AU658650B2 - Apparatus for impregnating foam strips - Google Patents

Description

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I 1.I 658650 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

(ORIGINAL)

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r r rr rr rrt o r ri Name of Applicant: 0* S STORM AND SECURITY ROOF TILE FIXING PTY. LTD.

Faetory 1, 5 Bungalcn Court, SWv! Joy Dandenong, Vic. 3175 Actual Inventor: Thomas William WHITELAW rrr r Address for Service: Invention Title: DAVIES COLLISON CAVE, Patent Attorneys, 1 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000.

Apparatus for Impregnating Foam Strips Details of Associated Provisional Application Nos: PK7642/91 and PL0337/92 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: -1- :i j i i! -mm- I -2- APPARATUS FOR IMPREGNATING FOAM STRIPS This invention relates to an apparatus for impregnating foam strips, methods of making impregnated foam strips and roofs incorporating the strips.

The apparatus of the invention is particularly but not exclusively suitable for impregnating elongated strips of polyurethane foam with weatherproofing material so that the impregnated strip can be used as a sealant for roofing tiles particularly ridge tiles.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for impregnating strips of foam material with a fluid, said apparatus comprising compressing rollers which compress strips of foam material in a compression zone, an expansion zone in which the strips are expanded, fluid supply means for supplying fluid to said expansion zone whereby the fluid is drawn into said strips during expansion thereof, and means for transporting the strips through the compression and expansion zones.

Preferably further, the expansion zone includes the location where the strips leave said nip.

Preferably further, the compressing rollers are driven so that they feed the strips of material through the compression and expansion zones.

Preferably further, the fluid supb saeans includes a bath of said fluid.

Prefirably further, the compression zone and expansion zone are located beneath the level of fluid in the bath.

Preferably further, one of said rollers is of relatively large diameter and is provided with ribs or corrugations so as to facilitate gri.ring of the strips. Preferably 30 further, said roller is at least partially surrounded by a guide cowl which is located i adjacent to the surface of the larger diameter roller and defines a boundary of said expansion zone.

95020oZp:opr\gcp,20867.922 'i Pefeabl furher on ofsaidrolersis f reatielylare dimetr ad i i I- -3- Preferably further, the apparatus includes control means for removing excess fluid from the strips.

The invention also provides a method of making an impregnated strip of foam material comprising the steps transporting a strip of foam material to a compression zone compressing the strips to a first level in the compression zone, expanding the strip in a bath of impregnating fluid whereby said fluid is drawn into said strips during expansion thereof, and compressing the strips to a second level which is not as great as the first level, to thereby remove excess fluid from the strips.

The invention also provides a tiled roof which overlap one another, said tiles being supported by battens or other support members and wherein sealing strips as defined above are provided beneath at least some of the tiles to at least partially seal the gap between the tiles and a batten or other support member characterised in that the upper surfaces of the sealing strips include stepped or saw tooth formations which generally conform, at least in part, to the undersides of the overlapping tiles.

Preferably, the pitch of the stepped or saw tooth formations is the same as the steps formed by the undersides of the overlapping tiles.

C t The invention will now be further described with reference to the ,accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a side view of one embodiment of an impregnating apparatus L constructed in accordance with the invention; FIGURE 2 is a schematic longitudinal section through the apparatus; .FIGURE 3 is a schematic plan view of the apparatus; FIGURE 4 is a side view showing the drive chains; FIGURE 5 is a schematic longitudinal section through a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the invention; a 30 FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary side view showing the arrangement of some of the bearings for the rollers; 9502OZp:opergcl,20867.92,3 Bo iLi 0l_ -4- FIGURE 7 is a diagram showing some of the sprockets of the apparatus; FIGURE 8 is a plan view of the sprockets; FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary view showing the configuration of the sprockets at the other side of the apparatus; FIGURE 10 is a plan view of the sprockets; FIGURE 11 shows the profiles of various strips which can be impregnated with the apparatus of the invention; FIGURE 12 illustrates sealing strips constructed in accordance with the invention; FIGURES 13 to 15 illustrate a further sealing strip constructed in accordance with the invention; FIGURES 16 to 20 show specific embodiments of sealing strips constructed a. in accordance with the invention; a FIGURE 21 is a fragmentary view of a valley of a roof which incorporates sealing strips of the invention; FIGURE 22 is a cross-sectional view along the line 22-22; FIGURE 23 is a sectional view along the line 23-23; a a FIGURE 24 shows a fragmentary view of a hip of a roof; and FIGURE 25 is a longitudinal section through the tiles at the hip.

The strip impregnating plant 2 shown in Figure 1 comprises an impregnating apparatus 4 which is supplied with strips 6 of foam material by means of a conveyor 8. The impregnated strips 10 leaving the apparatus 4 are supplied to a drying conveyor 12. The drying conveyor 12 may be located within a temperature controlled atmosphere but tb's is not shown in the drawing. The conveyors 8 and 12 and the impregnating apparatus 4 are preferably such that a plurality of strips can be treated simultaneously, the strips being located side by side as they pass along the conveyors and through the apparatus 4.

Figure 11 shows cross-sections through typical strips which are to be treated in accordance with the invention. The strips are made from open cell polyurethane foam having a density of the order of 30kg/m 3 One example of a suitable material 920708,gcpspe.010,storm.com,4 is MERACELL 528/80R made by JOYCE AUSTRALIA. It has the following properties: Structure A reticulated, flexible polyester-polyurethane foam having a three dimensional uniform open cell structure.

Physical Properties a) Density* b) Tear Resistance* c) Tensile Strength* d) Elongation* e) Cell Count (*Test Method AS2282) 28-30 kg/m 3 740 N/m 150 kPa 420% 70-90 o o a.

*r 0 a *@a 4 tt Colour Charcoal The sizes of the strips can vary but the most common form of strip will have a base width of 50mm and a height of 50, 65 or 75mm. Other smaller dimension strips can be formed but this may require some adjustment to be made to the apparatus 4, as will be mention, ,i.,einafter. The strips are to be fully impregnated with a fluid substance -,',hich renders the strips weatherproof. It is preferred that the impregnating substance comprises a bitumen emulsion such as COLACID CRS 170 supplied by Shell Australia. The material is a water based bitumen emulsion which includes a drying agent so that it is touch dry within about 8 to 10 minutes at a temperature in the range from 25°C to 30 0 C. After full impregation, the density of the strip 10 is of the order of 0.2gm/cc. The impregnated strip 10 is very compressible but slowly returns to its original shape owing to the relatively high viscosity of the impregnating emulsion. Figures 12 to 20 show embodiments of the strip of the invention and these will be described in more detail later.

920708,gcpspc.010,slorm.com,5 -6- The apparatus 4 is illustrated in more detail in Figures 2, 3 and 4. The apparatus comprises a trough 14 having an inlet opening 16 and outlet opening 18 in opposed ends thereof. The apparatus includes an emulsion supply line 18 which supplies the emulsion to the trough. A control valve (not shown) is provided so as to keep the level of the emulsion at a predetermined level within the trough, as indicated by top surface 22. Temperature control means (not shown) may also be provided to control the temperature of the emulsion supplied to the trough as well as in the trough. The preferred temperature range is 25°C to 28 0

C.

The apparatus includes first and second rollers 24 and 26 defining a 9 ot compression zone 28 at the nip thereof. The roller 26 is of larger diameter than the roller 24 and is provided with projecting axially extending ribs 30. The ribs 30 grip o 4, the strips being treated and feed them through the compression zone 28. In the preferred form of the: invention, the ribs 30 comprise rods which are welded to the outer cylindrical surface of the roller 26. The rods for instance may comprise steel rods 3mm in diameter. Located generally beneath the lower part of the second roller 26 is a cowl 32 which serves to hold the strips between the cowl and the lower surface of the second roller 26. The space between the roller 26 and the cowl 32 constitutes an expansion zone 34 in which the compressed strips expand whilst 4 20 submerged in the emulsion. Thus, during passage through the expansion zone 34, the foam strips expand and the emulsion is drawn into the interior of the strips so as to 6 *4.g be fully impregnated with the emulsion. The cylindrical surface of the roller 26 is provided with a plurality of holes 36 which ensures that the interior of the roller 26 is filled with the emulsion. This facilitates supply of the emulsion to the expanding strips in the expanding zone 34.

The cowl 32 joins with a lower guide plate 36 which, together with an upper guide plate 38, guide the impregnated strips to control rollers which serve to remove excess emulsion from the impregnated strips. More particularly, the plates 36 and 38 guide the strips towards the nip 40 of third and fourth rollers 42 and 44. The rollers I 42 and 44 are driven and are spaced at a predetermined location so as to squeeze the saturated strips so that excess emulsion is removed therefrom. The strips then pass 920708,gcpspe.010,storm.com,6 1

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-7to the nip 46 of fifth and sixth rollers 48 and 50 which give a final compression to the impregnated strip so as to ensure that the correct amount of emulsion remains impregnated in the strips 10. The strips 10 then pass to the drying conveyor 12 through the opening 18.

In Figure 2, the broken line 52 illustrates the path of the strips through the apparatus 4. It will be noted that the axes of the pins of rollers 24 and 26, 42 and 48, and 44 and 50 lie in planes which are inclined at about 15" to the horizontal. This facilitates transport of the strips through the apparatus 4.

In this embodiment of the invention, the third and fourth rollers 42 and 44 are driven in the opposite direction as are the fifth and sixth rollers 48 and 50. The peripheral speed of all of the rollers 24, 26, 42, 44, 48 and 50 are the same so that the 4 't strips pass through the apparatus without any substantial longitudinal stretching.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate schematically the coupling of the various rollers to 4 a drive motor 54 for rotating the rollers at the required speed and sense. More particularly, it will be seen from Figure 3 that the rollers 24, 26, 42, 44, 48 and 50 are mounted upon shafts 56, 58, 60, 62, 64 and 66 respectively. Each of the shafts is mounted in bearings generally denoted by the reference numeral 68. The shafts 56 and 58 are located beneath the level 22 of the emulsion and therefore stuffing boxes 4 70 are provided to prevent leakage. The motor 54 has an output shaft 72 upon which are mounted first and second drive sprockets 74 and 76. The sprocket 76 is connected by a chain 78 to a sprocket 80 mounted on one end of the shaft 56 of the first roller 24 so as to drive the roller. A spur gear 82 is mounted on the other end of the shaft 56 and it meshes with a spur gear 84 mounted on the shaft 58 of the second roller 26.

The ratio of the gears 82 and 84 is such that the peripheral speeds of the rollers 24 and 26 is the same, the rotation being in opposite senses.

The sprocket 74 is coupled by a chain 86 to a sprocket 88 mounted on the shaft 62 so as to drive the fourth roller 44. The shaft 62 also carries another sprocket which is coupled by a chain 92 to a reversing sprocket 94. The sprocket 94 is 920708,gpspe.01slorm.oom,7

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i -8mounted on a shaft 96 which is supported by the trough 14. As best seen in Figure 4, the chain 92 passes about a sprocket 98 mounted on the shaft 60 so as to rotate the third roller 42 in the opposite direction to the roller 44. The fifth and sixth rollers 48 and 50 are coupled to the rollers 42 and 44 so as to be driven thereby. This arrangement is shown in Figure 3. More particularly, the shafts 60 and 64 include sprockets 100 and 102 which are connected by a chain 104. The shafts 62 and 66 have sprockets 106 and 108 which are again connected by a chain 109 in the dr:wing.

This configuration of gears and chains enables a robust and expeditious driving of all of the rollers in the correct senses and at the correct rotational speeds. it is preferred that the motor 54 is operated at a speed such that the surface speeds of the rollers is approximately 22 meters per minute. The width of the trough is such that a number, say 10, of strips can be fed simultaneously through the trough. This enables a S' substantial rate of treatment of the strips to be carried out. The trough preferably includes an inclined plate 110 which drains emulsion dripping from the impregnated strips 10 back to the bath and also reduces the volume of emulsion in the bath itself.

4 4 The rollers 24, 42, 44, 48 and 50 may all have a diameter of 412mm and can conveniently be formed from seamless steel pipe. The roller 26 may have a diameter of about 320mm. The nip 28 where compression of the foam strip occurs is preferably set at about 18mm. This is suitable for treating strips having a base width of about 50mrm. The spacing of the rollers is preferably adjustable by adjusting the ,mounting of the shafts upon which the rollers are mounted. The nip 40 between the rollers 42 and 44 is preferably about 20mm and these rollers effect a first removal of excess emulsion from the impregnated strips. The nip 46 of the rollers 48 and 50 is preferably about 15mm and this effects the final compression of the impregnated strips ,g so as to give final control to the amount of emulsion which remains absorbed into the foam strips.

Figures 5 to 10 illustrate a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the invention. The apparatus is similar to that illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 and the same i reference numerals have been used to denbte corresponding parts.

920708,gcpspe.010,storm.com,8 i -9- Generally speaking, the apparatus of the preferred embodiment is the same as that shown in Figures 1 to 4 except for ti arrangement of the compression rollers located between the outlet of the expansion zone 34 and the drying conveyor 12.

More particularly, feed of the strips is improved by providing a feed roller 120 having longitudinally extending ribs 122. The roller 120 is mounted on a shaft 124 which is supported by bearings 126 mounted on the trough 14 (see Figure Mounted above the feed roller 124 is a rotating impeller 128. The impeller 128 includes a number of longitudinal vanes which project radially from a hub. The impeller 128 is mounted on a shaft 130 which extends across the trough. The feed roller 124 and impeller 128 facilitate feed of the impregnated strips to three compression rollers 130, 132 and 134.

I These rollers are supported on shafts 136, 1:38 and 140 the centres of which preferably lie on an equilateral triangle. The rollers function in a similar way to a mangle. Ths surfaces of the compression rollers are preferably covered with a dimpled rubber lagging material so as to improve the grip with the strips passing therethrough.

Generally speaking, the gap which exists between the top roller 30 and the lower rollers 138 and 140 is adjustable so as to vary the residual amount of impregnating material in the strips. Normally the gap will be in the order of 5mm to Figure 6 diagrammatically illustrates the arrangement of the bearings for supporting the shafts 136, 138 and 140 upon which the compression rollers are mounted as well as the shaft 142 upon which the impeller 128 is mounted. More particularly, the shafts 138 and 140 are supported by bearings 144 and 146 which are carried by brackets which project from the side wall of the trough 14. On the other hand, the bearings 148 and 150 for supporting the snafts 136 and 142 respectively are mounted upon a bar 152 which is mounted for resilient sliding movement relative to the trough 14. The arrangement enables adjustment of the position of the upper roller 130 relative to the lower compression rollers 138 and 140 and also the arrangement includes springs which function as shock absorbers to prevent damage to the equipment should excessively thick material pass between the compression rollers.

The arrangement includes a pair of brackets 154 from which extend threaded shafts 156 which pass through clearance holes in the ends of the bar 152. Lower compression springs 158 act between the brackets 156 and the bar 152. Upper 920708,gcpspc/J10.,sorm.oom,9 10 compression springs 160 act between the upper side of the bar 152 and adjusting nuts 162 threaded on the shafts 156. It will be appreciated that adjustment of the nuts 162 will alter the initial compression on the springs 158 and 160 as well as moving the bar 152 and hence the upper roller 130. A similar adjustable resilient mounting is provided on the other side of the trough for supporting bearings 164 and 166 which support the other ends of the shafts 136 and 142 respectively (see Figure Figures 7 to 10 diagrammatically illustrate the configuration of the chains and sprockets which are used to drive the impeller 128 and the rollers 124, 130, 132 and 134. As seen in Figure 9, the chain 86 passes about the drive sprocket 76 of the motor 54. The chain 86 also passes about a large sprocket 168 mounted on the shaft 138 for driving the lower compression roller 132. A further sprocket 170 is mounted on the shaft 138 and this sprocket cooperates with a chain 172 which passes about an idler sprocket 174. The chain 172 engages a sprocket 176 mounted on the shaft 136 for rotating the shaft 136 and hence the top compression roller 130 in the opposite direction to the roller 132. Although it is not shown in Figures 9 and 10, the ends of the shafts 124, 138 and 140 are supported in bearings which are mounted on the trough 14.

Figures 7 and 8 illustrate the sprocket and chain connections at the other side of the apparatus. More particularly, sprockets 178 and 180 are mounted on the shafts 136 and 142 respectively and are coupled together by a chain 182. Because shaft 136 is driven, as described previously, the impeller shaft 142 would also be driven. Two sprockets 184 and 186 are mounted upon the shaft 140. The sprocket 184 is coupled to sprocket 188 mounted on shaft 138 by means of a chain 190. Again because shaft 138 is driven the shaft 140 will be driven. Thus the lower compression roller 132 will be rotated in the same direction as the lower impression roller 134. The sprocket 186 is coupled to a sprocket 192 mounted on the shaft 124 by means of a chain 194 so that the shaft 124 will also be driven. The configuration is such that the impeller and rollers will be drivI. in the direction of the arrows marked on Figure 5. I 920708,gcpsp.010,storm.oom,10 11 It will be appreciated that the apparatus of the invention provides a relatively simple and robust apparatus for producing impregnated strips. The various impellers and rollers are driven such that their peripheral speeds are the same so as to provide good drive of the strips through the apparatus to the drying conveyor 12. It is envisaged that the compression rollers 130, 132 and 134 will be driven at between and 40 rpm. A number of strips can be simultaneously passed through the apparatus side by side. Thus the apparatus can be operated so as to produce about 1500 metres of impregnated strip per hour.

Figure 11 illustrates the cross-sectional configuration with dimensions of 444 'various strips which can be processed using the apparatus described previously.

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Si Figures 12 to 20 illustrate novel shapes of strips which can also be processed using the apparatus of the invention. Generally speaking, these strips are provided with at least one saw tooth shape on one of the elongate faces of the strip. The saw toothed shape cooperates with the undersides of the tiles on the roof at a gable, hip, :4k: valley or ridge so as to form a weather seal and/or a neat finishing element. Because of the type of impregnating material used the strips can also function to fix the tiles on the roof. In some instances the strips can eliminate the use of clips which results 20 in savings in materials and time. Further, because of the shape of the saw toothed strips there is less foamed material and impregnating material requnirt;d compared to strips of uniform cross-sections as shown in Figure 11. Thus the strips of the 4444 Iinvention are cheaper to produce and lighter to transport and handle.

The saw toothed strips can be made in convenient lengths for handling. One convenient length is about two metres. The number and pitch of the saw toothed face depends on the tiles with which the strips are to be used and also the position in the roof.

Figure 12 illustrates a first strip 200 which has three "steps" in its saw toothed face 201, the thickness and width being uniform as is apparent from the plan and end views shown in the drawing. Figure 12 illustrates a second embodiment 202 with four 920708,gcppc.010,slorm.com,1l I i 7k I 1-12- Figures 13 tu 15 illustrate another novel form of strip 208 constructed in 4 12 steps in its saw tooth face 203, a third embodiment 204 with five steps in its saw tooth face 205 and a fourth embodiment 206 with six steps in its saw tooth face 207.

It is envisaged that for gable seals the fourth embodiment 206 would be most useful whereas for use in hips and valleys the second embodiment 202 would be most useful.

Figures 13 tu 15 illustrate another novel form of strip 208 constructed in accordance with the invention. In this embodiment, the upper and lower faces 212, 210 of the strip are provided with saw toothed shapes. The pitch of the lower saw teeth in the face 210 is longer than that of the upper saw tooth face 212. The strip 208 is particularly useful for forming a seal at a hip in concrete tile roofs, as will be described in more detail later.

Figures 16 and 17 are dimensioned drawings showing the preferred dimensions of the strip 202 which is used for forming seals at hip and valleys in terracotta tile roofs. It will be seen that the preferred pitch of the saw tooth is 285mm but this can be varied from about 460mm to 485mm. The minimum height of the top surface is 10mm to 15mm and the thickness is preferably in the range 30mm to 1 Figures 18 and 19 show the preferred dimensions of the strip 206, the strip a S 20 being used to form a seal at a gable of a terracotta tile roof. The length of the strip I is preferably 1998mm the maximum height 50mm, minimum height 10mm to 4 44 and the pitch is in the range 330mm to 340mm and preferably 333mm. The thickness is preferably in the range 30mm to Figure 20 illustrates the preferred dimensions of the strip 208. The saw tooth pitch on the upper face 212 is preferably in the range 380mm to 390mm whereas the pitch in the lower face 210 is preferably in the range 460mm to 490mm. The strip 208 is particularly suitable for use for forming a seal at a hip in a concrete tile roof.

Generally speaking, the saw tooth face 212 on the upper surface conforms to the undersides of the overlapping hip tiles whereas the saw tooth face 210 on the lower side conforms to the shape of the undersides of the overlapping roof tiles at the hip.

920708jc, '.010,slorm.om.l12 i j 13 Figures 21, 22 and 23 illustrate the use of the strips 202 at a valley in a terracotta tile roof. It will be seen that the tiles 220 are supported on battens 222. A valley gutter 224 is located at the valley and two valley battens 226 extend laterally of the gutter 224. Figure 22 illustrates the position of the strips 202 of the invention.

It will be seen that they are located between the inner edges of the tiles 220 at the valley and the gutter 224. In this mode of use, the strips mainly serve as a neat finish at the valley rather than any weatherproofing function. The strips are initially compressed so as to be located in position. The strips slowly expand to substantially fill the entire space between the edges of the tiles 220 at the valley and the gutter 224.

The resilience and the adhesive properties of the impregnating material holds the strips securely in place.

S9 f Figure 23 illustrates the saw toothed upper face 203 of the strip 202 generally conforming to the shape of the undersides of the overlapped tiles 220 at the valley.

In an alternative configuration, the strips 202 can be located upwardly adjacent to the valley battens 226 so as to form a bird proofing barrier.

4 lit 0.'i C The strips 202 can also be used at a hip in a terracotta tile roof but this is not 20 shown in the drawings. In this mode of use, the strip would be inverted so that the plane face would be upward cooperating with the undersides of the hip tiles and the saw tooth face would cooperate with the steps formed by the overlapping terracotta tiles at the hip.

Figure 23 also serves to illustrate the way in which a strip 206 would be used as a seal at the gable of a terracotta tile roof. Generally speaking, the saw tooth face of the strip 206 would cooperate with the undersides of the overlapping tiles and fill the gap between the undersides of the tiles and the supporting roof structure at the gable. The strip would also provide a neat and attractive finish. f Figure 24 shows the use of the strip 208 at the hip of a concrete tile roof. The drawing shows overlapping concrete tiles 230 and hip tiles 232. A pair of the strips 920708,gcpsp.O010,sorm.com,13 i ~il I

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r i i i 14 208 is provided at the hip on either side thereof. Generally speaking, the strips 208 fill the gaps between the undersides of the hip tiles 232 and the top faces of the overlapping concrete tiles 230. The saw tooth formation 210 on the lower face of the strip 208 conforms generally to the shape of the overlapping concrete tiles 230 whereas the saw tooth 212 on the top of the strip conforms generally to the shape of the overlapping hip tiles 232. This is illustrated schematically in Figure 25. Again because the material is resilient, it will conform to fill any gaps. Testing of prototypes has suggested that clips on the hip tiles can be eliminated, the hip tiles being securely held by the strips 208.

Many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

04 4* 4 *O A 0 0444 04 4 44 4 44#U 4 0 A t I t 4'' d i .t i 920708,gcpipe.01,slormmcom,14

Claims (28)

1. Apparatus for impregnating strips of foam material with a fluid, said apparatus comprising compressing rollers which compress strips of foam material in a compression zone, an expansion zone in which the strips are expanded, fluid supply means for supplying fluid to said expansion zone whereby the fluid is drawn into said strips during expansion thereof, and means for transporting the strips through the compression and expansion zones.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the expansion zone includes the location where the strips leave a nip defined between said rollers.

3. Apparatus a- claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the compressing rollers are driven and thereby constitute or form part of said means for transporting the strips.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the fluid supply means includes a bath of said fluid.

Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the compression zone and expansion zone are located beneath the level of fluid in the bath.

6. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein one of said compressing rollers is of relatively large diameter and is provided with ribs or corrugations so as S, to facilitate gripping of the strips.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said one roller is hollow and includes ,o perforations on its curved surface whereby said fluid is located within the roller to thereby facilitate flow of said fluid to the strips in the expansion zone. 30

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein said one roller is provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs on its curved surface to facilitate driving of the strips through the expansion zone. T 950202,p:\oper\gcp,20867.92,15 16

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 or 8 as dependent upon claim 4 or 5 wherein the level of fluid in the bath is at or near the axis of said one roller.

Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 9 wherein said one roller is at least partially surrounded by a guide cowl which is located adjacent to the surface of the larger diameter roller and defines a boundary of said expansion zone.

11. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim including control means for removing excess fluid from the strips.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein the control means comprises control rollers which compress the strips which have been impregnated with said fluid to a predetermined degree.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein said control rollers comprises three rollers which cperate as a mangle.

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein at least one of the control rollers is mounted in bearings, the positions of which can be adjusted to thereby enable adjustment of the nip in the mangle and thus the amount of excess fluid removed. $1

15. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 14 as appended directly or indirectly to claim 5 wherein excess fluid removed by said control means is returned to the bath. S

16. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 15 including feed rollers to assist in feeding the strips to said control means.

17. Apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein said feed rollers comprise a first feed roller having elongate ribs on its curved surface and, juxtaposed thereto, a second i feed roller having elongate vanes projecting therefrom. 9T 950202,p:\oper\gcp,20867.92,16 Of i d n 17

18. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 17 wherein all of the rollers are driven to thereby assist in feeding the strips through the apparatus.

19. Apparatus as claimed in claim 18 wherein a system of chains and sprockets is employed to drive all of the rollers from a single drive motor.

A method of making an impregnated strip of foam material comprising the steps transporting a strip of foam material to a compression zone compressing the strips to a first level in the compression zone, expanding the strip in a bath of impregnating fluid whereby said fluid is drawn into said strips during expansion thereof, and compressing the strips to a second level which is not as great as the first level, to thereby remove excess fluid from the strips.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20 wherein the strip comprises polyester- polyurethane foam having an open cell structure.

22. A method as claimed in claim 20 or 21 wherein the fluid comprises a water based bitumen emulsion.

23. An impregnated strip made in accordance with the method of claim 20, 21 or 22. :It

24. A strip as claimed in claim 23 for use as a sealing strip in a tiled roof, said strip comprising an elongate body of foam or porous material impregnated with a sealing and/or adhesive material, said strip including a stepped or saw tooth formation on at least one of the elongate faces thereof. a

25. A tiled roof which overlap one another, said tiles being supported by battens or other support members and wherein sealing strips as claimed in claim 24 are provided beneath at least some of the tiles to at least partially seal the gap between i the tiles and a batten or other support member characterised in that the stepped or saw tooth formations of the strips which generally conform, at least in part, to the LU 950202,p:\ope"\gcp,20867.92,17 0 r F- 18 undersides of the overlapping tiles.

26. A roof as claimed in claim 25 wherein the pitch of the stepped or saw tooth formations is the same as the steps formed by the undersides of the overlapping tiles.

27. Apparatus for impregnating strips of foam material with a fluid substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

28. A method of impregnating strips of foam material substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 2nd day of February, 1995 STORM AND SECURITY ROOF TILE FIXING PTY. LTD. By its Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISON CAVE .555 S 5 tr 'ii 950202,p:\oper\cp,20867.92,18 P hKM: i I ABSTRACT Apparatus for impregnating strips (6,201,203,205,207,212) of foam material with a bitumen emulsion, the apparatus including compression rollers (24,26) which compress the strips and feed it through a trough (14) containing the emulsion, the apparatus also including adjustable compression rollers (42,44,48,50 and 136,138,140) to remove excess emulsion. After curing the strips are used for fixing or sealing tiles 232 to roofs. 920708,gcpspe.010,sonn.oml9 *I 1. i. r i I