Method and apparatus for positioning heating elements

An underlayment adapted to receive and secure at least one heating element of a radiant heating assembly, comprising:

• a base material defining an area and having a first side and a second side disposed opposite the first side;
• a plurality of routing hubs disposed on the first side of the base material, the routing hubs having a substantially circular perimeter and being equally spaced from each other in rows and columns, with a routing hub positioned at each intersection of a row of routing hubs and a column of routing hubs, each routing hub comprising:
• a first protrusion configured as a geometric shape having an upper surface substantially parallel to the first side of the base material and extending between at least two sides, wherein one of the at least two sides includes an element receiving surface and another of the at least two sides defines an inner side surface, the inner side surface closer to a center point of the routing hub than the element receiving surface, and further wherein the element receiving surface and the inner side surface are curved around the center point of the routing hub;
• and
• a second protrusion adjacent to the first protrusion, the second protrusion configured as a geometric shape having an upper surface substantially parallel to the first side of the base material and extending between at least two sides, wherein one of the at least two sides includes an element receiving surface and another of the at least two sides defines an inner side surface, the inner side surface closer to a center point of the routing hub than the element receiving surface, and further wherein the element receiving surface and the inner side surface are curved around the center point of the routing hub,
• wherein the element receiving surfaces of the first protrusion and of the second protrusion define portions of the substantially circular perimeter, and the inner side surfaces of the first protrusion and of the second protrusion face each other on opposite sides of a channel separating the first protrusion and the second protrusion.

A floor assembly, comprising;

• an underlayment layer comprising:
• a base material defining an area and having a first side and a second side disposed opposite the first side,
• a plurality of routing hubs separated from each other by a plurality of element receiving cavities and equally spaced from each other in rows and columns, with a routing hub positioned at each intersection of a row of routing hubs and a column of routing hubs, each routing hub comprising:
• a first protrusion disposed on the first side of the base material, the first protrusion configured as a geometric shape having an upper surface substantially parallel to the first side of the base material and extending between at least two sides, wherein one of the at least two sides includes an arcuate element receiving surface defining a portion of a first one of the plurality of element receiving cavities and wherein another one or more of the at least two sides includes an arcuate inner surface, the arcuate inner surface closer to a center point of the routing hub than the arcuate element receiving surface, the arcuate inner surface and the arcuate element receiving surface curved around a center point of the routing hub, and
• a second protrusion disposed on the first side of the base material and adjacent to the first protrusion, the second protrusion configured as a geometric shape having an upper surface substantially parallel to the first side of the base material and extending between at least two sides, wherein one of the at least two sides includes an arcuate element receiving surface defining a portion of a second one of the plurality of element receiving cavities and wherein another one or more of the at least two sides includes an arcuate inner surface, the arcuate inner surface closer to a center point of the routing hub than the arcuate element receiving surface, the arcuate inner surface and the arcuate element receiving surface curved around a center point of the routing hub, and
• wherein the first protrusion is spaced from the second protrusion by a channel, the channel at least partially defined by the arcuate inner surface of the first protrusion and the arcuate inner surface of the second protrusion;
• and
• a heating element contained within at least one of the plurality of element receiving cavities.

An underlayment adapted to receive and secure at least one heating element of a radiant heating assembly, comprising:

• a base material defining an area and having a first side and a second side disposed opposite the first side;
• a plurality of routing hubs disposed on the first side of the base material in a plurality of rows and columns, with a routing hub positioned at each intersection of a row of routing hubs and a column of routing hubs, each of the routing hubs comprising a plurality of protrusions and having a substantially circular perimeter defined by an outer surface of each of the plurality of protrusions, the substantially circular perimeter having a plurality of gaps therein;
• and
• a heating element receiving cavity formed between at least two of the routing hubs, the heating element receiving cavity adapted to receive a heating element;
• wherein each of the plurality of gaps corresponds to a space between two of the plurality of protrusions, and
• wherein each of the plurality of protrusions comprises an upper surface substantially parallel to the first side of the base material, a first side surface extending from the upper surface to the first side and proximate an adjacent routing hub, and a second side surface extending from the upper surface to the first side and facing another one of the plurality of protrusions.