Lightweight Roofing Report

This report discusses the advantages and disadvantages of lightweight roofing materials, including polymers, PVC, and fiberglass. It highlights their applications in construction, cost-effectiveness, and environmental considerations, providing a comprehensive overview of the lightweight roofing industry.

Running head: LIGHTWEIGHT ROOFING
Lightweight roofing
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive summary
The following report discusses the many benefits provided by the lightweight roofing structures.
The report also tells about the various lightweight products that are available in the market.
Along with this, the various advantages and the disadvantages are also discussed in this report.
The main products included in this report are the polymer materials, PVC materials and the
fiberglass materials. Along with the advantages and the disadvantages of the said materials, the
report also includes the various specifications of the products that accounts for such
specifications in the market.

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Table of Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................3
Discussion:.......................................................................................................................................3
Polymer:.......................................................................................................................................4
PVC:............................................................................................................................................5
Fiberglass:....................................................................................................................................7
Conclusion:......................................................................................................................................8
References:....................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction:
The materials used in the formation of lightweight roofing are used to provide features
for roofing applications. The materials used for the lightweight roofing applications are termed
as lightweight based on the specifications and the weight of them. The specifications of the
materials are in the ranges of 20 kg per meter. The weight of the materials used for the roofing is
only considered when fitted on the roof. The materials with the specifications of the heavyweight
exceed the defined limit. Due to the various situational benefits provided by the lightweight
roofing materials, they are used in various other ways too.
The report discusses the many benefits provided by the lightweight roofing structures.
The report also tells about the various lightweight products that are available in the market.
Along with this, the various advantages and the disadvantages are also discussed in this report.
Discussion:
The roofing materials consist of various outermost layers to provide more protection to
the building infrastructure underneath it. In some cases, it is made to support its own weight, but
mostly they are made to provide protection to the building infrastructure underneath it. The
nature elements are supposed to be very dangerous and the necessity for protection is referenced
from the application of the roofing materials. However, the diversity in market for the roofing
material is much high due to the presence of different materials to address the same application
concerned. The roofing materials are made by the application of commercially produced goods
(tiles) or naturally found goods (thatch). In addition to provide more advantages for protection,
the roofing layer covers other waterproofing layers to address the protection concerns. Thus, the
use of such materials provides various benefits to the industries implementing them in

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production or other applications. The main advantages are the reduced cost and the stability in
the economy (Humphreys 2015). The formed structure can be formed without the need for
vacating the people present in the structure. In addition, the installation time is also much fast,
which gives, added benefits.
Polymer:
The polymeric materials constitute to the highest growth in the manufacturing industry.
In the terms of chemistry, the polymeric compounds are made up of repeating units, which
makes up the rubbers, adhesives, paints, foams and sealants (Wu et al. 2017). Moreover, the
application in the sector of the constructional industries includes the application of roofing,
flooring, claddings or seals and pipes. Due to the increase in demand of the polymeric products,
their application in the modern times has increased to a much higher level. The basic use of these
products is to references the various problems that are being faced in the manufacturing industry.
The longevity of the material is a benefit as the market demands depend on the commercial
effectiveness of the product. Resistance to the weather conditions is another benefit for the
polymeric products. However, the pollution due to the existence of these products is a concern
that is being followed by the industries to make the adoption of a greener lifestyle work. The
disastrous effects of the products are other concerns as the materials from the roofing or
windows should not be made to fall that can be dangerous (Mas et al. 2015). In addition, the
leakage of the seals and pipes is another concern due to the increased repair cost. These
examples are to be considered by the industries to address them for the process of manufacturing
or construction.
The recycling of these synthetic products is the first benefit that is provided by the
application of the polymeric products. Due to the presence of the recycling nature of the product

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concerned, the magnitude of its disadvantages are often overlooked as the green city
implementation is always preferred over others (Sivapathasundaram and Mahendran 2014). This
is the main reason of widespread adaptation of the polymeric products. The longevity is another
concern for the roofing as the span for its stay is only 35 years. Transportation of these products
also does not provide any concern as the need for burnt fuel is much less as the product is very
light in weight. This accounts to less cost requirements for the manufacturers to transport them.
In addition, the production cost is also very low which makes it a great choice for the
manufacturers. Lastly, the presence of resistance to fire is another advantage, which makes it a
great choice for roofing and windowing.
The main problem associated is the less span in the market as it is subjected to
disintegration when used for a long time. Although, these products are recyclable in nature, if left
in the open untreated, it can lead to various pollutions in the environment. In addition, the
resistance to UV radiations is a major problem as the roofing materials are subjected to sunlight
all the time. This causes bristling, color change in the materials, and gives it a dull color. This is
the reason for change in demands of the market, as customers want other alternatives to this
problem. Moreover, the use of certain other polymeric product costs more which causes the
implementation of these products very difficult. This is another reason for the decreasing demand
for the product in the market.
PVC:
Another product used for the implementation of the roofing application is the poly vinyl
chloride (PVC). The use of these materials has been in the market for over a century. The main
characteristics of the poly vinyl chloride (PVC) products are the presence of high durability,
strength and lightweight. These characteristics make it a viable choice for the implementation of

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the roofing mechanism in the infrastructure to be developed. The application of these products is
done to make the end products last very long in the market (30 years). In addition, the
installation of these materials for their uses does not provide any problems and reduces the time
required for installation and repair. Moreover, the end products made by the use of PVC products
do not need much maintenance to stay in good condition (Humphreys 2015). The features of the
materials made from the PVC do not need much cost for scalability that makes it a great choice
for the implementation in the manufacturing industry. This is the very basis for the construction
of the lightweight structures. Moreover, the characteristics of eco-friendly installation are also
provided from the use of materials formed form PVC.
The main advantages of the products made by the application of PVC are the increased
strength. They are mainly applied to increase the tensile strength and durability of the structures
concerned. The membranes present in the structure of PVC have the strength of 350 pounds for
each inch that provides them the ability to surpass the American Standards of strength. In
addition, the presence of these membranes helps the end products to last long in the market.
Moreover, the waterproofing ability is another advantage provide from the usage of the PVC
materials (Nadeem et al. 2017). This application helps provide more comparative advantages in
respect to the roofing materials that uses adhesives to maintain stability.
The service life of the end products is very high in the presence of the market demands.
As the durability of PVC is much high, the end products have a high life of deployment. For
example, a normal roof made of PVC is supposed to last for 20 years without the need for
maintenance. This helps the customers to adapt to the use of these materials. In addition, the
resistance to corrosive action is another advantage, which makes it easy to use in restaurants. The
oil from these applications is not much affected in the PVC enabled roofs. Moreover, the fire

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approval tests are surpassed which makes it a viable choice for residential roofing. The presence
of waterproofing features is also integrated in the PVC materials, which also increases the
residential application.
The main disadvantages are the change in shape with the increase in time. Due to
increase in time, the materials become more prone to shattering and punctures, which is the main
cause for disadvantages in the market (Nadeem et al. 2017). Due to this property, the repair of
such roofs is not possible and the requirement for a new roof is required for meeting the roofing
application. This increases the cost requirements, as the change in market is a factor to increase
the cost of the material. In addition, the manufacturing of the PVC process releases many
harmful chemicals in the environment, which is a concern for addressing the environmental
pollutions.
Fiberglass:
Home insulation is a required necessity in almost all residential as well as commercial
homes. It means the acquisitions of necessary heating mechanisms for living in the supporting
structures. Now a day, the increase in heating requirements has made a rise in the market for
regulating mechanisms to be installed in the house. The heat insulation helps in regulation and
reduction of the heat in the house and thus helps in meeting the needs of the customers involved
(Humphreys 2015). This ability also helps the reduction and regulation of the heat present in the
atmosphere. The most used and popular roofing material to address such requirements is the
fiberglass roofing.
The material to form the fiberglass insulation is usually present in the form of batts or
rolls (Yang et al. 2014). Among these specifications, the insulation in the batts form is always
available in the precut form. The other shapes of insulation have to be made according to the

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description of the requirements. The shapes of the material are made up of thin strands of glass,
which makes the foundation of lightweight structures (Pathak et al. 2015). These strands are
solely responsible for providing the insulations characteristics in the houses.
In addition o these advantages provided, the methods are very cost effective to help
implement the products. They are also resistant to fire, which also helps to address the other
environmental concerns present due to the presence of fire safety. Moreover, the presence of
recyclable characteristics helps to reduce the environmental concerns that arise from the
addressing of the pollutions (Sivapathasundaram and Mahendran 2014). The surrounding sound
is also removed as it provides a layer of insulation separating the outer world form the inner.
The fiberglass insulations are a much viable options for the presence of all the advantages
it is associated with, but it also has some disadvantages. The main disadvantages of the
insulation provided from the making of fiberglass are mainly present in the health standards of
the people (Wu et al. 2017). The materials used have evidence of carcinogenic materials present
in the product, which makes it a necessity to adapt to the security norms during production or
installation. In addition, it is evident that some products of fiberglass applications have the
presence of formaldehyde in it. Thus, it is not recommended to the homeowners to install the
product on their own (Mas et al. 2015). Moreover, the material settling reduction can lead to the
decrease in the “R” value of the materials. This property causes the development of small vents
in the material where heat cannot be trapped properly. If such problems are not addressed in the
proper time, the trapping of moisture is evident which leads to the formation of moulds in the
affected area.

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Conclusion:
Thus, it is concluded from the report that the various problems associated with the
lightweight roofing structures are solved by implementing the right materials to address the
roofing requirements in the right places. The traditional roofing was not able to meet the needs of
the growing population and the requirement for better roofing became a challenge to the
manufacturers. This led to the development of new features and new materials for addressing the
roofing requirements of the common people. However, the materials made for roofing were
initially heavyweight products, which caused problems in installation as well as in production.
Soon after such problems, the lightweight products were introduced which led to a rapid
turnaround in the manufacturing industry for the development of the required products. In
addition, it is also concluded that the cost requirements of the roofing mechanisms are to be
contracted from the building contractor as the cost usually varies in all aspects.

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References:
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Resistant Thin-Walled Box-cell Roofing System. In International Symposium on Structural
Engineering.
Bryson, M.L., Weaver, C.P., Boss, D.E. and Kiik, M., Building Materials Investment
Corporation, 2016. Light weight shingle. U.S. Patent 9,279,255.
Fielder, Z., FitzPatrick, J. and Scheer, K., 2016. Bamboo Roofing System for Egyptian Houses.
Floricel, A., Vataman, A., Ciutina, A. and Ungureanu, V., 2016, November. Complete
retrofitting solutions of precast concrete panel buildings using lightweight steel systems. In Life-
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Resistance of Roofing Fasteners.
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Philippines. Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci, 15, pp.805-816.

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Nadeem, H., Habib, N.Z., Ng, C.A., Zoorob, S.E., Mustaffa, Z., Chee, S.Y. and Younas, M.,
2017. Utilization of catalyzed waste vegetable oil as a binder for the production of
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