US2075058A - Roofing element - Google Patents

Description

March 30, 1937. T, ROBINSON 2,075,058

ROOFING ELEMENT w@ if @5w/fm March 30, 1937. T. ROBINSON ROFING ELEMENT Filed Dec. 16 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 30, 1937 PATENT OFFICE aooFiNG ELEMENT Thomas Robinson, Smithtown, N. Y., assignor to Lancaster Processes Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New. York Application December 16, 1935, Serial No. 54,645

11 claims. (ci. ins-s)v This invention relates to building products, such as roofing elements having the form of shingles or tiles, and is concerned more particularly with a novel building product having superior insulating qualities and made of a plastic material shaped to iinal form by extruding, pressing, molding, or other similar operations. The principles of the invention may be employed to special advantage in roong elements, and such elements embodying the invention will, accordingly, be illustrated and described in detail for purposes of explanation. It is to be understood, however, thatv the utility of the invention is not limited to the particular purpose for which the 15 new products are to be used.

lating qualities.

A rooiing element embodying the invention comprises a body of plastic material of plate-like form containing a series of air chambers or ducts which lighten the element and add to its insu- The body is of decreasing thickness from one end to the other, and the ducts are of progressively decreasing cross-sectional area from the thick end toward the thin end. Preferably, the air chambers extend lengthwise of the body, in which event each air chamber decreases in cross-section from the thick end of the body toward the thin end, but if desired, the chambers may also extend cross-wise of the body in which case, the individual chambers are of uniform cross-section from end to end but successive chambers along the'body decrease in crosssection. The element also preferably has a decreased width from one end toward the other for a portion of its length, the narrowest portion of such an element lying at the thick end, and the Y thin end portion being of substantially uniform width.

In forming 'a roof of the new elements, they are laid side by side with others in overlapping courses with head-lap, the thick ends being exposed and constituting the butts. The air charnbers are contained in the exposed portion of each element and in the portion which is lappedby the elements of the next adjacent course, the remaining portion of each'element, which is in the head-lap, being solid. When thus laid, the velements provide a roof, all parts of which are covered by the chambered portions of at least two elements, so that theroof has excellent insulating qualities and transmits heat slowly.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan View of one form of roofing element embodying the invention;

Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are sectional views on the lines 2 2, 3 3, 4 4, 5 5, and 6 6, respectively, of Fig. 1;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary plan view of a roof made of the new elements;

Fig. 8 is a'sectional view on the line 8 8 of Fig. '7;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of'an alternative form of the new element;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view on the line lll-IIJ of Fig. 9;

Figs. l1 and 12 are sectional views on the lines H II and l2-I2 of Fig. 10; and

Figs. 13 and 14 are plan views of multiple shingles having air chambers of the types shown .f in Figs. 1 and 9, respectively.

The roofing element, illustrated in the drawings in the form of a shingle, comprises a body 20 of hardened plastic material. The material used for the purpose may be any of the plastic compositions now commonly employed in the manufacture of building products, but I prefer to employ the plastic material described in my copending application Serial No. 54,714, iiled December 16, 1935. This plastic consists of a binder, such as asphalt, and brous material in the form of deiibered wood, distributed therethrough and serving as a strengthening and reinforcing agent. When made of the composition described in the copending application, the new element may be formed by extruding, pressing, and cutting operations, and can be produced rapidly and at low cost. v

Thebody 20 of the new element is of the customary dimensions of shingles and it has a butt end 2l which is considerably thicker than the the thickness of the body decreasing gradually from the thick end to the thin end. The bodyif desired, may be of uniform width from one yend to the other, but for some purposes,V I prefer to form the body with a portion, such as the length from the thick end 2| to a transverse section indicated at 23, which is of tapering width, with the least width at the extreme end 2|. In this form, the remainder of the body from section designated to the thin end is of uniform width.

Within the body, are air chambers or ducts 24. Preferably, there is a series of these air chambers lying parallel and extending from the thick end toward the thin end of the body. In the element illustrated, there are eight such chambers, but a greater or less number may be employed, as desired. Adjacent chambers are separated by webs 25 of the plastic material, and at the thick end of the body, the chambers are of the great- 5 sectional area until the body becomes solid, in

that portion adjacent the thin end.

The elements are preferably made by extruding plastic material through a die provided with pins which form the air chambers, and the chambered web then passes through shaping rolls which vary the thickness of the web, making it alternately thick and thin, and then to cutting devices which sever the web crosswise to form single units. By the use of proper cutting devices, the thin end of the element may have a face 2B substantially perpendicular to the at upper and lower faces 21, 28 of the element, while at the butt end, the unit has a beveled edge 29.

In making a roof of the new elements, they are laid side by side in overlapping courses 30, 3 I, 32 with head-lap, as shown in Figures 'l and 8. The elements may be 15 inches long, for example and in that case they are laid so that they have an exposure 33 of 6 inches, a portion 6 inches long which is lapped by the elements of the next adjacent course, and a portion 3 inches long indicated between the arrows A, B, of Figure 8, which constitutes the head-lap, overlain by elements of two adjacent courses. In laying the elements, they are placed with the beveled edge 29 of the butt underneath so that the butt has an exaggerated appearance of thickness. Also, if the elements are of the form shown in Figure r 1, which includes a portion of tapering width and another portion of uniform width, the elements are laid with their side edges in contact throughout the portions of uniform width referred to. This causes the exposed ends of the elements to appear to be separated as illustrated in Figure 7.

In a roof covered by elements laid in overlapping courses as described, every part of the roof is covered by chambered portions of at least two elements. These chambered portions provide better insulation than the solid portions of the elements, and accordingly, a roof made as described has a double layer of insulation at every part thereof.

Instead of forming the elements as shown in Figures 1-6, inclusive, `they may have the form shown in Figures 9-12, inclusive. In that alternative form, the elements consist of a body 34 of plastic material of decreasing thickness from end to end, this body containing a series of air chambers 35 which extend across the body, instead of lengthwise thereof, and are separated by webs 36. With this arrangement, the chambers and webs are all of uniform cross-sectional area from end to end, but from the thick end of the butt toward the thin end, the chambers progressively decrease, and the webs progressively increase, in cross-sectional area.

The elements in the alternative form may be made as before, by extruding a web with air chambers running lengthwise, but in this case, the web has a width equal to the length of a single element, or a multiple thereof. 'Ihe web is converted into separate elements by pressing and cutting operations, and the elements may be made either of uniform width from end to end, as illustrated in Figure 9, or they may have a por tion adjacent the thick end which is of tapering width, depending on the manner in which the elements are severed from the web.

` chambers, however, are preferred, since if such elements are broken either in laying or after they are on the roof, the break occurs in lengthwise, and the two parts of the element can be employed as well as the unbroken unit. When an element of the type shown in Figure 9 is broken, the break is likelyto be cross-wise, and in that event, the

element cannot be laid in the ordinary manner, and if the break occurs after the element is on the roof, the butt end islikely to be dislodged.

The new elements may beimade in multiple shingle units if desired, and such multiple units are shown in Figures 13 and 14. The multiple element of Figure 13 resembles the single unit oi' Figure 1 in that it is of tapering .thickness from one end to the other and includes air chambers 3l extending from the butt end 38 toward the thin end 39. The butt end of the element is provided, as is customary, with cut-outs 40, the shingle illustrated having three such cut-outs distributed along its butt edge and two half cutouts 4| at its end edges. lThese cut-outs are formed by suitable cutting operations when the element ls made from a continuous web.

The multiple unit shown in Figure 14 is similar to that shown in Figure 13 except that the air chambers 42 are parallel to the butt and thin edges 43, 44, respectively. The Figure 14 element also has cut-outs 45 and half cut-outs 46.

The new elements may be finished or surfaced with any of the ordinary surfacing materials such as crushed slate and the like. When the elements are made of the plastic material disclosed in my copending application referred to, I prefer to surface the yelements with the surfacing disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 54,643, led December 16, 1935.

I claim:

1. A building product which comprises a body made Wholly of hardened plastic material and capableof having nails driven therethrough, said body being of decreasing thickness from one end to the other and containing a series of elongated f parallel air chambers, said chambers being closed and of progressively decreasing cross-sectional area from the thick end of the body toward the thin end, said chambers also terminating a substantial distance short of the thinner end of the body to provide a solid section at that end through which nails may be driven.

2. A building product which comprises a body made wholly of hardened plastic material and capable of having nails driven therethrough, said body being of decreasing thickness from one end to the other and containing a series of elongated parallel air chambers, said chambers extending in a. direction from end to end of the body and being closed and of progressively decreasing crosssectional areatoward the thin end of the body, l

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body being of decreasing thickness from one end to the other and containing a series of elongated parallel air chambers, said chambers being closed and extending across the body from side to side thereof, successive chambers being of progressively decreasing cross-sectional area toward the thin end of the body, said series of chambers terminating a substantial distance short of the thinner end of the body to provide a solid section at that end through which nails may be driven.

4. A building product which comprises a body made wholly of hardened plastic material, said body being of decreasing thickness from one end to the other, and containing a series of elongated parallel air chambers, said chambers being closed and separated by webs of material and progressively decreasing in cross-sectional area from the thick end of the body toward the thin end to an extent such that the upper and lower walls defining said chambers at the ends where they are of less cross-sectional area are substantially in contact with one another, said webs beingof progressively greater cross-sectional area from the thick end of the body toward the thin end.

5. A roong element which comprises a platelike body made wholly of hardened plastic material and capable of having nails driven therethrough, said body being of decreasing thickness from one end to the other and containing a series of closed chambers of progressively decreasing cross-sectional area from the thick end toward the thin end of the body, said chambers terminating a substantial distance short of the thinner end of the body to provide a solid section at that end through which nails may be driven.

6. A roong element which comprises a platelike body made wholly of hardened plastic material and capable of having nails driven therethrough, said body being of decreasing thickness from one end to the other and having a portion at the thick end of increasing width toward the thin end, the remainder of the body being of substantially uniform width, said body containing a series of closed air chambers of progressively decreasing cross-sectional area from the thick end of the body toward the thin end, said chambers terminating a substantial distance short of the thinner end of the body to provide a solid section at that end through which nails may be driven.

7. In a roof, a plurality of rooiing elements lying side by side in overlapping courses, each element consisting of a body of decreasing thickness from the exposed end toward the overlapped end and containing a series of closed air chambers both in the exposed portion of said body and in that portion overlapped by elements of the next adjacent course, whereby the roof at all parts thereof is covered by the chambered portions of atleast two elements, said air chambers being of progressively decreasing cross-sectional area from the thick end of the body toward the thin end and terminating a substantial distance short of the thinner end of the body to provide a solid section at that end.

8. In a roof, a plurality of `roong elements lying side by side in overlapping courses with head lap, each element consisting of a body of decreasing thickness from the exposed end toward the overlapped end and containing a series of closed air chambers both in the exposed portion of said body and in the portion overlapped by elements of the next higher course, whereby all parts of the roof are covered by chambered portions of at least two elements, the body of each element being solid in the head-lapped portion thereof 9. A roong element which comprises a body made wholly of hardened plastic material capable of having nails driven therethrough, said body being of decreasing thickness from one end to the other and containing a series of elongated parallel closed air chambers of progressively decreasing cross-sectional area from the thick end of the body toward the thin end, said chambers terminating a substantial distance short of the thinner end of the body to provide a solid section at that end through which nails may be driven, said bodyhaving a plurality of spaced cut-outs extending inward from the thick end edge.

10. A building product which comprises a body made wholly of hardened plastic material of decreasing thickness from one end to the other and containing a series of elongated closed air chambers extending in a direction from the thick end of the body toward the thin end and progressively decreasing in cross-sectional area from the thick end toward the thin end to an extent such that the upper and lower walls dening said chambers at the ends where they are of less crosssectional area are substantially in contact with one another, said body having spaced cut-outs extending inwardly from its thick end edge.

11. A roofing element which comprises a body made wholly of hardened plastic material capable of having nails driven therethrough, said body being of decreasing thickness from one end to the other and containing a series of elongated parallel closed4 air chambers extending parallel to the thick end edge and of progressively decreasing cross-sectional area toward the thin end of said body, said series of chambers terminating a substantial distance short of the thin-A ner end of the body to provide a solid section at that end through which nails may be driven, said body having a plurality of spaced cut-outs extending inwardly from its thick end edge.

THOMAS ROBINSON.

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