Research Description:

Sprayed Fiber Reinforced Ploymer on Residential Structure Roof Sheathing

In order that a residential building successfully resist hurricane damage, the wind-load forces acting on it must be resisted not only by the individual structural elements that make up that structural assembly of the building, but all of these components need to be sufficiently fastened together such that the forces acting on one part of the structure are transferred down through the building into the foundation. Additionally, the door and window openings, the roofing material, and the exterior sheathing must effectively keep out the rain and wind. Asphalt shingles, clay/concrete tiles, and metal sheets are all susceptible to the destructive forces of high winds.

The National Hurricane Center suggests that adhesive applied beneath the tabs of asphalt shingles will increase their resistance to wind damage, and that construction adhesive applied to the underside of roof sheathing along the intersection of the top chord of each roof truss will increase the uplift resistance of the sheet by a factor of three.

The research will demonstrate that wall and roof sheathing that is reinforced with an outer coating of sprayed-on Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) will increase the hurricane resistance of a residential structure in three ways: as a shingle adhesive, a water barrier, and a structural enhancement to the sheathing. By bonding the sheathing together at the seams between sheets, the FRP will distribute the stresses such that each individual sheet becomes more resistant to being dislodged by wind forces. The individual sheets in an FRP-stiffened roof or wall should act in concert such that the very high-pressure forces acting at the rake edge of the roof will not dislodge any sheathing.