Building Curtain Walls, Bridges and Other Architectural Elements ...

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Today’s architects and commercial builders are challenged to create innovative, environmentally sustainable structures that will last for years. Fortunately, advances in FEVE (fluoroethylene vinyl ether) fluoropolymer resins for paints and topcoats help these structures withstand the elements for decades.

In a new on-demand webinar recording, AGC product experts outline the advantages of FEVE-based topcoats for applications such as bridges and curtain walls. They evaluate coating performance tests, life-cycle cost advantages and sustainability benefits of FEVE-based coatings.

The Benefits of FEVE Resins

FEVE resins are comprised of alternating fluoro ethelyne and vinyl ether copolymers with an amorphous structure. The fluoro ethelyne polymers provide durability, while the vinyl ether polymers provide transparency, flexibility, crosslinkability and pigment and adhesion. Together, they offer benefits such as high weatherability, chemical resistance, gloss, and solubility.

Coating systems made with FEVE resins are easy to apply and can withstand UV exposure 2-3 times longer than conventional coatings. Coatings containing FEVE can be used for both new construction and rehabilitation in the field because it can be applied at much lower temperatures than traditional coatings made with PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride).

There are four main types of FEVE resins:

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• Solvent-based resins for liquid coatings
• Resins for low VOC and HAPS-free liquid coatings
• Water-based resins
• Powder coating resins

FEVE –based coatings are ideal for repairing curtain walls, bridges, metal roofing and handrails. They offer excellent color and gloss retention for 30 years or more.

FEVE-based powder coatings are used by OEMs to coat new aluminum extrusions, fabricated curtain walls, windows and other architectural elements. They use no solvents and contain zero VOCs. Like liquid resins, powder coating resins offer a lifespan of 30+ years as a topcoat with superior gloss and color retention, chalking resistance and resistance to airborne chemicals and acid rain.

Weathering and Corrosion Testing

AGC uses both accelerated and real-time weathering and corrosion testing to observe how FEVE resins hold up over their lifetime. This testing enables them to monitor direct changes to a material’s properties caused by exposure to the environment. In both tests, FEVE resins retain their gloss and film thickness while resisting chalking and corrosion better than competitive products.

Life-Cycle Cost Advantages

One of the most important advantages to using FEVE-based coatings is the cost-savings that can be achieved due to their weatherability. Recoating is often not necessary for 30 to 60 years after the initial coating is applied so they have lower relative life-cycle costs than polyurethane. Despite a higher initial cost, FEVE can save 15-30% over time.

Environmental Considerations

FEVE resin-based coatings also help reduce environmental impact over the life of the building or structure since they don’t need to be re-applied as often as competitive products. Powder coatings are low VOC because they do not contain solvents, and they don’t contain lead or chrome. Because only a single coat is required, powder coatings can provide superior performance than liquid coatings. Powder coatings can also cure at lower temperatures, reducing energy use. For these reasons, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends powder coatings as a sustainable coating option. Using a FEVE-based powder coating can also help with LEED credits and certification of a building.

1) The unit type solves the problem of water leakage of the curtain wall and adopts the "isobaric principle". The curtain wall leaks water, there must be three conditions, the first is the presence of water, such as rain to scrub the curtain wall with water. second, water movement pathways; Third, the power of water movement, there are six kinds of dynamics, such as: gravity, momentum, surface expansion, capillary phenomenon, air flow and pressure difference. Pressure difference is the main reason for the leakage of most curtain wall joints, the water outside the curtain wall, whether it is rain or window washing water into the room, in addition to the existence of holes or cracks, must also require the outdoor pressure to be greater than the indoor pressure. If the pressure inside is equal to or even greater than the pressure outside it, even if there are holes or cracks, water will not enter the wall. Generally, the traditional waterproof method is to try to reduce the possible openings at the long joints, such as using various sealants and rubber strips to seal and block the contact seams. The new way of waterproofing into the room is to use the way of draining rainwater, leading water into the isobaric cavity, and then drawing water out of the wall. In order to achieve isobarics, we keep some or all of the seams open, but the isobaric cavity is not a ventilated space, it must be confined to a certain range of ventilatory space to effectively produce the isobaric effect. In order to achieve a full isobaric effect, the pressure in the "isobaric chamber" must be maintained at all times greater than or equal to the pressure outside the atmosphere. However, we know that the surface pressure of the building, due to the change of wind speed at any time, will not remain permanent, the taller and larger the building, the more obvious the degree of pressure difference. The positive wind pressure close to the ground is smaller than the positive wind pressure in the high place, the positive wind pressure in the center of the façade is larger than the positive wind pressure in the corner, and the same cross material may be subject to positive pressure at one end and negative pressure at the other end, coupled with other factors, making the design of isobaric effect more complicated and difficult. Therefore, it requires high technology to solve it. The isobaric principle is the unique core of the unitary curtain wall.

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