Assessing the Relative Performance of Three Different Fire Resistant Class A Roofing Materials in a High-Altitude Area

9 pages•Published: June 9, 2021

Brad Harris, Rodolfo Valdes-Vasquez and Erin Arneson

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to assess three Class A roofing materials (asphalt shingle, synthetic shake, and metal), which are typically used on residential homes in wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas. A series of tests were conducted by incorporating many aspects of the ASTM E108 burning- brand test while also analyzing the change in room temperature and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. Since these tests were conducted at 7,500 feet in elevation, a higher elevation than all other U.S. testing facilities, results provide a unique insight into fire behavior and performance of residential roof systems built-in high elevation WUI locations. Tests included placing a burning- brand at the top of a roof deck specimen. The resistance to flame impingement of the roofing material was recorded along with temperature changes and CO emissions. Results indicated no differences in temperature and emission for all three materials. However, the area of charring on the plywood underlayment was the smallest on the metal sample. The charred plywood was approximate twice the size of the metal roofing area in the synthetic shake tests, and approximately three times the size of the metal roofing area in the asphalt shingles test. Based on these pilot results, asphalt shingle roofing on residential homes in high fire danger WUI areas should be avoided, while metal roofing should be encouraged. If noise or appearance is a key issue for a homeowner, synthetic shakes could be used. Future tests should be performed on other Class A materials at higher elevations to evaluate material costs, insulation ratings, and noise resistance of residential roofing systems installed in mountain regions of the U.S., such as the Colorado Rockies.

Keyphrases: asphalt shingle, residential roofing systems, wildfires, wildland urban interface

In: Tom Leathem, Anthony Perrenoud and Wesley Collins (editors). ASC 2021. 57th Annual Associated Schools of Construction International Conference, vol 2, pages 46-54.

Links:	https://easychair.org/publications/paper/TK5V
	https://doi.org/10.29007/9zll

BibTeX entry

@inproceedings{ASC2021:Assessing_Relative_Performance_Three,
  author    = {Brad Harris and Rodolfo Valdes-Vasquez and Erin Arneson},
  title     = {Assessing the Relative Performance of Three Different Fire Resistant Class A Roofing Materials in a High-Altitude Area},
  booktitle = {ASC 2021. 57th Annual Associated Schools of Construction International Conference},
  editor    = {Tom Leathem and Anthony Perrenoud and Wesley Collins},
  series    = {EPiC Series in Built Environment},
  volume    = {2},
  publisher = {EasyChair},
  bibsource = {EasyChair, https://easychair.org},
  issn      = {2632-881X},
  url       = {/publications/paper/TK5V},
  doi       = {10.29007/9zll},
  pages     = {46-54},
  year      = {2021}}

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