Asphaltic sheet materials including expandable graphite

1. An asphaltic composite sheet comprising:

(i) an asphaltic component including a fabric that is saturated with an asphalt binder, said asphaltic component including and first and second planar surfaces;

(ii) particulate disposed on said first planar surface of the asphaltic component, wherein said particulate consists of expandable graphite;

(iii) a polymeric layer laminated to said first planar surface of the asphaltic component so that the particulate is disposed between the polymeric layer and the first planar surface of the asphaltic component; and

(iv) a release member removably secured to said second planar surface of said asphaltic component.

2. The asphaltic sheet of claim 1 , where the asphalt binder includes a polymeric modifier dispersed within the asphalt binder.

3. The asphaltic composite sheet of claim 1 , where the expandable graphite is characterized by an onset temperature of at least 130° C.

4. The asphaltic composite sheet of claim 1 , where the asphaltic component further includes a flame retardant dispersed within the asphalt binder.

5. The asphaltic composite sheet of claim 1 , where the asphaltic composite is formed by providing a fabric coated with an asphaltic binder composition, dropping said particulate onto a surface of the fabric coated with an asphaltic binder composition while the asphaltic binder composition is in a molten or partially molten state, and applying a polymeric film over the particulate to thereby sandwich the particulate between the asphaltic binder composition and the polymeric film.

6. The asphaltic composite sheet of claim 1 , where at least a portion of the particulate is at least partially embedded in the asphaltic binder.

7. The asphaltic composite sheet of claim 1 , where the at least a portion of the particulate is adhered to the first surface of the asphaltic component, and where at least a portion of the particulate adhered to the first surface of the asphaltic component directly contacts the polymeric layer.

8. The asphaltic composite sheet of claim 1 , where the polymeric layer is a polyolefin sheet.

9. An asphaltic composite sheet comprising:

(i) a first asphaltic layer including an asphaltic binder composition, said first asphaltic layer having first and second generally planar surfaces;

(ii) a fabric having first and second generally planar surfaces, said first planar surface of said fabric being in contact with the first planar surface of the first asphaltic layer;

(iii) a second asphaltic layer including an asphaltic binder composition, said second asphaltic layer having first and second generally planar surfaces, said first planar surface of said second asphaltic layer being contact with the second planar surface for the fabric;

(iv) particulate disposed on the second planar surface of the second asphaltic layer, wherein said particulate consists of expandable graphite;

(v) a polymeric layer laminated to the second planar surface of the second asphaltic layer so that the particulate is disposed between the polymeric layer and the second planar surface of the second asphaltic layer; and

(vi) a release member removably secured to said second planar surface of said first asphaltic layer.

10. The asphaltic composite sheet of claim 1 , wherein said second planar surface of said asphaltic component is devoid of particulate.

11. The asphaltic composite sheet of claim 9 , wherein said first planar surface of the second asphaltic layer is devoid of particulate.