Integration of Monitoring and Actuation Electronics in a Smart Roof Waterproofing System

During the past years, roof structures are evolving to provide new waterproofing materials that increase the comfort of homes and roofs' lifespan. Some of the market roof waterproofing solutions present durability issues and may result in watertightness losses and consequently in water infiltration events causing a set of anomalies in the internal environment of buildings. Moreover, solutions need to be more sustainable and follow no environmental harm principles. Thereby, the main goal of Smart Roofs System project and Saint Gobain Weber is to develop a water-based polymeric membrane that presents equivalent technical performance to the best solutions of waterproofing liquid membrane solvent-based. Using an innovative reinforcing textile structure as a complement to the process of drying the aqueous membrane. This structure comprises the integration of an active heating system with temperature and moisture sensors working as indicators of the degree of drying/humidity and temperature in the system for the application of a new layer of the waterproofing membrane. Furthermore, the smart system comprises the development and integration of an electronic system capable of monitoring temperature and moisture inside the waterproofing membrane and activate the heating system when needed. The resultant product mitigates cracking and reduces durability problems of the water-based polymeric membrane. Also, the innovative monitorization system and textile sensors developed for this project were successfully embedded in the target textile substrate and could successfully monitor the moisture and temperature inside the structure. The heating wires showed to be capable of accelerating the membrane cure process.