Disclosed is a roofing underlayment providing mechanical and electrical connection for solar shingles that includes a water-impervious membrane adapted to be attached to a roof. The underlayment also includes a mechanical attachment member configured to mechanically attach a solar shingle to the roof, as well as an electrical conductor having an electrical first portion of which is embedded within the membrane, having an electrical second portion which is configured to electrically connect to a solar shingle, and having an electrical third portion which is configured to electrically connect to an electrical circuit. An air gap is provided that allows for air flow below the solar shingles. The air gap comprises a space between a bottom surface of the solar shingles and a bottom surface of the membrane.

A multi-layer cap shingle for installation along a ridge, hip, or rake of a roof includes a forward exposure area and a rear headlap area. The multi-layer cap shingle includes at least two layers of shingle material, a top layer and a bottom layer each having opposed edges. The layers are bonded together with patches of lamination adhesive adjacent their opposed edges. The bottom layer is configured with a deformation-absorbing mechanism such as a pair of slots extending from a forward edge reawardly inboard of the lamination adhesive patches. When the multi-layer cap shingle is bent over a roof ridge, the slots of the bottom layer of shingle material narrow in width to account for the fact that the bottom layer must bend around an arc of slightly smaller radius than the top layer of shingle material. As a result, the opposed edges of the bottom and top layers of shingle material remain aligned and both edges of the top layer are laminated to the bottom layer to increase wind lift resistance of the installed multi-layer cap shingle.

The present disclosure relates generally to a roofing system including flashing, for example, suitable for protecting a roof from water leakage. The present disclosure relates more particularly to a roofing system including first, second, and third courses of shingles, where the second course overlaps the first and the third course overlaps the second. A flashing plate is disposed over the first course of shingles and partially under the second course of shingles. The flashing plate and the third course of shingles are spaced apart by a gap in a direction of the slope of the roof between a top edge of the flashing plate and a lower edge of the third course of shingles.

A multi-layer cap shingle for installation along a ridge, hip, or rake of a roof includes a forward exposure area and a rear headlap area. The multi-layer cap shingle includes at least two layers of shingle material, a top layer and a bottom layer each having opposed edges. The layers are bonded together with patches of lamination adhesive adjacent their opposed edges. The bottom layer is configured with a deformation-absorbing mechanism such as a pair of slots extending from a forward edge reawardly inboard of the lamination adhesive patches. When the multi-layer cap shingle is bent over a roof ridge, the slots of the bottom layer of shingle material narrow in width to account for the fact that the bottom layer must bend around an arc of slightly smaller radius than the top layer of shingle material. As a result, the opposed edges of the bottom and top layers of shingle material remain aligned and both edges of the top layer are laminated to the bottom layer to increase wind lift resistance of the installed multi-layer cap shingle.

The invention is an electrical and mechanical roof underlayment which provides electrical and mechanical connection of solar shingles to a roof. The underlayment simplifies the installation of solar shingles allowing the shingles to be installed and connected together in the same step. The underlayment includes a membrane which has embedded electrical conductors and electrical connectors that provides an electrical connecting system extending to an electrical circuit. The membrane further has embedded mechanical members with mechanical connectors that secure the shingles to the membrane. The membrane is structurally attached to a roof surface. The structural attachment may be an adhesive attachment. Solar shingles are connected to the membrane by an integral clasping mechanism that mechanically and electrically connects the shingles to the membrane. No external wiring, connectors or devices are required to make the electrical connection between the shingles and the membrane. Contacts are integral and embedded into each individual shingle.

A shingle coating asphalt composition is provided that is produced from a paving grade asphalt. The asphalt composition comprises a paving-grade asphalt that has been modified with one or more polymer additives; and a secondary additive comprising one or more of a viscosity reducing agent, a wax, a salt of a fatty acid ester, and an amide of a fatty acid. The shingle coating asphalt coating composition is used to make a shingle. The shingle includes a substrate, the asphalt, and roofing granules.

A laminated roofing shingle includes an overlay sheet, an underlay sheet secured to the overlay sheet to define a two-layer portion of the shingle, and a tape member secured on a front surface of the headlap portion of the overlay sheet by an asphalt coating of the overlay sheet, with the tape member being positioned such that at least a portion of the tape member is adhered to a single layer portion of the shingle. The shingle further includes a granular material secured to the front surface of the headlap portion of the overlay sheet, with no granular material adhered to the tape member, such that a portion of the overlay sheet carrying the tape member has a smaller thickness than a portion of the overlay sheet carrying the granular material.

A shingle support according to this invention is easily aligned on and affixed to roof rafters. Once affixed, the shingle support provides a support to roofing shingles, to facilitate installation. It also provides the function of creating a protective terminus to each shingle to prevent lifting and damage by wind. As a result of use of the shingle support according to this invention, roofers are provided with an apparatus, kit, system and method for roof shingle installation superior to that currently available. In addition, the resulting roof shingle installation is more robust than known roof shingle installations.

A shingle which includes a substrate, granules deposited on the substrate, a first material strip applied to the top of the substrate, a second material strip applied to the bottom of the substrate, and an adhesive applied to the second material strip. The second material strip is positioned along an edge of the substrate such that when a shingle is applied to a roof overlaying an existing shingle, the adhesive adheres the second material strip of the overlaying shingle to the first material strip of the existing shingle. The second material strip is applied to the bottom of the substrate prior particles being applied to the bottom surface of the substrate.

The invention is an electrical and mechanical roof underlayment which provides electrical and mechanical connection of solar shingles to a roof. The underlayment simplifies the installation of solar shingles allowing the shingles to be installed and connected together in the same step. The underlayment includes a membrane which has embedded electrical conductors and electrical connectors that provides an electrical connecting system extending to an electrical circuit. The membrane further has embedded mechanical members with mechanical connectors that secure the shingles to the membrane. The membrane is structurally attached to a roof surface. The structural attachment may be an adhesive attachment. Solar shingles are connected to the membrane by an integral clasping mechanism that mechanically and electrically connects the shingles to the membrane. No external wiring, connectors or devices are required to make the electrical connection between the shingles and the membrane. Contacts are integral and embedded into each individual shingle.