Utilization of Shelter-Rite Vinyl Coated Polyester Fabrics for Architectural Applications
For thousands of years, waterproof fabrics have been utilized for many different types of protective applications. Other than protective outerwear, most of these applications have been referred to as industrial uses of fabrics.
Although strong waterproof fabrics have been used for centuries, it has only been in the last 50 years that research and development efforts have resulted in significant achievements in fabric design and coatings. The fabrics resulting from these achievements have superior performance characteristics and have increased the utilization of fabrics in many new types of industrial applications.
This overview of the industry will walk you through the history of high-performance fabrics for architectural structures, and serves as a primer to applications of the product, as well as performance properties.
A History of High-Performance Fabrics for Architectural Structures
One of the most dynamic applications in the last 40 years has been high-performance fabrics for architectural structures. For example, who would have thought 60 years ago that millions of dollars' worth of inventory could be reliably protected from inclement weather by a building manufactured from a PVC coated fabric that weighs less than two pounds per square yard? Or, that fans would watch a game in a stadium covered with an air-supported fabric?
Building Systems:
Air Supported Custom Engineered Tension & Pre-Engineered Frame
Three basic types of building systems have evolved utilizing Seaman's high-performance Shelter-Rite architectural fabrics - air-supported custom engineered tension and pre-engineered frame.
Air-supported structures utilize an inflation system, which maintains a positive internal air pressure to establish the structural integrity of the building system. Pre-engineered frame and custom engineered tension membrane structures do not utilize an inflation system but maintain structural integrity with a frame- or cable-supported system.
Fabrics for Architectural Structures
PVC fabrics have emerged as the preferred materials for architectural structures. Seaman offers a vinyl coated synthetic material, which utilizes polyester yarns as the base fabric. This fabric has the flexibility to be utilized in a wide variety of cost-effective architectural fabric structures.
The beauty of architectural fabric structures is that the architect or design engineer can take advantage of this dynamic building material to get new, unusual shapes with load stresses and economics far different from those that would be required with more conventional static building materials. With Seaman's unique warp inserted fabrics, engineers and architects can utilize its distinct stretch characteristics.
The Future of Architectural Fabric Structures
Public attention focuses on the conceptual aspect of architectural fabric structures, their aesthetics and their dynamic free-flowing lines. However, fabric as a building material is not commonly understood, particularly by architects and engineers, despite its 60-year history.
In addition, this building material concept is not static in nature, such as bricks and mortar, but it is a dynamic building material, one that takes shape and reacts to loading and stress. To assure proper performance and long life of these structures, Seaman developed the Shelter-Rite fabric to meet a high quality performance criteria to withstand years of continuous service.
