A conversation about coatings | Tech TodayMark S. Graham
In July, the Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association (RCMA) held
the first International Roof Coatings Conference. The conference,
co-sponsored by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn.,
provided some useful insights into technical research being
conducted in and relating to the roof coatings industry.
Research papers
The conference consisted of 10 presentations of technical
research papers and two keynote presentations. Following is a brief
summary of several presentations.
Joe Rokowski, elastomeric roof coatings group leader for Dow
Construction Chemicals, North America, Spring House, Pa., presented
"Weathered Thermoplastic Polyolefin Roofing: Characterization,
Surface Analysis and Best Practices for Coating," which discussed
TPO membrane evaluation and preparation for coating applications.
Because of their chemical compositions, TPO membranes are
hydrophobic surfaces. A well-defined test of hydrophobicity is to
measure the contact angle of a drop of liquid, typically water,
placed on a substrate. A high contact angle indicates greater
hydrophobicity and greater difficulty to "wet out." A low contact
angle indicates a surface that is easier to wet out and,...
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