14 bauder. ie EVOLUTION OF BITUMEN BITUMEN – AN ANCIENT MATERIAL In ancient times, surface seepages of bituminous impregnated rock in the Middle East provided an available supply of naturally occurring asphalt. The inhabitants of the area at this time obviously recognised the excellent waterproofing, adhesive and preservative properties of this material, as archaeological excavations have revealed the remains of bituminous grouting to stone structures, and roadways waterproofed using this material that date back thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians also recognised the importance of bitumen and its preservative qualities and incorporated its use within the mummification process. In some ancient mummies the strips of linen were attached using a resin and sometimes poured on to cover the entire body. Early observers believed this resin to be bitumen and this is how mummies got their name, as the Persian word for bitumen is mounia. The Romans first used the word ' bitumen' to describe various types of natural hydrocarbons. They developed techniques for its utilisation that are closely related to modern applications used today. Use of this unrefined form of natural bitumen existed for many years, but it was not until the middle of the 19th Century that mass produced waterproofing products were first introduced. THE EVOLUTION OF BITUMEN MEMBRANES Bitumen used in the manufacture of modern waterproofing is a by- product of refining Crude Oil and is the remaining residue once all other oils and fuels have been removed by the distillation process ( with the exception of natural rock asphalt). Whilst the fuels have but a short useful life, bitumen is made into products that provide many decades of service. Traditional ' felts' developed during the middle of the 20th Century used matted organic fibre reinforcement layers made from a mixture of cotton, jute, wood pulp, hair and wool and later asbestos fibre. This was saturated with penetrating bitumen and coated with oxidised bitumen. Glass fibre tissue was introduced during the 1950' s. This reinforcement is rot proof and better at maintaining dimensional strength, but still the oxidised bitumen coating had minimal natural elasticity to cope with structural movement and thermal stresses. Polyester was introduced as a high tensile reinforcement during the 1970' s and has proved to be an essential component in built- up waterproofing construction because of its ability to accommodate high stresses without tearing. Advancement in bitumen coatings came with the addition of polymers to increase elasticity, strength, and fatigue resistance. Two types of polymer additive are used today; SBS ( styrene butadiene styrene) a rubber polymer, and APP ( atactic polypropylene) a plastic polymer. Bitumen modified with APP has a higher softening point, but limited low temperature flexibility and is therefore ideally suited towards use in hot climates where weathering and ageing resistance are the main criteria. SBS modified bitumen membranes have excellent low temperature flexibility as well as very good weathering and ageing resistance characteristics, making these perfectly suited to our Northern European climate with its variable temperature extremes. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Our tried and tested procedures for raw material selection, precise bitumen formulations and blending techniques are the result of over 150 years of development experience in bitumen product manufacture. Top of the range SBS modified membranes can boast bitumen coating elasticity of up to 1000%, with membrane tensile strengths of up to 1200N/ 50 mm and cold bending tolerances as low as - 36° C. As one of Europe's largest manufacturers of bituminous waterproofing products, we are at the forefront of material and product development. 21ST CENTURY DEVELOPMENTS Today's bituminous membranes are technically superior in every performance aspect. Reinforcement materials have been perfected with spun- bond polyester or woven reinforced glass fibre and bitumen formulations can now include self- adhesive variants that speed and simplify the on- site installation process. Modern cap sheet layers include fire retardants within the bitumen coating to help contain or prevent spread of flame in the event of fire.

TEC DUO 15 bauder. co. uk BAUDER TECHNOLOGY THERM Stripes WINNER FRA AWARDS 2006 PRODUCT EXCELLENCE AWARD TEC DUO PRODUCTS The patented ' DUO' range of products has been developed to make installation faster, safer, simpler and more secure than previously possible. The technology features heat- activated and self- adhesive application, in conjunction with colour coded side laps. Beneath the red lap is an 80 mm wide strip of glassfibre fleece which prevents immediate adhesion and allows the installer to create a secure welded lap by using flame or hot air, for guaranteed waterproofing integrity. These products feature significantly in both Bauder System Airtech and Bauder Total Roof System DUO. THERM STRIPES TECHNOLOGY This family of products features a low melting point torch- activated bitumen adhesive, in a striped pattern. This allows the adhesive to be activated with a minimal amount of heat. The technology is used in the BTRS DUO system on top of the vapour barrier to provide the adhesive required for installing the insulation and also features in the BauderTHERM ' Stripes' system on the underside of the SL500 membrane to enable a quickly installed partially bonded waterproofing layer. CAD SPECIFICATION SUPPORT CAD DRAWINGS www. bauder. co. uk/ technical- centre NBS SPECIFICATIONS www. bauder. co. uk/ technical- centre TECHNICAL HELPLINE T: + 44 ( 0) 1473 257671 E: technical@ bauder. co. uk PROJECTS PORTFOLIO E: marketing@ bauder. co. uk W: www. bauder. co. uk/ media- centre REINFORCED BITUMEN MEMBRANE ROOFING