Abstract:
A building wrap membrane comprising a sheet of spunbonded polypropylene fabric member with integral adhesive attachment strips mounted on the front and back of the sheet and a drainage matrix secured to the sheet front surface comprised of individual thermoplastic threads randomly laid down to form a net and secured together by heat bonding with the threads formed into spaced rows with a plurality of expansion joints formed across matrix rows.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a utility application claiming benefit and priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/998,542, filed Jul. 1, 2014. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX 
     None. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to preformed sheet membrane used in the construction of buildings to control the movement of air and water through the building envelope, and more particularly, to an above ground air barrier, vapor permeable building underlayment sheet or membrane provided with a drain matrix and integral pressure sensitive adhesive strips. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Buildings are typically constructed with structural, underlayment sheets in a spaced arrangement to cover walls and roofs. The present inventive building wrap is used to wrap the exterior surface of the building during construction. The building wrap forms a barrier layer from exterior outside water or moisture while allowing water vapor transmission from the interior of the building. Typical wrap barrier materials include spunbonded high density polyethylene fibers, non-woven barrier material and microperforated polyethylene sheet material. Previous construction methods and materials may lead to entrapment of moisture that can result in formation of mold and mildew, wood rot and a host of other problems. 
     DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART 
     The prior art shows the use of sheet material having plastic threads arranged to form a drain matrix. The prior art also discloses the use of adhesive strips on the opposite sides of permeable membranes used for building construction. 
     It is well known in the art to use integral adhesive strips applied to the sheet material for fastening overlaying strips together. Such application is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 8,387,336 issued Mar. 5, 2013, U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 20060096218 published May 11, 2006 and U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 20040180195 published Sep. 16, 2004. Other such uses of integral adhesive tape which have been commercially sold are TYVEK® SUPRO PLUS and DELTA®-FASSADE S PLUS by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and Cosella-Dorken Products, Inc., respectively. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,804,922 issued Oct. 19, 2004 is directed to a weather barrier for use in building. It is a composite building material comprising an integral unitary member including a polymeric weather barrier, a drainage mat formed of an open, three dimensional matrix of plastic filaments formed in an overlapping irregular looped and intermingled fashion and a securement means for attaching the drainage mat to the weather barrier. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,594,965 issued Jul. 22, 2003 is directed toward an inner sheeting material with a corrugated mat of randomly convoluted polymeric filaments having undulating faces and U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,353 issued Oct. 17, 2000 discloses a weather barrier having (i) a plurality of spaced adhesive spots and (ii) a plurality of substantially parallel adhesive strips for attaching a three-dimensional matrix of overlapping loop mesh of a polyamide resin such as Nylon. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,595 issued Oct. 5, 1999 shows a building member having a polymeric weather barrier and a mat of an open, three dimensional matrix of plastic filaments of polyester and nylon in overlapping and randomly convoluted and intermingled fashion that are heat bonded and an adhesive securement means. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,627 issued Mar. 31, 1992 is directed to an openwork member constructed of a matting of individual randomly convoluted filaments made of a plastic polymeric material (such as Nylon) having a smooth side which is positioned over a roofing felt and secured to a deck member by staples through the felt. 
     It is further disclosed in the previous noted reference that the mat is sufficiently resistant to compression so that the installer can easily feel when the shingle is pressed firmly against the mat, and drive the nail until the nail head is against the shingle, leaving the cap raised about ⅝ inch above the underlying roof shingles. 
     In another U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,672 issued Jun. 20, 1995, the mat material (Nylon or polyester) is provided with two lateral edge bands on each side of the roll of matting of adhesive coating to adhere or secure the matting to the roof shingles or any other planar surface. 
     European Patent Number 0874099 published Oct. 28, 1998 is directed to a diffusion sheet in the form of a biased undersheet for roofs. The sheet is a diffusion film layer with a web of poly directional filaments forming a loop-like inter-twined sub area seated in a foil sheet. A metal sheet or covering is shown mounted to the web. It is noted that possible applications of the product can be used with a vapor-permeable membrane such as TYVEK®. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,590 issued Feb. 24, 1981 is directed toward the process of making a mat of melt-spun synthetic polymer filaments laid in overlapping rows of looped and intermingled filaments to form a peak and valley three-dimensional structure underlaying on the longitudinal and transverse directions of the matting, the individual filaments being self-bonded at random points of intersection to provide transverse strength. This structure consists of open random filaments which are fused at random points of intersection. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,044 issued Jul. 4, 1978 discloses a sheathing board formed with longitudinal grooves to facilitate the “passage of air.” It further notes that the sheathing allows free movement of air in the wall interior to relieve moisture accumulation. As indicated by the arrows, air travels through moisture-permeable insulation, and upwardly into a series of vertical upper grooves. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a building enclosure component in the nature of vapor permeable water resistive barrier/air barrier membrane manufactured from a vapor permeable spunbonded polypropylene fabric with tip to a 6 inch integrated tape or tapes positioned down from the horizontal joint on the front face of the spunbonded polypropylene fabric and a 1½ inch to 3 inch integrated tape secured adjacent the horizontal joint on the rear backing face of the membrane. Alternatively, a larger 6 inch integrated tape can be secured adjacent the horizontal joint on the rear backing face of the membrane. 
     A drainage matrix is attached to the membrane beneath the 3 inch to 6 inch integrated tape and extends over the membrane to the other end of the membrane creates a drainage cavity for wall cladding systems such as wood siding, metal siding, masonry veneers, stucco, mechanically attached EIFS and veneer stone facades. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a building membrane having excellent liquid water holdout while preventing air leakage and allowing the structure to breathe or dry-out as necessary, to meet the conditions of seasonal changes for each climate zone. 
     It is also an object of the present invention to provide a rain screen matrix integral on the membrane so that everything can be installed in one step. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide that the drainage matrix maintains an unimpeded vertical drainage plane behind the cladding. 
     It is a further object of the invention for the incorporation of the integrated tape at the horizontal seams to increase ease of installation, eliminate tape failure, reverse laps and additional associated costs. 
     The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings herein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top plan view of the building membrane in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom plan view of the opposite side of the building membrane shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged sectional top plan view of a portion of the building membrane of shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a side elevational view of the building membrane of  FIG. 1  when same is fastened to a structure; 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged sectional bottom plan view of the rear surface of the building membrane shown in  FIG. 2  showing the release liner partially removed; 
         FIG. 6  is a bottom plan view of the building membrane shown in  FIG. 2  with a wider rear adhesive strip; 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged cross sectional view of a 3 mm drain matrix shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 ; 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged cross sectional view of a 7 mm drain matrix embodiment; and 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged cross sectional view of a 11 mm drain matrix embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The preferred embodiment and best mode of the invention are shown in  FIGS. 1-9 . While the invention is described herein with regard to certain preferred embodiments, it is not intended that the present invention be so limited. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalent arrangements as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     The vapor permeable membrane of the invention is a flexible sheet normally supplied in roll form for application to the outside of a building. Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments depicted therein, the building membrane  10  is constructed of a vapor permeable spunbonded polypropylene fabric  12  with a polypropylene back surface  13 . The backing  13  as shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 6  has a 1½ inch to 8 inch, preferably 2 inch integrated permeable adhesive strip or strips  14  with a release cover liner  16  placed on the back surface of the membrane  10  so that when the membrane sheet  10  is mounted on the building structure it is located adjacent the bottom horizontal edge of the membrane. As shown in  FIG. 6 , a wider tape can be used ranging from about 6 inches to about 8 inches, preferably about 6 inches. Random polypropylene fibers form a drainage matrix  18  which is heat bonded to the front surface  15  of the membrane to the spunbonded polypropylene fabric  12 . The drainage matrix  18  covers the front surface  15  of the membrane with the exception of a 6 inch to 8 inch area  20  of the membrane base material which extends from the top horizontal edge  17  of the membrane downward to the upper edge of the matrix. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the upper top area  20  of base material has a 3 inch to 3½ inch, preferably 3¼ inch permeable adhesive strip  22  across the top area  20  with a release cover liner  24 . An upper 2¼ inch to 2½ inch area  26  comprising the membrane fabric extends from the upper edge of the adhesive strip  22  to the edge  17  of the base material to receive staples or fasteners  28  for fastening the same to a building. A ½ inch to 1 inch strip  30  of base material separates the top adhesive strip  22  from the top of the drainage matrix  18 . It should be noted that the top area  20  can have a plurality of adhesive strips or a unitary adhesive strip which cover the area  20  of the base material. 
     The drainage matrix  18  is available in 3 row heights, 3 mm, 7 mm and 11 mm of nominal dimension plus or minus 1 mm as shown in  FIGS. 7-9  with widths ranging from ½ inch to 1 inch. The matrix  18  is spot heat bonded across the membrane width. The membrane  10  is approximately 59 inches in width and 37.5 feet in length. The drainage matrix  18  is formed with a series of drainage rows  32  of polypropylene, nylon or CLP plastic threads with each row being spaced apart by a channel  33  and running vertical to the top area  20  and bottom surface edge of membrane  10 . The vertical raised thread rows  32  on the matrix are separated by spaced channels  33 . The drainage rows run from about 16 to about 25 rows per linear foot, which variance is caused by the differences in matrix row height. The drainage matrix rows  32  are separated at 1 foot intervals by spaces to provide for a plurality of ¾ inch expansion joints  34  on the drainage matrix. The expansion joints  34  run parallel to the top and bottom edges of the membrane  10  and are positioned perpendicular to the linear orientation of the drainage rows  32  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3  with the base of the expansion joint being about the same height as the base of the channels  33  between rows. The drainable matrix  18  is spot heat welded to the spunbonded base material  12  so that a unitary sheet material is formed. 
     The present integrated rain screen vapor permeable water resistive air barrier sheet membrane with integrated tape can remain exposed to the elements for up to 180 DAYS prior to installation of cladding system. The rain screen cavity created by the integrated matrix, greatly increases the drying capacity of the building envelope and the inventive material protects against water intrusion and is vapor permeable, allowing the building materials that may have become wet during the construction phase to dry out, reducing the risk of wood rot, deterioration or corrosion. The air barrier function of the system increases die energy efficiency of the building envelope, as well as prolonging the life of the structure by reducing air borne moisture loading. 
     The vapor-permeable membrane may be a spunbonded polypropylene sheet material, for example, such as WallShield® and WrapShield™ brand weatherizing membranes, available from VaproShield, LLC, of Gig Harbor, Wash. As noted above, the membrane is substantially impervious to liquids such as water, but is permeable to gases such as water vapor. The integral adhesive can be standard adhesive or a vapor permeable adhesive for the bottom interior adhesive strip or the top front adhesive strip. 
     The present inventive membrane  10  with integrated tape is mechanically fastened to the building. Stainless steel staples may be used just above the horizontal tape line of adhesive tape  28  as temporary fasteners during installation. It is recommended that the installer does not staple excessively in the field and should not place staples in the integrated tape overlap area, prior to removal of the tape release papers and sealing of the horizontal integrated tape seam. Staples should be placed in the overlap area only after the integrated tape release or cover had been removed and the joint is sealed. At the vertical seam location of the sheets, 11¾ inch wide VaproFlashing SA is applied vertically and directly on the substrate at the vertical seam location. Dow Corning® 758 adhesive sealant is applied to VaproFlashing SA, directly behind vertical seam, and hand smoothed to activate sealant. The horizontal seams are joined by pulling and removing release papers simultaneously (from the upper and lower courses of membrane). Hand pressure is then applied to engage horizontal tape joint. 
     The principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification. However, the invention should not be construed as limited to the particular embodiments which have been described above. Instead, the embodiments described here should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Variations and changes may be made by others without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims: