Abstract
Air intrusion into roof assemblies is a concern for wind uplift resistance and life cycle performance of roofs. Airflow control is usually achieved by the installation of a barrier/retarder in the roofing assembly. Even though the concept of air barrier/retarder and air barrier systems has been around for decades, it is still pretty much a new notion to the roofing industry. Currently, there are no widely accepted standard specifications or test methods to determine the air leakage through a roof. An experimental procedure has been under development at National Research Council of Canada to quantify the air intrusion into roof assemblies. As part of this investigation, five roofing assembly configurations were quantified for air leakage. Relative performance of the air retarding effect of the five assemblies indicated that assemblies with a barrier/retarder had lower air leakage rates than without. Measured air leakage rates are compared with the existing codes of practice and standards. This comparison clearly demonstrates the significance of air intrusion into the roofing assembly and the necessity of a standardized air leakage test method for the roofing industry.
Air intrusion into roof assemblies is a concern for wind uplift resistance and life cycle performance of roofs. Airflow control is usually achieved by the installation of a barrier/retarder in the roofing assembly. Even though the concept of air barrier/retarder and air barrier systems has been around for decades, it is still pretty much a new notion to the roofing industry. Currently, there are no widely accepted standard specifications or test methods to determine the air leakage through a roof. An experimental procedure has been under development at National Research Council of Canada to quantify the air intrusion into roof assemblies. As part of this investigation, five roofing assembly configurations were quantified for air leakage. Relative performance of the air retarding effect of the five assemblies indicated that assemblies with a barrier/retarder had lower air leakage rates than without. Measured air leakage rates are compared with the existing codes of practice and standards. This comparison clearly demonstrates the significance of air intrusion into the roofing assembly and the necessity of a standardized air leakage test method for the roofing industry.
Date
3/2007
3/2007
Author(s)
A Molleti, S., Baskaran, B
A Molleti, S., Baskaran, B
Page(s)
1-25
1-25
Keyword(s)
roofs, roof components, assemblies, air leakage, air intrusion, test method, wind
roofs, roof components, assemblies, air leakage, air intrusion, test method, wind