Introduction:

Bituminous waterproofing systems are designed to protect residential and commercial buildings. As the name infers, these are layering that arrive at the site in the form of rolls. These are then spread out and laid on a firm surface. The most widely recognized sort of sheet based layer is a bituminous waterproofing film.

This type of membrane is adhered to the substrate with a hot tar based cement using blowtorches. Joints between adjacent membranes are also made with the same hot adhesive. Joints between contiguous layers are additionally made with the same air gun.

The sheets are covered by around 100mm to frame a waterproof joint. A few films are even joined by dissolving them with a hot compressed air firearm and after that covering them on the beforehand laid sheet. With this sort of layer, joints between sheets are basic, and must be done consummately to stay away from spillage.

Different kinds of sheet based layers are PVC membranes and composite membranes. The latter have a texture base that gives quality and tear obstruction, and a compound that coats the texture to give opposition.

Different types of Bitumen:

The type of bitumen to be used depends upon the type of soil to be stabilized, method of construction, and weather conditions.  Moreover, Bitumen is segmented on the bases of testing methods rather than type of the Bitumen.

How we can select a bituminous waterproofing membrane?

We need to check the following properties of membrane:

Breathability – If water enter the surface than the breathable membranes help to release that water to the air in the form of water vapor. So, to prevent this, some membranes are designed to prevent water from passing through them. So over time, breathable membranes allow trapped water to evaporate into the atmosphere.

UV Stability - it must be UV stable or UV resistant, else it will degrade over time.

Tear Resistance – it is one of the most important property, as many membranes that have good elongation also can tear easily. What you need to do is take a sample of the material in your hand and try and tear it into two pieces. This process will give a fair idea of its tear resistance.

Elongation - It is measured in percentages, this is the capacity of the membrane to stretch. An elongation of 150% means that the membrane can stretch to 1.5 times its length when pulled. property allows the membrane to stretch over cracks that may develop in the future.

Abrasion Resistance - this is the ability of a membrane to endure wear and tear. The abrasion resistance comes into performance during the construction period, when workforces are mobile on the surface, dropping nails and screws, and rasp hard objects like rebar against the membrane, which can damage it. In such a situation, soft membrane with low abrasion resistance might get damaged and that can cause it leakage.

Chemical stability - with environment in the building, we need to check that the membrane is chemically inert. Outside basement walls some membranes, are exposed to the soil and rainwater.

Food Safety - to make the membranes waterproof, it can be applied to the inside concrete water tanks. In this case, the membrane must be food safe, as the water is in contact with the membrane.

Now, the question arises where these membranes are used?

So, the membranes can be used in the following parts of a building/house:

•          In Toilets
•          Over terrace slabs and balconies
•          In Swimming Pool
•          In concrete water tanks
•          In gutters
•       Around Basements

Let’s have a look on the manufacturing process of these rolls:

Initially, a base sheet such as, paper, felt, woven or non-woven texture, glass downy, engineered polymer film or metal foil, is covered with liquid bitumen on one or the two faces thereof to frame surface layer(s) of bitumen of a suitable thickness.

When a fibrous sheet such as paper, felt, woven or non-woven fabric or glass fleece, is utilized as the base sheet, the fibrous sheet might be impregnated with liquid bitumen before the covering so the voids existing in the stringy sheet are loaded up with bitumen. When a synthetic polymer film or a metal foil is employed, this base sheet might be subjected to surface treatment, preceding the covering, to enhance its affinity for bitumen.

Secondly, to suppress the stickiness of bitumen, mineral granules or powder, for example, fine rock, sand or talcum are stored on the bitumen-covered surface. Then again, a thin film or foil surface of manufactured polymer or metal is clung to the bitumen-covered surface layer. The work of the thin film or thwart surface relies on the proposed utilize.

Finally, the sheet so preserved is cooled to the ambient temperature by means of meeting rotating cooling drums to harden the bitumen. The resulting finished product is stored and handled in the form of rolls or piles.

How these Bituminous Membranes are made?

•          Base Products- These products are bought in roll format and are pulled through the bitumen mixes on huge rollers.

•          Bitumen- gives rigidity and tear resistance, or SBS (styrene butadiene styrene) a rubber additive that gives more elastic benefits.

•         Thin, transparent film- This stops the felt from sticking to itself when rolled up during the packaging process.

Six primary operations in the manufacturing of Bituminous Roofing Sheets:

Felt paper standards

The American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) standards that apply to felt paper are:

ASTM D226 / D226M Standard-09: Specification for Asphalt-Saturated Organic Felt Used in Roofing and Waterproofing.

•          Type I - #15 or 15 lb. perforated or non-perforated
•          Type II - #30 or 30 lb. perforated or non-perforated

ASTM D4869 / D4869M Standard-Specification for Asphalt-Saturated Organic Felt Underlayment Used in Steep Slope Roofing.

ASTM 4869-03 now includes the non-perforated felt referred to in ASTM D226-97a which will be phased out.

ASTM 4869-03 includes a liquid-water transmission test (shower test) and dimensional stability limits (wrinkling) which ASTM D226-97a does not include.

•          Type 1 - #8. Formerly ASTM D4869-93 Type I
•          Type 2 - #13. Formerly ASTM D226-97a Type I (No. 15)
•          Type 3 - #20. Formerly ASTM D4869-93 Type II
•          Type 4 - #26. Formerly ASTM D226-97a Type II

ASTM D6757 / D6757M-16a Standard-Specification for Underlayment Felt Containing Inorganic Fibres Used in Steep-Slope Roofing

What all do you need in the production system of Bituminous Roofing Sheets?

Coating: In the production system of the Bituminous Roofing Sheets, Coating systems represents state-of-the-art quality and productivity. According to the demand, there are coater to meet your demanding needs.

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•          Single compound units
•          Dual compound units
•          Multi-layer coating units

Roll Wrapping:

Depending on the wrapping machine, the bituminous rolls are wrapped either on a line or on a turntable, with a periodic movement from one operating member of the wrapping mechanism to another such member.

Roll Palletizers:

When a set of finished rolls spread the end of the conveyor, the robot picks up the rolls, it gently places rolls onto each pallet.  The robot can be programmed to automatically palletize finished rolls in a variety of stacking patterns.

Production Line Specifications: 

The principle of the machine is simplified of work since complicated production line has excessively failure amid creation and each time required spare part.

•                    Dimension: Length-35 meter, Width- 1.6meter and height-5meter (Maximum).

•                    It is easy to install and dismantle. So, replacing the spare parts are too easy.

•                    Motors and gearboxes of the machine are of high quality and are of maximum output.

•                    Rollers are well polished and adjusted with double projection to take the high pressure on.

•                    The length of the cooling water tank is 11meter, it is used to cool down the membrane sheet at the pool.

•                    The elevator’s capacity is 30 meters and it will work continuously.

•                    The procedure of cutting and rolling is automatic.

Cost of Production:

•            The three primary costs of production are:

•        Capital Expenditure: The capital expenditure is about 4% of total cost expenditures. Buildings and other structures accounted for 24% of capital costs, while 76 percent of these costs can be attributed to machinery and equipment expenditures.

•      Labor Expenses: It is about 16% of total expenditures on costs of production. About 20% of labor costs was spent on fringe benefits, and the remaining expenditures went toward the annual payroll.

•    Cost of Materials: Total of nearly 80% of total costs of production. Materials, parts, containers, etc. accounted for the most significant portion of this cost.

Materials that are used for the making of roll sheet polymers:

•          Bitumen 60/70
•          Polyester
•          Tissue
•          Talcum powder
•          APP
•          Gunny
•          Aluminium 14-16 micron.
•          Plastic of back side.
•          Roll sheet with blown bitumen

List of bitumen membrane roll machine consists of:

•          Mixer of making primer
•          Elevator
•          Oil boiler
•          Bitumen pump
•          Water pump
•          Conveyer
•          Air conditioning system.
•          Reactor of converting bitumen to blown bitumen.
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Some of the Manufacturing Companies Operating in India are:

Pidilite Industries Ltd

Contact Details:

P O Box No 17411

Ramkrishna Mandir Road, Andheri East

Mumbai – 400059

IWL India Limited

Contact Details:

360 North Main Road

Anna Nagar West

Chennai

Tamil Nadu 600101

Fosroc Chemicals India Pvt

Contact Details:

Sapthagiri Place, No.38 II & III Floor 12th Cross  

CBI Road, Ganganagar North

Bangalore, 560 024, India

Industry Outlook:

As per TechSci Research, India Bituminous Roofing Sheet Market By Type (Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene (SBS) Modified and Atactic Polypropylene (APP) Modified), By Sales Channel (Direct and Indirect), Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2013-2023, India bituminous roofing sheet market stood is projected to surpass $ 66 million by 2023. Rising development of residential & commercial set-ups and growing industrialization are the major factors boosting the country’s bituminous roofing sheet market. Moreover, many existing cities, mostly small cities & towns, are witnessing a boom in housing projects due to various major government initiatives, which is propelling demand for bituminous roofing sheets across India. Further, rising inclination towards innovative water proofing membrane technologies is further anticipated to fuel growth in India bituminous roofing sheet market over the span of next five years.