The present invention relates generally to insulation plates which are adapted to be secured at predetermined locations upon an underlying roof decking substructure or system so as to assuredly retain roof decking environmental membranes and insulation members upon the underlying roof decking system or substructure, and more particularly to a new and improved insulation plate, and a roof decking system employing the same, wherein, in addition to having means structurally incorporated therein for providing enhanced engagement and gripping forces in connection with the roof decking environmental membranes overlying the underlying roof decking substructure or system, the means structurally incorporated within the new and improved insulation plate also serves to readily facilitate the removal of the release sheet from the upper surface portion of a first lower environmental membrane of a fully-adhered environmental membrane system employed in connection with the underlying roof decking substructure or system such that a second upper environmental membrane can be subsequently secured atop the first lower environmental membrane so as to complete the formation of the fully-adhered environmental membrane system, whereby the environmental membranes can assuredly protect the underlying roof decking substructure or system despite the subjection of the various roof decking components to wind or other environmental forces.
Various types of plates are conventionally used in connection with the securing of environmental membranes upon underlying roof decking substructures, systems, or assemblies in order to fixedly retain such environmental membranes upon the underlying roof decking substructures, systems, or assemblies so as to permit the environmental membranes to protect the underlying roof decking substructures, systems, or assemblies from environmental or weather conditions. One type of plate is known in the industry as a seam plate or membrane plate which is located at a seam location defined between separate but adjacent or overlapping membrane members. Examples of such seam plates or membrane plates are disclosed within U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,699 which issued to Murphy on Aug. 7, 1990, as well as within U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,188 which also issued to Murphy on Nov. 29, 1988. As can be appreciated from
More particularly, for example, at each location or site, along the expanse of the roof decking system or assembly, at which separate and adjacent edge portions of the environmental membranes are to be, in effect, seamed together in an overlapping manner, an edge portion of a first underlying membrane, as disclosed at 101, is adapted to be secured to the underlying deck substructure 103 by means of a seam plate or membrane plate 10, while an edge portion of a second membrane member 104 is adapted to be secured in an overlapping manner with respect to the first underlying membrane member 101 by means of a welded seam 111. The seam plate or membrane plate 10 often has a substantially circular configuration, and is provided with a lower surface portion 12 which is seated atop the first underlying membrane 101, and an upper surface portion 11 over which the second membrane member 104 is disposed. A screw fastener 107 is adapted to pass through an aperture defined within a substantially central portion of the seam plate or membrane plate 10, and accordingly, after the seam plate or membrane plate 10 is disposed atop the first underlying membrane 101, and when the screw fastener 107 is then inserted through the central aperture formed within the seam plate or membrane plate 10 and threadedly engaged within the underlying deck substructure 103, the seam plate or membrane plate 10 will be secured to the underlying deck substructure 103 so as to in turn fixedly secure the underlying environmental membrane member 101 to the underlying deck substructure 103. After the overlying environmental membrane member 104 is welded to the underlying environmental membrane member 101, as at the seamed location 111, the fixation of the two environmental membranes 101,104 with respect to the underlying deck substructure 103 is complete.
A second type of plate, which is conventionally used in connection with the securing of environmental membranes upon underlying roof decking substructures, systems, or assemblies in order to fixedly retain such environmental membranes upon the underlying roof decking substructures, systems, or assemblies so as to permit the environmental membranes to protect the underlying roof decking substructures, systems, or assemblies from environmental or weather conditions, comprises what is known in the industry as an insulation plate. An insulation plate is similar to the aforenoted seam plate or membrane plate, however, an insulation plate is not necessarily utilized at seam locations defined between adjacent or overlapping edge portions of mated environmental membranes, but, to the contrary, may be utilized at positions intermediate such overlapping edge seam portions of the environmental membranes in order to further ensure the secure fixation of the environmental membranes to the underlying roof decking substructure components. One type of environmental membrane system which is commonly utilized in connection with the covering and protection of underlying roof decking substructure components is known in the art as a fully-adhered-system. As can best be appreciated from
In addition, a first environmental membrane 216 is adapted to be disposed atop the slab of insulation 214 so as to protect the slab of insulation 214 and the underlying roof decking member 212 from environmental or weather conditions, and in order to fixedly secure the first environmental membrane 216 upon the slab of insulation 214, a plurality of insulation plates, only one of which is disclosed at 218, are disposed atop the first environmental membrane 216. Each one of the insulation plates 218 is fixedly secured to the underlying roof decking member 212 by means of, for example, a suitable threaded fastener 220 which passes through the slab of insulation 214 and is threadedly engaged within the underlying roof decking member 212, and a second environmental membrane 222 is adapted to be disposed atop the first environmental membrane 216 so as to not only cover the first environmental membrane 216, but, in addition, to cover the insulation plate 218 and the head portion of the threaded fastener 220. In this manner, the insulation plate 218 is effectively sandwiched between the first lower environmental membrane 216 and the second upper environmental membrane 222. In accordance with further structural features characteristic of a conventional, PRIOR ART fully-adhered environmental membrane system, it is noted that the upper surface portion of the first, lower, underlying environmental membrane 216 has an adhesive coating or layer disposed thereon whereby when the second, upper, overlying environmental membrane 222 is mounted upon the first, lower, underlying environmental membrane 216, the second, upper overlying environmental membrane 222 will be fully adhered to the first, lower, underlying environmental membrane 216.
In conjunction with the foregoing, it is noted that the upper surface portion of the first, lower, underlying environmental membrane 216 is provided with a suitable release sheet, not shown, which, of course, is to be removed prior to the mounting and adherence of the second, upper, overlying membrane 222 atop and upon the first, lower, underlying environmental membrane 216. In order to operatively achieve this structural assembly of the environmental membrane system comprising the first and second environmental membranes 216,222, the first environmental membrane 216 is fixedly secured to the underlying roof decking member 212 by means of the plurality of insulation plates 218 and the threaded fasteners 220 while the release sheet, not shown, is still adhered upon the upper surface portion of the first environmental membrane 216. Subsequently, when it is desired to secure the second overlying environmental membrane 222 atop and upon the first underlying environmental membrane 216, the release sheet, not shown, disposed upon the upper surface portion of the first underlying environmental membrane is removed from the upper surface portion of the underlying environmental membrane 216 so as to effectively uncover or expose the underlying adhesive coating or adhesive layer disposed upon the upper surface portion of the underlying environmental membrane 216. As may readily be appreciated, however, when it is intended to remove the release sheet, not shown, from the upper surface portion of the underlying environmental membrane 216, such a removal operation is in fact difficult to achieve due to the obvious fact that the release sheet, not shown, is in effect tightly clamped beneath the plurality of insulation plates 218 which are fixedly secured to the underlying roof decking member 212. Accordingly, portions of the release sheet, not shown, disposed around each one of the plurality of insulation plates 218 must be manually ripped or torn away which is not only difficult to achieve, but in addition, such a process results in the irregular removal of the release sheet, such a process may sometimes require the use of special tools in order to remove or separate the release sheet, and such a process is also quite time-consuming.
A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved insulation plate wherein the insulation plate can not only satisfactorily engage and secure an underlying environmental membrane upon underlying roof decking structural components so as to effectively permit the underlying environmental membrane to resist uplifting wind forces which might otherwise cause the environmental membrane to tear or become dislodged from its position beneath the insulation plate, but in addition, when the insulation plate is being employed in conjunction with a fully-adhered environmental membrane system, the insulation plate will readily facilitate the removal of the release sheet from the upper surface portion of the first underlying environmental membrane, without causing any tearing of the first underlying environmental membrane to occur, so as to expose the adhesive layer disposed upon the upper surface portion of the first underlying environmental membrane whereupon the second overlying environmental membrane can be secured atop the first underlying environmental membrane so as to effectively form, along with the first underlying environmental membrane, the desired sandwiched environmental membrane system or assembly for protecting the underlying roof decking components from environmental conditions.
The foregoing and other objectives are achieved in accordance with the teachings and principles of the present invention through the provision of a new and improved insulation plate which comprises a circular structure having a central aperture for permitting a threaded screw fastener to pass therethrough for threaded engagement within the underlying roof decking substructure whereby the insulation plate is fixedly secured to the underlying roof decking substructure. The external periphery of the circular insulation plate is provided with a continuous array of very fine serrated teeth which have predetermined included angle, pitch, and root-to-crest depth dimensions which enable the serrated teeth to effectively engage an underlying environmental membrane, disposed upon underlying roof decking structural components, so as to effectively secure the underlying environmental membrane upon the underlying roof decking structural components without causing any tearing of the underlying environmental membrane, and in addition, the insulation plate will effectively permit the underlying environmental membrane to resist uplifting wind forces which might otherwise cause the environmental membrane to tear or become dislodged from its position beneath the insulation plate.
In addition, when the insulation plate is employed in conjunction with a fully-adhered environmental membrane system, the serrated teeth formed upon the external periphery of the insulation plate will engage the release sheet, disposed upon the upper surface portion of the underlying environmental membrane, so as to initiate and facilitate the controlled, uniform tearing of the release sheet whereby the release sheet can be readily, easily, quickly removed from the upper surface portion of the first underlying environmental membrane, without causing any tearing of the first underlying environmental membrane to occur, so as to expose the adhesive layer disposed upon the upper surface portion of the first underlying environmental membrane whereupon the second overlying environmental membrane can be secured atop the first underlying environmental membrane so as to effectively form, along with the first underlying environmental membrane, the desired sandwiched environmental membrane system or assembly for protecting the underlying roof decking substructural components from environmental conditions. In accordance with a second alternative embodiment of the insulation plate, the serrated teeth are oriented axially downwardly such that when the insulation plate is being fixedly installed upon the underlying roof decking substructures by means of the threaded screw fastener, an interference fit or keyed fit, defined between the insulation plate and the upper shank portion of the fastener, will cause the insulation plate to rotate with respect to the underlying environmental membrane whereby the axially downwardly oriented teeth can effectively cut through the release sheet or release liner covering the underlying environmental membrane.
Various other objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to
In addition, an axially downwardly recessed region 314, as can best be appreciated from
With reference continuing to be made to
With reference now being made to
Accordingly, when the new and improved insulation plate 310 of the present invention is utilized within a fully-adhered roof decking system, similar to that illustrated within
This interaction defined between the serrated teeth 326 and the release sheet or release liner thereby facilitates the overall installation operation by installation personnel and effectively eliminates the irregular tearing or ripping of the release sheet or release liner, with damage also possibly being inflicted upon the underlying environmental membrane 216, as well as rendering the installation operation faster and more cost-effective. Still yet further, it is to be appreciated that after the release liner or release sheet has been severed and removed, or when the new and improved insulation plate 310 of the present invention is not employed within a fully-adhered environmental membrane system similar to that disclosed at 210 within
With reference lastly being made to
In addition, the depth dimension TD of each tooth 426, as measured or defined between the root and crest portions of each tooth, is smaller than the depth dimension TD of each tooth 326 and is approximately 0.015 inches. Accordingly, the included angle A defined by each tooth, as well as the pitch TP defined between adjacent or successive ones of the teeth, may be slightly different from the corresponding parameters characteristic of teeth 326. In view of the fact that the serrated teeth 426 are oriented axially downwardly, the circumferential array of serrated teeth 426 are adapted to effectively cut through or sever the release layer or release sheet as disposed atop the first, lower underlying environmental membrane 216 without, of course, significantly severing the underlying environmental membrane 216. In order to in fact achieve such a cutting or severing operation, the insulation plate 410 is adapted to be rotated around its central axis 428 whereby as the insulation plate 410 is rotated, the circumferential array of serrated teeth 426 will cut or sever the release liner or release sheet disposed atop the underlying environmental membrane 216. Accordingly, in order to achieve such rotation of the insulation plate 410 with respect to the underlying environmental membrane 216, and the release sheet or release liner disposed thereon, the diametrical extent of the central aperture 412 is predeterminedly dimensioned so as to effectively define, in effect, a substantial friction or interference fit with, for example, the upper shank portion of the threaded screw fastener 220.
In this manner, as the threaded screw fastener 220 is threadedly engaged within the underlying roof decking member 212, and approaches the position at which the threaded screw fastener 220 will be fully inserted and seated within the underlying roof decking member 212, the upper shank portion of the fastener 220, defining the aforenoted friction or interference fit with the central aperture 412 of the insulation plate 410, will cause the insulation plate 410 to rotate around its axis 428 such that the axially downwardly oriented serrated teeth 426 can effectively cut and sever the release sheet or release liner disposed atop the first underlying environmental membrane 216. Accordingly, once the release sheet or release liner is completely cut or severed by means of the serrated teeth 426, that portion of the release sheet or release liner disposed around the particular insulation plate 410 can be removed so as to uncover the underlying adhesive upon which the second upper environmental membrane 222 can then be adhered.
It is noted further that in lieu of providing the aforenoted friction fit or interference fit between the upper shank portion of the threaded screw fastener 220 and the central aperture 412 defined within the insulation plate in order to achieve the aforenoted rotation of the insulation plate 410 with respect to the underlying membrane 216 and the release sheet or release liner disposed thereon whereby the cutting or severing of the release sheet or release liner can be achieved, an alternative means for causing such rotation of the insulation plate 410, with respect to the underlying membrane 216 and the release sheet or release liner disposed thereon, in order to likewise achieve the cutting or severing of the release sheet or release liner, could comprise a keyed structural arrangement defined, for example, between the upper shank portion of a threaded screw fastener similar to the threaded screw fastener 220 and the central aperture 412 formed within the insulation plate 410. For example, the central aperture 412, in lieu of having a circular configuration, could have a substantially square-shaped or other geometrical configuration, and the upper shank portion of the threaded screw fastener would have a corresponding geometrical configuration so as to effectively define a rotary drive with the aperture 412 when the upper shank portion of the threaded screw fastener operatively engages the central aperture 421 defined within the insulation plate 410.
It is lastly noted, as was the case with the first embodiment of the insulation plate 310 of the present invention, as illustrated, for example, within
Thus, it may be seen that in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention, a new and improved insulation plate or seam plate has been developed wherein, in accordance with a first embodiment of the insulation plate, the external peripheral edge portion of the insulation plate is provided with a continuous circumferential array of radially outwardly projecting serrated teeth which are adapted to engage a release sheet or release liner, disposed upon an underlying environmental membrane of a fully-adhered environmental membrane system covering roof decking substructural components, as the release sheet or release liner is effectively moved into engagement with the serrated teeth. In this manner, the release sheet or release liner is readily and easily cut or severed along a well-defined locus such that the release sheet or release liner can be removed and thereby uncover the adhesive layer disposed upon the upper surface portion of the underlying environmental membrane in preparation for securing an overlying environmental membrane atop the underlying environmental membrane in order to form the fully-adhered environmental membrane system. Alternatively, the continuum of serrated teeth may be oriented axially downwardly so as to cut or sever the release sheet or release liner as the insulation plate is effectively rotated along with the threaded screw fastener as the latter is threadedly engaged within the underlying roof decking substructure. In addition, both the radially outwardly and axially downwardly oriented serrated teeth also serve to fixedly and assuredly retain the underlying membrane upon the underlying roof decking substructure in order to positively or effectively resist uplifting wind forces.
Obviously, many variations and modifications of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, while the insulation or seam plate has been illustrated as having a substantially circular configuration, other geometrical configurations, such as, for example, triangular, square, oval, rectangular, star-shaped, polygonal, irregular, and the like, are of course possible, the corner regions also of course being rounded where necessary so as not to present any sharp-cornered areas to the underlying membrane. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the attached or appended claims, the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.