The Technological Evolution of Asphalt Shingles

By Greg Keeler, Technical Service Leader, Owens Corning for FRSA. 

There is more than what meets the eye with advances in asphalt shingle technology. 

On the surface, it may seem like little has changed in asphalt shingle technology in the past 50 years. To most people, the asphalt shingle industry hasn’t faced much need to change, due to the wide acceptance of and the long-term durability of asphalt shingles. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth and when it comes to the asphalt shingle, there is certainly more than meets the eye.  

Asphalt shingles were invented in 1903, and by the late 1930s, were being used widely in the United States. Early asphalt shingles were manufactured using an organic felt sheet that was coated with asphalt, then covered with mineral granules for protection against the elements. Variations to the size and shape of shingles were made over the next several decades, but the basic construction remained the same. 

In the 1950s, manufacturers started applying sealant to the shingles during the manufacturing process to increase the wind resistance of the shingles.  

In the 1960s, manufacturers made a concerted effort to convert all shingles from organic to fiberglass mat. Owens Corning had invented Fiberglas, a glass fiber reinforcement, in the late 1930s. A fiberglass mat at the core of shingles was designed to make asphalt shingles stronger, perform better long term, and provide better fire performance versus organic mat asphalt shingles. At this point, 3-tab shingles were the prominent shingle in the market.  

In the early 1970s, development of what we now call “laminate,” “dimensional” or “architectural” shingles began. These shingles were designed to look more like natural roof coverings such as wood shakes and are still constructed in much the same way today, with two layers of shingle overlapped and adhered together.  

Asphalt shingle design didn’t change much from the 1970s to around 2007, except for the addition of a few new shapes and colors. That all changed in 2007 when Owens Corning launched a new shingle, Duration, with a game-changing nail zone design. There has been a lot of talk in the roofing industry about nail zones and making shingles that are easier and faster to install.  

Owens Corning patented SureNail Technology incorporates a tough, engineered fabric in the shingle nailing zone. This technology offers numerous benefits:  

• An easy-to-see, “no guess” nailing target  

• Creates a 3-layer reinforced nailing zone, reducing potential for nail blow- and pull-through  

• Provides a superior bond with a factory-applied sealant compared to a granule- or sand-coated surfaces, which allows for a 130-mph wind warranty, with only a 4-nail application.  

Extensive testing against competitors with wide, single-layer nailing zones, demonstrates that Duration Series shingles with SureNail Technology offer the following performance benefits:  

• 2.5 times the nail pull-through resistance 

• 9 times the nail blow-through resistance  

• 2 times better delamination resistance  

Owens Corning continues to examine innovative technologies that will improve shingle product performance. 

Learn more about the FRSA and OwensCorning in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directories. 

Original article source: FRSA