Lightweight Roofing Report: A Comparative Analysis of Materials

This report provides an overview of lightweight roofing, focusing on the materials used and their respective advantages and disadvantages. The report begins with an introduction to lightweight roofing, defining its characteristics and highlighting its benefits, such as cost reduction and ease of installation. It then delves into a discussion of various materials, including polymers, PVC, and fiberglass. For each material, the report details its composition, applications, advantages (such as durability, cost-effectiveness, and eco-friendliness), and disadvantages (such as longevity, UV resistance, and potential health risks). The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and offering a comparative analysis of the different lightweight roofing options available in the market. The report also includes references to support the information presented.

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 about the various benefits of lightweight roofing. The report also
discusses about the lightweight products available in the global market. The advantages and
disadvantages of the products are also included in this report.

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Table of Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................3
Discussion:.......................................................................................................................................3
Polymer:.......................................................................................................................................4
PVC:............................................................................................................................................5
Fiberglass materials:....................................................................................................................8
Conclusion:......................................................................................................................................9
References:....................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction:
Lightweight roofing is used to provide houses with the availability of materials with
lightweight. The products intended for the roofing procedure is defined as lightweight based on
their weight and specifications. Mostly, the specifications of the lightweight product are the
consistency of 20kgs per meter square. This weight is considered when only fitted on the roof.
However, the heavyweight materials are supposed to exceed the defined limit. There are many
ways of using the lightweight in roofing services due to the situational benefits.
This report discusses about the various lightweight roofing techniques and the materials
used. The advantages and disadvantages of them are also discussed in this report.
Discussion:
The materials used for roofing is supposed to be the layer which is outermost to a
building. It is sometimes made to support itself but naturally made with an underlying structure.
The elements of nature can be gruesome sometimes and the protection from them is provided by
the roofing materials. In addition, the roofing layer shows much diversity in the market
depending on the materials used and the specifications of the structure. The materials used for
making a roofing structure depend on the ranges of products used like the natural products
(thatch) or the produced products (tiles). The roofing materials are sometimes constructed on top
of another waterproofing layer to provide more resistance to the underlying structures. The use
of lightweight structures provides many benefits to the industry applying them. The main
advantage is the reduction in cost and the economic stability (Humphreys 2015). The materials
also reduce the need of additional designs in the core foundation of the structure. The structure

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thus formed can be constructed without the need of vacating the people present in the structure.
In addition, the time required for installation is also lessened die to the faster deployment rate.
Polymer:
The materials made by the polymer make up the highest growth in the materials used in
construction. In terms of chemistry of materials, polymers are long molecules that are made up
of many repeating units. The possible materials included in the polymer categories are the
rubbers, adhesives, thermoplastics, paints, foams and sealants (Wu et al. 2017).. However, the
main applications of the polymers in the constructional area include roofing, flooring, claddings,
windows application, pipes, seals and membranes. The modern times are filled with many
applications of the polymers as their emergence has recently increased in a much new level. Due
to changes in the properties of the polymer materials, their usage provides more advantage in the
industry intended for construction. This provides more applications of the benefits than the
commercial and traditional constructional materials, which were being used for such a long time.
The basic use of polymeric materials is the requirement in addressing the conditions faced in
basic constructional works. These include the longevity of the material, which is important for
commercial longevity (Mas et al. 2015).. The resistance to weather is also another point, which
made the implementation of these materials rise. However, the effects of their existence and the
pollution it may pose are also a point of concern is being addressed to meet the needs of a
greener lifestyle. For example, the panels of the walls that are being mounted on the buildings
should not be allowed to fall down leading to disastrous effects. In addition, the seals leakage is
also to be referenced else, the cost of repairing is a much higher concern. These examples
provide a general idea about the reason for widespread implementation of the materials to meet
the needs of the constructional and the manufacturing industries.

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The main benefits provided from the implementation of the polymeric product are the
ability to recycle the product. The products formed by the adoption of polymer are supposed to
be synthetic and as less longevity (Sivapathasundaram and Mahendran 2014).. Due to the
presence of its recycling nature, the cons of such magnitude are reduced due to the addressing of
the environmental concerns. The synthetic products are recycling in nature and thus the
environmental problem is reduced by such. This helps the widespread accepting of the polymeric
products. However, the product is supposed to stay for a span of 35 years. In addition, the
transportation requirements require less burning of the fuels, which accounts to better
transportation and reduced cost due to the presence of lightweight specifications. The polymeric
products also cost less in production, which makes it a viable choice due for cheap costs. The
products are also fire resistant and this is another advantage that is being implemented by mostly
all the manufacturers and construction individuals.
The main disadvantages of the polymeric products are the longevity. Due to its less time
in the market, they are subjected to disintegration (Pathak et al. 2015). They are recyclable but
leads to environmental problems if left untreated. This may increase the land related pollution in
the affected area. In addition, the resistance to UV rays is a major disadvantage. The products are
not too much resistant and lead to color changes and bristling in due course of time. This leads to
change in aesthetic looks. The presence of such characteristics can influence people to move to
other alternatives. Customers satisfaction is a major part in the market and the need for
maintaining it by all the manufacturers are to be considered. In addition, some specific products
cost too much in compared to the traditional products. This makes the implementation of such
products to decrease in the market.

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PVC:
The polyvinyl chloride is another product available that is used for the implementation in
lightweight roofing structures. The use of PVC related products are in there for over a century.
The characteristics of PVC are the strength, less weight and the durability in application. This is
the main requirements for its implementation in various structures. The structures made by the
use of PVC are made to last for a long time (30 years). These services are also very easy to
install and reduces the time required for installation. The structures made are also very versatile
and do not require too much maintenance (Humphreys 2015).. This feature of the PVC materials
reduces the cost of scaling and thus makes it a very viable choice of the constructional
individuals. This facilitates the making of very lightweight structures. In addition, the main
advantages provided by the materials with PVC are the characteristics to make it an eco-friendly
installation.
The major advantages of the PVC are the strength. They are mainly used for the
application of tensile strength on to the structures involved. The membranes of the PVC
materials have strength of 350 pounds per inch. This makes it to surpass the American standards
of strength. The durability is another advantage of the PVC made materials. The presence of
membranes helps the materials to last in the market. The most important advantage is the
waterproofing feature of the material. This gives the materials more advantages over the roofing
materials that use adhesives or duct tapes to maintain the application.
In addition, service life of the products are very much high. Due to the presence of
durable characteristics in the PVC, the life of deployment is increased to a much high level. A
normal PVC roof is supposed to run for 20 years without the need of maintenance costs. The
presence of funds required for the maintenance is thus reduced and this helps in widespread

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implementation of the PVC related materials. This also helps reduce the need for the customers
implementing the services to invest huge amount of money.
The PVCs are also resistant to chemical corrosive actions and this is the reason for their
adoption in the restaurants and hotels. Even the oils from the foods can damage the traditional
roofs but will not have much of an impact in the PVC roofs. This greatly increases the customers
involved in the implementation of the PVC services. The fire testing characteristics is another
advantage that provides ease of implementation to the manufacturers and the customers. As the
ignition rate is very slow and difficult, they are widely used to address the problems associated
with the ignition of the product. The PVC materials have surpassed the fire approval tests and are
very much fire resistant. They are also resistant to strong wind applications so that the problems
associated with high buildings and skyscrapers are not a problem.
The feature of waterproofing is another advantage as the presence of the watertight
membrane allows the use of such materials very readily. This also increases the customer
satisfaction associated with the use of the product. The materials are also environmental friendly
as they reduce the possibility of heating and help to address the solar radiations. They also
provide the recycling characteristics to meet the standards of the area. Moreover, the cost
involved in installation is very low due to which there is an increasing demand in the market for
the material involved.
The major disadvantages are the changes in shape. With increasing time, the PVCs
shatter and become tense. They become prone to more shattering and puncturing which causes
main problems in its application. In addition, the repair of such roofs is not possible and requires
the implementation of new roofs to meet the needs of the roof. This causes increased cost as the
market, which was 20 years ago, will change and the price will increase to a much higher level.

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In addition, during the manufacture of the PVC products, many chemical components are
released which makes it difficult to implement the services with a right peace of mind.
Fiberglass materials:
The presence of home insulation is a requirement in most of the homes present now days.
This causes an increase in demand of regulation of the heat present in the home. The insulation
in the home helps in the reduction and regulation of the heat and thus helps to meet the
addressing of the customers (Humphreys 2015). This also helps in regulation of the amount of
heat that is being released in to the atmosphere and helps in reducing the possibility of pollution.
The most popular type to provide the desired insulation is the fiberglass lightweight roofing.
The fiberglass insulation is usually present in the form of rolls or batts (Yang et al. 2014).
The batts insulation is available in precut form while the other shapes have to be made by the
requirements needed. These shapes are made of strands of glass, which are very thin. This makes
the material very light in weight and very cost effective (Pathak et al. 2015). The strands are very
much responsible to provide the required insulation in the homes concerned.
The presence of many advantages is present in the integration of the fiberglass material
for roofing requirements. They are very cost effective for people who are implementing the
solution provided by the fiberglass implementation (Sivapathasundaram and Mahendran 2014).
The fire resistance is high which makes it resistant to the fire in the environment. In addition,
they are recycling in nature and helps in addressing many environmental concerns. It also helps
in reducing the surrounding sound in the atmosphere.
However, the major disadvantages of the fiberglass insulation are the risks it poses to the
health of the humans involved (Wu et al. 2017). There is evidence of many carcinogenic agents
in the materials used and thus the presence of caution in the system is required. In addition, the

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presence of formaldehyde is also seen in many fiberglass roofing materials and thus it is
recommended to the homeowners that applications on their own should not be emphasized (Mas
et al. 2015). Moreover, the decrease in the material settling can lead to reduction of the “R”
value. The reduction in the value can lead to development of vents in the material where the heat
pertaining to the air can escape. If the spaces are not addressed, the development of mould is
prominent which causes the tramping of moisture (Wu et al. 2017).
Conclusion:
Thus, it can be concluded from the report that the use of lightweight roofing helps to
address many problems that are evident due to the presence of traditional roofing.

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