Heat insulator with air gap and reflector

In a roof structure including parallel rafters and parallel purlins extending normal to and supported by said rafters, the improvement therein of:

• a heat insulator positioned adjacent said rafters, including:
• an elongated first and second sheets each having a length dimension, a width dimension, and opposed parallel side edges, and an intermediate portion between its side edges,
• said first and second sheets arranged with their length dimensions parallel and connected together at their respective side edges in superposed relationship,
• said second sheet being longer and wider than said first sheet but extended to the same length and width of said first sheet,
• whereby when said first sheet is stretched substantially flat, said intermediate portion of said second sheet can be urged away from said intermediate portion of said first sheet and form an air space between said sheets, and
• said heat insulator extending across the lengths of said rafters with said second sheet folded about said rafters, and said first and second sheets forming air spaces between said rafters.

A process of insulating a roof structure including a plurality of rafters supporting a plurality of purlins extending normal to said rafters, comprising:

• forming an elongated tube of flexible sheet material having and interior surface bearing a heat reflective material,
• placing the tube between the purlins and over the rafters with the length of said tube extending normal to the rafters,
• compressing the tube at the rafters, and
• forming air spaces in said tube at positions between the rafters.

A heat insulated a roof structure for a building including rafters and purlins supported by said rafters, comprising:

• an elongated tube formed of flexible, air impermeable sheet material having an interior surface bearing a heat reflective material,
• said tube having its length extending parallel to said purlins and normal to said rafters,
• said tube in collapsed configuration when in engagement with an obstruction of the roof structure and in an inflated configuration when not in engagement with an obstruction of the roof structure,
• whereby the heat reflective material is effective in the inflated configuration of said tube to reflect heat.

A heat insulator for a roof structure comprising:

• a first elongated flexible sheet having opposed parallel side edges and formed in a given length with opposed end edges,
• a second elongated flexible sheet of greater length and width than said first elongated flexible sheet and having opposed parallel side edges and opposed end edges,
• said first and second elongated flexible sheets attached to each other at their respective opposed side edges and opposed end edges so that when said first elongated flexible sheet is extended in a flat configuration with said second elongated flexible sheet positioned below said first elongated flexible sheet said second elongated flexible sheet tends to sag with respect to said first elongated flexible sheet to form a space between said first and second elongated flexible sheets,
• at least one of said first and second elongated flexible sheets having a radiant heat reflective surface facing the other of said first and second elongated flexible sheets,
• whereby said heat insulator can be stored in a reel, and when the heat insulator is unreeled and extended across a series of laterally extending spaced structural supports, with said second elongated flexible sheet positioned below said first elongated flexible sheet, said second elongated flexible sheet is supported in contact with said first elongated flexible sheet by the structural supports and tends to sage under the influence of gravity beneath said first elongated flexible sheet at intervals between said structural supports and forms substantially closed air spaces between the spaced structural supports.

A heat insulator for a building structure comprising:

• a first elongated flexible sheet;
• a second elongated flexible sheet having corrugations extending along its length, said corrugations having apexes facing said first sheet,
• said apexes of said corrugations of said second sheet adhered to said first sheet, forming air gaps between said sheets extending along said sheets,
• at least one of said first and second sheets having a radiant heat reflective surfacing the other of said sheets.

A method of manufacturing a heat reflective insulator for a building structure comprising:

• advancing a sheet of fibrous insulation material along a processing path,
• advancing a layer of flexible sheet material into contact with said fibrous insulation material,
• forming said layer of flexible sheet material into corrugations with the apexes of the corrugations extending along the processing path,
• adhering the apexes of the corrugations to the fibrous insulation material to form air gaps between the fibrous insulation and the flexible sheet.

In a roof structure including elongated parallel supports, a heat insulator assembly extending across and in contact with said parallel supports, including:

• a sheet of heat conduction insulation material;
• at least one sheet of flexible heat reflective material in superposed relationship with respect to said sheet of heat conduction insulation material and defining an elongated air gap between said sheet of heat conduction insulation material,
• said flexible sheet of heat reflective material having a radiant heat reflective surface facing said air gap,
• said flexible sheet collapsed against said heat conduction insulation material where said heat insulator assembly contacts said parallel supports and closing the air gaps at intervals along the air gaps.

A reel of heat insulator sheet material for installation in a building structure comprising:

• a first elongated sheet and a second elongated sheet,
• the lengths of said first and second sheets extending parallel to each other and having edges connected together,
• one of said sheets having a radiant heat reflective surface facing the other of said sheets,
• said second sheet being greater in width than said first sheet and greater in length than said first sheet for a given length of said first sheet so that said second sheet tends to sag below said first sheet when said first sheet is placed in a flat configuration above said second sheet,
• said heat insulator sheet material rolled into a reel with said second sheet having wrinkles formed therein.