Prefabricated composite insulation board

Abstract

A multilayer composite insulation board with particular use in roofing systems, a roofing system and a method of preparing the same.

Description

PREFABRICATED COMPOSITE INSULATION BOARDCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[OOOlJThis application claims priority to US Provisional Application 63 / 695145 filed September 16, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable.FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to a multilayer insulation composite board which has particular use for roofing and wall assemblies. Also described herein are roof and wall assemblies comprising the multilayer insulation composite boards and a method for making the composite board.BACKGROUND

[0004] The roof and wall are a building’s first and second lines of defence from natural hazards such as wind, rain, fire, hail, ice, snow, and extreme heat. Commercial and industrial buildings usually have low slope roofs. Most widely used roof assemblies of such low-slope roofs comprise many primary layers, including a structural deck, vapor barrier, thermal insulation, cover board and waterproofing membrane.

[0005] The structural deck of a roofing assembly is the bottom layer. Its primary job is to offer adequate support to all the materials placed on top of it. The deck is often made of fluted steel but can be an oriented strand board (OSB), plywood, or concrete.

[0006] A vapor barrier is placed on top of the deck, especially in locations where humidity is high for at least some time in the year or high humidity is maintained inside the building. This helps prevent water vapor from reaching building walls, ceilings, attics, or roofs, where it can condense and cause building materials to rot or grow mold. The vapor barrier is usually made of plastic or asphalt.

[0007] Thermal insulation is the next layer of material installed on a roof assembly and it creates a thermal barrier between inside the building and the outside elements. Thermal insulation plays a crucial role in reducing heating and cooling costs for commercial buildings and are often put as two layers to reduce thermal bridging. Insulation layer(s) are usually a low- density polymer foam with insulating gas trapped within the cells. Polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam encapsulated between two facers, expanded or extruded polystyrene foam are some examples of widely used closed-cell thermal insulations.

[0008] A protective cover board is positioned directly over the insulating foam. A cover board is not required on every low slope roof. However, they are becoming more common as it provides much needed puncture and compression resistance which protect the roof against damage from hail, foot traffic, and heavy equipment, such as air conditioning units, solar panels. In addition, use of cover boards can affect the fire-resistance classification for a roof assembly along with sound intrusion performance of the roof assembly. Cover boards used in low slope commercial roof assemblies include fiberglass mat faced gypsum, fiber-reinforced gypsum, high density polyisocyanurate foam with coated glass mat facers, cement panels, perlite, OSB, plywood and mineral fiber board.

[0009] The roofing membrane is the top layer of a low slope roof. Its primary job is to provide waterproofing and UV protection to the roofing assembly. Roofing membranes are normally single-ply polymer-based membranes such as thermoplastic olefin (i.e., TPO), thermoplastic vulcanizate (i.e., TPV), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polyethylene propylene diene monomer) rubber (i.e., EPDM), or bituminous / asphalt-based membranes such as built-up asphalt roofing (BUR), modified bitumen (Mod-bid) and atactic polypropylene (APP). In some instances, a layer of aggregate like river stone is placed on top of the roofing membrane to increase its durability and reflectivity.

[0010] These various layers of a roofing assembly need to be attached to the building (roof and wall) framing structure such as purlins, rafter, trusses of the roof and to each other. This is often done by a combination of mechanical attachment using fasteners, spot welding and bonding adhesives such as asphalt, polymer-based adhesives. Roof deck is most often mechanically attached to the roofing framing structure, but the other layers of the roof deck can be any combination of mechanically attached, spot welded or adhered. For example, the deck, vapor barrier and thermal insulation layers could be mechanically attached to each other using fasteners penetrating the three layers and then cover board and water-proofing membrane is adhesively attached to it. In another situation, the vapor barrier, insulation, cover board and water-proofing membrane are glued to each other, one layer at a time. The water-proofing membrane itself could be single ply or multi-ply membranes. In case of multi-ply membranes, adhesive is used to bond the multiple plies together.

[0011] The lifetime of a roofing assembly is usually shorter than that of a building and thus to prevent water leak, a new roof assembly is often installed over an existing roof. Re-roofing is often done without removing or "tearing off" the existing roofing membrane. Also, insulation board or cover board, if used in the original roof assembly, is rarely torn off. In most re-roofing situations, a cover board is first applied to the existing roof, whether any layer is tom off ornot, before a new roofing membrane is applied to the roof. By and large, an additional layer of insulation board is applied before the new membrane is applied for the full roof assembly to meet contemporary building energy code. Depending upon the result desired, the cover board can be applied above or below or both sides of the insulation board.

[0012] The installation of roofing assembly whether on a new building or while re-roofing, where each of the above-described layers must be successively applied tends to be an extremely labor-intensive process and thus costly. Staging the various layers on the roof, laying down or applying each layer, and securing the layers is time consuming, labor-intensive and thus costly. Reducing the number of layers needed for a functional roof would reduce staging time, install time and labor, and thus reduce the installation costs significantly. Reducing the number of layers may also reduce the manufacturing costs of materials needed for roof assembly.

[0013] 0ne method to reduce the number of layers has been making a composite insulation boards which includes an insulation layer together with a layer that is rather robust such as a wood fiber, gypsum, high density polyisocyanurate board or perlite board. Thus, rather than apply both an insulation board and a coverboard, the composite board can simply be installed in a one-step process. Other advantages have been observed based upon the fact that the composite board is formed integrally within a controlled environment (i.e., the factory).

[0014] Another method has been use of sprayed polyurethane foam (2-component) as a waterproofing membrane. The polyurethane membrane bonds to cover board as it cures, which eliminates the need for adhesives or mechanical fasteners between cover board and waterproofing membrane.

[0015] Another method to reduce the number of layers is the use of an insulated metal panel (IMP), which consists of an outer metal skin and an inner metal skin that acts as an interior finish or liner, with insulation sandwiched between these metal skins. IMPs are designed to interlock with adjoining panel and seal together, creating a continuous, airtight, and watertight roof assembly - essentially everything but the building structure upon which they are installed. Thus, an IMP is a single component functioning as the deck, air and vapor barrier, insulation and coverboard, while providing an inform walkable surface ideal for installation of waterproofing membrane. The membrane can be either mechanically fastened or fully adhered 'to the outer skin of the IMP.

[0016] In a nutshell, IMP offers a two-step installation process that reduces onsite labor cost, limits exposure to accidents, reduces the number of installation steps and materials required and provides a roof with superior insulation properties that are durable. But IMPs generally havea higher upfront cost compared to multi-component built up systems described earlier making them less budget-friendly for many projects. In other words, despite the many advantages of IMP -based roof assembly, including the use of widely spaced purlins or girts to support the long-span IMPs, as compared to use of closely spaced joists or rafters to support a continuous structural roof deck for polyiso board insulation, IMP -based roof assembly has lagged market adaption due to the high cost and weight of IMPs.

[0017] The use of such method to reduce the number of layers in new roofing systems and re-roof situations is economically and technologically important thereby necessitating further advancement in the field. Such advancement could be technology to further reduce fabrication / installation cost, and / or to improve upon one or more desired attribute or just to offer another product option. Some examples of desired attributes are:• reduction in the number of fasteners needed to achieve specific wind-uplift performance;• ability to get required fire or hail rating in extreme weather geographic areas;• decrease in the rate and total deterioration of insulation properties of the roof assembly over its use lifetime.

[0018] One limitation of current solutions is that they do not address a key issue with performance of current roofs, the deterioration of heat insulation performance. It is well documented that thermal resistance of the closed-cell insulation products used in current low-slope roofs deteriorates with age over the lifetime of the roof. The thermal resistance deterioration is rapid initially when the board is freshly manufactured and slows down with age. As an example, the rate of deterioration of thermal resistance for freshly manufactured closed-cell insulation products is >8% for aging a 12” x 12” x full thickness of the board for 180 days at 23°C / 50% relative humidity. The rate of deterioration decreases as the insulation product ages but over the lifetime for a typical low slope roof, 15-20 years, the total deterioration in thermal performance of the insulation material (and thus the roof assembly) can be 15-20% compared to soon after manufacturing.

[0019] US 7811663, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, describes a prefabricated panel comprising of a cover board and insulation board. However, the prefabricated panel of this disclosure suffer from insulation degradation over time.

[0020] There therefore remains a need to create an easy to install roof system that has good and long- lasting insulation properties. There is also a need to create an easy to install roof system with improved wind-uplift and / or hail and / or fire performance.

[0021] Wall assemblies are becoming increasingly complex to meet the ever-more-stringent building code and energy efficiency requirements. Wall assembly generally consists of structural framing (like steel girts or studs), sheathing for racking resistance, a weather-resistive barrier (WRB, e.g., house wrap) for water and air control, insulation for thermal performance, an exterior cladding (e.g., stucco, brick, vinyl siding) for the final finish and interior finishes like drywall, tile, wallpaper, and paint. Each of these components must be sourced and installed and additionally, the components must work together to deliver a high-performing assembly. Among the large number of possible wall assemblies used in commercial and residential buildings, those using insulated metal panels (IMPs) and those using polyiso insulation boards with specific protective facers are widely used, as they each serve multiple functions in a wall assembly.

[0022] Like Insulated metal panels (IMP) used in roof applications, IMP used in wall assemblies also consist of an outer metal (steel or aluminium) skin that serves as wall siding, and an inner metal face that acts as an interior finish or liner, with insulation sandwiched between these metal skins. IMP serves as single-component system that function as each of exterior cladding, sheathing, weather barrier, moisture-vapor barrier, air barrier, insulation and often as interior, all in one product. IMP walls are known for their speedy installation, high thermal performance, high water / moisture resistance, fire resistance, durability, sustainability, and relative cost-effectiveness.

[0023] There is a range of applications - including food and life science, pharmaceutical, biotechnology laboratories, research and advanced technology facilities - where the wall interior must meet the highest level of hygienic and contamination control. IMP made using stainless steel interior offers high levels of resistance to bacterial growth, ensuring a controlled, hygienic, sterile environment for use in wall assemblies for such building but stainless steel is expensive. Use of non-stainless steel (such as carbon steel, coated carbon steel, tool steel or alloy steel) as the interior of IMP building used for sterile environment requires coating or film which degrade with usage, especially in heavy wash down environments. Thus, there is a need for IMP used in walls for buildings needing hygienic, sterile environment with an interior surface which would not degrade with usage and is not very expensive. Similarly, there are other needs where use of non-metal surface on either interior or exterior side would be beneficial. Some examples are walls for wastewater treatment plant or chemical facilitieswhere extreme corrosion resistance and durability is desired. A more economic or technologically better solutions to allow use of IMPs for wall assemblies in such special buildings would be beneficial.

[0024] Made of water-resistant polyurethane / polyisocyanurate insulation foam sandwiched between two protective facers, polyiso insulation boards are commonly used in commercial and residential walls because of their high R-value per inch of thickness; its capacity to serve as a vapor retarder, water resistive barrier and air barrier; high compressive strength and durability; and ease of handling. Depending on the type of protective facer, polyiso boards could be tailored to meet needs for any desired hygro-thermal performance for the building's use and location. It is well understood that with the use of aluminum foil facers and coated glass facers, polyiso boards can also be used in below-grade applications in both commercial and residential buildings to protect basement and foundation walls.

[0025] The multifunctional capabilities of polyiso insulation provide opportunities to further optimize the thermal, moisture, and durability performance of building envelopes, especially wall assemblies. In some applications, e.g., frost-protected shallow foundations, extruded and expanded polystyrene (XPS and EPS) are the only insulation approved by the International Code Council’s (ICC’s) International Residential Code (IRC). For below-grade applications or other moist environments, there has been concern with polyiso insulation boards with aluminum foil facer as they can be damaged during installation, e.g., during the backfdling of soil and gravel.

[0026] Thus, there is a need to develop insulation composite products with tailored surface layers that can serve multiple functions, including continuous insulation, air barrier, water resistive barrier, thermal barrier, vapor control, foundation frost protection, and other functional benefits. In other words, there is a need to develop an insulation product that provides all the necessary barrier layers of the wall system and thus avoids the need for multiple layers. Such products would allow one to adapt it to any geographic area to reduce building air leakage, minimize structural thermal bridge, improve moisture resistance, and reduce heating / cooling equipment sizes.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components or steps or methodologies set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The present disclosure is capable of otherembodiments or of being practiced or conducted in numerous ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0028] Unless otherwise defined herein, technical terms used in connection with the present disclosure shall have the meanings that are commonly understood by those having ordinary skill in the art. Further, unless otherwise required by context, singular terms shall include pluralities and plural terms shall include the singular.

[0029] All patents, published patent applications, and non-patent publications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the level of skill of those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. All patents, published patent applications, and non-patent publications referenced in any portion of this application are herein expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual patent or publication were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference to the extent that they do not contradict the instant disclosure.

[0030] All of the compositions and / or methods disclosed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the compositions and methods of the present disclosure have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that variations may be applied to the compositions and / or methods and in the steps or sequences of steps of the methods described herein without departing from the concept, spirit, and scope of the present disclosure. All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope, and concept of the present disclosure.

[0031] As utilized in accordance with the present disclosure, the following terms, unless otherwise indicated, shall be understood to have the following meanings.

[0032] The use of the word “a” or “an”, when used in conjunction with the term “comprising”, “including”, “having”, or “containing” (or variations of such terms) may mean “one”, but it is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more”, “at least one”, and “one or more than one”.

[0033] The use of the term “or” is used to mean “and / or” unless clearly indicated to refer solely to alternatives and only if the alternatives are mutually exclusive.

[0034] Throughout this disclosure, the term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the inherent variation of error for the quantifying device, mechanism, or method, or the inherent variation that exists among the subject(s) to be measured. For example, but not by way of limitation, when the term “about” is used, the designated value to which it refers may vary byplus or minus ten percent, or nine percent, or eight percent, or seven percent, or six percent, or five percent, or four percent, or three percent, or two percent, or one percent, or one or more fractions therebetween.

[0035] The use of “at least one” will be understood to include one as well as any quantity more than one, including but not limited to, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100, etc. The term “at least one” may extend up to 100 or 1000 or more depending on the term to which it refers. In addition, the quantities of 100 / 1000 are not to be considered as limiting since lower or higher limits may also produce satisfactory results.

[0036] In addition, the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z” will be understood to include X alone, Y alone, and Z alone, in addition to any combination of X, Y, and Z. Likewise, the phrase “at least one of X and Y” will be understood to include X alone, Y alone, as well as any combination of X and Y. Additionally, it is to be understood that the phrase “at least one of’ can be used with any number of components and have the similar meanings as set forth above.

[0037] The use of ordinal number terminology (i.e., “first”, “second”, “third”, “fourth”, etc.) is solely for the purpose of differentiating between two or more items and, unless otherwise stated, is not meant to imply any sequence or order or importance to one item over another or any order of addition.

[0038] As used herein, the words “comprising” (and any form of comprising, such as “comprise” and “comprises”), “having” (and any form of having, such as “have” and “has”), “including” (and any form of including, such as “includes” and “include”) or “containing” (and any form of containing, such as “contains” and “contain”) are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.

[0039] The phrases “or combinations thereof’ and “and combinations thereof’ as used herein refers to all permutations and combinations of the listed items preceding the term. For example, “A, B, C, or combinations thereof’ is intended to include at least one of: A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC and, if order is important in a particular context, also BA, CA, CB, CBA, BCA, ACB, BAC, or CAB. Continuing with this example, expressly included are combinations that contain repeats of one or more items or terms such as BB, AAA, CC, AABB, AACC, ABCCCC, CBBAAA, CABBB, and so forth. The skilled artisan will understand that typically there is no limit on the number of items or terms in any combination, unless otherwise apparent from the context. In the same light, the term “and combinations thereof’ when used with the phrase “selected from the group consisting of’ refers to all permutations and combinations of the listed items preceding the phrase.

[0040] The phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, “according to one embodiment”, and the like generally mean the particular feature, structure, or characteristic following the phrase is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, and may be included in more than one embodiment of the present disclosure. Importantly, such phrases are nonlimiting and do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment but, of course, can refer to one or more preceding and / or succeeding embodiments. For example, in the appended claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

[0041] As used herein, the terms “% by weight,” “wt. %,” “weight percentage,” or “percentage by weight” are used interchangeably.

[0042] The phrase “substantially free” shall be used herein to mean present in an amount less than 1 weight percent, or less than 0.1 weight percent, or less than 0.01 weight percent, or alternatively less than 0.001 weight percent, based on the total weight of the referenced composition.

[0043] When used herein, the term “laminate” refers to a sheet of material made by bonding two or more sheets or layers. A laminate is characterized by having two broad surfaces on opposite sides and a thickness. The thickness may vary depending upon the end use application, but it is usually much smaller than the width of the two broad surfaces in either direction. That is the case with the laminates according to the present disclosure. When speaking of the surfaces of a laminate herein it is understood to be one or both of the two broad surfaces. Particularly relevant examples of laminates already known in the art are metal sheet or foil faced rigid foam insulation panels.

[0044] A “reaction system,” as used herein, is set of two or more chemical precursors precisely formulated for producing a certain product by means of one or more chemical reactions. The chemical reactions may be initiated, for example, by mixing the precursors in the formulated proportions.

[0045] A polyurethane forming reaction system minimally consists of at least one polyol and at least one organic polyisocyanate and optionally contains one or more catalysts for the urethane reaction. The polyurethane reaction system is formulated in such a manner as to achieve the desired properties in the polyurethane end product, as is known in the art. A polyurethane reaction system is processed at an isocyanate Index between about 20 and about 150%, but more commonly between about 75 and about 120%, and most commonly between about 80 and about 110%. This reaction system may optionally also contain any of the known art additives and co-reagents (such as water for chemical foaming, etc.). The precise compositionof the polyurethane reaction system will vary depending upon the desired end use properties and the application of the resulting polyurethane made from the polyurethane reaction system.

[0046] Polyurethane -polyisocyanurate (or simply, “polyisocyanurate”) reaction systems minimally consist of at least one polyol, at least one organic polyisocyanate, and at least one catalyst for the trimerization of isocyanate [-NCO] groups to form isocyanurate linkages, and is processed at an isocyanate Index of greater than about 150%, but more commonly greater than about 180%, and even more commonly greater than about 190%. This polyisocyanurate reaction system is formulated in such a manner as to achieve the desired properties in the resulting polyisocyanurate. The polyisocyanurate reaction system may optionally also contain one or more separate catalysts for the urethane reaction.

[0047] Polyurethane and polyisocyanurate reaction systems may optionally also contain any of the known art additives and co-reagents (such as water for chemical foaming, etc.). The precise composition of the polyurethane and polyisocyanurate reaction systems will vary depending upon the desired end use properties and the application of such polyurethanes and polyisocyanurates.

[0048] When used herein the term “isocyanate index” is the ratio of the number of free isocyanate [- NCO] groups to the total number of isocyanate -reactive groups in a polyurethane or polyisocyanurate reaction system, expressed as a percent. The number of isocyanate-reactive groups in these reaction systems consists of the sum of the total number of reactive hydroxyl groups (from polyols, and water if present), plus the number of any reactive primary amine groups present, plus the number of any reactive secondary amine groups present.

[0049] The isocyanate Index is commonly expressed as the ratio of free -NCO equivalents in the reaction system to the total of isocyanate-reactive group equivalents in the reaction system, times 100. The calculation of isocyanate Index of reaction systems is well known in the art.

[0050] When used herein, the term “OH value” is a quantitative measure of the hydroxyl (-OH) groups present in a polymer, expressed in milligrams of potassium hydroxide (KOH) equivalent to the hydroxyl content in one gram of the polymer.

[0051] By “essentially solid” it is meant that the material contains no blowing agents intentionally added, but does not preclude the possibility of having small amounts of entrapped air or gas bubbles due to air or other gases entrained in the reactive precursors of the material or in the fiber mats or formed from the reaction of trace amounts of water in said precursors.

[0052] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a multilayer insulation composite board, said board comprising:i) a closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam core having a first and second opposing planar surface and having a density less than about 64 kg / m3; ii) a first interfacial region disposed on at least a part of the first planar surface of the foam core; iii) a first non-woven fiber mat disposed on at least a part of the first interfacial region; and optionally a facing material disposed on at least a part of the second planar surface of the foam core, wherein the first non-woven fiber mat is impregnated with a first thermoset polymer comprising at least one compound containing isocyanate-reactive groups or at least one compound containing isocyanate groups; wherein the first interfacial region comprises a second thermoset polymer comprising at least one compound containing isocyanate-reactive groups or at least one compound containing isocyanate groups; wherein the closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam core contains surface free isocyanate-reactive groups or surface free isocyanate groups, and wherein at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the second thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the first planar surface of the foam core; or at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the second thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the first planar surface of the foam core.

[0053] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a multilayer insulation composite board, said board comprising: i) a closed-cell foam comprising a polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam core having a first and second opposing planar surface and having a density less than about 64 kg / m3; ii) a fiber mat disposed on at least a part of the first planar surface of the closed-cell impregnated with a first thermoset polymer obtained from the reaction of at least one compound containing an isocyanate-reactive group with at least one compound containing an isocyanate group; and iii) optionally a facing material disposed on at least a part of the second planar surface of the foam core, wherein the closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam core contains surface free isocyanate-reactive groups or free surface isocyanate groups;wherein at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the first thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the first planar surface of the foam core; or at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the first thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the first planar surface of the foam core.

[0054] The multilayer insulation composite board of the present disclosure has the advantage of combining in a single composite board multiple functions of roofing systems enabling quicker and simpler installation on a site. Providing the multiple layers as a single composite board described above also reduces the number of separate fasteners needed for assembling the roof and thus reduces the number of failure points in the boards. Any reduction in failure points have potential to improve fire and / or hail rating of roof assembly. The thermoset polymer on the surface of the fiber mat contains free isocyanate-reactive functional groups which reacts with isocyanate group at the surface of the co-extensive closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate insulation foam. Alternately, the thermoset polymer on the surface of the fiber mat has free isocyanate groups that react with the isocyanate reactive groups on the surface of the foam. This enables for a simplified manufacturing process and removes the need for additional adhesive layers. In addition, the use of such composite boards in roof assembly improves its fire and / or hail rating.

[0055] In an embodiment of the second aspect, the multilayer insulation composite board further comprises: iv) a first interfacial region disposed on at least a part of the first planar surface of the foam core; wherein the first interfacial region comprises a second thermoset polymer obtained from at least one compound containing isocyanate-reactive groups and at least one compound containing isocyanate groups and wherein at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the second thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the first planar surface of the foam core; or at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the second thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the first planar surface of the foam core.

[0056] In the first and second aspect, the first and second thermoset polymer may be the same or different. In a preferred embodiment they are the same.

[0057] Closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foams are lightweight cellular materials with a closed-cell structure encapsulating a gas of low thermal conductivity. They are thereforeparticularly suited for use as insulators. Any suitable polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam known in the art can be used in the composite board of the disclosure. Polyurethane foams, sometimes referred to as PU or PUR foams, and polyisocyanurate foams, sometimes referred to as PIR foams are conventionally prepared by reacting appropriate polyisocyanate and isocyanate-reactive compositions in the presence of a suitable physical and / or chemical blowing agent(s). Other additives such as catalysts, surfactants, fire retardants, fillers, colorant and other miscellaneous additives are also used when making PUR or PIR foams. Insulation foams suitable for use herein are known in the art as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. US20230203230, US20230303795; US20220275144; and US20240002578, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0058] Any of the physical blowing agents known in the art for the production of PUR and PIR foams can be used in the process of the present disclosure and include hydrocarbons, hydrohaloolefins and mixtures thereof. Preferably the blowing agent has a boiling point less than 40 °C at 1 atmosphere pressure. Hydrocarbon blowing agents include lower aliphatic or cyclic, linear, or branched hydrocarbons such as alkanes, alkenes, and cycloalkanes, preferably having from 4 to 8 carbon atoms. Specific examples include n-butane, iso-butane, 2,3 -dimethylbutane, cyclobutane, n- pentane, iso-pentane, technical grade pentane mixtures, cyclopentane, methylcyclopentane, neopentane, n-hexane, iso-hexane, n-heptane, isoheptane, cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, 1 -pentene, 2-m ethylbutene, 3 -methylbutene, 1- hexene and any mixture of the above. Preferred hydrocarbons are n-butane, iso-butane, cyclopentane, n-pentane and isopentane and any mixture thereof.

[0059] Examples of suitable hydrohaloolefins are trans-l-chloro-3,3,3-fluoropropene (HFO 1233zd), trans-l,3,3,3-tetrafhioropropene (HFO 1234ze), cis-and trans-l,l,l,4,4,4-hexafluoro- 2- butene (HFO 1336mzz). Other suitable physical blowing agents are acetone, tertiary butanol (2-methyl-2-propanol), dimethoxymethane and methyl formate. Water, which reacts with isocyanate during foam making to give carbon dioxide gas, and thus blowing, can be used along with the physical blowing agents listed above.

[0060] The blowing agents are employed in an amount sufficient to give the resultant foam the desired density as defined by ASTM C303 of less than about 64 kg / m3, preferably less than 48 kg / m3, and most preferably less than 32 kg / m3.

[0061] In some embodiments, the closed-cell core may be at least 60% closed-celled. In some other embodiments, the closed-cell core may be at least 80% closed-celled.

[0062] When present, the interfacial region is formed of any thermoset polymer that has free isocyanate-reactive groups that can react with the isocyanate groups on the surface of thePUR or PIR core foam. Alternatively, the thermoset polymer may have free isocyanate groups that can react with the isocyanate-reactive groups on the surface of the PUR or PIR core foam.

[0063] Thermosetting polymers that require use of volatile unsaturated monomers such as styrene, butadiene, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid to cure are generally excluded from use here. This is because such monomers emit volatile organic compounds (VOC's) during processing. Engineering solutions to the VOC issue, such as the use of closed baths or injection dies, have had only limited success in controlling these emissions and the intense odours that they produce. Any thermosetting polymer composition requiring use of non-reactive solvents that could emit VOCs during processing are excluded from use. Some examples of such solvents as benzene, toluene, xylene. Binders and coatings in the form of latex, emulsion, dispersions and resins containing even small amounts of emissive VOC’s are excluded from use. Such thermoset polymers will be known to the skilled person. Suitable thermoset polymers are described in US7202302; US9534072, US9926447, W02023 / 020968, WO2023 / 219764 the contents of which are hereby incorporate by reference.

[0064] Suitable thermoset polymers include polyurethane and polyisocyanurate systems obtainable by reacting isocyanate and isocyanate-reactive components in presence of catalyst. Other additives such as surfactants, fire retardants, fillers, colorant and other miscellaneous additives may also be used. In some embodiments, the isocyanate-reactive component includes any of a polyester polyol and a polyether polyol and mixture thereof. In some embodiments, the polyol component may include a chain extender and / or a cross-linker. In some embodiments, the thermoset polymer is an epoxy resin system made by combining an epoxy resin with a polyisocyanate composition.

[0065] Any polyisocyanate can be employed as the at least one isocyanate, inclusive of aliphatic and aromatic polyisocyanates. Suitable organic polyisocyanates include aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, araliphatic, aromatic, and heterocyclic isocyanates which are well known in the field of polyurethane chemistry.

[0066] Non-limiting examples of the polyisocyanates that can be used as the at least one isocyanate include those represented by the formula Q(NCO)awhere a is a number from 2-5, preferably 2-3 and Q is an aliphatic hydrocarbon group containing 2-18 carbon atoms, a cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon group containing 5-10 carbon atoms, an araliphatic hydrocarbon group containing 8-13 carbon atoms, or an aromatic hydrocarbon group containing 6-15 carbon atoms.

[0067] Additional examples of polyisocyanates include, but are not limited to, ethylene diisocyanate; 1,4-tetram ethylene diisocyanate; 1,6-hexam ethylene diisocyanate; 1,12-dodecane diisocyanate; cyclobutane-l,3-diiso cyanate; cyclohexane- 1,3- and -1,4-diisocyanate, and mixtures of these isomers; isophorone diisocyanate; 2,4- and 2,6-hexahydrotoluene diisocyanate and mixtures of these isomers; dicyclohexylmethane-4,4’-diisocyanate (hydrogenated MDI, or HMDI); 1,3- and 1,4-phenylene diisocyanate; 2,4- and 2,6-toluene diisocyanate and mixtures of these isomers (TDI); diphenylmethane-2,4’- and / or -4,4’- diisocyanate (MDI); naphthylene-l,5-diisocyanate; triphenylmethane-4,4’,4”-triisocyanate; polyphenyl-polymethylene-polyisocyanates of the type which may be obtained by condensing aniline with formaldehyde, followed by phosgenation (crude MDI); norbomane diisocyanates; m- and p-isocyanatophenyl sulfonylisocyanates; perchlorinated aryl polyisocyanates; modified polyisocyanates containing carbodiimide groups, urethane groups, allophanate groups, isocyanurate groups, urea groups, or biuret groups; polyisocyanates obtained by telomerization reactions; polyisocyanates containing ester groups; and polyisocyanates containing polymeric fatty acid groups. Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is also possible to use mixtures of the polyisocyanates described above.

[0068] Preferred examples of polyisocyanates include aromatic polyisocyanates, in particular a wide range of polymethylene polyphenylene polyisocyanates products, referred to as “polymericMDI.”

[0069] Typical polyisocyanates are a mixture of oligomers with n=0, namely diphenyl methane diisocyanates which consists of three different isomers, namely its 2,4'-, 2,2'- and 4, d'diphenyl methane diisocyanates; n=l, a tri-isocyanate with 7 different isomers; n= 2, a tetraisocyanate with many isomers and so on. Various modifications of the polymeric MDI, especially those containing ester groups, urea groups, biuret groups, allophanate groups, carbodiimide groups, isocyanurate groups, uretedione groups and urethane groups, all of which contain free -NCO groups are known in the art and may be used here.

[0070] The preferred polyisocyanates are liquid at 25°C; have viscosities at 25°C of less than 10,000 cps, more preferably less than 5000 cps; and have concentrations of free isocyanate groups of from 5% to 33.6% by weight. Preferred polyisocyanate include “polymeric MDI” products described above where weight % of n=0, i.e., methylene diphenyl diisocyanate is between 25-95% by weight in the total polyisocyanate.

[0071] In preferred embodiments, the thermoset polymer comprises polyisocyanates in an amount from about 15% to about 90% by weight based on the total weight of the thermoset polymer. The exact level depends strongly on the function of the multilayer insulation composite board. For example, when the thermoset polymer is designed to function as cover board in roofing assembly, polyisocyanates could comprise about 30% to about 90% by weight of the thermoset polymers, whereas when the thermoset polymer is designed to function as waterproofing membrane in roofing assembly, polyisocyanates could comprise about 15% to about 30% by weight of the thermoset polymers.

[0072] Polyether polyols include those prepared by reacting alkylene oxides, aromatic-substituted alkylene oxides or mixtures thereof with an active hydrogen-containing initiator compound. Suitable oxides include ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, 1,2-butylene oxide, styrene oxide, epichlorohydrin, epibromohydrin, and mixtures thereof. Suitable initiator compounds include water, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butanediol, hexanediol, glycerine, trimethylol propane, pentaerythritol, hexanetriol, sorbitol, sucrose, hydroquinone, resorcinol, catechol, bisphenols, novolac resins, phosphoric acid and mixtures thereof. Other suitable initiators further include, for example, ammonia, ethylenediamine, diaminopropanes, diaminobutanes, diaminopentanes, diaminohexanes, diethylenetriamine, triethylenetetramine, tetraethylenepentamine, pentamethylenehexamine, ethanolamine, aminoethylethanolamine, aniline, 2,4-toluenediamine, 2,6-toluenediamine, 2,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane, 4,4'- diaminodiphenylmethane, 1,3 -phenylenedi amine, 1,4-phenylenediamine, naphthylene-1,5- diamine, triphenylmethane 4,4',4"-triamine, 4,4'-di(methylamino)diphenylmethane, 1,3- diethyl-2,4-diaminobenzene, 2,4-diaminomesitylene, l-methyl-3,5-diethyl-2,4- diaminobenzene, 1 -methyl -3, 5-diethyl-2,6-diaminobenzene, l,3,5-triethyl-2,6- diaminobenzene, 3,5,3',5'-tetra-ethyl-4,4'-diamino-diphenylmethane, and amine aldehyde condensation products such as the polyphenylpolymethylene polyamines produced from aniline and formaldehyde and mixtures thereof.

[0073] Polyether polyols include Mannich polyols having a nominal hydroxyl functionality of at least 2 and having at least one secondary or tertiary amine nitrogen atom per molecule. In some embodiments, Mannich polyols are the condensates of an aromatic compound, analdehyde, and an alkanol amine. For example, a Mannich condensate may be produced by the condensation of either or both of phenol and an alkylphenol with formaldehyde and one or more of monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, and diisopronolamine. In some embodiments, the Mannich condensates serve as initiators for alkoxylation. Any alkylene oxide (e.g., those alkylene oxides mentioned above) may be used for alkoxylating one or more Mannich condensates. When polymerization is completed, the Mannich polyol comprises primary hydroxyl groups and / or secondary hydroxyl groups bound to aliphatic carbon atoms.

[0074] Polyether polyols or mixtures thereof may be liquids at 25° C and have a molecular weight of 100 to 10000 and a hydroxyl number average functionality of 2 to 8.

[0075] Useful polyester polyols which may be employed include those prepared by reacting a poly carboxylic acid or anhydride with a polyhydric alcohol. The poly carboxylic acids may be aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, aromatic and / or heterocyclic and may be substituted (e.g., with halogen atoms) and / or unsaturated. Examples of suitable carboxylic acids and anhydrides include succinic acid; adipic acid; suberic acid; azelaic acid; sebacic acid; phthalic acid; isophthalic acid; terephthalic acid; trimellitic acid; phthalic acid anhydride; tetrahydrophthalic acid anhydride; hexahydrophthalic acid anhydride; tetrachlorophthalic acid anhydride; endomethylene tetrahydrophtalic acid anhydride; glutaric acid anhydride; maleic acid; maleic acid anhydride; fumaric acid; dimeric and trimeric fatty acids, such as those of oleic acid, which may be in admixture with monomeric fatty acids. Simple esters of polycarboxylic acids may also be used as starting materials for polyester polyols, such as terephthalic acid dimethyl ester, terephthalic acid bisglycol ester and mixtures thereof. Some examples of polyhydric alcohols used to make polyester polyols include ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, tetramethylene glycol, polytetram ethylene glycol, 1,6-hexanediol, 3- methyl-l,5-pentanediol, 1,9-nonanediol, and 2-methyl-l,8-octanediol. Polyhydric alcohols used to make polyester polyols include 1,2-propanediol, 1,3 -propanediol, 1,3 -butanediol, 1,4- butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 2, 2-dimethyl- 1,3 -propanediol, 1,4- cyclohexanedimethanol, decamethylene glycol, dodecamethylene glycol, glycerol, trimethylol propane, pentaerythritol, hexanetriol, or combinations thereof.

[0076] The polyester polyols may optionally contain some terminal carboxy groups although preferably they are fully hydroxyl terminated. It is also possible to use polyesters derived from lactones such as caprolactone; or from hydroxy carboxylic acids such as hydroxy caproic acid or hydroxyacetic acid; or from natural sources, such as castor oil, soyabean oil and the like.

[0077] Polyester polyols or mixtures thereof may be liquids at 25° C and have a molecular weight of 100 to 10000 and a hydroxyl number average functionality of 1.8 to 4.

[0078] Additional examples of suitable isocyanate-reactive component include hydroxyl-terminated polythioethers, polyamides, polyesteramides, polycarbonates, polyacetals, polyolefins, polysiloxanes. Additional examples of suitable isocyanat-reactive component include polyol derived from a natural source, such as plant oil, fish oil, lard, tallow oil, soybean oil, castor oil, palm oil, canola oil, linseed oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, and cotton seed oil. Still other isocyanate reactive material includes polyamines and polythiols. Suitable polyamines include primary and secondary amine-terminated polyethers, aromatic diamines such as diethyltoluene diamine and the like, aromatic polyamines, and combinations thereof. Some examples of chain extenders useful to make the thermoset polymer of this disclosure include simple glycols such as ethylene glycol, butanediols, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, the propylene glycols, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, and mixtures thereof. Some examples of useful cross-linker are glycerol, trimethylol propane, pentaerythritol, hexanetri ol, or combinations thereof.

[0079] Suitable epoxy resin includes epoxide group-containing monomers, prepolymers and polymers and mixtures thereof. Suitable epoxide group-containing resins are in particular resins comprising 1 to 10, and preferably 2 to 10, epoxide groups per molecule. Suitable epoxy resins include Polyglycidyl and poly(P-methylglycidyl) esters, obtainable by reacting in presence of base, a compound having at least two carboxyl groups in the molecule and, respectively, epichlorohydrin and P-methylepichlorohydrin; polyglycidyl or poly(P- methylglycidyl)ethers, obtainable by reacting a compound having at least two free alcoholic hydroxyl groups and / or phenolic hydroxyl groups with epichlorohydrin or P- methylepichlorohydrin under alkaline conditions or in the presence of an acidic catalyst with subsequent treatment with alkali; Poly(N-glycidyl) compounds, obtainable by dehydrochlorination of the reaction products of epichlorohydrin with amines which contain at least two amine hydrogen atoms, such as aniline, n-butylamine, bis(4- aminophenyl)methane, m-xylylenediamine or bis(4-methylaminophenyl)methane; Poly(S- glycidyl) compounds, for example di-S-glycidyl derivatives, which are derived from dithiols, such as, for example, ethane- 1,2-dithiol or bis(4-mercaptomethylphenyl)ether; Cycloaliphatic epoxy resins, such as, for example, bis(2,3-epoxycyclopentyl)ether, 2,3-epoxycyclopentyl glycidyl ether, l,2-bis(2,3-epoxycyclopentyloxy)ethane or 3, 4-epoxycyclohexylmethyl-3', 'epoxy cyclohexanecarboxylate; epoxy resins in which the 1,2-epoxy groups are bonded to different hetero atoms or functional groups; these compounds include, for example, theN,N,O-triglycidyl derivative of 4-aminophenol, the glycidyl ether-glycidyl ester of salicylic acid, N-glycidyl-N'-(2-glycidyloxypropyl)-5,5-dimethylhydantoin or 2-glycidyloxy-l,3- bis(5,5-dimethyl-l-glycidylhydantoin-3-yl)propane; and combinations thereof.

[0080] Particularly preferred epoxy resins are aromatic glycidyl ethers, in particular diglycidyl ethers, and those based on aromatic glycidyl ether monomers. Examples of these include, but are not limited to, diglycidyl or polyglycidyl ethers of polyhydric phenols, which can be obtained by reacting a polyhydric phenol with, an excess of chlorohydrin, such as epichlorohydrin. Such polyhydric phenols include resorcinol, Bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) methane (bisphenol F), 2,2- bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane (bisphenol A), 2,2-bis(4'-hydroxy-3',5'- dibromophenyl)propane, l,l,2,2-tetrakis(4'-hydroxyphenyl) ethane or condensates of phenols with formaldehyde which are obtained under acid conditions, such as phenol novolacs and cresol novolacs.

[0081] To make the thermoset polymer of this disclosure, catalysts that facilitate reactions between isocyanate groups and isocyanate-reactive groups as well as between two or more isocyanate groups may be used. Self-reactions between two isocyanate groups to form carbodiimide and three isocyanate group to form isocyanurate or uretonimine suggests that isocyanate groups act as isocyanate-reactive group too.

[0082] Useful catalysts include, but are not limited to, tertiary amines (such as dimethylcyclohexylamine; dimethylbenzylamine; dimethylaminopyridine; 2,4,6-tris [(dimethylamino)methyl] phenol; l,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane; N-alkyl morpholine; Bis- (2-dimethylaminoethyl)ether; l,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene) organic metal compounds (such as tin(II)-salts of carboxylic acids; tin(IV)-compounds), organo lead compounds (such as lead naphthenate and lead octoate), salts of alkali metals and carboxylic acids or phenols (such as, for example potassium octoate, potassium acetate), and quaternary ammonium salts (such as 2-hydroxypropyl trimethylammonium formate), n-substituted triazines (N, N1, N"- dimethylaminopropylhexahydrotriazine), imidazole compounds (such as 2-methylimidazole; 2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole) and latent catalyst (such as 2-(dimethylamino)pyridine and blocked imidazole).

[0083] To make the thermoset polymer using epoxy resin as one of the isocyanate-reactive groups, catalysts to facilitate reactions between isocyanate groups and epoxy group may be present. Examples of such catalysts include dimethylbenzylamine; l,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane; 2- ethyl-4-methylimidazole also facilitate isocyanate-epoxy reaction but some other catalysts such as l-ethyl-3-methyl-lH-imidazolium acetate, ytterbium tritiate, dominantly facilitate isocyanate-epoxy reactions.

[0084] The compositions of thermoset polymer may include other optional components such as organic fillers (such as graphene, carbon nanotubes especially a MIRALON® carbon nanotube material), inorganic filler (such as calcium carbonate, clay, talc, hollow ceramic spheres or a combination thereof) fire retardants and / or smoke suppressant (such as tris(2- chloropropyl)-phosphate), triethyl phosphate, diethyl ethyl phosphonate, ammonium polyphosphate, N,N-bis-(2-hydroxylethyl) amino methane phosphonic acid diethyl ester), wetting agents, dispersing aids, rheology modifiers, viscosity reducers (such as propylene carbonate and dibasic ester), surfactants (such as polyorganosiloxane polyether copolymers, ethoxylated nonylphenol) , colorants, pigments, adhesion promotors, internal mold release (such as zinc stearate), defoaming agents and antimicrobial agents.

[0085] The thermoset polymer may include isocyanate-reactive components in an amount of about 85% to about 10% by weight based on the total weight of the thermoset polymer. The exact level will depend strongly on the function of the multilayer insulation composite board. For example, when the thermoset polymer is designed to function as cover board in roofing assembly, isocyanate-reactive groups could comprise from about 70% to about 10% by weight of the thermoset polymers. When the thermoset polymer is designed to function as water-proofing membrane in roofing assembly, isocyanate-reactive groups could comprise from about 85% to about 70% by weight of the thermoset polymers.

[0086] The thermoset polymer located at the first interfacial region preferably either has an excess of isocyanate groups; that is, has an isocyanate index of >100. These react with the free isocyanate-reactive groups on the first planar surface of the closed-cell PUR or PIR foam core. Given that an isocyanate group will react with another isocyanate group, the isocyanate group in the second thermoset will always react with the reactive group on the first planar surface of the closed-cell PUR or PIR foam core. Alternatively, in a preferred embodiment, the thermoset polymer located at the first interfacial region would have an excess of isocyanatereactive groups, namely have an isocyanate index of <100, which would react with the free isocyanate groups on the first planar surface of the closed-cell PUR or PIR foam core. This suggests that the closed cell PUR foam preferably does not have an isocyanate index of <100. Closed-cell PIR foam by definition has free isocyanate group on the first planer surface.

[0087] The first thermoset polymer which impregnates the fiber mat would also contain either free isocyanate group or isocyanate-reactive group. In cases where the first and the second thermoset polymers are different, reactive groups of the first thermoset polymersimpregnating the fiber mat would react with the reactive groups of the second thermoset polymer at the first interfacial region as per this disclosure. This requires that first and second thermoset polymer preferably do not both have isocyanate index of <100.

[0088] The fiber mat for use in the present disclosure is a sheet-like reinforcement material composed of natural, synthetic or glass fibers that are bonded together. Synthetic fibers are for instance carbon fibers or polyester fibers. Natural fibers are for instance cellulosic bast fibers. The fiber mats can also contain a small amount of synthetic thermoplastic fiber, for instance polyethylene terephthalate fibers (PET). The fibers can be synthetic polyester fibers or other fibers or similar characteristics. A preferred fiber mat is a glass fiber mat, or a carbon fiber mat. As known to the skilled person a fiber mat could be any of chopped strand, non-woven, woven, stitched, composite, braided or unidirectional. Non-woven and woven fiber mats are preferred in this disclosure.

[0089] In some embodiments, the woven and the non-woven fiber mat is a glass fiber mat. The glass fiber mat can include glass fibers and a binder which binds the glass fibers together and maintains the fibers in a mat form. Any type of glass fiber mat can be used in the composite board. For example, a glass fiber mat can be made with glass fibers and bonded with an aqueous thermosetting resin such as, for example, urea formaldehyde or phenolic resole resins. The glass fiber mat can be formed from any suitable process. For example, these glass fiber mats can be formed from an aqueous dispersion of glass fibers. In such process, a resin binder can be applied to a wet web of fibers and after removing excess binder and water, the web can be dried and heated to cure the resin binder to form the fiber mat product. Non-woven glass fiber mats can also be made by chopping dry strands of glass fibers bound together with a binder to form chopped strand, collecting the chopped strand on a moving conveyor in a random pattern, and bonding the chopped strand together at their crossings by dusting a dry, powdered thermoplastic binder like a polyamide, polyester, or ethylene vinyl acetate on wetted chopped strands followed by drying and curing the binder. Other types of glass fibers such as, a random-laid glass fiber, a woven glass fiber fabric, chopped or ground glass can also be used.

[0090] The dimensional and weight characteristics of the fiber mat are not particularly limited and can depend on the specific application and desired properties of the composite board. For example, the basis weight of the fiber mat can be from about 50 grams per square meter to about 1300 grams per square meter. The thickness of the fiber mat can be, for example, fromabout 0.015 inch to about 0.05 inch. The basis weight and thickness characteristics can be adjusted depending upon the desired rigidity, strength and weight of the composite board.

[0091] It is preferred that the fiber mat is impregnated with the thermoset polymer. The fiber mat can be impregnated with polymer weight from about 50 grams per square meter to about 2000 grams per square meter. The term "polymer weight" means the weight of the thermoset polymer resin per area of at least one fiber mat. In some embodiments, the thermoset polymer is a polyurethane resin with a density greater than about 480 kg / m3(30 pcf), preferably greater than about 800 kg / m3(50 pcf), most preferably greater than about 1120 kg / m3(70 pcf).

[0092] The fiber mat is impregnated with a thermoset polymer as described above. Any method suitable for applying or impregnating a thermoset polymer to a glass fiber mat can be used. The thermoset polymer can be applied by air spraying, dip coating, knife coating, roll coating, pultrusion or by molding process such as sheet, bulk or resin transfer molding. The ability to apply or impregnate a resin to glass mat is known as described in U.S. Pat. No 7,138,346, which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0093] It is important to note that (a) the exact characteristics of fiber mat, such as woven or nonwoven, basis weight, (b) characteristics of thermoset polymer, such as choice and weight % of polyisocyanate, each of the chosen isocyanate-reactive materials, catalyst, other additives, (c) the thermoset polymer weight and (d) the density of thermoset polymer will depend on the exact function / use of the insulation composite board. For example, when the insulation composite boards is designed to function as cover board plus insulation board in roof assembly, glass fiber weight basis could be relatively high, thermoset polymers constituents could be rigid, polymer weight could be relatively high and polymer density could be around 30 pcf such that the composite meets the performance requirements of the full roof assembly requiring a separate installation of a water-proofing membrane on top of the inventive composite. On the other hand, when the insulation composite board is designed to function as water-proofing membrane plus insulation in roofing assembly, glass fiber weight basis could be relatively low, thermoset polymers constituents could be elastomeric, polymer weight could be very high and density would be full (e.g., no foaming) such that the composite meets the performance requirements of the roof assembly.

[0094] In some embodiments, the combined thickness of the interfacial region and the fiber mat or facer is between about 1 mm to about 7 mm, preferably between about 1 mm to about 5 mm, more preferably between about 1 mm to about 4mm.

[0095] Facing material useful in this disclosure include a variety of materials or compositions known or conventional in the art. Such facing materials can be conveniently classified into threecategories (a) those used to make roof insulation board (b) those used to make wall and ceiling insulation board and (c) those used to make insulated metal panel for roof and / or wall and ceiling applications.

[0096] Facers used to make roof insulation board include glass fiber reinforced cellulosic felt, coated polymer-bonded glass fiber mat, uncoated polymer-bonded glass fiber mat, perlite insulation board, cellulosic fiber insulation board, oriented strand board , plywood and glass mat faced gypsum board. Such facers used for buildings in US and Canada are described in ASTM Cl 289, Type II- VII and are included herein by reference Glass fiber reinforced cellulosic felt, coated polymer-bonded glass fiber mat consisting of fibrous glass mat bonded with organic polymer binders and coated with organic polymer, clay, or other inorganic substances and uncoated polymer-bonded glass fiber mat consisting of fibrous glass mat bonded with organic polymer binders are the three preferred facers used to make roof insulation boards. It is important to note that Glass Reinforced Felt (GRF) facer and Coated Glass Facer (CGF) are the dominant facers used to make PUR or PIR insulation board and cover board for use in roof assembly. Useful facers to make wall and ceiling insulation board consists of plain, reinforced or coated (generally acrylic coated) aluminium foil and aluminium foil laminated to a supporting membrane. Plain, reinforced and coated aluminium foil facer may be smooth or embossed and can have thickness from 0.5 mil to 4 mil. A variety of laminated aluminium foil such as three-ply laminate of kraft paper-aluminium-kraft paper, foil-kraft-foil, metalized polyester film- aluminium-kraft, polyester-kraft-foil along with two-ply, such as aluminium foil-kraft and foil-fiber glass are known in the art. Such facers can be reflective or non- reflective (such as white matte surfaces). Often, the facer surface that come in contact with insulation foam has a primer to promote adhesion with foam. In addition, inorganic polymer coated glass fiber mat facer is also used in wall and ceiling insulation products.

[0097] Useful facers to make insulated metal panels for roof and / or wall applications include steel, stainless steel, aluminium, nickel, zinc, titanium, bronze, copper, brass, magnesium, and various alloys of any of these. Steel, especially galvanized steel or aluminium-zinc-coated steel, is the most common metal used. Metal may be planar or profiled (for example, grooved or channelled along its length). Metal may be surface treated such as by corona discharge or coated with epoxy / polyester resin to improve its ability to bond to insulation foam. The thickness of the metal is nominally 0.2 mm to 2 mm and preferably 0.3 to 1 mm. Often, either or both metal facing layers may be laminates that contain one or more layers of other materials, such as, for example, paper, a polymer film, a protective coating, a paint, a decorative veneer.

[0098] A multilayer composite board of the present disclosure wherein the facing material disposed on at least a part of the second planar surface of the foam core is those used to make roof insulation board described above and wherein the fiber mat and thermoset polymer characteristics at the first planar surface of the foam core are chosen such that it matches the properties of current cover boards, this single composite product would replace three layers, namely, insulation layer, cover board layer and the adhesive layer between the two, of a traditional multilayer roof assembly. In roof assemblies requiring a vapor barrier layer between roof deck and insulation board, the inventive insulation composite board would also eliminate this layer as formulating polyurethane based thermoset polymers with low water vapor transmission rate is well known to one skilled in art.

[0099] Given the large degree of freedom afforded by this technology, one skilled in the art would be able to determine fiber mat type and weight basis (e.g., to match existing polyiso coverboard compression strength and flexural modulus, one would choose non-woven glass of relatively low weight basis, say 200 grams / m2whereas to meet the same for gypsum coverboard, one would use a non-woven glass of relatively high weight basis, say 800 grams / m2), characteristics of the first and second thermoset polymer along with polymer weight and density.[OOlOOJThe chemical reaction between the core PUR or PIR foam and thermoset polymer impregnating the fiber board at the planar surface of the foam core means that the foam will not delaminate easily from fiberglass and thus lead to high wind uplift resistance. This is because during a high-wind event, wind that is deflected around and across the surfaces of a building causes a drop in air pressure immediately above the roof surface (negative pressure); the air in the building flows beneath the roof deck (positive pressure), and the combined uplift pressures would act to lift the roof upward. Wind uplift may also be caused by the introduction of wind underneath the roof edges where it can cause the roof assembly to pull away from the substrate. Whether the roof assembly is lifted upward or pulled away from surface during a high-wind event, the stronger, chemical, bond between the foam core and resin-impregnated fiberglass would invariably lead to higher force for failure either at foam-facer interface or at mechanical joint points, attaching a part or full roof assembly to the deck, as compared to current art where the facer is nominally not bonded to the foam by chemical reaction. Chemical bond between the core foam and the impregnating polymer would also lead to added surface strength and load-spreading. Such added surface strength and load-spreading allows for greater resistance to damage from foot traffic and kneeling on the insulation boards during roof installation. Load-spreading across a bigger surface would also reduce thepotential for fastener to pull-through during wind uplift event. In addition, such added surface strength would offer increased indentation resistance.

[0101] A roof’s resistance against hail impact depends on how well the roof assembly can absorb the kinetic energy of the hail stones without losing their integrity. It has been observed that hailstorms often cause only minor damages on the elastomeric roofing materials such as plasticized polyvinylchloride (p-PVC), thermoplastic polyolefin elastomers (TPO, TPE-O), and ethylene-propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber but could compromise the underlying structures of the roof assembly, especially interface between facing material and the insulation layer. Chemical bond between the core foam and the fiber mat impregnating polymer, located on the surface adjacent to membrane, would be advantageous against hail hitting the roof, as it would resist damage, leading to higher hail resistance

[0102] It is important to keep in mind that load spreading would also allow an equivalent wind uplift to be achieved utilizing fewer fasteners which brings many advantages, namely, less labor to install a roof system with fewer fasteners, reduced fastener cost, and fewer penetrations through the insulating foam leading to improved thermal performance of the roof assembly throughout its life.

[0103] 0ne skilled in art would also be able to the improve desired characteristics such as winduplift, hail, and puncture resistances, along with other desired characteristics of the roof assembly by targeting and optimizing the various components identified in this disclosure. For example, it is known that higher compressive strength of the coverboard layer plus the insulation layer leads to better support for static equipment, higher protection from heavy foot traffic, higher puncture resistance from sharp objects, and higher resistance to fastener pull through which leads to better wind-uplift resistance. Increasing the compressive strength of the inventive composite layer could be easily achieved by simply increasing the weight basis of fiber mat and / or increasing the cross-link density of the impregnating thermoset polymer. As another example, the penetration of the thermoset polymer resin compositions into the glass fiber mat can, for example, be effective way to improve the degree of liquid and vapor resistance, which can in turn improve the weather resistance of the composite board and thus roof assembly made using it. Undoubtedly, a multilayer composite board of the characteristics described here would provide a uniform, walkable surface needed for installation of the water-proofing membrane. Exterior surface of the inventive insulation composite would generally have improved adhesion performance with bonding adhesives during the field installation due to potential for hydrogen bonding with the polyurethane based thermoset polymer on exterior of the instant insulation composite.

[0104] In one aspect, the disclosure provides a roof system comprising: a. optionally a roof deck; b. the multilayer insulation composite board described above; and c. a waterproofing- membrane.

[0105] The waterproof membrane may be any membrane appropriate for providing waterproofing. Roofing membranes are nominally single-ply polymer-based membranes such as thermoplastic olefin (i.e., TPO), thermoplastic vulcanizate (i.e., TPV), polyvinylchloride (PVC), poly(ethylene propylene diene monomer) rubber (i.e., EPDM), or bituminous / asphalt- based membranes such as built-up asphalt roofing (BUR), modified bitumen (Mod-bid) and atactic polypropylene (APP). In some instances, a layer of aggregate like river stone is placed on top of the roofing membrane to increase its durability and reflectivity. Such membranes are well known to the skilled person.

[0106] Such roof system can be affixed to the roof structure and each other by any method known to the skilled person. For example, by a mechanical method such as fasteners, nails, or screws, or by an adhesive.[00107JA multilayer insulation composite board made using facing materials used to make roof insulation foam board on one surface of the closed cell PUR or PIR insulation foam core and with the first thermoset polymer impregnating the fiber mat formulated to being elastomeric, the resulting composite could be a single product providing all the water, air and vapor resistance required from a roof assembly. In other words, the insulation composite board would act as insulation layer and waterproofing layer while eliminating need for coverboard layer. The primary role of coverboard in a roof assembly is to provide a firm, uniform walkable surface while installing the membrane. In the instant disclosure, such a surface is not required as the fiber mat impregnation thermoset polymer is formulated to have all the characteristics of water-proofing membrane, namely water resistance, UV resistance, durability and longevity. Polyurethane elastomers based liquid applied coating compete favourably, especially in wind uplift and hail resistance, with single-ply polymeric membranes in roofing as it bonds directly to the substrate. The inventive composite is an alternate way to harness this known aspect of polyurethane chemistry by targeting the thermoset polymer to be elastomeric and getting the chemical reaction between the thermoset polymer and core foam.

[0108] The elastomeric thermoset surface layer may extend beyond the PU or PIR foam core layer on one or more of the four sides of the foam (e.g. beyond a side edge and an end edge of the top planar surface of the foam core layer) to form overlaps for sealing to the surface layer ofthe neighbouring composites. US D843019, US D844859 and US D854193, herein incorporated, show ornamental design for a foam board with facer depicting how adjacent boards may be connected to each other and it is adaptable to the instant disclosure. In summary, when the inventive insulation composite is laid down and the exterior, waterproofing thermoset layer is bonded and sealed to the exterior waterproofing thermoset polymer layer of adjoining insulation composites in the manner described here, the elastomeric thermoset polymer protects the underlying layers of the roofing system from moisture and other climatic conditions. Such insulation-membrane composite is relatively lightweight and easily cut. Such composite would manifest improved wind uplift, hail and puncture resistance outlined earlier in reference to insulation composite replacing coverboard, insulation and possibly vapor-retarder layers for the same reason as those discussed above. Alongside, the prospects of being able to decrease schedule of fasteners due to higher winduplift resistance and resulting benefits discussed above would apply here too.

[0109] A multilayer composite board of the present disclosure wherein the facing material disposed on at least a part of the second planar surface of the foam core is made of metal, especially steel, will provide all the attributes of an insulated metal panel (IMP) in a roof assembly but at a lower weight and cost as compared to those with metal on both sides. Despite all the advantages of IMP made using steel on both sides, it has not seen wide adoption in roof assemblies of commercial building because of relatively higher weight and cost of steel on both sides of the insulation foam on IMPs available at present. Elimination of one side of metal of an IMP by thermoset polymer impregnated fiber glass mat while maintaining the performance characteristics such as high durability, superior spanning capability is readily achievable by appropriate selection of fiber mat type, weight basis, cross-link density of the thermoset polymer and so on. For example, a woven fiberglass mat impregnated with a thermoset polymer comprising of aromatic polyether polyol and polymeric MDI of high functionality can match the flexural modulus and thus spanning capacity of steel used to make IMP. Instant insulation composite would significantly reduce the weight and cost of the resulting panel and thus increase its competitiveness for use in roof assemblies. Reduced weight will also help with framing structure of the building, making it lighter and thus further reducing cost.[OOllOJThe fiber mat and the thermoset polymer surrounding it would be shaped at the edges so as to preserve the tongue-and-groove joinery of the typical IMP with steel on both sides so that it still interlocks with adjoining panel and seal together, creating a continuous, airtight, and watertight roof assembly. Thermoset polymer impregnated fiber glass mat surface oppositeto the surface bonded to the insulation core would provide a uniform walkable surface ideal for installation of water-proofing membrane. Instant insulation composite would manifest improved wind uplift, hail, and puncture resistance outlined earlier in reference to insulation composite replacing coverboard, insulation and possibly vapor-retarder layers for the same reason as those discussed above. Alongside, the prospects of being able to decrease schedule of fasteners due to higher wind-uplift resistance and resulting benefits discussed above would apply here too.

[0111] In one aspect, the disclosure provides a roof system comprising: a. optionally a roof deck; b. the multilayer insulation composite board described above with metal on one side and thermoset polymer impregnated fiber glass mat on the other, and c. a waterproofing- membrane.

[0112] A multilayer composite board with metal, especially steel, on the second planar surface of the foam core and thermoset polymer impregnated fiber glass mat on the first will also provide all the attributes of an insulated metal panel (IMP) used in a wall assembly with the added benefit that the thermoset polymer impregnated fiber glass mat surface can easily be formulated to meet the highest level of hygienic and contamination control required in interior of building used for food / meat processing, life science laboratories and so on described earlier. Thermoset polymer impregnated fiber glass mat surface provides a non-porous surface which aids cleaning and can be formulated to offer high levels of resistance to bacterial growth, ensuring a controlled, sterile environment. Such impregnated fiber glass mat surface capable of being sterile while also maintaining the performance characteristics, such as high water / air / moisture resistance of traditional, both side metal, wall IMPs is readily achievable. For example, a woven fiberglass mat of relatively high weight basis impregnated with a thermoset polymer comprising of high-functionality, hydrophobic, aromatic poly ether polyol, high functionality polymeric MDI and anti-microbial additives can match water / air / moisture resistance of conventional wall IMP while resisting bacterial growth.

[0113] Such impregnated fiber glass mat surface is significantly less expensive and lighter as compared to stainless steel, the present option for making a wall IMP for use in such harsh environment. Also, the thermoset polymer can be formulated such that it does not degrade with usage even in heavy aggressive (such as alkaline or acidic) wash down environments. Fiber glass mat and the thermoset polymer surrounding it would be shaped at surface so as to preserve the tongue-and-groove joinery of the typical current IMP with steel on both sides. This means that the instant wall IMP still interlocks with adjoining panel and seal together,creating a continuous, airtight, and watertight wall assembly. Such shaping of the fiber mat and impregnated thermoset polymer is known in the art.

[0114] A multilayer composite board of the present disclosure wherein the facing material disposed on at least a part of the second planar surface of the foam core is aluminium foil or aluminium foil laminate could overcome a known issue with use of conventional PUR or PIR insulation wall boards in below-grade applications or other moist environments use. Conventional PUR or PIR insulation wall boards with aluminium foil facers on both sides have found limited use in below-grade applications or other moist environments usage, as the aluminium foil facer can be damaged during installation, such as during the backfilling of soil and gravel after below-grade installation. With the use of thermoset polymer impregnated fiber glass mat on one surface and aluminium foil on the other, inventive composite can preserve the high R- value per inch of thickness and its capacity to serve as a vapor retarder, water resistive barrier and air barrier while being resistant to damage during installation. The components to make thermoset polymer can be formulated so that the inventive composite could meet the hygro- thermal performance for the building's use and location along with low air / vapor permeance of aluminium foil. The principles for design of fiber mat and thermoset polymer here would be the same as those discussed earlier in the context of wall IMP .

[0115] In some embodiments, the multilayer insulation composite board further comprises: v) a second interfacial region on at least a part of the second face of the foam core, said interfacial regional comprising a third thermoset polymer, wherein the third thermoset polymer comprises isocyanate reactive groups or isocyanate groups that are chemically bonded to at least a part of the second planar surface of the foam core.

[0116] In some embodiments, the multilayer insulation composition board further comprises: Vi) a second fiber mat disposed on at least a part of the second planar surface.

[0117] The first, second and third thermoset polymer may be the same or different.

[0118] The second non-woven fiber mat may have the same or different composition to the first nonwoven fiber mat.

[0119] In an aspect is provide a multilayer insulation composite board comprising: i) a closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam core having a first and second opposing planar surface and having a density less than about 64 kg / m3;ii) a first fiber mat impregnated with a first thermoset polymer obtained from the reaction of at least one compound containing isocyanate-reactive groups and at least one compound containing isocyanate groups; iii) a second fiber mat impregnated with a second thermoset polymer obtained from the reaction of at least one compound containing isocyanate-reactive groups with at least one compound containing isocyanate groups is disposed on at least a part of the second interfacial region; wherein the closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam core contains surface free isocyanate-reactive groups or free surface isocyanate groups; wherein at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the first thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the first planar surface of the foam core, or at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the first thermoset polymer of the first interfacial region are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the first planar surface of the foam core; and wherein at least a part the isocyanate-reactive groups in the second thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the second planar surface of the foam core, or the isocyanate groups in the second thermoset polymer of the second interfacial region are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the second planar surface of the foam core.

[0120] In an embodiment, the multilayer insulation composite board further comprises: vi. a first interfacial region disposed on at least a part of the first planar surface of the foam core; wherein the first interfacial region comprises a third thermoset polymer obtained from at least one compound containing isocyanate-reactive groups and at least one compound containing isocyanate groups and wherein at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the second thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the first planar surface of the foam core; or at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the third thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the first planar surface of the foam core.

[0121] In an embodiment, the multilayer insulation composite board further comprises: vii. a second interfacial region disposed on at least a part of the second planar surface of the foam core; wherein the second interfacial region comprises a fourth thermoset polymer obtained from at least one compound containing isocyanate-reactive groups and at least one compoundcontaining isocyanate groups and wherein at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the second fourth thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the second planar surface of the foam core; or at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the fourth thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the second planar surface of the foam core.

[0122] When the fiber mat is applied to both side of the PUR or PIR insulation board, the inventive composite board can be very beneficial in re-roof situation where one surface of the composite overlays existing roof and acts as a baseboard and the other surface of the composite as coverboard onto which a water-proofing membrane layer could be installed. The first fiber mat type and weight basis along with components of the first and second thermoset polymers would be tailored to meet performance requirements of baseboard whereas the second fiber mat type and weight basis along with components of the third and fourth thermoset polymers would be tailored to meet performance requirements of coverboard. Use of such baseboard - insulation-coverboard composite would significantly reduce labor cost and simplify logistics associated with typical multi-step process, involving installing baseboard, insulation board, and cover board separately and successively. In addition, by tailoring the first and the second fiber mat type and weight basis along with components of the first, second, third and fourth thermoset polymers, one can achieve higher per fastener wind uplift pull through rating for the composites and thereby use of them to fabricate a roof assembly further reduce the labor and ultimately the overall installed cost of roofing systems utilizing such composites.

[0123] In one aspect, the disclosure provides a roof system comprising: a. optionally a roof deck; b. the multilayer insulation composite board with thermoset polymer impregnated fiber mat on both sides and c. a waterproofing- membrane.

[0124] Similar to multilayer insulation-waterproofing composite product described earlier, a multilayer composite product to function as a baseboard layer, insulation layer, and a waterproofing layer could be formulated by choosing the first fiber mat type and weight basis along with components of the first and second thermoset polymers tailored to meet performance requirements of baseboard whereas the second fiber mat type and weight basis along with components of the third and fourth thermoset polymers to be elastomeric to function as waterproofing membrane. Such composite would be a single product providing all the water, air and vapor resistance required for reroofing applications. In other words, thecomposite board would act as baseboard, insulation layer and waterproofing layer in reroof situation while eliminating need for coverboard layer.

[0125] The elastomeric thermoset surface layer may extend beyond the PUR or PIR foam core layer on one or more of the four sides of the foam (e.g. beyond a side edge and an end edge of the top planar surface of the foam core layer) to form membrane overlaps for sealing to the membranes of neighbouring composites. US D843019, US D844859 and US D854193 show ornamental design for a foam board with facer depicting how adjacent boards may be connected to each other and are herein incorporated by reference. In summary, when the inventive composite is laid down on existing roof to be reroofed, and the waterproofing thermoset is bonded and sealed to the waterproofing thermoset polymer of adjoining insulation composites in the manner described here, the elastomeric thermoset polymer protects the underlying layers of the roofing system from moisture and other climatic conditions.

[0126] A multilayer composite product of this disclosure where the same fiber mat type and weight basis is applied to both side of the PUR or PIR insulation board and first, second, third and fourth thermoset polymer are all the same and are formulated to give high water and moisture resistance to meet the hygro-thermal performance for the building's use and location, would improve upon current aluminium foil faced wall insulation board in below-ground or wet environment applications. The inventive composite would not be prone to damage during installation. Polyurethane formulation technology to make thermoset polymers with high water and moisture resistance, such as use of hydrophobic polyol, and aromatic polyisocyanate, is known to one skilled in art of PU formulation. It should be possible to design the thermoset polymer such that it is has high resistance to highly basic liquids which would render the composite board to be suitable for use in highly alkaline environments.

[0127] When the non-woven fiber inorganic mat is applied to both side of the insulation board, the board can replace the deck and coverboard along with any adhesive fastener used to bond them.

[0128] In some embodiments, the first and second non-woven fiber mat is composed of the same material. In some embodiments, the basis weight and / or thickness of the mat may be different. Similarly, in some embodiments, the composition of thermoset polymer in the first and second interfacial region is the same and in others they are different.

[0129] In some embodiments, the thermal resistance of the multilayer insulation composite board changes by less than 2% after aging a 12” x 12” (30.5 cm x 30.5 cm) x full thickness of thecomposite board for 180 days at 23°C / 50% relative humidity during any period from production of the board to end of life of use.

[0129] Various processes can be used to make multilayer insulation composites described here. Different processes are used depending on the type of fiber mat, facing material and whether fiber mat is applied just on one planar surface of the core foam or two opposing planar surfaces.

[0130] In one aspect is provided a method for preparing a multilayer insulation composite board, said method comprising: i) providing a first non-woven fiber mat with a planar surface; ii) disposing a first thermoset polymer resin comprising a reaction product to at least a part of the planar surface of the first non-woven fiber mat; iii) impregnating the first non-woven fiber mat with a second thermoset polymer to create a first impregnated non-woven fiber mat; iv) disposing a closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam on at least a part of the planar surface of the first non-woven fiber mat to create a closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam that is attached to at least a part of first non-woven fiber mat; v) contacting a facing material to the developing foam opposite the first non-woven fiber mat; wherein the first and second thermoset polymer resin contains an excess of isocyanatereactive groups, and wherein a portion of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the thermoset polymer resin react with the isocyanate group in the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam or wherein the first and second thermoset polymer resin contains an excess of isocyanate groups, and wherein a portion of the isocyanate groups react with isocyanatereactive groups in the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam.

[0131] In some embodiments is provided a method for preparing a multilayer insulation composite board, said method comprising: i) providing a first non-woven fiber mat with a planar surface; ii) disposing a first thermoset polymer resin to at least a part of the planar surface of the first non-woven fiber mat; iii) impregnating the first non-woven fiber mat with a second thermoset polymer to create a first impregnated non-woven fiber mat; iv) disposing a closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam on at least a part of the planar surface of the first non-woven fiber mat to create a closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam that is attached to at least a part of first non-woven fiber mat;v) contacting a facing material to the developing foam opposite the first non-woven fiber mat; wherein the first and second thermoset polymer resin contains an excess of isocyanate-reactive groups, and wherein a portion of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the thermoset polymer resin react with the isocyanate group in the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam or wherein the first and second thermoset polymer resin contains an excess of isocyanate groups, and wherein a portion of the isocyanate groups react with isocyanate-reactive groups in the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam.

[0131] In some embodiments is provided a method for preparing a multilayer insulation composite board, said method comprising: i) providing a first non-woven fiber mat with a planar surface; ii) disposing a first thermoset polymer resin to at least a portion of the planar surface of the first non-woven fiber mat; iii) impregnating the first non-woven fiber mat with the first thermoset polymer to create a first impregnated non-woven fiber mat; iv) providing a second non-woven fiber mat with a planar surface; v) disposing a second thermoset polymer resin to at least a part of the planar surface of the second non-woven fiber mat; vi) impregnating the second non-woven fiber mat with the second thermoset polymer to create a second impregnated non-woven fiber mat; vii) disposing a closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam to at least a part of the first impregnated nonwoven fiber mat; viii) the developing foam with at least a part of the planar surface of the second impregnated non-woven fiber mat; wherein each of the thermoset polymer resin contains an excess of isocyanatereactive groups, and wherein at least a portion of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the thermoset polymer resin react with the isocyanate group in the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam; or wherein each of the thermoset polymer resin contains an excess of isocyanate groups, and wherein at least a portion of the isocyanate groups in the thermoset polymer resin react with the isocyanate-reactive group in the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam.

[0132] In some embodiments, the first and second reaction systems each independently consisting essentially of two liquid components.

[0133] In some aspects there is provided a method for preparing a multilayer insulation composite board, said method comprising: i. providing a first fiber mat with a planar surface; ii. impregnating the first fiber mat with a first thermoset polymer resin comprising a reaction product of at least one compound containing isocyanate-reactive groups with at least one compound containing isocyanate groups to at least a part of the planar surface of the first fiber mat to create a first impregnated fiber mat; iii. disposing a closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam on at least a part of the planar surface of the first impregnated fiber mat to create a closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam that is chemically bonded with the first thermoset polymer resin impregnating the first fiber mat; wherein the first thermoset polymer resin contains an excess of isocyanate-reactive groups, and wherein at least a portion of the isocyanate-reactive groups react with isocyanate groups in the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam, or wherein the first thermoset polymer resin contains an excess of isocyanate groups, and wherein at least a portion of the isocyanate groups react with isocyanate-reactive groups in polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam.

[0134] In some embodiments, the method further comprises contacting a facing material to the developing foam opposite the first non-woven fiber mat.

[0135] In some aspects there is provided a method for preparing a multilayer insulation composite board, said method comprising: i) providing a first fiber mat with a planar surface; ii) impregnating the first fiber mat with a first thermoset polymer resin comprising a reaction product of at least one compound containing isocyanate-reactive groups with at least one compound containing isocyanate groups to at least a part of the planar surface of the first fiber mat to create a first impregnated fiber mat; iii) providing a second fiber mat with a planar surface; iv) impregnating the second fiber mat with a third thermoset polymer resin comprising a reaction product of at least one compound containing isocyanate-reactive groups with at least one compound containing isocyanate groups to at least a part of the planar surface of the second fiber mat to create a second impregnated fiber mat; v) disposing a closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam to at least a part of the planar surface of the first impregnated fiber mat to create a closedcell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam that is chemically bonded with the first thermoset polymer resin impregnating the first fiber mat; vi) contacting the developing foam with the second fiber mat so that it is chemically bonded with the third thermoset polymer resin impregnating the second fiber mat; wherein the first and third thermoset polymer resin contains an excess of isocyanate-reactive groups, and wherein at least a portion of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the first and third thermoset polymer resin react with the isocyanate group in the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam; or wherein the first and third thermoset polymer resin contains an excess of isocyanate groups, and wherein at least a portion of the isocyanate groups in the first and third thermoset polymer resin react with the isocyanate-reactive group in the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam.

[0136] In some aspects is provided a process for manufacturing a multilayer composite insulation board having a rigid foam core and at least one fiber reinforced solid thermoset polymer surface layer, said process comprising the following steps: i) providing at least one fiber mat; ii) providing a first reaction system for forming a thermosetting polyurethane resin or polyisocyanurate polymer resin which is essentially solid; iii) providing a second reaction system for forming a thermosetting polyurethane or polyisocyanurate rigid polymeric foam, said second reaction system for producing a rigid foam with predominantly closed cells; iv) mixing the components of said first reaction system and at least partially impregnating at least one of said fiber mats with said first reaction system, to form at least one partially cured thermoset resin impregnated mat; v) mixing the components of said second reaction system and preparing a partially cured foam therefrom, said partially cured foam having predominantly closed cells;vi) laminating at least one of said partially cured resin impregnated mats onto at least one of the surfaces of said partially cured foam to form a laminated board; vii) optionally applying one or more facings to a surface of the partially cured foam opposite the resin impregnated mat, or to the exposed surfaces of the partially cured resin impregnated mat or mats, or to both the partially cured foam surface opposite the resin impregnated mat and the surface of the partially cured resin impregnated mat, viii) advancing the cure of said partially cured foam and said partially cured resin impregnated mat under conditions which provide for the formation of chemical bonds between the thermoset resin polymer of said thermoset resin impregnated mat and the foam polymer, said chemical bonds deriving from the reaction of free isocyanate groups with isocyanate-reactive groups or from the reaction of free isocyanate groups with other free isocyanate groups, wherein the final density of the foam core layer of said laminated composite insulation board is less than 64 kg / m3.

[0137] Generally speaking, the multilayer insulation composite board of the present disclosure can be prepared using known techniques. For example, the multilayered composite board of the present disclosure may be made by unrolling a first glass fiber mat and feeding along a process line which is moved using various types of mechanical equipment, such as endless belt, a series of driven rollers or other apparatus. It could also be pulled through the process by double band laminator (described later), or through some other downstream pulling device. A reaction mixture for forming the first thermoset polymer and comprising of an isocyanate component and isocyanate-reactive components in presence of catalyst and optional additives is disposed on to at least a part of the planar surface of the first fiber mat to create a first impregnated fiber mat. In preparing such a thermoset polymer, it is typical practice in the art to add the catalyst and any other selected additives to the isocyanate-reactive component of the formulation and then to combine the isocyanate and the isocyanate-reactive component at a weight ratio required to get the target isocyanate index. It may be convenient to apply a relatively uniform layer of the first thermoset polymer reaction mixture immediately after mixing while the material is still liquid, over the surface of the fiber mat using methods known to those skilled in the art. Such methods may include, but are not limited to, spray coating, dip coating, knife coating, roll coating, and pultrusion. As the fiber mat moves along the process, the thermoset polymer reaction mixture continues to impregnate the fibers of the mat and to react. The reaction between isocyanate and isocyanate-reactive components is exothermic and thus as thereaction proceeds the temperature and molecular weight of the first thermoset reaction mixture continue to go up. Process of polymerization increases its viscosity whereas rising temperature reduces viscosity. Higher viscosity would lower the penetration rate of the reaction mixture into fiber mat whereas lower viscosity would do the opposite. Components of the first thermoset reaction mixture is chosen as to balance the fiber mat impregnation with degree of reaction.

[0138] Polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam is then deposited onto the upper surface of the first glass fiber mat bringing it in contact with reaction mixture of the first thermoset. In preparing a PUR or PIR foam, it is typical practice in the art to add the catalyst, and any other selected additives, to the isocyanate-reactive component, e.g., the polyol, of the formulation, mix them using static mixer and then add blowing agent to the mixture and further mix it. It is then mixed with the isocyanate in the required weight ratio to yield the target isocyanate index for the foam and deposited onto the upper surface of the first glass fiber mat using a variety of types of dispensing equipment including types well-known in the art. Suitable equipment includes, for example, a traversing hose, one or more stationary mix heads, one or more spray nozzles, one or more distribution bar or other suitable apparatus for dispensing a fluid. Suitable equipment for mixing and dispensing the components of closed-cell PUR or PIR foam are available commercially from, for example, Hennecke, Cannon, SAIP and Krauss Maffei. The deposited mixture starts to react and expand as soon as it is deposited and may be expanding in some cases even as it is deposited. Thus, it is referred as developing foam in this application.

[0139] The deposited developing foam continues to expand and also react with the still polymerizing first thermoset polymer reaction mixture at the interface. Such reaction includes the isocyanate group on the thermoset polymer reacting with the isocyanate-reactive group and / or isocyanate group in the developing foam or isocyanate-group on the thermoset polymer reacting with the isocyanate group in the developing foam. The assembly of fiber mat, first thermoset polymer reaction mixture and developing foam may be passed continuously through a constricted region, to facilitate impregnation of the fiber mat and contact between thermoset polymer reaction mixture and foamable composition. Nip rollers are one of the many devices to form such constricted region. As the assembly of fiber mat, first thermoset polymer and developing foam moves along the process, the thermoset polymer continues to impregnate the mat and cure while the foam expands and cures. The top surface of the expanding foam then meets a facing material, so that the rising foam is sandwiched between the fiber mat and top facing.

[0140] Such facing material would be unrolled and fed along a process line. A wide range of mechanical devices can be used to apply top facing material, including any of those describedwith respect to fiber mat. The entire assembly, the glass fiber mat with the curing first thermoset polymer, rising and curing PUR or PIR foam and facing material is thereafter passed continuously through a double band laminator which is often heated and has lateral containment. Double band laminator is widely used for the manufacture of PUR or PIR insulation boards and is described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,891,563 and herein incorporated. Heat may be applied through either or both band of the laminator to facilitate cure of first thermoset polymer and rise and cure of the foam. In some embodiments, the expanding foam meets the facing material inside of the laminator. The gap between top and bottom band of the laminator nominally determines the overall thickness of the composite, though post-laminator expansion is plausible. One skilled in the art would nominally know how to formulate the first thermoset polymer and the PUR or PIR foam to get sufficient cure of both polymer and foam for a given length of the double band laminator, process speed, laminator heating capabilities, thickness of product and so on. Conversely, process speed and temperature may be varied according to requirements of the formulation.

[0141] The multilayer insulation composites may be cut, e.g., using reciprocating or circular saw as it exits the conveyor, to produce panels with the desired thickness, width and length. The insulation composite may be post-cured or cooled as necessary or desirable, and packaged for warehousing and / or shipment.

[0142] It is preferred to assist with handling this composite product, that the thermoset polymer reaction mixture impregnates all the way to the other side of the fiber mat and forms a layer of plastics which prevents human touch of the surface of fiber mat. Some means to prevent human contact with fiber mat may be required and may include use of release liner or disposing another thermoset polymer to the fiber mat on the planar surface opposite to the planar surface in contact with foam.

[0143] In some embodiment, it may be advantageous to dissociate the process of impregnation of the fiber mat with a thermoset polymer from the process of forming closed-cell PUR or PIR foam core as the cure speed of the thermoset polymer and that of PUR or PIR foam are such that one continuous production is difficult. In such cases or even others, it may be preferable to form a partially cured thermoset resin impregnated mat, widely referred as “prepreg,” in a separate step or stand-alone process. Prepregs have been widely known and used in thermoset polymer- fiber composite arena but have not been used to make multilayer insulation composite board.

[0144] To make multilayer insulation composite board, partially cured thermoset resin impregnated mat would be prepared by methods described earlier to impregnate fiber mat with a thermoset polymer, partially cure it so that it still contains isocyanate group and / or isocyanate-reactivegroup and is handleable, perhaps with use of release liner, barrier film, temperature control. It would be possible to store and / or transport such partially cured thermoset resin impregnated mat while ensuring that it contains isocyanate group and / or isocyanate-reactive group. To make multilayer insulation composite board, polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam would be deposited onto the partially cured thermoset resin impregnated mat such that isocyanate group on the partially cured mat reacts with the isocyanate-reactive and / or isocyanate group in the developing foam or isocyanate-group on the partially cured mat react with the isocyanate group in the developing foam. The rest of the process would be the same as described earlier.EXAMPLESRaw Material and Components: The following reaction components, raw materials and terms are referred to in the examples:

[0145] Aromatic polyester polyol A: Aromatic polyester polyol having an OH value of 245 mg KOH / g (available from Huntsman International LLC).

[0146] JEFFOL® A-630: A reactive aromatic amine polyol having an OH value of 635 mg KOH / g (available from Huntsman International LLC).

[0147] DABCO® K-15: A solution of potassium 2-ethylhexanoate in di ethylene glycol (available from Evonik Industries AG).

[0148] JEFFCAT® ZF-22: 70% an amine catalyst containing 70% Bis-(2-dimethylaminoethyl) ether in dipropylene glycol (available from Huntsman International LLC).

[0149] DABCO® DC 193 : A silicone surfactant (available from Evonik Industries AG).

[0150] TCPP: Tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (available from Lanxess Corporation as LEVAGARD® PP).

[0151] RUB INATE® M: Polymeric MDI having an NCO value of 31.5% (available from Huntsman International LLC).

[0152] RUB INATE® 1850: Polymeric MDI having an NCO value of 30.5% (available from Huntsman International LLC).

[0153] WEBTECH® CGF : Coated glass facer (available from Atlas Roofing Corporation)

[0154] Owens Corning® M723A: Chopped strand glass mat (available from OwensCorning)Analysis and Testing: The following terms are referred to in the examples:

[0155] Compressive Modulus: Measured according to ASTM DI 621

[0156] Flexural Modulus: Measured according to ASTM C203, Method 1, Procedure B

[0157] Tensile Strength Perpendicular to Board Surface: Measured according to ASTM C209

[0158] Core Foam Density: Measured according to ASTM C303

[0159] Closed Cell Content: Measured according to ASTM D2856Foam Formulation and Properties: 84.25 parts of aromatic polyester polyol A were mixed with 8.42 parts of TCPP, 1.68 parts of DABCO DC193, 0.84 part of DABCO K-15, 0.17 parts of JEFFCAT ZF-22 and 4.63 parts of water to make the foam isocyanate-reactive blend. Closedcell polyisocyanurate foam was formed by mixing 35.15 parts of above isocyanate-reactive blend with 64.85 parts of isocyanate RUB INATE 1850 giving a calculated isocyanate index of 150.

[0160] Hand-mix cup foam was made to measure the foam reactivity, density and closed cell content of the foam used to make the multilayer insulation composite board described below by the following steps: (i) pouring the contents of the isocy ante-reactive blend and isocyanate into a 32-oz (907 cm3) non-waxed paper cup (e.g., Solo H4325-2050) in the weight ratio of 35.15 : 64.85, equilibrated to room temperature of 23 °C, thereby combining the two components so the total weight of A-side and B-side was 100 g; (ii) mixing the combined components for 15 seconds at 2000 rpm using a mechanical mixer (e.g., Caframo BDC3030 stirrer); (iii) allowing the components to react thereby forming the polyurethane foam product, and recording the reactivities (Cream time, Gel time, Tack free time); (iv) the foam was stored at room temperature and humidity for 24 hours; and (v) a 4 cm><4 cm><4 cm sample was cut from about 6 cm below the foam top surface to measure the free rise density (FRD) and closed cell content. Measured reactivities for this foam were cream time of 31 seconds, gel time of 104 seconds, end of rise time of 147 seconds. The measured free rise density of this foam was 2.33 lb / ft3(37.3 kg / m3) and closed cell content was 88%.

[0161] Thermoset Polymer Formulation and Properties: 87.8 parts of JEFFOL A-630 was mixed with 12.2 parts of TCPP, a fire-retardant additive, to form the thermoset polymer isocyanate-reactive blend. To make the thermoset polymer, 100 parts of this isocyanate-reactive blend was mixed with 140.2 parts of isocyanate RUB INATE M. The calculated index was 105. To measure the reactivity and density of this thermoset polymer under conditions used to make the multilayer insulation composite board described below, the isocyanate-reactive blend and isocyanate were mixed in the above weight ratio at 23°C and sprayed onto cardboard at manually at 23°C usingGraco HVR spray machine with Fusion AP gun with 0.038” (0.097 cm) diameter orifice and 2000 psi mix pressure. Measured reactivity included cream time of 27 seconds, gel time of 40 seconds, and tack free time of 92 seconds. Measured density of this polymer after curing for 10 minutes at 150°F (65.5°C) was about 60 lb / ft3(960 kg / m3)

[0162] Method for Making Multilayer Insulation Composite Board: Composite boards were made using a heated closed mold of inner dimension 27” x 21” x 2” (68.6 cm x 53.3 cm x 5.08 cm) using a bladder press with 25 lb / ft2(172 Kpa) to maintain mold closure. Chopped strand glass mat Owens Corning® M723 A of 600 gm / m2weight basis was sprayed with above-described thermoset polymer using Graco HVR spray machine manually with Fusion AP gun with 0.038” (0.097 cm) diameter orifice and 2000 psi mix pressure to each large, opposing surface of the glass to get a weight ratio of 1 : 1 for glass : total polymer. Both the chemical and glass mat were maintained at ambient (about 23°C) conditions. The thermoset polymer was sprayed to get a uniform, reproducible coverage across the glass surface and essentially equal weight on the two opposing planar surfaces of the glass mat. The sprayed mat was immediately put at the bottom of the mold which had been heated to 150°F (65.5°C). 400 g of foam isocyanatereactive blend was mixed with 733 g of isocyanate RUB INATE 1850 in a large cup for 15 seconds at 2000 rpm using a mechanical mixer with 3” high shear blade. This foam was mixed while another operator was positioning the above-sprayed glass mat at the bottom of the mold. The foam mixture was immediately (manually) poured across the surface of the glass mat to get a uniform liquid across the sprayed glass mat. The process used to make insulation composite (henceforth referred as IC) #1 to #4 described below was to place a 27” x 21” (68.6 cm x 53.3 cm) size WEB TECH® CGF coated glass facer right on top of the poured foam, covering the full surface are of poured foam, closing the mold and placing it in a bladder press with 25 lb / ft2(172 Kpa) pressure. The mold was maintained at 150°F (65.5°C) for 10 minutes and demolded. The physical properties mentioned below were measured on composites samples cut from the center 24” xl8” x 2” (61 cm x 45.7 cm x 5.08 cm) of the molded composite.

[0163] To make insulation composites IC #5 to #8, the same process as above was followed except that WEBTECH® CGF coated glass facer was replaced by sprayed chopped strand mat. The same curing, demolding steps as described above were followed.

[0164] Example 1 : Table 1 below shows the properties of composite IC#1 and IC#2. To make composite IC#1, 400 g of foam isocyanate-reactive blend was mixed with 733 g of isocyanate RUB INATE 1850 using the same process as described under “Method for Making Multilayer Insulation Composite Board” and poured into an empty mold (same mold as above). The top lid was then closed and placed in the press to cure. It was demolded after 10 minutes of curing in this press at 150°F (65.5°C). This demolded bare foam was place in a mold lined at the bottom with sprayed glass mat. WEBTECH® CGF coated glass facer was then placed on top of the precured foam. Mold was closed, pressed and demolded as described in the previous section. Composite IC#2 followed the procedure described under the section “Method for Making Multilayer Insulation Composite Board”. IC#1 and IC#2 are identical in every way except that in IC#1 the foam was pre-reacted and cured before putting in contact with the thermoset impregnated glass mat. There is therfore no chance for chemical reaction between any functional group, isocyanate or isocyanate-reactive, in the foam with the thermoset polymer. Whereas, in IC#2 though the foam will have both isocyanate or isocyanate-reactive groups when the mixed foam components are poured on the bottom polymer impregnated glass mat which itself will have isocyanate or isocyanate-reactive groups. Thus IC#2 represents an inventive example; whereas, IC#1 represents a comparative composite. The results in Table 1 show that IC#2 performs better than IC#1.TABLE 1 - a comparison of the properties of Example 1 (IC#2) and Comparative Example 1 (IC#1)

[0165] Example 2: Composite IC#3 was made following the same process as IC#2 except that the isocyanate index for the thermoset polymer used for IC#3 was 81 as compared to 106 for IC #2. Composites IC#4 was also made following the same process as IC#2 except the isocyanate index for the thermoset polymer used for IC#4 was 121 as compared to 106 for IC#2. Theproperties of IC#2, IC#3 and IC#4 in Table 2 demonstrate that increasing the index of the thermoset polymer that impregnates the mat is an effective way to make composite stronger.TABLE 2 - Properties of composites IC#3, IC#2, and IC#4.

[0166] Example 3: Comparative composite IC#5 was made using the same process as IC#1 except that the WEB TECH® CGF coated glass facer in IC#1 was replaced by sprayed a chopped strand mat. Inventive composite IC#6 was made using the same process as IC#2 except that WEBTECH® CGF coated glass facer in IC#2 was replaced by sprayed chopped strand mat. Composites IC#5 and IC#6 are identical except that in IC#5, the foam was pre-reacted and cured before putting in contact with the thermoset impregnated glass mat. There is therefore no chance for chemical reaction between any functional group in the foam with the thermoset polymer. Whereas, in IC#6 the foam will have both free isocyanate or isocyanate-reactive groups poured on the polymer impregnated glass mat. The data in Table 3 shows that the properties for IC#6 are better that that for IC#5.Table 3 - Shows the a comparison of the properties of IC#5 and IC#6

[0167] Example 4: Composites IC#7 and IC#8 were made using the same process as IC#6 except the i socyanate index for the thermoset polymer used for IC#7 was 81 and forIC#8 121 as compared to 106 for IC#6. The properties in table 4 suggest that increasing the index of the mat impregnating thermoset polymer is an effective way to make composite stronger.Table 4 - A comparison of the properties of IC#7, IC#6 and IC#8.

[0168] The results in the Examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the composite boards of the present disclosure.

[0169] From the above description, it is clear that the present disclosure is admirably adapted to conduct the object and to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the present disclosure. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described for the purposes of the disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art which can be accomplished without departing from the sprit and scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A multilayer insulation composite board, said board comprising: i) a closed-cell foam comprising a polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam core having a first and second opposing planar surface having a density less than about 64 kg / m3; ii) a fiber mat disposed on at least a part of the first planar surface of the closedcell foam impregnated with a first thermoset polymer obtained from the reaction of at least one compound containing one or more isocyanate-reactive group with at least one compound containing or more isocyanate group; and wherein the closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam core contains surface free isocyanate-reactive groups or free surface isocyanate groups; wherein at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the first thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of isocyanate groups in the first planar surface of the foam core; or at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the first thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of isocyanate-reactive groups in the first planar surface of the foam core.

2. The multilayer insulation composition board of claim 1, wherein the multilayer insulation board further comprises: iii) optionally a facing material disposed on at least a part of the second planar surface of the foam core.

3. The multilayer insulation composite board of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the multilayer insulation board further comprises: iv) a first interfacial region disposed on at least a part of the first planar surface of the foam core; wherein the first interfacial region comprises a second thermoset polymer obtained from at least one compound containing isocyanate-reactive groups and at least one compound containing isocyanate groups and wherein at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the second thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the first planar surface of the foam core; or at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the second thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the first planar surface of the foam core.

4. The multilayer insulation composition board of any preceding claim, wherein said board further comprises: v) a second non-woven fiber mat disposed on at least a part of the second planar surface of the closed-cell foam.

5. The multilayer insulation composite board of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said board further comprises: vi) a second interfacial region on at least a part of the second planar surface of the foam core, said second interfacial region comprising a third thermoset polymer, wherein the third thermoset polymer comprises isocyanate reactive groups or isocyanate groups that are chemically bonded to at least a part of the second planar surface of the foam core.

6. The multilayer insulation composite board of any preceding claim, wherein the first and / or second thermoset polymer is a polyurethane polymer, preferably wherein the polyurethane polymer is the product of a reaction between a polyol component and a polyisocyanate component.

7. The multilayer insulation composite board of any preceding claim, wherein the fiber mat is a non-woven fiber mat, preferably an inorganic non-woven fiber mat, more preferably wherein the non-woven fiber mat comprises glass fibers and a binder.

8. The multilayer insulation composite board of any preceding claim, wherein one or more of the fiber mats is replaced with a facer, preferably wherein the facer comprises aluminium foil, cellulosic fibers, reinforced cellulosic fibers, craft paper, coated glass fiber mats, chopped glass, and combinations thereof.

9. The multilayer insulation composite board of any preceding claim, wherein the thermal resistance of the insulation composite board changes by less than 2% after aging a 12” x 12” x full thickness of the composite board for 180 days at 23°C / 50% relative humidity during any period from production of the board to end of life of use.

10. A multilayer insulation composite board comprising: i.a closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam core having a first and second opposing planar surface having a density less than about 64 kg / m3; ii.a first fiber mat impregnated with a first thermoset polymer obtained from the reaction of at least one compound containing an isocyanate-reactive group with at least onecompound containing an isocyanate group disposed on at least a part of the first planar surface of the closed cell foam; iii.a second fiber mat impregnated with a second thermoset polymer obtained from the reaction of at least one compound containing an isocyanate-reactive group with at least one compound containing an isocyanate group disposed on at least a part of the second planar surface of the closed cell foam; wherein the closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam core contains surface free isocyanate-reactive groups or free surface isocyanate groups; wherein at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the first thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the first planar surface of the foam core, or at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the first thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the first planar surface of the foam core; and wherein at least a part the isocyanate-reactive groups in the second thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the second planar surface of the foam core, or the isocyanate groups in the second thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the second planar surface of the foam core.

11. The multilayer insulation composite board of claim 10, wherein the multilayer insulation board further comprises: iv. a first interfacial region disposed on at least a part of the first planar surface of the foam core; wherein the first interfacial region comprises a third thermoset polymer obtained from at least one compound containing isocyanate-reactive groups and at least one compound containing isocyanate groups and wherein at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the third thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the first planar surface of the foam core; or at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the third thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the first planar surface of the foam core.

12. The multilayer insulation composite board of claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the multilayer insulation composite board further comprises: vii. a second interfacial region disposed on at least a part of the second planar surface of the foam core;wherein the second interfacial region comprises a fourth thermoset polymer obtained from at least one compound containing isocyanate-reactive groups and at least one compound containing isocyanate groups and wherein at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the fourth thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the second planar surface of the foam core; or at least a part of the isocyanate groups in the fourth thermoset polymer are chemically bonded to at least a part of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the second planar surface of the foam core.

13. The multilayer insulation composite board of any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the first and / or second thermoset polymer and / or third thermoset and / or fourth thermoset polymer is the same or different.

14. The multilayer insulation composite board of any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the first and / or second thermoset polymer and / or third thermoset and / or fourth thermoset polymer is a polyurethane polymer, preferably wherein the polyurethane polymer is the product of a reaction between a polyol component and a polyisocyanate component.

15. The multilayer insulation composite board of any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the fiber mat is a non-woven fiber mat, preferably an inorganic non-woven fiber mat, more preferably wherein the non-woven fiber mat comprises glass fibers and a binder.

16. The multilayer insulation composite board of any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein one or more of the fiber mats is replaced with a facer, preferably wherein the facer comprises aluminium foil, cellulosic fibers, reinforced cellulosic fibers, craft paper, coated glass fiber mats, chopped glass, and combinations thereof.

17. The multilayer insulation composite board of any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein the thermal resistance of the insulation composite board changes by less than 2% after aging a 12” x 12” x full thickness of the composite board for 180 days at 23°C / 50% relative humidity during any period from production of the board to end of life of use.

18. A roof system comprising: i) optionally a roof deck; ii) the multilayer insulation composite board of any preceding claim; and iii) a water-impermeable membrane.

19. A method for preparing a multilayer insulation composite board, said method comprising: i. providing a first fiber mat with a planar surface;ii. impregnating at least a part of the first fiber mat with a first thermoset polymer resin comprising a reaction product of at least one compound containing isocyanate-reactive groups with at least one compound containing isocyanate groups to at least a part of the planar surface of the first fiber mat to create a first impregnated fiber mat; iii. disposing a closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam on at least a part of the planar surface of the first impregnated fiber mat to create a closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam that is chemically bonded with the first thermoset polymer resin impregnating the first fiber mat; wherein the first thermoset polymer resin contains an excess of isocyanate-reactive groups, and wherein at least a portion of the isocyanate-reactive groups react with isocyanate groups in the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam, or wherein the first thermoset polymer resin contains an excess of isocyanate groups, and wherein at least a portion of the isocyanate groups react with isocyanate-reactive groups in polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said method further comprises: iv. contacting a facing material to the developing foam opposite the first fiber mat.

21. A method for preparing a multilayer insulation composite board, said method comprising: i) providing a first fiber mat with a planar surface; ii) impregnating at least a part of the first fiber mat with a first thermoset polymer resin comprising a reaction product of at least one compound containing isocyanatereactive groups with at least one compound containing isocyanate groups to at least a part of the planar surface of the first fiber mat to create a first impregnated fiber mat; iii) providing a second fiber mat with a planar surface; iv) impregnating at least a part of the second fiber mat with a third thermoset polymer resin comprising a reaction product of at least one compound containing isocyanate-reactive groups with at least one compound containing isocyanate groups to at least a part of the planar surface of the second fiber mat to create a second impregnated fiber mat; v) disposing a closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam to at least a part of the planar surface of the first impregnated fiber mat to create a closed-cell polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam that is chemically bonded with the first thermoset polymer resin impregnating the first fiber mat; vi) contacting the developing foam with the second fiber mat so that it is chemically bonded with the third thermoset polymer resin impregnating the second fiber mat; wherein the first and third thermoset polymer resin contains an excess of isocyanate-reactive groups, and wherein at least a portion of the isocyanate-reactive groups in the first and third thermoset polymer resin react with the isocyanate group in the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam; or wherein the first and third thermoset polymer resin contains an excess of isocyanate groups, and wherein at least a portion of the isocyanate groups in the first and third thermoset polymer resin react with the isocyanate-reactive group in the polyurethane or polyisocyanurate developing foam.

22. A process for manufacturing a multilayer composite insulation board having a rigid foam core and at least one fiber reinforced solid thermoset polymer surface layer, said process comprising the following steps: i) providing at least one fiber mat; ii) providing a first reaction system for forming a thermosetting polyurethane resin or polyisocyanurate polymer resin which is essentially solid; iii) providing a second reaction system for forming a thermosetting polyurethane or polyisocyanurate rigid polymeric foam, said second reaction system for producing a rigid foam with predominantly closed cells; iv) mixing the components of said first reaction system and at least partially impregnating at least one of said fiber mats with said first reaction system, to form at least one partially cured thermoset resin impregnated mat; v) mixing the components of said second reaction system and preparing a partially cured foam therefrom, said partially cured foam having predominantly closed cells;vi) laminating at least one of said partially cured resin impregnated mats onto at least one of the surfaces of said partially cured foam to form a laminated board; vii) optionally applying one or more facings to a surface of the partially cured foam opposite the resin impregnated mat, or to the exposed surfaces of the partially cured resin impregnated mat or mats, or to both the partially cured foam surface opposite the resin impregnated mat and the surface of the partially cured resin impregnated mat, viii) advancing the cure of said partially cured foam and said partially cured resin impregnated mat under conditions which provide for the formation of chemical bonds between the thermoset resin polymer of said thermoset resin impregnated mat and the foam polymer, said chemical bonds deriving from the reaction of free isocyanate groups with isocyanate-reactive groups or from the reaction of free isocyanate groups with other free isocyanate groups, wherein the final density of the foam core layer of said laminated composite insulation board is less than 64 kg / m3.

Images