Understanding the structure of a shake to guide product development

Enviroshake Inc. markets a very successful product: composite roof shakes. These shakes have the appearance of cedar but outperform cedar roof shakes in lifetime. The current composite roof shake is primarily composed of a mixture of commercial plastics blended with wood fillers. Enviroshake Inc. would like to redefine the binding agent to a lower priced material whilst maintaining or improving upon the performance of the shakes. Research funded by this Mitacs Accelerate Grant will be directed towards determining how the binder is structured within the final shake and what materials would serve as suitable alternatives. This information will be used by Enviroshake Inc. to support the development of new products for the roofing industry.

Faculty Supervisor:

Drs. Kim M. Baines & Yining Huang

Student:

Margaret Hanson

Partner:

Enviroshake Inc.

Discipline:

Chemistry

Sector:

Construction and infrastructure

University:

Western University