et al. Dec 2017 A1
20180087277 Brandt et al. Mar 2018 A1
Foreign Referenced Citations (9)
Number Date Country
0019465 Sep 1983 EP
0799687 Oct 1997 EP
1360382 Oct 2006 EP
0940249 Nov 2008 EP
1655421 Jan 2012 EP
3281782 Feb 2019 EP
2000069624 Nov 2000 WO
2009023170 Feb 2009 WO
2015134889 Sep 2015 WO
Non-Patent Literature Citations (3)
Entry
Chinese Patent Office, Office Action for corresponding Chinese Patent Application No. 201980070167.6, dated Nov. 30, 2021, 6 pages.
International Searching Authority, International Search Report and Written Opinion for corresponding International Application No. PCT/US2019/056117, dated Dec. 31, 2019, 11 pages.
Colombian Patent Office, Office Action for corresponding Colombian Patent Application No. NC2021/0005253, dated Oct. 8, 2021, 6 pages.
Related Publications (1)
Number Date Country
20210270038 A1 Sep 2021 US
Provisional Applications (2)
Number Date Country
62819089 Mar 2019 US
62749530 Oct 2018 US
Continuations (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 16601203 Oct 2019 US
Child 17015295 US
Continuation in Parts (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 17015295 Sep 2020 US
Child 17322655 US