Corrosion Resistant Sustainable roofing
Mr. David Bailey, PE and T. Napier, US Army Engineer Research & Development Ctr

Roofing is the number one facilities degradation problem in the Army. Exposure to heat, ultraviolet radiation, water and moisture, and biological growth all contribute to degrading conventional roofing materials. Roofing is also a major contributor to a building’s heating and cooling loads, and therefore energy consumption. These problems are being addressed by researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL). As part of the Department of Defense Corrosion Prevention and Control (CPC) program, three innovative roofing technologies are being demonstrated at Fort Bragg, NC. Two “cool roofs” will be installed over existing roofs. One consists of standing seam metal roof system, and another consists of metal shingle roof system. The primary features of these systems include a corrosion resistant polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) coatings with a high solar reflectance, and space between the existing roof and new roof to vent heat and moisture above the occupied space. These technologies are expected to reduce heat flow between the roof and occupied spaces by 70% compared to conventional roofing. The third technology consists of a glass fiber composite roof system. The primary feature of this material is a polytetrafluorethylene (PFTE) dispersion layer to increase resistance to chemical and UV degradation. Furthermore, this roofing is translucent, reducing the building’s lighting demand. Laboratory and on-site testing will be conducted to compare the demonstration roofs’ performance with conventional roofing. This paper will describe each of the innovative roofing materials and their properties, their performance relative to conventional roofing, reduction of heat transfer to interior spaces, installation costs and schedule performance, and lessons learned from the demonstration. Recommendations for further implementation within Army construction and building maintenance programs will also be described.

Corrosion Prevention and Control Strategies

The Preliminary Program for 2009 DoD Corrosion Conference (August 10-14, 2009)