Patent Publication Number: US-2023138907-A1

Title: Adhesive strip attachment of roof boards to a corrugated roof deck

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/275,824, entitled Adhesive Strip Attachment of Roof Boards to a Roof Deck, filed Nov. 4, 2021, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present system relates to attaching roofing boards to corrugated roofs. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Insulation and underlayments are typically attached to a roof deck using screws and fasteners and plates or with low-rise adhesive foam. Unfortunately, installing screws and fasteners and plates is labor intensive from both a time and an effort standpoint. Additionally, the screw that penetrates the roof deck can potentially disturb building occupants and the operations occurring within the building. Moreover, screws, fasteners and plates can serve as thermal conduits for heating/cooling loss within the building as they bypass the insulation and underlayment boards via thermal bridging. 
     Yet another problem is that screw penetration into the roof deck creates a potential for building generated moisture to pass into the roof, which can then become trapped and condense into liquid water causing moisture problems in the roof system. Therefore, to avoid or minimize the use of mechanical screw fasteners, adhesives have been used instead. Unfortunately, the application of low-rise adhesive is costly, is not permitted by some approval bodies, and is not well suited for low temperatures. 
     Accordingly, what is instead desired is a system for attaching roof boards (understood herein to include both insulation and underlayment cover boards) that both avoids the use of mechanical fasteners and also minimizes the use of adhesives. Minimizing adhesives has several benefits. First, reducing adhesives reduces the roof&#39;s overall fire risk (since the adhesives are generally the most fire-risk element of a typical roof assembly). Second, as will be further explained herein in accordance with the present system, reducing the total amount of adhesive in the roof board installation process makes the overall assembly cleaner, cheaper and faster. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In preferred aspects, the present system and method apply adhesive strips (having an integrated release liner attached thereto) to the top flutes of a corrugated metal roof deck with a multi-row, custom designed adhesive applicator/dispenser system. The present system advantageously allows for the attachment of roof boards to a roof deck without the use of fasteners and plates or low-rise foam adhesive. In preferred aspects, both initial and subsequent layers of roof boards may be applied to the corrugated roof. 
     In preferred aspects, the present invention allows for the attachment of the insulation and underlayment roof boards to the roof deck by means of adhesive strips that are quickly and easily applied only to the top flutes of a corrugated roof deck. In preferred aspects, a modified version of a standard cover tape applicator can optionally be utilized along with parallel rolls of adhesives to apply several runs of adhesive (for example, 2 or 3 rows at a time) to the top flutes of the corrugated roof deck. The present adhesive application dispensing machine can optionally also allow adjustment for varied width of roof deck flutes. 
     As will be explained herein, using adhesive strips has the advantage of avoiding commonly used screws and mechanical fasteners (which can cause both heat and moisture problems). In addition, minimizing the total amount of adhesive used has the advantage of reducing fire risk and cost. As will be shown, the present system has the advantage of using an appropriate amount of adhesive to balance these two competing objectives. Moreover, the present system&#39;s adhesive is preferably not a “low-rise” adhesive (which can be very sensitive to environmental conditions). 
     In preferred aspects, additional layers of cover boards (such as insulation boards) can be installed in the same manner via the adhesive roll dispenser, but with the application of the adhesive strips onto the (first or lower) cover board versus directly onto the corrugated roof deck. This optional process can be repeated such that subsequent layers of insulation/cover boards can be installed one on top of the other in the same manner. 
     Advantageously, the adhesive strips applied using the present system take the place of traditional methods of either screw/plate attachment or adhering boards to the deck with low-rise foam adhesive. The present adhesive strips, when applied, will preferably contain a release liner, thereby protecting the adhesive until it is ready for use. This release liner will allow the dispensing machine to work on the roof and position the insulation boards without negatively effecting the adhesive strip performance. During installation, the adhesive release liner is removed, and the insulation board can then be placed thereover and secured by simply applying pressure. Additional layers of insulation cover boards can be installed in the same manner. Roofing membranes (i.e.: the building&#39;s uppermost layers) can optionally be attached via traditional methods. 
     In one preferred aspect, the present adhesive dispensing system provides a system for adhering a roof board to a corrugated roof, comprising: (a) an adhesive strip dispensing machine, comprising: (i) a frame, (ii) a plurality of wheels or rollers mounted to the frame, and (iii) a plurality of adhesive roll dispensers also mounted to the frame; and (b) a plurality of adhesive rolls on the adhesive roll dispensers. The adhesive rolls are positioned to be simultaneously dispensed from the adhesive roll dispensers onto the top flutes of a corrugated roof as the adhesive strip dispensing machine is moved in a direction parallel to the top flutes. 
     In one aspect, the wheels rest on the bottom flutes of the corrugated roof as the adhesive strips are dispensed on the top flutes of the corrugated roof. As such, the plurality of wheels are preferably spaced apart such that the dispensing machine is positioned over the tops of a plurality of top flutes (e.g.: 2 or 3 rows of top flutes) of the corrugated roof. In other aspects, the wheels rest on top of the top flutes as the adhesive strips are dispensed on the top flutes of the corrugated roof. Optionally, the wheels on the present system may be replaced by rollers. It is to be understood that the present system encompasses all of these embodiments. The present adhesive strip dispensing machine preferably has handlebars that are manually pushed (or optionally pulled) by an operator. In some embodiments, the operator also rotates the frame with the handlebars such that the plurality of adhesive rolls are rotated to be positioned downwardly into contact with the top flutes of the corrugated roof. The positioning of the adhesive roll dispensers themselves on the frame of the dispenser may also preferably be adjustable to correspond to different top flute widths. 
     In other aspects, the present system comprises a method of adhering a roof board to a corrugated roof, comprising: positioning an adhesive strip dispensing machine over a plurality of parallel top flutes of a corrugated roof and then simultaneously dispensing a plurality of adhesive strips on top of each of the plurality of parallel top flutes of the corrugated roof. In operation, the wheels of the dispenser are placed on the top or the bottom flutes of the corrugated roof, and then the adhesive roll dispensers are positioned such that adhesive rolls will contact the top flutes of the corrugated roof when the wheels or rollers of the device are positioned on the top or bottom flutes of the corrugated roof. 
     In various aspects, the roof board may be an insulation board or an underlayment. Using the same above-described approach, a second roof board can be attached on top of the adhesive strips applied on top of the first roof board. As such, stacking various roof boards one on top of the other with the present adhesive strips is possible. Moreover, it is to be understood that different types of roof boards may be installed one over top of the other in accordance with the present system. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1 A  is a sectional perspective view of a corrugated roof prior to the application of the adhesive strips. 
         FIG.  1 B  is a sectional perspective view of the corrugated roof after the attachment of the adhesive strips. 
         FIG.  1 C  is a sectional perspective view of the corrugated roof after the attachment of a roof board to the adhesive strips. 
         FIG.  1 D  is a sectional perspective view after the application of adhesive strips on top of the roof board. 
         FIG.  1 E  is a sectional perspective view after the application of a second roof board on top of the adhesive strips on top of the first roof board. 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of a preferred adhesive strip dispensing machine. 
         FIG.  3 A  is a side elevation view of an embodiment of the adhesive strip dispensing machine in which the dispending machine is not rotated forward, the adhesive is dispensed over a bottom roller on the device, and the wheels are positioned on the top flutes. 
         FIG.  3 B  is similar to  FIG.  3 A , but the front wheels instead are positioned on the bottom flutes. 
         FIG.  4 A  is a side elevation view of an embodiment of a rotating adhesive strip dispensing machine prior to use, with the front and rear wheels of the machine sitting on the bottom flutes of the corrugated roof. 
         FIG.  4 B  is a side elevation view of the rotating adhesive strip dispensing machine of  FIG.  4 A  as the adhesive strips are being applied to the top flutes of the corrugated roof, with the front wheels of the machine on the bottom flutes of the corrugated roof. 
         FIG.  5 A  is a side elevation view of another embodiment of the rotating adhesive strip dispensing machine prior to use, with the front and rear wheels of the machine sitting on the bottom flutes of the corrugated roof. 
         FIG.  5 B  is a side elevation view of the rotating adhesive strip dispensing machine of  FIG.  5 A  as the adhesive strips are being applied to the top flutes of the corrugated roof. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     As seen in  FIG.  1 A , a corrugated roof having top flutes TF and bottom flutes BF is provided.  FIGS.  1 A to  1 C  illustrate sequential steps in the attachment of a first roof board to the top flutes of a corrugated roof.  FIGS.  1 D and  1 E  illustration optional steps in the attachment of a second roof board on top of the first roof board. 
       FIG.  2    is a perspective view of an adhesive strip dispensing machine  10  for use in accordance with the present system and method. Dispenser  10  as illustrated in  FIG.  2    dispenses two rows of adhesive. It is to be understood that the present system includes a dispensing machine  10  that is configured to dispense any numbers of rows of adhesive, positioned side by side (so as to align with the widths and positions of top flutes TF of the corrugated roof). 
       FIGS.  3 A and  3 B  illustrate preferred embodiments of the present adhesive strip dispensing machine  10  in which adhesive  22  is unwrapped and dispensed over a bottom roller  50  on the device. As seen in  FIGS.  3 A and  3 B , the adhesive strip dispensing machine  10  preferably comprises: (i) a frame  12 , (ii) a plurality of wheels or rollers  14  and  16  mounted to frame  12 , and (iii) a plurality of adhesive roll dispensers  20  mounted to frame  12 ; and (iv) a plurality of adhesive rolls  22  also mounted to frame  12 . 
     In  FIG.  3 A , the adhesive  22  simply passes between front wheels  14  as the adhesive is laid down over the top flutes TF. (Alternatively, wheel  14  or another roller could pass over the top of the laid-down adhesive  22  to help set it in place).  FIG.  3 B  is similar to  FIG.  3 A , but in this application, rear wheels  16  are instead positioned on top of the bottom flutes BF. In the embodiment of  FIGS.  3 A and  3 B , the dispending machine  10  is not rotated with respect to the roof as the adhesive strips are laid down onto the top flutes TFs. It is to be understood that the present system encompasses all of these different embodiments and approaches including versions with either or both of wheels  14  and  16  positioned on the top flutes TF or the bottom flutes BF as adhesive  22  is applied to the top flutes. 
       FIGS.  4 A and  4 B  illustrate another embodiment of adhesive dispensing machine  10  with  FIG.  4 A  illustrating the adhesive strip dispensing machine prior to use and  FIG.  4 B  illustrating the adhesive strip dispensing machine in use. By rotating the dispenser from the position of  FIG.  4 A  to that of  FIG.  4 B , adhesive rolls  22  are positioned to be simultaneously dispensed from the adhesive roll dispensers  20  onto top flutes TF of a corrugated roof as the adhesive strip dispensing machine  10  is moved in a direction parallel to the top flutes. 
       FIGS.  5 A and  5 B  illustrate another method of using the dispenser  10  of  FIGS.  4 A and  4 B . In  FIGS.  5 A and  5 B , however, both the front wheels  14  and the rear wheels  16  are placed on top of top flutes TFs and front wheels  14  remain on top of top flutes TF as the dispenser  10  is moved and the adhesive strips are dispensed. 
     It is to be understood that any of the adhesive dispensers  10  or methods of using adhesive dispensers illustrated in  FIGS.  2  to  5 B  can be used to apply either one or more layers of roof boards onto the roof (as illustrated in sequential  FIGS.  1 A to  1 E ). Moreover, when successive roof boards are applied one over another, it is to be understood that the roof boards may be made of the same material or of different materials. 
       FIG.  1 A  shows sectional perspective view of a corrugated roof prior to the application of the adhesive strips. Specifically, the corrugated roof has alternating top flutes TFs and bottom flutes BF as is common in the industry. Next, as seen in  FIG.  1 B , strips of adhesive  22  are applied to the top flutes TFs using any of the systems and methods disclosed herein. For example, this may be done by placing front wheels  14  onto bottom flutes BF (as in  FIGS.  4 A and  4 B ) and then moving the dispenser  10  while front wheels  14  are moved along bottom flutes BFs. This may also be done by placing front wheels  14  onto top flutes TF (as in  FIGS.  5 A and  5 B ) and then moving the dispenser  10  while front wheels  14  are moved along top flutes TFs. 
     For example, as seen in  FIG.  4 A , front wheels  14  and rear wheels  16  are preferably placed onto bottom flutes BF. Next, as seen in  FIG.  4 B , dispenser  10  can be rotated such that adhesive rolls  22  are then positioned on top of top flutes TF. Simply put, the operator grabs handlebars  30  and rotates frame  10  forward as shown (moving from the position of  FIG.  4 A to  4 B ). The operator then simply pulls dispensing machine  10  (with front wheels  14  remaining on bottom flutes BF) along the roof such that the adhesive rolls  22  are deposited on top of top flutes TF. 
     In preferred aspects, the adhesive rolls  22  have a width corresponding to the width of a top flute TF of the corrugated roof. As can also be seen, wheels  14  are preferably spaced apart such that the dispensing machine  10  is positioned over a plurality of top flutes of the corrugated roof. In preferred aspects, the width of the body of dispensing machine  10  may span over two or three rows of top flutes TFs. It is to be understood, however, that the present system encompasses dispensing machines  10  that simultaneously cover any number of parallel rows of top flutes TFs, including only one row of top flutes. Preferably, dispensing machine  10  may be built to specifically accommodate a specific width of top flutes (such that wheels  16  rest on the bottom flutes BFs for that particular roof dimension). Optionally, however, dispensing machine  10  may be built such that the spacing between wheels  14  is itself adjustable such that wheel  14  can be spaced a correct distance apart such that that rest on top of the bottom flutes BFs of that particular roofing layout. Moreover, the rolls of adhesive  22  may be selected to have a width corresponding to the width of the particular top flutes of the roof. IE: wider rolls of adhesive may be used on wider top flutes and narrower rolls of adhesive be used on narrower top flutes. 
     Next, as seen in  FIG.  1 C , the operator removes a release layer on top of adhesive strips  22 , and then put a cover board  40  on top of the adhesive strips  22 , thereby securing the cover board  40  into position. One primary advantage of the present approach is that adhesives are only applied at the top flutes TFs. This is fundamentally different with existing approaches of simply applying adhesives across the full roof surface, since such existing approaches simply fill the entire area between bottom flutes BFs and the bottom of cover board  40 . The disadvantages of such an approach are easy to see. First, it wastes a huge amount of adhesive and makes the entire installation quite messy. Second, by wasting adhesives, it increases overall costs. Third, adhesives are typically the most flammable part of a roof assembly. Therefore, minimizing adhesive use makes the entire roofing assembly less flammable, and therefore safer. 
     Optionally thereafter, additional cover boards (e.g.: insulation boards, underlayments, etc.) can be installed on top of the first roof board  40 . Specifically, as seen in  FIG.  1 D , a second layer of adhesive strips  24  can be applied on top of second roof board  40 . It is to be understood that the second layer of adhesive strips  24  can be laid down in the same orientation as the first layer of adhesive strips  22 . This however is not required. For example, the second layer of adhesive strips  24  can be laid out in rows that are perpendicular (or otherwise angled to) the first layer of adhesive strips  22 . This is because the wheels  14  would simply traverse across the top of first cover board  40 , and are not constrained by having to move along in the direction of the bottom flats BFs. Thereafter, a second cover board  42  can be secured into place on top of adhesive strips  24 /first cover board  40 . It is to be understood that the present method may be repeated to add additional cover boards one on top of another. It is also to be understood that cover boards  40  and  42  may be made of the same materials or different materials. Moreover, the term “cover board” as used herein refers to insulation boards, underlayments, and any other form of roofing board without limitation. 
     Also in preferred aspects, the present system includes a method of adhering a roof board to a corrugated roof, comprising: positioning an adhesive strip dispensing machine over a plurality of parallel top flutes of a corrugated roof and then simultaneously dispensing a plurality of adhesive strips on top of each of the plurality of parallel top flutes of the corrugated roof. In this preferred method, the adhesive strip dispensing machine  10  preferably comprises: a frame  12 , a plurality of wheels  14  and  16  mounted to the frame, and a plurality of adhesive roll dispensers  20  mounted to frame  10 . The preferred method optionally also comprises placing wheels  16  on top of bottom flutes BFs of the corrugated roof, and then lowering the adhesive roll dispensers  20  such that adhesive rolls  22  contact the top flutes TF of the corrugated roof when wheels  14  are positioned on the bottom flutes BF of the corrugated roof. 
     Optionally, the method may also include adjusting the spacing between wheels  14  such that the wheels are positioned on top of bottom flutes of corrugated rooves of different dimensions. The operator lowers the adhesive roll dispensers  20  by rotating frame  12  with handlebars  30 . Next, the operator pulls handlebars  30 , thereby moving the adhesive strip dispensing machine  10  across the corrugated roof as it lays out the parallel strips of adhesive  22  on the top flutes TFs of the roof. Next, the operator removes a release layer from each of the adhesive strips  22 ; and then places a cover or roof board on top of adhesive strips  22 , thereby securing roof board  40  to the corrugated roof. The method can be repeated to lay additional roof or cover boards on top of the first cover board, as desired. 
       FIG.  5 A  illustrates a second embodiment of the adhesive strip dispensing machine prior to use and  FIG.  5 B  illustrates the adhesive strip dispensing machine in use. In this embodiment,  14  is a roller that may optionally span across the front of the device. (Alternatively, element  14  may be a plurality of rollers or a plurality of wheels, all keeping within the scope of the present invention). In this preferred embodiment, wheels/rollers  14  and  16  are positioned on top of the top flutes TF prior to the adhesive dispensing ( FIG.  5 A ). The device is then rotated by the user such that adhesive roll  22  is in contact with the top flutes ( FIG.  5 B ). When a user moves the device in direction D, the rollers/wheels  14  will then roll over the newly-applied adhesive and help the adhesive to “set”. Since the depth of the flutes can vary from one roof to the next (based on deck type), this second preferred embodiment of the present system has the advantage that it does now have to compensate for the depth changes in the flutes (as it only utilizes the top flutes).