AU2012101436A4 - Improved insulation product and method of installing same - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract A method of installing an installation product, which includes a bulk insulation layer and at least one facing liner which defines one or more extension laps projecting from an edge of the bulk insulation layer. The method of installation includes the steps of positioning the insulation product between two or more support beams of a structure; wrapping an extension lap over a side of the bulk insulation layer; and positioning the free end of said extension lap over a support beam to facilitate fixing of the insulation product in place between said two or more support beams. c~r) 0) 0Y)

Description

AUSTRALIAN PATENTS ACT 1990 INNOVATION PATENT SPECIFICATION TITLE: Improved insulation product and method of installing same APPLICANT: CSR Building Products Limited 376 Victoria Street Wetherill Park NSW 2164 INVENTOR: Steven Leslie Powell c/- CSR Bradford Insulation 55 Stennett Road Ingleburn NSW 2565 ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: HODGKINSON McINNES PATENTS Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys Level 21, 201 Elizabeth Street Sydney NSW 2000 2 IMPROVED INSULATION PRODUCT AND METHOD OF INSTALLING SAME TECHNICAL FIELD 5 The present invention relates to an improved insulation product and also a method of installing this product within a structure. The insulation product provided by the invention can be formed from a high-volume low weight batt faced by at least one liner, where at least one overlapping portion of this liner facilitates a method of installation of the product. 10 BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION A structures thermal performance is an important issue for the occupants of a building. A significant amount of care and attention to detail is paid to the design of structures and the materials employed to ensure they are comfortable and do not require significant energy inputs to heat or 15 cool. A common building technique used to meet these requirements is the addition of thermally insulated materials to the walls, ceiling or roof and floor spaces of a structure. For example, glass wool or fibreglass, rock wool or natural wool insulation is commonly packed into the internal cavities of 20 the walls and ceilings of domestic structures to improve their thermal performance. In a number of instances, glass or rock wool batts can also have an additional facing layer of material applied to improve their thermal properties or to act as a vapour barrier. For example, in some instances fibreglass batt products are provided 25 with one face or side covered in a foil facing layer with a small overlap tab of this foil layer projecting out from an edge of the main body of the batt. This overlapping projection or lap is used in the installation of a batt to extend onto the front face of an adjacent batt. The lap thereby creates an 3 improved thermal or vapour resistant barrier at the junction between the two batt products. This class of insulated material has a relatively high volume when compared to its weight and after installation must not be compressed to 5 ensure that the product still performs effectively as a thermal insulator. This requirement can present some challenges in the installation of such products in the different areas of a structure. For example these types of products generally lend themselves to being easily packed inside framing cavities in walls and are held in place by 10 the exterior and inner cladding applied to finish the wall. Installation in walls does not result in the compression of the insulation. Ceilings can also be insulated in a similar manner with the batt material packed between ceiling joists and having its weight supported by the upper face of a ceiling. These forms of insulated products are more difficult to install in the 15 roofline of a structure where there is no readily available supporting lower surface or frame. In practice a wire mesh framework is generally employed to trap the batts in place and hold them up to the exterior cladding used to form a roof surface. A similar issue also presents problems in the use of such batt based 20 materials in the insulation of a structure's floor. Although insulated batts may readily be packed between the joists used to support a floor covering material, the insulation is not supported underneath and could sag or eventually fall away from the floor joists. In practice, glass wool or rock wool batts are normally not found or used in floor insulation applications for 25 these reasons. It would therefore be of advantage to have an improved insulative material which could be installed easily and effectively in a wide range of different areas in a structure. More preferably, it would be of advantage to have an insulated batt style product which could easily be installed in under 4 floor applications without the need for an additional support structure to be provided underneath the batt. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 5 According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of installing an insulation product, said insulation product including a bulk insulation layer and at least one facing liner which defines one or more extension laps projecting from an edge of the bulk insulation layer, said method of installation being characterised by the steps of: 10 (i) positioning the insulation product between two or more support beams of a structure; and (ii) wrapping an extension lap over a side of the bulk insulation layer; and (iii) positioning the free end of said extension lap over a support beam 15 to facilitate fixing of the insulation product in place between said two or more support beams. According to a further aspect of the present invention is provided an insulation product which includes: a bulk insulation layer, and 20 at least one facing liner applied to a face of the bulk insulation, the said at least one facing liner defining at least one extension lap which projects past the edge of the bulk insulation, wherein an extension lap formed by a liner extends from an edge of the bulk insulation to a distance greater than the depth of the bulk 25 insulation.

5 According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided an insulation product substantially as described above wherein the extent of the lap is equal to or at least twice that of the depth of the bulk insulation layer. 5 The present invention is adapted to provide an insulation product to be used within the construction industry. In general, it is envisioned that the product provided by the invention would be installed into a structure under construction. However those skilled in the art should also appreciate that the insulation product provided may also be retro-fitted into existing 10 structures if required. This insulation product includes a bulk insulation layer. The bulk insulation will form the majority of the volume of the product and will also provide for the majority of the insulative character of the resulting product. In a further preferred embodiment the bulk insulation of the product may 15 be provided by fibreglass or glass wool material. Glass fibre insulation is well-known in the construction industry and very commonly used in the form of pads or panel shaped batts which are normally installed in the ceiling and wall cavities of structures. Fibre glass is a lightweight inert fire resistant and relatively inexpensive insulative material which has a 20 comparatively low volume to weight ratio. Reference in general throughout this specification will also be made to the present invention employing a bulk insulation layer formed by a fibreglass batt shaped product. However those skilled in the art should appreciate that other types of insulative material, such as for example rock 25 wool, natural wool fibre, cellulose or any other appropriate bulk lightweight insulative material may be employed in conjunction with the present invention if required. Preferably, the invention includes at least one facing liner applied to a face of the bulk insulation. A facing liner may be formed from a thin film or 30 sheet of material applied over the entirety of one face of the bulk insulation to improve the characteristics of the resulting product. For example, in one 6 further preferred embodiment of the present invention may include a facing liner formed by a sheet of aluminium foil applied to one face of a batt shaped fibreglass bulk insulation layer. Aluminium foil liners can provide a vapour barrier to the resulting insulation product while also adding to the 5 insulative properties of same. Reference in general throughout the specification will be made to a facing liner being provided by a sheet of aluminium foil. However those skilled in the art should appreciate that other forms of liner made from, for example, paper, card, plastic film or any other appropriate or advantageous 10 materials may be employed in conjunction with the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the insulation product includes a single facing liner only. The application of a single facing liner therefore provides the resulting product with a distinct orientation between its front and back faces when installed in a structure. Again however those skilled in the art 15 should appreciate that multiple facing liners may be employed in other embodiments. Preferably the facing liner defines at least one extension lap which projects from or out and away from the edge of the bulk insulation. Facing liner laps are in general known in the prior art and are provided to overlap 20 with an adjacent equivalent batt product. Conversely, an extension lap provided in accordance with the present invention has a much greater expense than that provided by a prior art lap - with the extent of the lap being at least greater than the depth of the bulk insulation of the product. The lap can also be said to have a free end or a free edge, formed by the 25 end of the lap furthest away the bulk insulation. In some embodiments a facing liner may define or provide two or more extension laps substantially as described above. This plurality of extension laps may facilitate a variety of installation methods and schemes, the scope of which would be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. However in a 30 preferred embodiment the insulation product provided by the invention may include a single extension lap only projecting from one side edge of the 7 resulting product. Again those skilled in the art should appreciate that other configurations of the resulting insulation product are also envisioned and within the scope of the invention. The insulation product provided by the invention is adapted for 5 installation between at least two support beams of a structure. The support beams define a cavity or space which is to receive the insulated product and where preferably this entire cavity is to be filled and insulated by the product. Furthermore, in some embodiments the invention may provide an insulation batt style product where two or potentially three separate batts 10 may be required to span a cavity defined between two or more support beams. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that a single batt product need not necessarily extend from beam to beam in all embodiments in which the invention is employed. In a majority of embodiments the support beams may be formed by 15 the joists, studs or nogs of a structural framework of a building. The framework therefore defines a number of cavities or voids which need to be filled with insulative material to improve the thermal performance of the resulting structure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that the product provided by the invention may be utilised in a variety of 20 applications and preferably offers an improved method of installation over the prior art in respect of at least floor spaces. By way of example only reference throughout this specification will now be made to the invention being installed between flooring joists and then used to insulate the floor of a structure. Again however those skilled in the art should appreciate that 25 the invention may also be used to insulate other regions or areas of a structure. An extension lap or potentially a plurality of extension laps provided by the invention assist in the execution of a method of installing the insulation provided. A lap provided by the invention extends out from an edge or side 30 of the bulk insulation to a distance greater than the depth of the bulk insulation. This length of extension lap therefore allows it to be wrapped 8 over a side of the bulk insulation and to also have its free end project further past the opposite face of the bulk insulation once wrapped around one of its sides. In a further preferred embodiment the extent of a lap may be equal to 5 or at least twice the depth of the bulk insulation. These dimensions ensure that a lap can easily span and wrap around the side of the bulk insulation while leaving a further length of the lap projecting past the opposite face of the bulk insulation. In the case of flooring insulation applications a facing liner may be 10 oriented downwards when the product is positioned between the floor joists, leaving an extension lap free to extend past the side of the bulk insulation and to in turn overlap the upper surface of an adjacent support beam or flooring joist. The overlapping free end of the lap has a sufficient length to allow for the direct fixing of the insulation product in place by a variety of 15 means or mechanisms. For example, in one embodiment, once the free end of an extension lap overlays the top of a floor joist the upper flooring material supported by the joist may be simply be installed on top of the joists. This approach will thereby trap the extension laps between the flooring material and the 20 flooring joist. In other embodiments additional fixing systems such as for example glues, nails or staples may be employed to actively engage the free end of a lap to a top surface of a flooring joist. In some embodiments the insulation product may be specifically adapted for installation with C-form or C-shaped flooring joists. In such 25 embodiments the invention may include a single extension lap only arranged to wrap around a single side of the bulk insulation. In these cases the opposite side of the bulk insulation to the lap can be inserted into the C shaped cavity formed by a joist. The C-shaped form of the joist will therefore support one side of the insulation batt product while the wrapping 30 of the lap over the side of the bulk insulation and on to the top of an adjacent floor joist supports the opposite side of the product.

9 The present invention may provide many potential advantages over prior art insulation products. The present invention facilitates a novel method of installation which allows for the installation of the product in areas of a structure where insulation batts are not normally employed. In 5 preferred embodiments an extension lap or laps may be provided to overlay the top edge or face of a flooring joist and facilitate the support or securing of the product in place. In instances where C-shaped floor joists are used a single extension lap can allow for the installation and fixing of the product in place. Alternatively where rectangular beams are used two or potentially 10 more extension laps may be provided to overlay the adjacent top faces of two or more of these rectangular beams. The insulation product provided by the invention can also be used to insulate regions of a building or structure where batt style products are usually found without difficulty or needing to be modified in any way. 15 In this specification, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the term "comprising" has the non-exclusive meaning of the word, in the sense of "including at least" rather than the exclusive meaning in the sense of "consisting only of". The same applies with corresponding grammatical changes to other forms of the word such as "comprise", "comprises" and so 20 on. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 illustrates a prior art form of batt style insulation product; and 25 Figure 2 illustrates a batt form insulation product provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention; and Figure 3 illustrates the installation of a pair of the batt form products shown with respect to Figure 2.

10 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Figure 1 illustrates a prior art batt style insulation product 1 which includes or is formed from a bulk insulation layer 2, a single facing liner 3 formed from aluminium foil and which also defines a single extension lap 4. 5 As can be seen from Figure 1 the extension lap 4 is relatively short and has approximately the same extent as the depth 5 of the bulk insulation layer. This type of prior art product incorporates a lap to form a vapour barrier or vapour seal when two adjacent batt products are installed side by 10 side. Each batt's lap is therefore overlayed on top of the facing liner of its neighbour to provide such a vapour barrier and potentially to improve the thermal characteristics of the resulting insulation. Figure 2 shows a batt style insulation product 6 as provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As can 15 be seen from Figure 2 the invention also is composed from a bulk insulative layer 7 faced with a single facing liner 8 oriented or illustrated as the rear or underside face of the batt product. In the embodiment shown the facing liner is formed from an aluminium foil layer which defines a single extension lap 9 projecting from one side of the resulting product. 20 As can be seen from a comparison between the products shown with respect to Figures 1 and 2 the extension lap 9 of the invention has a extension substantially greater than that currently used in the prior art lap 4. In the preferred embodiment shown with respect to Figure 2 this extension lap is approximately 180mm long as opposed to 100mm length of 25 the prior art lap 4. The action or operation in use of the extended length of the invetions lap 9 is shown in detail with respect to Figure 3. Figure 3 illustrates the use of the invention as underfloor insulation batts engaged with or installed between a series of C-section floor joists 10.

11 As can be seen from Figure 3, one side of the product 6 is inserted into the cavity defined or formed by the C-shaped flooring joist 10 with the opposite side of the product abutting the side of an adjacent flooring joist. The extension lap 9 is wrapped over the side of the bulk insulation so that 5 the free end 11 of the lap can be lain over the top of a flooring joist. In this embodiment an anchoring mechanism or fixing system formed from a layer of adhesive (not shown) is used to engage the free end of the lap to the top of the joist thereby anchoring in place both sides of the insulation product. It will be apparent that obvious variations or modifications may be 10 made which are in accordance with the spirit of the invention and which are intended to be part of the invention, and any such obvious variations or modifications are therefore within the scope of the invention. Although the invention is described above with reference to specific embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that it is not limited to those 15 embodiments, but may be embodied in many other forms.

Claims (3)

1. A method of installing an installation product, said insulation product including a bulk insulation layer and at least one facing liner which defines one or more extension laps projecting from an edge of the bulk insulation layer, said method of installation being characterised by the steps of: (i) positioning the insulation product between two or more support beams of a structure; and (ii) wrapping an extension lap over a side of the bulk insulation layer; and (iii) positioning the free end of said extension lap over a support beam to facilitate fixing of the insulation product in place between said two or more support beams.

2. An insulation product which includes: a bulk insulation layer, and at least one facing liner applied to a face of the bulk insulation, the said at least one facing liner defining at least one extension lap which projects past the edge of the bulk insulation, wherein an extension lap formed by a liner extends from an edge of the bulk insulation a distance greater than the depth of the bulk insulation.

3. An insulation product as claimed in claim 2 wherein the extent of the lap is equal to or at least twice that of the depth of the bulk insulation layer.