- j.- ---- ~

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS REPORT

2683

TESTS OF FLASHING MATERIALS

by

Thomas H» Boone

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Sinclair Weeks, Secretary

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

A. V. Astin, Director THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

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cover of this report.

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Department of Defense. • Office of Basic Instrumentation • Office of Weights and Measures.
NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS REPORT

NBS PROJECT NBS REPORT

1000-30-4801 July 21, 1953 2683

TESTS OF FLASHING MATERIALS

by

Thomas H» Boone

Floor, Roof and Wall Coverings Section

Building Technology Division

Sponsored by

Office of the Chief of Engineers

Department of the Army

The publication, ri

unless permission I

25, 0. C. Such pe

tally prepared If I

Approved for public release by the

Director of the National Institute of

Standards and Technology (NIST) on October 9, 201 5.

' In pad, Is prohibited

tandards, Washington

sport has been speclfteport for Its own use.
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TESTS OF FLASHING MATERIALS

Page

1, PURPOSE (3F INVESTIGATION 1

2o SCOPE OF THE INVESTIGATION 1

3. MATERIALS 1

h, RESULTS OF TESTS 1

^,1 Composition 1

4.2 Accelerated Aging 4

a. Air Exposure

bo Oxygen Exposure

c. Extremes of Temperature and Humidity

do Weatherometer Exposure

4.3 Water Permeability 5

4.4 Resistance to Puncture 6

4o5 Adaptability to Forming and Bending 7

a. Flexibility at 73°!’

bo Flexibility at 10°

F

4,6 Acid and Alkali Tests 10

4o7 Resistance to Mildew 11

4,8 Resistance to Staining and Bleeding 12

5, EVALUATION OF RESULTS 12
it*
TESTS OF FLASHING MATERIALS

1

,

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION

Laboratory tests were made to obtain physical and analytical data to substantiate the suitability of selected flashing materials for use in building constructiono

2

,

SCOPE OF THE INVESTIGATION

Laboratory tests were made on two organic 9 and two organicmetallic flashing materials o Data on durability 9 water permeability 9 resistance to puncture 9 flexibility 9 resistance to

corrosion (alkali and acid) 9 and resistance to mildew and

elevated temperatures were obtained.

No attempt was made to obtain data on sample variability

of the four materials studied and all test specimens were

taken from the first few yards of a single roll of each

material,

3,

MATERIALS

The names of the manufacturers, sample numbers, types,

trade names, and brief descriptions of materials tested are

given in Table 1 , 4

,

RESULTS OF TESTS

^,1 Composition

Table 2 gives the physical characteristics of the flashing

materials with analytical data obtained on each.
- 2 -= TABLE 1, MATERIALS

Sample Manufacturer Type

NOo

Designation

or Trade

Name

Description

1 Rubber & Reinforced Nerva-Clad

Plastic Com- rubber sheet

pound Co»

,

InCo

Compounded rubber

sheet reinforced

with woven glass

fabric

o

2 Rubber & .^Plastic

Plastic Com- sheet

pound COo

Inc.

Nervastral Compounded organic

Seal^Pruf sheet.

Type H-D

3 Wasco Flash- Copper Wasco Cop- Three-ounce copper

ing Co, coated with per-Fabric foil bonded to and

asphaltsaturated

fabric

Flashing between two layers

of asphalt-saturated

cotton fabric with

asphalt mastic.

Fabric was hemmed on

all edges , The

material was corrugated the width of

the sheet.

4 Phoenix

Buildings

Products

,

Inc,

Copper Cop“R“Flash

sheet backed with

blturn!nlzed

paper

,

One-ounce copper

foil bonded to a

lamina of lead foil

which was bonded to

asphalt-saturated &

reinforced creped

paper.
» 3

-

TABLE 2, COMPOSITION AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SAMPLE NOo 1

Total weight, oz/sq,yd 28<,5

Total thickness, In^ 0<,027

Glass reinforcing fibers

Weight, oz/sq,yd 1,9

Threads per in, 16 and 16

SAMPLE NOo 2

Total weight, oz/sq,yd 21,7

Total thickness, in. Go 019

SAMPLE NOo 3

Total weight, oz/sq,yd

Total thickness, in.

Sheet copper

Weight, oz/sq,yd

Thickness, in*

Desaturated fabric

Weight, oz/sq,yd

Threads per in®

Mineral matter, oz/sq,yd

Total bitumen, oz/sq,yd

SAMPLE NOo h

Total weight, oz/sq,yd

Total thickness, in.

Sheet copper

Weight, oz/sq,yd

Thickness, in.

Sheet lead

Weight, oz/sq.yd

Thickness, in,

Desaturated paper

Weight, oz/sq,yd

Glass reinforcing fibers

WeightTM oz/sq,yd

Total birumen, oz/sq,yd

2/

Combined weight of two layers.

88,9

0,07 (approx.

26,1

0,0035

8 , 3^/

28 and 33

11,1

43 ,^

52,9

0,036

10,4

0,002

20,3

0,002

4,ll/

0,024

18,0
- if -

if. 2 Accelerated Aging

Specimens of the flashings were exposed to four different

aging tests as follows? (a) exposure to air at high pressure

,

(b) exposure to oxygen at high pressure, (c) extremes of temperature and humidity, and (d) weather ometer test. The visual

change of each follows; For effect of these aging tests on

waterproofness, see paragraph 4.3) and for effect on flexibility, see paragraph 4.5«

(a) Air pressure, 40 hours at 80 psi and 70 4:l°C (158°F),

in accordance with Section II, 4 of Federal Specification

ZZ-R-601a.

Sample No. Appearance of Specimens

(b) Oxygen pressure, 8 days at 300 psi and 70 4:1® C (158° F),

in accordance with Section II, 4 of Federal Specification

ZZ-R-601a.

1

2

3

4

No visual changes.

No visual changes.

Darkening of surface.

Slight shrinkage of paper

Sample No Appearance of Specimens

1

2

3

4

No visual changes.

No visual changes.

Darkening of surface.

No visual changes.
= 5

“

(c) Exposure to extremes of temperature and humidity, cold,

hot, and high humidity cycle test. The following cycle was

repeated three times

»

2k hours at 120° F, dry air

2h hours at =20°

F

24 hours at 120°F and 90 ^3% relative humidity

Sample No, Appearance of Specimens

1 No visual changes

o

2 No visual changes

3 Slight shrlrikage of cotton j.fabric,

4 Shrinkage of paper, approximately

1/16 in, in lengph direction,

separation of copper sheet from

asphalt bond,

(d) Weather ome ter 5 300 hours exposure to National Carbon

Lamp Type XIA, in accordance with paragraph ^b(2), Section

IV 5 Federal Specification CCC=T=191b,

1

2

3

4

Appearance of Specimens

Surface dulled,

Gray=white discoloration.

Slight shrinkage and leaching of

cotton fabric.

Wrinkling and extreme shrinkage of

surface ply of paper, slight shrlnk=

age and edge separation of lntermedi=

ate ply.

4,3 Water Permeability

Specimens 8 by 8=inch were tested for water permeability

before and after aging, and after bending to 45° over a

straight edge having a l/l6=inch radius edge, and then flattened.
The specimens were clamped over a circular opening ^-1/2 Inches

in diameter forming the bottom of a reservoir » Water was introduced into the reservoir and maintained for one hour at a depth

of 20 inches over the specimeno The water that leaked through

the specimen was collected and its volume measured.

There was no leakage on any of the specimens as Indicated

in the table below

s

Specimen

No. 1

Specimen

No. 2

Specimen

_No . 3

Spec±men

No., h

Original None None None None

After 45° bend

After 8 days oxygen

None None None None

pressure None None None None

After ho hrs air pressure None None None None

After cycle test

After 300 hrs weatherNone None None None

ometer None None None None

Resistance to Puncture

For this test, the General Electric Puncture Tester was

used. This device has been in use for some time in testing

paperboard shipping containers (Tentative Method of Test for

Puncture and Stiffness of Paperboard, Corrugated and Solid Fiberboard, A.S.T.M. Designation D781=^4t)„

In making this test, specimens of all samples were punctured

10 times each, at least h inches apart, in both length and cross

directions, and from both sides. In the following results, the

average of 10 tests is given for each direction and for each

side, except for samples that showed no marked directional or
” 7

“

side differences, in which .case the average of all results is

given»

Puncture Test

Sample Results , ino ” OZo

o o Orientation of Snecimen Ay&o MaXo Mlno

1

1/ Length direction 130 i4o 130

Cross direction 170 180 160

Length direction 1300+

id Cross direction 1290 1300 1280

3

Length direction 890 1270 650

Cross direction 1270 1300 1200

4

No marked directional

or side effects 170 190 ihO

“^.ength direction Indicates that the lengthwise direction of

the flashing was oriented in the same direction as the swing

of the pendulum

o

beyond the capacity of the Instrument to rupture the specimen,,

Adaptability to Forming and Bending

The flexibility of the samples was determined by means

of an apparatus described in JAN“P=125, Specification on

Packaging and Packing for Overseas Shipment Barrier and

Material, Waterproof, Flexible, dated 31 October 19^o This

consisted of two parallel brass tubes, l“l/2 luo in diameter

and 9 ino long, fastened 1 in,, apart, forming a l-ino slot

with both ends of each tube mounted on ball bearings „ The

test specimens, 8 ino long by 2, or 8 ino in width, were
„ 8 =

placed so that the l-ino wide slot was centered under the

specimens and so that the width of the specimen was centered

between the ends of the sloto A rod, 1/2 in» in diameter,

was then positioned gently upon the specimen at the center of

and parallel to the. slot® Attached to the rod and underneath

the specimen was suspended a bucket into which the load was

introduced at a uniform rate of ^oO i0o2 lb per minute o The

amount of load required to pull the specimen through the slot

was recorded and calculated to pounds per inch of width of the

specimen.. The number of specimens tested is noted in parenthesis o This test was made on original and aged specimens to deter=

mine the effect of aging « The results follow;

A, Flexibility, lb/in, width

Sample Orientation After ^0 Hr So After 8 Days

NOo of Snecimen Original Air Pressure Oxygen Pressure

1 1/ Avgo 0o03 0,03 0,03

2 V Avgo 0o03 0,03 0,03

3 Length Avgo 0o6 1.3 (5) lo3 (5)

direction MaXo 0o9 lo^ loh

Mino 0o5 1,2 1,2

Cross Avgo 0,8 1.4 (5) 1,^ (5)

direction MaXo 0o9 1,^

Mino 0,7 lo3 lo3

(Continued on next page)
= 9

-

Sample

if

Orientation After 4o Hrs, After 8 Days

of Specimen Original- Air Pressure Oxygen Pressure

Length Avg, 1,0 1,1 (5) 1,2 (5)

direction Max, 1,0 1,2 1,2

(Copper

face up)

Mino- 0,8 1,0 1,1

(Copper Avg, 0,7 0,8 (5) 0,8 (5)

face down) Max, 0,7 0,8 0,8

Min, 0,7 0,7 0,7

Cross Avg, 0,8 0,9 (5) 0,8 (5) direction Max, 0,8 0,9 0,9

(Copper

face up)

Min, 0,7 0,8 0,8

(Copper Avg, 0,5 0,6 (5) 0,6 (5) face down) Max, 0,5 0,7 0,7

Min, 0,4 0,5 0,5

“^Measurement below accuracy of apparatus,

B, Flexibility at 10°

F

All samples were bent if5‘^ in both length and cross direc'

tions and from both sides. Each bend was made on a different

specimeno The specimens (8X8 in,) were held at a temperature

of 10°F for 2h hours before bending and bent at the same t«n»

perature.

Sample No ,

1

2

3

4

Results

No cradks or other injuries.

No cracks or other injuries.

Slight separation of cotton fabric from

copper. No cracks.

Slight separation of copper sheet from

asphalt bond. No cracks.
= 10 =

4o6 Acid and Alkali Tests

The surfaces of the flashing samples were exposed to 5^

solutions of sulfuric acid^ hydrochloric acldj acetic aeldj

sodiium hydroxide 5 and a saturated lime solution for 10 days.

The solutions were placed on the side opposite the copper on

the sample that contained an outside ply of copper foilo The

apparent effects of the samples are noted below and are based

on visual examination and on hand-tearing or plucking to esti^

mate degradationo

Effects of Acids and Alkalis

1 2 it

Sulfuric

Acid 5$

None None Fabrie -weakened --

- Slight weakening of

paper

Hydrochloric

Acid

None None Fabric weakened Slight weakening of

paper

Acetic Acid

%

None None None None

Lime Solution

Saturated

None None None None

Sodium

Hydroxide

5%

Slight etching

of top surface

None Solution penetrated thru

fabric 1 copper

Paper weakened

slightly cor- roded
» 11 =

ho7 Resistance to Mildew

Approximately 30 ml of a sterile culture medium con=

slsting of

Sodium nitrate

Dipotasslum hydrogen phosphate

Magnesium sulphate

Potassium chloride

Agar

Distilled water

3o00 grams

1.00

Oo 25

0.25

10

1000

were poured into 10 cm Petrie dishes and allowed to coolo A

piece of No. 2 Whatman (7 cm) sterilized filter paper was

moistened and placed on the medium in each dish.

An Inoculum was prepared by scraping a fruiting culture

of Chaetomlum globosum 10^2.4 into 100 ml of sterile water.

This spore suspension Was used to inoculate the filter paper

in the Petrie dishes by pipetting a few ml of the suspension

into the middle of each piece of filter paper.

The plates were then Incubated at 28° C for hS hours at

which time a mycelial mat was formed over the substrate.

Specimens of flashing (2" x 2") were then placed on the mats

and Incubated for 1^ days. They were then examined visually and

by hand“tearing or plucking to estimate degradation. The results

are as follows;
Sample No

1

12 =

Heavy mycelial growth; no evidence- of degradation

or loss of strength*

2 Sample showed a 1/^-inch border of mycelial growth;

no loss of strength* Sample considered resistant

to mildew attack*

3 Heavy reproductive growth; asphalt saturated cotton

was considerably weakened and bond of' material to

copper sheet weakened so that it could be easily

scraped off*

4 The asphalt-=saturated kraft paper was heavily

covered with reproductive growth. Tear strength

of the paper lessened and bond of paper to asphalt

was weakened. This sample exhibited as much

mildew growth as sample No* 3 hut the residual

strength was greater,

4*8 Resistance to Staining and Bleeding

The samples were exposed for three days in an air oven at

l80°Fo There was no evidence of dripping ^ bleeding or severe

tackiness as would be indicated on white bond paper placed in

contact with samples*

5* MALUATION OF RESULTS

Table 3 is a rough evaluation of the results of tests using

5“Ounce copper sheet as the standard* In using this table , it

should be remembered that any attempt to achieve a strict grading

of dissimilar materials by series of tests may result in erroneous

conclusions* For example, the ratings on samples Nos* 3 and 4 are

ratings of the coatings on the copper rather than of the copper

itself
- 13 “

TABLE 3» COMPARATIVE RATINGS

(STANDARD 5“ OUNCE COPPER SHEET)*

Sample NOo 1 2 3

Resistance to Aging - = Waterproofness - Resistance to Pimcture - + -f = Flexibility + + Resistance to Acids and Alkalis •f + Resistance to Mildew Growth = -

+ »oooooo Greater than 5°ounce copper o

=• o o o o o o o Less than 5“0unce copper

»

= ooooooo In the same range as 5“Ounce copper,,

*For physical data of 5“Ounce copper sheets see sample deslgna^-

tlon nOo 17 in National Bureau of Standards Report on Housing

and Home Finance Agency Project 1950“STR-=10Ag Acceptance Test*=

ing = Flashings Only 5 a copy of which is enclosed with this

reporto

THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

Functions and Activities

The hiuctiorra of the National Bnrean of Standards are set"forth in the Act of Congress, March

3, 1901, as amended by Congress in Public 'Law 619, 1950. These include the development and

maintenance of the national standards of measurement and the provision of means and methods

for making measurements consistent %dth these standards; the determination of physical constants and properties of materials; the development of methods and instruments for testmg materials,

devices, and structures; advisory services to Government Agencies on scientific and technical

problems; invention and development of devices to serve special needs of the Government; and the

development of standard practices, codes, and specifications. The work includes basic and applied

research, development, engineering, instrumentation, testing, evaluation, calibration services, and

various consultation and information services. A major portion of the Bureau’s work is performed

for other Govermnent Agencies, particularly the Department of Defense and the Atomic Energy

Commission. The scope of activities is suggested by the listing of divisions and sections on the

inside of the front cover.

Reports and Publications

The results of the Bureau’s work take the form of either actual equipment and devices or published papers and reports. Reports are issued to the sponsoring agency of a particular project or program. Published papers appear either in the Bureau’s own series of publications or in the

journals of professional and scientific societies. The Bureau itself publishes three monthly periodicals, available from the Government Printing OflSce: The Journal of Research, which presents

complete papers reporting technical investigations; the Technical News Bulletin, which presents

summary and preliminary reports on work in progress; and Basic Radio Propagation Predictions,

which provides data for determining the best frequencies to use for radio communications tliroughout

the world. There are also five series of nonperiodical publications: The Applied Mathematics

Series, Circulars, Handbooks, Building Materials and Structures Reports, and Miscellaneous

Publications.

Information on the Bureau’s publications can be found in NBS Circular 460, Pubhcations of

the National Bureau of Standards ($1.00). Information on calibration services and fees can be

found in NBS Circular 483, Testing by the National Bureau of Standards (25 cents). Both are

available from the Government Printing Office. Inquiries regarding the Bureau’s reports and

publications should be addressed to the Office of Scientific Publications, National Bureau of Standards, Washington 25, D. C.
- 1l

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