Research, testing and product development · Lesson 3 of 4

Research testing and product development: from idea to a tested, documented detail

A seven-step development path, worked wind demand at a roof corner, the routes to a tested edge, the five conditions for equal resistance, and how AFS fabricates under a manufacturer's tests.

You will be able to: Lay out the path a new or changed edge detail takes from requirement to tested, documented product, work a demand example, and test a size or gauge change against the five equivalence conditions.

12 min · 12 slides · 8 questions

All lessons in this module

Slide 1 of 12

A path from idea to tested detail

This seven-step path is a course teaching sequence built from ES-1's requirements and NASA's verification ideas. It is not a published SPRI procedure.

NASA says validation can be performed in each development phase using phase products such as models, not only at delivery.

A: Requirement from the code and wind loads (ES-1 commentary: the tested strength must meet or exceed the required pressures)
B: Choose the test method: RE-1, RE-2 or RE-3 (ES-1 sections 2 and 3)
C: Draft the detail and its installation instruction (ES-1 section 5)
D: Build full-size production specimens, at least 96 in. long (ES-1 RE-2 and RE-3 specimens)
E: Independent laboratory tests the specimens (ES-1 commentary, SPRI seminar)
F: Report, labelling and packaging documents (ES-1 section 4)
G: Fabricate only as tested and control changes (SPRI ES-1 FAQ, five conditions)

A course teaching sequence built from the cited requirements. It is not a published SPRI procedure.

Sources

ANSI/SPRI/FM 4435/ES-1 2022, Test Standard for Edge Systems Used with Low Slope Roofing Systems (approved November 21, 2022) - SPRI
NASA Systems Engineering Handbook (NASA/SP-2016-6105 Rev2): section 2.4 and the methods of verification in section 5.3 - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Glossary

Equal resistance: In SPRI's ES-1 FAQ, the generally accepted position of those doing ES-1 testing is that a product has equal resistance to a tested product only if all five hold: same design and configuration, same fabricator, same material, equal or heavier gauge, and equal or smaller size.
Design pressure: The wind pressure an edge must resist, found from the code and wind design for the project. ES-1 says a tested edge must provide a strength that meets or exceeds the pressures required.
Safety factor: A multiplier applied to a design pressure. ES-1-2022 itself sets none; AFS's wind tool applies 2.0 as its own choice, and the engineer of record decides the factor and the pressure basis.
Complete assembly: SPRI's ES-1 FAQ says fascia and coping systems must be tested as a complete assembly, so a tested cleat cannot be added to an untested cover to make a compliant system.