Ballast System For Roof Protection

Abstract

A tufted geosynthetic lightweight ballast system for roof protection in which the system comprises a composite of one or more geotextiles tufted with one or more synthetic yarns.

1 . A roof tufted geosynthetic lightweight ballast system for a roof, comprising:
 a roof structure for closing a building;   a ballast system overlying an upper surface of the roof structure, comprising:   a composite of one or more geotextiles tufted with one or more synthetic yarns,   wherein the one or more synthetic yarns are tufted into the one or more geotextiles to produce slender elongate elements having an appearance of grass,   wherein each of the slender elongate elements has a length of about 0.25 to about 4 inches and   wherein the weight of the ballast system without infill is between about 0.15 to about 2.0 pounds per square foot   whereby the ballast system, overlaid on the roof structure and exposed to wind loading, breaks up a wind air flow stream proximate a tuft surface of the composite and forms in situ a boundary layer proximate thereto having a normal pressure against the ballast system for resisting wind uplift forces thereon.   
     
     
         2 . The roof ballast system as defined in  claim 1  wherein each of the one or more geotextiles comprises a polymeric material. 
     
     
         3 . The roof ballast system as defined in  claim 2  wherein the polymeric material is polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, polyester or an acrylic polymer. 
     
     
         4 . The roof ballast system as defined in  claim 1  wherein each of the one or more synthetic yarns comprises a polymeric material. 
     
     
         5 . The roof ballast system as defined in  claim 4  wherein the polymeric material is polyethylene, high density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, a polyester, polyvinyl chloride, nylon, polypropylene or other UV resistant polymeric material. 
     
     
         6 . The roof ballast system as defined in  claim 1  wherein the slender elongate elements are tufted to have a density of between about 12 and about 100 ounces per square yard. 
     
     
         7 . The roof ballast system as defined in  claim 1  wherein each of the slender elongate elements have a thickness of at least about 100 microns. 
     
     
         8 . The roof ballast system as defined in  claim 1  wherein the one or more geotextiles comprise a single layer or more than one layer. 
     
     
         9 . The roof ballast system as defined in  claim 1  wherein each of the slender elongate elements comprise slit film, tape, fibrillated fibers or monofilament fibers. 
     
     
         10 . The roof ballast system as defined in  claim 1  wherein infill is used between the slender elongate elements. 
     
     
         11 . The roof ballast system as defined in  claim 10  wherein the weight of the ballast system with infill is between about 1.0 and about 15.0 pounds per square foot. 
     
     
         12 . The roof ballast system as defined by  claim 10  wherein the infill is sand, coated sand, soil material, gravel, pea gravel, stone, organic materials, granular or cork rubber, coated rubber or ethylene propylene diene terpolymer. 
     
     
         13 . The roof ballast system as defined in  claim 1  wherein the system additionally comprises a binding agent. 
     
     
         14 . The roof ballast system as defined by  claim 13  wherein the binding agent is lime, an organic emulsion, a polymeric emulsion, a cementitious-based material or a pozzolanic-based material. 
     
     
         15 . The roof ballast system as defined by  claim 1  wherein the slender elongate elements are fire resistant. 
     
     
         16 . The roof ballast system as defined by  claim 1  wherein the slender elongate elements are reflective. 
     
     
         17 . The roof ballast system as defined by  claim 1 , wherein the roof structure comprises a protected membrane roof.