Slip-resistant roofing felt
A roofing underlayment includes a flexible sheet made of felt at least partially impregnated with a coating material. The sheet is provided with at least one ridge extending in a substantially longitudinal direction. The ridge projects upwardly from the sheet and is flexible such that the ridge is collapsible when a downward force is applied thereto. The ridge is defined by a portion of the sheet. A method for making the roof underlayment is also disclosed.
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The present invention relates to a roofing felt, and, more particularly, to a roofing felt having a slip-resist surface.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn the past, bituminous asphalt-based felt, commonly referred to as saturated felt, has been used as an underlayment in the construction of a roof. The felt is typically applied to a completed roof deck and then covered by outer roofing materials, such as asphalt shingles, tiles and the like. Because the felt is usually made from stock paper saturated or impregnated with asphalt, it functions to provide an additional protective layer against wind, rain, etc.
One problem associated with conventional saturated felt is that it is slippery, thereby creating a potential hazard to a roofer who must walk over the felt during a roofing operation. While various remedies have been proposed for this problem (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,687,517 and 6,378,259), they are not particularly suitable for use with saturated felt and/or they may not be cost-effective. In such circumstances, there is a need for a cost-effective remedy for making saturated felt more slip-resistant.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention overcomes the disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art discussed above by providing a new and improved roofing underlayment which is made from a flexible sheet of felt at least partially impregnated with a coating material. The sheet includes at least one ridge extending in a substantially longitudinal direction. The ridge projects upwardly from the sheet and is flexible such that the ridge is collapsible when a downward force is applied thereto. The ridge is also defined by a portion of the sheet.
Another aspect of the present invention involves providing a method for forming a roofing underlayment. More particularly, the method includes the steps of providing a felt sheet and then deforming the sheet so as to form a plurality of upwardly projecting ridges thereon.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring to
Still referring to
Because of the ridges 16, the felt sheet 14 exhibits a slip-resistant characteristic. With reference to
It should be noted that the present invention can have numerous modifications and variations. For instance, the ridges 16 can extend along the length of the felt sheet 14 in a non-linear manner.
It will be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art may make many variations and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. All such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims
1. A roofing underlayment, comprising a flexible sheet made of felt at least partially impregnated with a coating material, said sheet including at least one ridge extending in a substantially longitudinal direction, said at least one ridge projecting upwardly from said sheet and being flexible such that said at least one ridge is collapsible when a downward force is applied thereto.
2. The roofing underlayment of claim 1, wherein said at least one ridge is defined by a portion of said sheet.
3. The roofing underlayment of claim 2, wherein said at least one ridge is made of said felt.
4. The roofing underlayment of claim 3, wherein said at least one ridge includes a plurality of ridges, each of which is defined by a portion of said sheet.
5. The roofing underlayment of claim 4, wherein each of said plurality of ridges is substantially linear.
6. The roofing underlayment of claim 5, wherein each of said plurality of ridges has a substantially U-shaped profile.
7. The roofing underlayment of claim 5, wherein each of said plurality of ridges has a substantially triangular profile.
8. The roofing underlayment of claim 5, wherein each of said plurality of ridges has a substantially rectangular profile.
9. The roofing underlayment of claim 4, wherein each of said plurality of ridges is arcuate.
10. The roofing underlayment of claim 9, wherein each of said plurality of ridges is sinusoidal.
11. The roofing underlayment of claim 1, wherein said at least one ridge is sized and shaped so as to fold upon itself when a downward force is applied thereto.
12. The roofing underlayment of claim 1, wherein said felt includes at least one of organic fibers and inorganic fibers impregnated with said coating material.
13. A method for making a roofing underlayment, comprising the steps of providing a flexible sheet felt; and deforming portions of the sheet felt so as to form a plurality of upwardly projecting ridges thereon.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the ridges is flexible such that it is collapsible when a downward force is applied thereto.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein said deforming step is performed by passing the sheet felt between a pair of rollers urged against each other.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein one of the rollers includes a plurality of grooves and the other of the rollers include a plurality of projections, each of which is sized and shaped so as to mate with a corresponding one of the grooves.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 4, 2006
Publication Date: Feb 7, 2008
Applicant:
Inventor: Joseph A. Albora (River Edge, NJ)
Application Number: 11/499,614
International Classification: E04B 5/00 (20060101);