- Author
- Nguyen, T. | Rossiter, W. J., Jr.
- Title
- Effect of Surface Preparation on Wettability and Adhesive Bonding of Aged Roofing Membranes.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Book or Conf
- Adhesion Society Meeting. February 1994, 40-42 p., 1994
- Keywords
- roofs | adhesives | bonding | aging (materials) | rubber
- Abstract
- The use of vulcanized ethylene-propylen-ediene terpolymer (EPDM) rubber for low-sloped roofing membranes has become common in the United States. Recent estimates indicate that over 90 million square meters are being applied annually). Proper seam formation is a critical parameter associated with long-term performance of EPDM roofing systems. One factor affecting the performance of seams made to an existing, aged EPDM membrane is the level of contamination on the surface before bonding to it. This factor is of importance because, as time passes, roof repair is often unavoidable, and patches and splices to roofing membranes in service are performed. This paper presents the results of the effect of different levels of contamination removal by a nonpolar and a low-polar solvent on the wettability and adhesive bonding of an EPDM roofing membrane that had been exposed in service.