107 Architectural Fabrics Marcel Dery 107.1 Introduction 07-1 Chemical Fbeis Coporaion 107.2. Product 107-1 107.1 Introduction In the late 1960s, the opportunity to economically encapsulate large, cleat-spans dictated alight weight construction approach. The temporary nature of available fabrics was not objectionable, since many of the structures envisioned, such as halls for international expositions, required relatively short periods of actual use, This provided an impetus to reconsider the design implications for such structures and finally toa reconsideration of the materials of construction themselves." ‘To fully exploit the potential of the fabric option, there was litle doubt that a new generation of structural fabric would be required: materials tough enough to withstand the rigors of handling by construction crews, virtually impervious to the ravages of weather, able to meet all applicable life safety codes including fire hazard, and sufficiently translucent to provide natural illumination in daylight hours. 107.2 Products While several available fabrics could meet some of these requirements, none would meet them all Nevertheless, it seemed reasonable to believe that such properties could be engendered if the proper selection of materials were made. In retrospect, it now appears that the material eventually selected, fiberglass and Teflon perfluoropolymer resins, may be unique in their ability to confer these properties in an efficient and cost-effective manner, Glass in its fibrous form is an outstanding candidate for a woven reinforcement:itis pound for pound as strong as steel. It is incombustible, and it is compatible with the elevated temperatures required for processing in conjunction with the most incombustible resins. ‘Tellon perfluoropolymer resins are the most chemically inert plastics known and are particularly noted for their ability to withstand exposure to the ultraviolet radiation, moisture, and smogs associated with the outdoor environment. The flammability characteristics ofthese resins are equally outstanding: such ‘materials will not support combustion in atmospheres containing less than 98% oxygen, Also, because of their lower heats of combustion, perfluoropolymers contribute substantially less fuel value than a comparable mass of hydrocarbon polymers. Finally, both the light transmission and flame-resistive properties can be expected to be maintained indefinitely, since these properties are inherent in the plastic and are not dependent on additives, which may bloom to the surface and oxidize, or be washed away or attacked by microorganisms. By working within these functional requirements, a family of permanent architectural fabrics was developed. Certain characteristics of the composite do present mechanical “Portions ofthis chapter were extracted from a presentation made by De. John A. Elfenberger, Vice President and “Technical Director at Chemical Fabrics Corporation. 107-1107-2 Coatings Technology Handbook, Third Edition ‘TABLE 107.1 Typical Specifications for Architectural Fabrics ‘Sheer Property 7 w TH Fabrosor ‘Weight, oxy “8 9 u ‘Thickness, 0036 0.030 sol ‘Tensile strength, lin Warp 00 20a Fi mm 4080 Fexfold strength, in ‘Warp 700 40 50s Fil soo 0S ‘ear steengt arp oo os Fi o M8 Coating adhesion i, ‘Minimum average 18 b B 4 Minimum single 0 0 n 4 Solar ansmission, 9 igh transmission " 1B BoB low tanatsson 7 9 9 NA Solar reflectance, 6 mia o mn Fite eof roo coverings problems. The britleness of fiberglass must be addressed without compromising its inherently high strength and modulus of elasticity. And its sensitivity to hydrolysis must be effectively counteracted, Additionally, the low abrasion resistance of perfluoropolymer coatings had to be overcome. Last,amethod for joining fabric panels into roofing elements with structural integrity equivalent to that of the fabric had to be developed. ‘The britleness issue is addressed first by choosing the finest diameter filaments to assure maximum strand flexibility. The yams are then plied and woven in a plain configuration with a high degree of ‘openness to enhance elongation, tear strength, and translucency in a coated fabric. The woven fabri is subsequently heat set and treated with a finish to inhibit the penetration of moisture into the yarns during processing, to further enhance tear strength, and to control elongation, The effectiveness of this process is evidenced by the high initial tensile and tear strength and the etention of tensile strength upon folding or soaking in water. Typical mechanical specifications for Sheerfill architectural fabrics are shown in Table 107.1. Perfluoroethylene, by nature, has alow abrasion resistance, Since architectural fabries must withstand the rigors of weather, a method of enhancing this property had to be developed. A glass filler was added to the outermost coats, which greatly improved the abrasion resistance of the surface without affecting the self-cleaning properties. A self-cleaning property is inherent in perfluoroethylene coated roofs. This leads to much lower maintenance cost over conventional roofs. The low coefficient of friction allows dit, snow, and water to easly leave the roo ‘The procedure for joining panels of fabric into a completed roof is as follows. Panels are lapped to provide a 3 in, seam area. A film of polyfluoroethylene resin is used as a hot-melt adhesive. Because this joint must beas structurally sound as the fabric itself, it must be constructed to avoid creep of the adhesive ‘under design load, These joints are normally as strong asthe fabric itself and equally durable. ‘Aside from the purely mechanical aspects of architectural fabrics, critical considerations include \weatherability fire safety acoustics, and solar-optical performance. Weatherability has been assessed both by accelerated Weather-o-Meter exposure and by continuing real-time exposure at various weather stations. Accelerated tests data indicate that itis realistic to expect the fabric to retain adequate structural properties for more than 20 years. The limited data availabe from real-time exposure tend to corroborate the expectation of exceptionally long life ©2009 Tyr Ar Gap.Architectural Fabrics 107-3 Permanent building codes in the United States have proven in the past to be most unyielding to fabric structure options. Sheerfill architectural fabric structures, however, have found acceptance under the ‘most stringent of US, codes, and have been approved for every structure submitted, most of which involve high public occupancy. Perhaps the most convincing test performed to substantiate the outstanding fie-resistive behavior of architectural fabrics is the ASTM-E-84 Tunnel Test. In such a tes, an asbestos-cement board receives a flame-spread rating of zero and red oak flooring is rated at 100. Materials rated below 25 are given Class A certification. The Tellon-fiberglass composites used in permanent structures all are rated Class A in. this demanding test Fabrasorb Accoustical Fabri, manufactured by Chemfab, represents a fabric with high noise reduction. capability over a broad frequency range. Fabrasorb is, ike Sheetfill, composite of Teflon and fiberglass 1, therefore, shares many of its outstanding properties: it is strong, resistant to moisture and mildew, and highly resistant to fire, However, it has a somewhat porous construction, which facilitates the attenuation of sound within the fabri, Thus, it has been found to offer highly significant advantages as a linear material for fabric structures, particularly where it may also serve asa plenum to channel warm air for snow melting along the inner surface of the outer fabric. ‘Asa result of its more open construction, made possible largely by the reduced mechanical loading ofthe liner, the Fabrasorb liner has a relatively high solar transmission, Thus, in addition to its mechanical and acoustical functions, itis able along with the primary Sheer architectural fabric to provide an essentially double-glazed fabric roof with significant energy-conservant benefits to ordinary double- glazed windows. Let us examine the solar-optical properties of architectural fabric in a general sense. The degree to Which light may be transmitted through such fabrics is governed largely by the degree of openness in the woven fabric. A 400,000 square foot stadium roof has on the order of 20 billion point sources of light, each approximately 10 to 25 mils on edge. It is not difficult to understand why the transmitted light is of such a pleasing and diffuse quality. "The absolute evel of solar transmission is on the order of 7 to 16%, with the upper limit dictated by ‘minimal tensile strength requirements and the lower limit dictated by minimal tear strength and coating, adhesion requirements, Since the solar spectrum encompasses wavelengths beyond the visible range, the actual transmission of visible ight is somewhat less than the solar transmission Energy savings may be realized with the use of a doubly glazed configuration by the reduced need for artificial lighting, which can account for up to 309% of the total energy demand in a department store setting, and a reduced refrigeration requirement that results from very low shading coeflicients ‘One of the most outstanding characteristics of these fabrics is their ability to reflect upwards of 700% of the incident solar energy: Such a superwhite external reflector in combination witha liner of Fabrasorb is capable of providing a doubly glazed roofing system with good light transmission (on the order if 4 {to 896) while providing summertime shading coelficients down to 0.08. ‘The calculated heat gains for architectural fabric glazings at comparable solar transmissions are sub- stantially lower than those of reflective glass glazings and suggest a real benefit to be derived from reduced refrigeration investment and reduced operating costs during the cooling season on a life-cycle cost bass, Such performance could make a fabric structure more attractive than a conventional structure with substantially lower initial costs when sited in an appropriate climate, ©2009 Tyr Ar Gap.