Title:
Degradation of Elastomeric Parking Garage Membranes
Author(s):
Noel P. Mailvaganam and Peter G. Collins
Publication:
Concrete International
Volume:
15
Issue:
10
Appears on pages(s):
58-62
Keywords:
durability; parking facilities; plastics, polymers and resins; vapor barriers; General
DOI:
Date:
10/1/1993
Abstract:
The durability of elastomeric parking garage membranes is affected by many factors including poor installation, inclement weather conditions during application, and exposure to adverse in-service conditions. Various techniques (infrared spectroscopy, mechanical testing) used to study the degradation process show that many of the degradation agents encountered in the parking garage environment (such as heat, light, automotive chemicals, and shear forces) affect critical properties of these membranes, seriously reducing both the short- and long-term performance. Some of the currently employed standard tests, e. g., heat aging and cold temperature tests, do not stipulate performance limits to predict adequately in-service behavior. It is argued that the weight and importance of these properties as criteria for selection of a membrane for a given structure should be considered in the context of its in-service exposure and the ability of the test to serve as a predictor of the membrane's field behavior.