Innovations:New Testing Program for Waterproof Acrylic Membranes Shows High Failure Rate

New Testing
Program for
Waterproof Acrylic
Membranes Shows
High Failure Rate
In recent years, environmental pressures have resulted in
increasing use of acrylic-based materials for waterproofing
membranes. A major barrier to the use of these membranes has
been concerns about whether they will have an acceptable service
life.

In response to this, CSIRO has developed a testing protocol

specifically for proving the serviceability of waterproofing
membranes for use in the waterproofing of wet areas within
buildings.

This testing program/protocol has a proven record in being able to

successfully evaluate the suitability of acrylic membranes. Its recent
application by CSIRO Appraisals has shown that several membranes currently
being marketed are unlikely to reach an acceptable service life.

As this testing program is currently being adopted into a new Australian

Standard, CSIRO has recommended that manufacturers consider use of the
program to ensure their products deliver market expectations for long-term
serviceability for waterproofing wet areas.

During CSIRO's testing program, 20 membranes were tested for their fitness

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Innovations:New Testing Program for Waterproof Acrylic Membranes Shows High Failure Rate

for purpose. Some failed the tensile strength test after only 7 days exposure to
diluted detergent and bleach, and did not advance through the remainder of
the program. To maintain confidentiality those discussed in this article will be
referred to as A, B, C and D.

How Long Should a Membrane Last?

As most membranes are installed under an expensive tile or stone finish, they
need to have a service life equal to at least that of their expensive covering.
No one really expects to replace a tile or stone covering that can be more than
ten times the cost of the waterproofing membrane. While the tiles or stone
covering, however, could have a service life greater than 25 years, in reality it
is most likely that they would have been replaced before this time.

Bathrooms are usually one of the first rooms to be renovated on a change of

ownership. Real estate figures give the average ownership of a dwelling in
Australia's capital cities as less than 10 years and thus, a 25-year service life
for the membrane should give confidence that the membrane would be
replaced within this time.

The Testing Program

Essentially the program has tests for resistance to chemical attack, tensile
strength (does the membrane fracture when stretched), flexibility, fatigue
fracture and water transmission.

Chemical Attack

Even though the recommended tile-laying procedure is for the floor tiles to be
laid under the wall tiles, in practice it is often the opposite, with the floor tiles
abutting the wall tiles. While both methods will allow cleaning chemicals to
track down to the membrane, the non-preferred tile-laying method makes the
membrane more vulnerable to attack from cleaning chemicals, as cleaning
chemicals can run down the wall tiles and enter the vertical crack that, with the
passage of time, develops between the wall and floor tiles. Thus, it is
imperative that the waterproofing membranes used in wet areas have
resistance to the commonly used cleaning chemicals such as the mould
growth chemical, sodium hypochlorite (bleach), and detergents used in the
cleaning process.

As the tile bed is fully saturated, long-term resistance to a head of water above
the membrane is also critical.

The accelerated testing method developed uses de-ionised water for the water

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Innovations:New Testing Program for Waterproof Acrylic Membranes Shows High Failure Rate

immersion testing, and uses more concentrated solutions of the chemicals

than would normally be applied when cleaning. For sodium hypochlorite, a 2%
solution is used – about three times more concentrated than is commonly
used in mould-removal solutions. For the detergent, a 30% solution of an
industrial-grade detergent is used.

The test exposure times are 7, 28 and 56 days. A 7-day exposure was used in
preference to 14 days as it gives an early indication of a membrane that has
little chance of meeting the test requirements.

For the membrane to remain serviceable, it is important that it maintains

enough flexibility to enable it to accommodate movements in substrates that it
bridges. Thus, it is elongation at break that is the crucial property to be
maintained.

Membrane B showed a significant change in the results between 7 days and

both 28 and 56 days. This reversal was observed for many of the membranes
that have been tested, and is an example of why extending the testing out to
56 days, rather than finishing at 28 days is warranted.

The pass/fail criteria requires that at least 40% of the elongation at break
needs to be retained after 56 days exposure.

The results for all four membranes for their elongation at break after exposure
to bleach are shown in Fig. 1. It can be seen that membranes B and C passed
the test criteria, while A and D failed.

Some membranes
tested reach a stage
of collapse at 7 days
exposure and were
not able to be tested,
as shown in Fig. 2.
The three on the left
were exposed to
bleach, while the one
on the right was
exposed to
detergent. The
worrying fact is that
these were
membranes that had
been marketed for

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Innovations:New Testing Program for Waterproof Acrylic Membranes Shows High Failure Rate

some time before Figure 1. Elongation at break for all four membranes
they were tested for after exposure to bleach
durability.

Fatigue Fractures

Membranes often
have to bridge over
any cracks and gaps
between changes in
substrates, and for
this purpose CSIRO
recommends the use
of bond-breakers.

Three classifications Figure 2. Tensile test specimens that failed before

of membranes have they could be tested
been defined for
performance with
bond-breakers.

Class 1 membranes are those that have an elongation at break of less than
65%. Due to their low extension before they fracture, these need a bond-
breaker that takes up the movement by bending the membrane rather than
stretching it. The bond-breaker should be a backing rod utilised to place an
initial curve in the membrane. The rod allows the membrane to straighten
when a gap widens or become more curved to tolerate a shortening of the
gap. Figure 3 shows this type of bond-breaker.

Figure 3. Bond-breaker for a Class 1 membrane

Class 2 membranes are those that have an elongation at break between 65%

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Innovations:New Testing Program for Waterproof Acrylic Membranes Shows High Failure Rate

and 200%. These need a bond-breaker with a suitable unbonded length to

allow the membrane to stretch to accommodate the movement. The width of
the tape is determined so that the membrane will not go beyond 65% of its
elongation at break to take up the movement. Figure 4 shows this type of bond-
breaker.

Class 3 membranes are those that have an elongation at break greater than
20%. These hardly need a bond-breaker at all, but any bond relief will lower
the risk of failure. A fillet of sealant will give all the bond relief that is required.
Figure 5 shows this type of bond-breaker.

Figure 4. Tape bond-breaker for a Class 2 membrane

Figure 5. Flexible sealant bond-breaker for use with a Class

3 membrane

Water Transmission Through Acrylic Membranes

Acrylic membranes have high water vapour transmission rates. To ensure that
membranes do not cause problems to substrates, especially those subject to

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Innovations:New Testing Program for Waterproof Acrylic Membranes Shows High Failure Rate

moisture damage, a ponding test was designed. In the test, a 600 mm2; tray of
the membrane is formed over a particleboard floor substrate with a butt joint
running across the middle of the tray. Insulated probes are installed from the
underside of the particleboard to measure the moisture content 1 mm under
the membrane by an electrical moisture meter. Results from three membranes
are shown in Fig. 6.

To date, CSIRO
Appraisals has
collected enough
data to know that if
the water vapour
transmission is
8 g/m2/24 hr or less,
then the membrane
can be used directly
over particleboard
under a shower. This
Figure 6. Moisture increase in particleboard flooring limit may be raised in
under different membranes the future when more
data is available for
2
membranes above the current limit of 8 g/m /24 hr. Thus, this test is only
required where the membrane has a water vapour transmission above this
rate.

Curing Cause of Failure

CSIRO Appraisals has found in field inspections that one of the main causes
of failures of acrylic membranes is inadequate curing before the membranes
are covered.

Acrylics rely on water loss to cure, and when used in wet areas, such as small
and poorly vented rooms (e.g. en suites), it can take over 7 days for a straight
acrylic to cure in damp weather. If covered before they are allowed to cure
fully and are subjected to continual wetness, as is the case when used in
shower recesses, they can re-emulsify.

To retain the elastic properties, it is important to wait for an acrylic membrane

to fully cure or use heating and airflow to speed up curing. It is stressed in all
appraisal reports that slow curing is required, but installations are occasionally
found where membranes have been covered without being cured.

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Innovations:New Testing Program for Waterproof Acrylic Membranes Shows High Failure Rate

To shorten the cure time, there are some two-part formulations consisting of a
liquid acrylic and a cement-based powder. These will cure within 24 hours, but
they lose the high elongation that is available with a full acrylic formulation.
One of the main problems with the cement–acrylic formulations is that, due to
their thick creamy nature, they can be applied too thickly, which results in
drying crazing. This is caused by the skin curing before the body of the
membrane.

Straight acrylics that are used without reinforcement can be applied too thinly.
Some inspections have found a thickness of less than 0.1 mm where an
unreinforced acrylic has been used. The usually specified thickness is about 1
mm.

Overall it is disturbing that apart from the problems possible through incorrect
curing during installation, about a third of the products tested failed to show
satisfactory service life.

CSIRO Appraisals – Background

CSIRO Appraisals offers a full fitness-for-purpose evaluation of building

products and systems, giving manufacturers the independent evidence
needed for regulatory approval, and the assurance required by designers,
builders and future owners that functionality will be met.

CSIRO Appraisals is a founding member of the World Federation of Technical

Assessment Organisations. Membership provides international recognition,
thereby assisting Australian exporters to access overseas markets.

For further information

Dr Vic Deeble
Manager CSIRO Appraisals
Tel: 61 2 9490 5444
Email: Vic.Deeble@csiro.au

Barry Schafer
Technical Manager CSIRO Appraisals
Tel: 61 3 9252 6000
Email: Barry.Schafer@csiro.au

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Innovations:New Testing Program for Waterproof Acrylic Membranes Shows High Failure Rate

URL: www.dbce.csiro.au/inno-web/1201/membranes.htm
Email Innovation Online: information@dbce.csiro.au
Last Updated: 17 December 2001

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