The effects of thermal movement of bituminous built-up roof membranes are related to some common failures of built-up roofing observed in field exposures.A procedure for determining the amount of thermal movement of built-up membranes is described.Data are given for the thermal movement of various bitumens and reinforcing felts used in the con * struction of built-up roofs and for the composite membranes over a temperature range construction of built-up roofs and for the composite membranes over a temperature range of +30 to -30F.The data obtained are related to field experience and suggestions are presented which will prove beneficial in reducing the incidence of built-up failure due to thermal movement.(Author).

The book starts by setting out the duties of a building pathologist in the context of the modern roofing industry, defining failure and explaining its underlying causes. The main chapters then deal with the main specific types of failure: fire, shrinkage and roofing systems displacement, calendar shrinkage, foam insulation shrinkage and 'stretched' membranes, plasticizer migration, bitumen incompatibility, built-up roofing felt porosity, blistering, thermal insulation instability, foam insulation problems, torch applications, polymer dispersion, asphalt-glass fibre shingle splitting, lack of appropriate venting, problems with cool roofing and problems with organic fibre-portland cement shingles. The book concludes with an outline of the principal rules for long service life roofing.