Posted October 14, 2018 12:14:07When the building was first built in the 1970s, metal roof panels were a rarity.
The metal roofs had to be made by hand.
And for many years, building contractors would put the metal roof into a bucket and dump the contents of the bucket onto the ground.
But a new method called “alkaline” earth metal is coming into vogue.
The metal roofing material is an anhydrous solution of copper and other metals.
It’s made from a mixture of water and anhydrite, a clay-like mineral that’s also known as “alkite.”
The water reacts with the anhydric clay and forms a mineral compound called sulfate, which is then incorporated into the metal to form the roof.
In this way, the metal is much easier to make than traditional clay or concrete.
A new study shows that the use of alkaline earth metal in roofing can reduce the number of leaks and prevent the building from being demolished.
That means that a roof built using an alkaline roof can save valuable time and money, and the building will be safer for future generations.
“The cost savings are substantial,” said Richard Buehner, a senior research associate at the University of Southern California’s Geography and Environmental Engineering Department who was not involved in the new study.
The alkaline metal roof uses two types of the metal, or anhydrate and sulfate.
A typical alkaline concrete can be made from one type of metal and one type, like copper, but not both.
In a metal rooftop, one type is mixed with a mineral such as sulfuric acid and a second type is heated to the same temperature.
This process heats the metal at the same time that it absorbs the sulfate and the water.
When the metal has been heated to that temperature, it forms sulfate metal, which can be reused in the building.
In the case of the alkaline clay roof, it is mixed and heated with water.
The two types that are used in the metal roofs can be mixed and heat in the same way.
So the two materials can be used interchangeably.
When mixing the metal with the sulfates, the two components can be combined to form one complete roof.
“This is the first time that we have been able to show the effects of combining these two types,” Bueherner said.
“This is a significant improvement in terms of the use and the amount of energy that’s saved.”
While the study shows a significant decrease in leaks, it’s still not perfect.
Bueholderner noted that a lot of the work needed to make this material is still being done.
“There’s still a lot to do to ensure that it is effective,” he said.
The study, titled “Achieving low leak rates and corrosion-resistance using alkaline soil-based roofing materials,” was published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
The work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the Army Corps of Engineers and the California State Building Authority.
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