Method of installation of thermal building insulation and stretchers therefor

Claim 2

Means for applying tension to a length of a flexible thermal insulation blanket comprising a pair of bracket members, means permitting said bracket members to be mounted on and dismounted from a building frame member, a windlass shaft journaled at each end in said bracket means, means to secure an end of a blanket of insulation on said windlass shaft, and means to permit said windlass shaft to be turned to wind said insulation on said shaft and to be held at the angular position to which it is turned to tension said blanket longitudinally.

Claim 3

Thermal insulation tensioning means as defined in claim 1 in which said means to secure said insulation to said windlass shaft comprises a locking bar extending substantially parallel to said shaft between said bracket means, means to support said locking bar on said shaft at a freely variable spacing of the locking bar with respect to said windlass shaft sufficient to allow an end of a blanket to be inserted therebetween, whereby, when said end is held on said windlass shaft by compression of said blocking bar and the shaft is turned to wrap said blanket on said shaft and over said locking bar, tnesion on the unwrapped portion of said blanket actuates the compression of said end between said shaft and said locking bar.

Claim 4

Thermal insulation tension means as defined in claim 2 in which said means for mounting said bracket members to a building frame member comprises (a) a base member extending between and maintaining outwardly extending arms of said bracket members parallel to each other and (b) clamping means carried by said base member for securing said base member to a building frame member.

Claim 5

Thermal insulation tension means as defined in claim 3 in which at least one end of said windlass shaft extends outboard of a bracket arm in which it is journaled to receive a wrench for applying torque to said shaft and for holding said shaft at the angular position to which it is torqued.

Claim 6

hermal insulation tension means as defined in claim 3 including means carried by said windlass shaft to hold the same at an angular position to which it is turned.

Claim 7

Thermal insulation tension means as defined in claim 3 including means for slidably mounting said clamping means on said base member for movement in a longitudinal direction only with respect to said base member, whereby the operative length of said windlass shaft may be adjusted longitudinally with respect to the location on a building frame member on which the base member may be clamped.

Claim 8

Thermal insulation tension means as defined in claim 6 in which said mounting means for said clamping means includes a slide member connecting said clamping means to said base member, means for releasably locking said slide member in an adjusted position, and bearing foot means for resisting the moment imposed on said base member through said bracket members by tension on said insulation blanket.

Claim 9

Thermal insulation tension means as defined in claim 6 In which said bracket means include a pressure foot adapted to bear against a building frame member on which said base member is mounted, said pressure foot being oriented with respect to the arms of said bracket, means to resist the moment imposed on a bracket arm through the windlass shaft journaled therein by the tension of an insulation blanket wrapped on said shaft.