SEDL / STP / STP1136-EB / STP23601S

The Use of Thermal Mechanical Analysis to Characterize Ethylene-Propylene-Diene Terpolymer (EPDM) Roofing Membrane Materials

Gaddy, GD
Research associate, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

Rossiter, WJ
Research chemist, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD

Eby, RK
Professor and eminent scholar, The University of Akron, Akron, OH

Pages: 8    Published: Jan 1991

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Abstract

This study was conducted to provide baseline data on the applicability of thermal mechanical analysis (TMA) for characterizing ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM) roofing membrane materials. TMA has not been used extensively for the analysis of such materials. Three black and three white membrane materials were analyzed before and after exposure to the heat, ozone, and ultra violet (UV) conditions described in ASTM Specification for Vulcanized Rubber Sheet Used in Single Ply Roof Membrane (D 4637), as well as to outdoor exposure. Load-elongation was conducted as a comparison to the TMA results. The results indicated that (1) TMA can be applied to the characterization of EPDM membrane materials showing differences in glass transition temperature between various brand name products; (2) changes in glass transition temperatures induced by the exposure conditions were relatively low and covered the same range for both the black and white membrane materials; and (3) in contrast to the TMA testing, the percent elongation values displayed relatively large changes.