Technical Updates from MCA

by Jonathan McGaha | 30 June 2015 12:00 am

The Metal Construction Association
(MCA) assembled for its 2015 summer meeting in June where the various committees and councils discussed current trends and developments in the metal construction industry, and how MCA is and should be addressing them.

MCA’s advocacy is benefitting the industry. From lobbying participation with the zinc coalition to protect the market for galvanized steel and zinc products in Washington state; to supporting the American High Performance Building Coalition’s efforts to oppose the adoption of California Proposition 65; to having a seat in the High Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition advocating for the development of industry-based criterion for future standards; MCA’s presence and voice is shaping legislation that impacts the industry.

Major discussions at the 2015 summer meeting centered on the following projects:

 

NFPA 285

As with all test standards, National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA) 285 is reviewed on a regular basis to address inconsistencies and technical issues within the standard. In March, an NFPA committee met and proposed changes to the wall construction for this test that will render many past tests invalid. The proposed modification specifically locates panel joints where they were previously required to be “representative of standard construction practices.”

This modification will not only affect combustible exterior cladding, it will affect any wall assembly that contains combustible elements including insulation and barrier materials. The NFPA-proposed modifications are currently open for public comment until November. During that time, MCA will be working with NFPA to try to understand the reasoning behind this proposal and better define the level of impact.

 

Air Permeability

MCA is conducting research at the University of Florida to evaluate the performance of discontinuous metal panels, such as modular metal panels and snap-together standing seam. From that evaluation we will be investigating how to characterize the air permeability of these types of roof panels to develop a new test method that more realistically reflects the wind uplift these systems can withstand. The main test to be utilized for the work is the UL 1897 in static and dynamic mode.

Wind tunnel testing and variations to existing industry test methods will be used. An industry advisory panel has been created and a literature search has been summarized. Recently, the experimental research plan was shared with the advisory panel for its input. Test materials are being collected and shipped to the University of Florida for testing to commence in July. This is a significant research project and is being conducted over three calendar years.

 

Spray Foam on Metal Panels

The use of spray polyurethane foam insulation on metal panels is being studied for wall and roof assemblies. A research project to evaluate the detrimental effects on metal was proposed with the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (SPFA) and the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA). Issues such as oil canning caused by the exothermic curing of the foam and related elevated temperatures is one such item to evaluate. Other concerns are centered on potential damage to paint films. Working with MBMA and SPFA, preliminary research has already been done to evaluate the exothermic curing on metal. The next phase will include the use of full-sized wall and roof assemblies with foam sprayed in different ways. Results of the project will be used to generate a do’s and don’ts guideline for using spray foam insulation with metal wall and roof assemblies.

 

Cool Wall Research

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory was awarded a grant to conduct a research project on cool walls. This is important for California cities to find ways to reduce building energy usage and help with the urban heat island effect. California already has a project investigating the impact of cool pavement. This wall project will evaluate the types of wall materials now in the marketplace.

The performance of those products will be analyzed using outdoor exposure in three climates in California. In addition, the dirt-shedding capability and durability of these wall systems will be evaluated. New technologies for ultra-cool pigmentation are also part of the research, in the field of product development. The project will begin in early July with the product characterization on exposure racks. The entire project will take three years to complete. Several MCA member manufacturers are providing samples of their metal wall systems in this R&D program. MCA is also participating in the project through its seat on the industry advisory committee.

 

Edge Metal Test Standard

The investigation of roof damage from high-wind events has shown that failure often initiates at the corners and/or edges of metal roofing. To address this situation, MCA has embarked on developing a test method standard that could be used to test the pullout strength of variations to edge perimeter details. A task group has developed a draft of the test method, which has been reviewed by several testing laboratories.

The next steps will be to test edge metal at different laboratories to determine if the test method is sound and repeatable among the laboratories. After testing and validation has been completed, the task group will create an industry guide and bring it to market. MCA will then pursue the ANSI standard process to create an industry standard. This is similar to the track that the single ply roofing industry (SPRI) took for the development of their ANSI/SPRI ES-1 Standard. International Zinc Association Advocacy Effort

MCA is part of a Zinc Coalition formed by the International Zinc Association (IZA) in the aftermath of the Washington Department of Ecology rainwater runoff project that was concluded in 2014. Misuse of the information related to zinc from the runoff report is influencing the governor’s office and legislative bodies.

Letter-writing advocacy, with guidance from IZA, is showing positive impacts. Several meetings have been scheduled with IZA and coalition members to discuss the shortcomings in the runoff report and the outdated clean water regulations. MCA members with facilities in Washington were asked to get involved in the effort. Similar issues are being seen in California, the Great Lakes region and in Canada.

# # #

Scott Kriner is the president of Green Metal Consulting Inc., Macungie, Pa., and a principal in RSK Avanti Partners LLC, Richardson, Texas. He is a LEED Accredited Professional (Operations and Maintenance) and wrote a book titled “Wait and See.” He also serves the Metal Construction Association as technical director.

Andy Williams is the director of codes and standards for the Metal Construction Association. He is a professional engineer who began his career in the wall cladding industry in 1982. For more information about MCA, go to www.metalconstruction.org[1] and www.themetalinitiative.com[2].

Source URL: https://www.metalconstructionnews.com/articles/technical-updates-from-mca/

---