Rheology Applied to Investigate Roofing Membranes: The Case of an Ecological Alternative

Abstract

The viscoelastic performance indicators of a commercial roofing membrane and an ecological bituminous membrane, which contains EVA copolymer from disused greenhouses and filler from landfill, are investigated. Rheological methods reveal as a useful tool to investigate basic and technical aspects of these materials. It is shown that using an extrusion rheometer adapted to measure the flexibility at low temperatures and measuring the tackiness by means of a plate-plate rheometer, constitute basic experiments that help to develop new membranes. Under these premises, it is demonstrated that the ecological membrane is a performing material, whose sole shortcoming is a slightly higher application temperature.

Keywords

• bitumen
• ecological-membrane
• flexibility
• roofing
• tack