Fiber-reinforced vinyl membranes for enhanced impact resistance

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Hail storms impact many parts of North America, causing substantial damages to building roofs. Making roofing membranes hail-resistant will significantly reduce the potential repair cost and lower the insurance premium. Among many materials used for commercial roofing, vinyls are gaining momentum for their superior properties and lowering cost with advances in manufacturing technologies. They are generally resistant to tear and puncture damages but cannot withstand strong hail impact. We are developing a new composite material that incorporates fibers into the vinyl matrix to strengthen its impact resistance. In this project, we will optimize the ingredients of this material, as well as how they are pretreated, for best performance. A new protocol for impact test that simulates realistic hail conditions, including different environmental temperatures, will also be developed. The proposed work will lead to a new hail-resistant vinyl roofing membrane product with no direct competition on the market. It uses a simple single-ply structure and can be produced with existing facilities at most vinyl manufacturers with minimal adaption. Commercialization of the product will give the Ontarian vinyl industry a head start in a sizable new market area. Increased revenues and expanded businesses will also lead to more employment opportunities in this sector.