Insulation support for roof insulation applicator

In combination, a roof insulation support carriage for use with similar roof insulation support carriages, each including a support frame for spanning and mounting on a pair of adjacent ones of a plurality of parallel purlins of a roof structure and a reel support disposed upwardly from said support frame for supporting a reel of flexible sheet material, so that as a plurality of the carriages are advanced forwardly along adjacent ones of the purlins flexible sheet material is paid out from reels of flexible sheet material supported by said reel support and is laid behind the carriages onto the adjacent purlins,

• a sheet support connected to at least one of said carriages and having a rear segment extending rearwardly behind said carriage for spanning the space behind the carriage between the adjacent purlins on which said carriage is mounted and for supporting the sheet material paid out behind said carriage,
• said sheet support having side segments extending to opposed sides of said carriage beyond the purlins on which said carriage is mounted and configured for supporting flexible sheet material laid by other carriages on opposite sides of said carriage, said carriage being configured to ride over the flexible sheet material as the sheet material is paid out from said carriage onto the purlins of a roof structure and said sheet support is configured to pass beneath the sheet material paid out by said carriage.

A sheet support for supporting flexible sheet material between adjacent ones of a pair of purlins of a plurality of purlins of a roof structure, when the flexible sheet material extends rearwardly from a roof insulation support carriage that is mounted on the pair of purlins, comprising:

• a forward segment for placement in front of a roof insulation support carriage, said forward segment of a width sufficient to span adjacent purlins and to be pushed by the carriage along the lengths of the purlins,
• a rear segment for placement behind a roof insulation support carriage for spanning the space between the purlins, and
• side segments positioned on opposite sides of said rear segment for placement in the space between the purlins on which the carriage rests and the next adjacent purlins,
• said side segments and said rear segment attached to said forward segment so that when a roof insulation support carriage is advances along the purlins, said forward segment is pushed by the roof insulation support carriage and pulls said rear and side segments.

A sheet support for placement on a pair of adjacent purlins of a plurality of purlins of a partially completed roof structure next to a carriage mounted on the pair of adjacent purlins that pays out flexible sheet material onto the pair of adjacent purlins, comprising:

• a rear segment for placement behind the carriage, said rear segment supported by the pair of purlins and spanning the space between the pair of adjacent purlins on which the carriage is mounted,
• side segments positioned on opposite sides of said rear segment for extending beyond the pair of adjacent purlins on which the carriage is supported for supporting sheet material between the next adjacent purlins,
• a front segment for placement in front of a carriage, whereby said front segment, said rear segment and said side segments form a closed loop for surrounding the carriage, and
• connector means for connecting said sheet support to the carriage so that the sheet support moves in unison with the carriage along the pair of purlins.

In combination, a roof insulation support carriage having a support frame for spanning and mounting on a pair of adjacent ones of a plurality of parallel purlins of a roof structure and a sheet material support mounted on said support frame for supporting flexible sheet material, so that as a plurality of similar ones of the carriages are advanced forwardly along adjacent ones of the purlins flexible sheet material is paid out from said carriages and is laid behind said carriages onto the adjacent purlins, and hard roof panels are applied over the flexible sheet material to the purlins,

• a sheet support movable with the carriage and configured for resting on and moving along the purlins,
• said sheet support having a rear segment extending rearwardly behind said carriage toward the position of the hard roof panels and resting on and movable along the adjacent purlins on which the carriage is supported for spanning the space behind the carriage between the adjacent purlins on which said carriage is mounted and for slidably supporting the sheet material paid out onto the purlins behind said carriage,
• said sheet support being of a width sufficient to extend to opposite sides of said carriage a distance beyond said carriage sufficient to reach beyond the adjacent purlins on which said carriage is mounted and configured for supporting flexible sheet material at positions beyond the adjacent purlins laid by other carriages on opposite sides of said carriage.

A process of applying a plurality of flexible sheet material to a plurality of parallel purlins of a roof comprising:

• arranging sheet support carriages in first and second rows of carriages with the first row of carriages positioned over alternate ones of the spaces between the purlins, and the second row of carriages positioned over the other alternate spaces between the purlins, and with the first row of carriages displaced forwardly of the second row of carriages along the lengths of the purlins,
• supporting flexible sheet material on each carriage,
• advancing the plurality of sheet support carriages in first and second rows of carriages along the purlins,
• in response to the carriages being advanced along the lengths of the purlins, paying out the sheet material from the carriages onto the purlins,
• moving sheet supports with each carriage in the second row of carriages,
• supporting segments of sheet material extending from the carriages in both the first and second rows of carriages with the sheet supports of the second row of carriages.

A process of applying a plurality of flexible sheet material to a plurality of parallel purlins of a roof comprising:

• arranging sheet support carriages in first and second rows of carriages with the first row of carriages positioned over alternate ones of the spaces between the purlins, and the second row of carriages positioned over the other alternate spaces between the purlins, and with the first row of carriages displaced forwardly of the second row of carriages along the lengths of the purlins,
• supporting flexible sheet material on each carriage,
• advancing the plurality of sheet support carriages in first and second rows of carriages along the purlins,
• in response to the carriages being advanced along the lengths of the purlins, paying out the sheet material from the carriages onto the purlins,
• moving sheet supports with each carriage in the second row of carriages,
• supporting segments of sheet material extending from the carriages in both the first and second rows of carriages with the sheet supports,
• wherein the step of moving sheet supports with each carriage comprises sliding a sheet support along the purlins on which the carriage is mounted.

A process of applying flexible sheet material to parallel purlins of a partially completed roof structure with the purlins defining spaces therebetween comprising:

• mounting a sheet support carriage on a pair of adjacent purlins in a plurality of parallel purlins of the roof structure with the sheet support carriage spanning the space between the pair of adjacent purlins,
• advancing the carriage along the lengths of the pair of adjacent purlins,
• paying out sheet material from the carriage onto the tops of the pair of adjacent purlins in response to the advancement of the carriage along the lengths of the pair of adjacent purlins,
• moving a sheet support on the pair of adjacent purlins at a position behind the carriage in response to the advancement of the carriage with the sheet support extending in the space between the pair of adjacent purlins and extending beyond the pair of adjacent purlins and in the spaces besides the pair of adjacent purlins,
• as the sheet support slides along the pair of adjacent purlins, moving the sheet support beneath the sheet material paid out from the carriage and supporting the sheet material with the sheet support, and moving the sheet support beneath the sheet material spanning the spaces adjacent the pair of adjacent purlins,
• applying roof panels over the sheet material and to the pair of adjacent purlins while the sheet material is supported by the sheet support.