Roofing Shingles with Non-Straight Edges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional roofing shingles require excessive material and weight due to standard dimensions, leading to increased costs and transportation expenses, while existing designs for non-straight edges often compromise on material efficiency or aesthetic appeal.
Innovation Solution
The development of roofing shingles with non-straight longitudinal edges on both the headlap and buttlap portions, allowing for reduced material usage by optimizing the headlap overlap dimension, which is achieved by cutting roofing material along non-straight lines to form shingles with varying widths and sinuously curved or angular contours.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional shingles with standard dimensions are used, then adequate headlap overlap is achieved, but material usage and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curved longitudinal edges to the shingles, replacing straight edges with sinuous or curved contours. This curvature allows the shingles to achieve adequate headlap overlap at the peaks while reducing material usage in the valleys, resolving the contradiction between maintaining reliability and reducing material quantity.
2Quantity of substance
If shingles with non-straight edges are used to reduce material, then material efficiency improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The curved edges are designed with consistent radii and predictable geometric patterns that can be efficiently produced using standard roofing material cutting equipment, maintaining ease of manufacture while achieving material efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If contiguous shingles abut at lateral edges, then installation is simplified, but water leakage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The curved longitudinal edges create peaks that naturally direct water flow away from the abutment regions between contiguous shingles, reducing water leakage risk while maintaining the simplicity of butting shingles together at the lateral edges.
Data Source
AI summary
A roofing shingle is disclosed comprising a headlap portion with a non-straight longitudinal edge and a buttlap portion with a plurality of tabs with a non-straight longitudinal edge and spaced apart by openings, wherein the non-straight longitudinal edges do not shadow each other laterally across the shingle. A roofing system is disclosed wherein at least a portion of the headlap portion of such shingle from a subsequently installed course overlaps at least a portion of the headlap portion of a shingle from a previously installed course. The maximum headlap overlap dimension is beneath the subsequently installed shingle laterally proximate the openings in the buttlap portion of the subsequently installed shingle. A method for making the shingle is disclosed comprising cutting a sheet of roofing material longitudinally along non-straight lines wherein at least a portion of each formed shingle has a width of about twelve inches.