Types of fabric structures for airports

An airport is a huge area that possesses a large number of people or passengers, baggage checker machines, aircraft, and other surface vehicle needs. It is considered a complex transportation hub. However, the construction of any airport could be highly a complex task that requires high-end engineered material, a highly experienced team, and financial resources. Adding to this, it is very important to plan the ever-lasting design structure and style of an airport and build with high-quality material following stringent safety measures.

Furthermore, most of the shades & ceilings that you see in the airports are manufactured with fabric structures or tensile structures. However, with or without a structural frame, these fabric structures are made with the use of fabric material and these fabric structures are used in buildings, airports, military bases, etc. Fabric structures are treated as a sub-category of tensile structures and a membrane is stretched to create a three-dimensional surface. These structures are used as roofing, decorative component, or shading. In order to meet the properties like weather-resistant, flame retardant, natural force, and worldwide structural requirements, custom-made structures are engineered.

Why Fabric Structures are used in Airports?

The main reason behind using fabric structures over conventional roofing systems is, fabric structures do not require heavy steel structures to cover a large area. Therefore, in large spaces like Facade for airports, shopping centers, sports faculties, etc., tensile fabric structures are used for roofing where columns cannot be installed.

Furthermore, roofing with the help of fabric structures is easy to construct and can be relocated and thus, these tensile fabric structures are used for shopping malls, Hotels, Parks, corporate offices, military uses, etc.

Materials Used for Fabric Structures: –

•  Membrane Materials: –

Some of the fabric structures are made with meshes or films while most of the fabric structures are composed of actual fabric. However, in order to increase strength, environmental resistance, and durability, these fabric structures are laminated or coated with synthetic materials. Such materials include woven fiberglass coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polyesters coated or laminated with polyvinyl chloride.

• Cotton Canvas: –

Cotton was the first material used for the making of fabric structures and it is known to produce significant structural strength. Furthermore, light canvas, cotton twill, and heavy proofed canvas are known as the traditional fabric material for fabric structures.

• Polyesters: –

Polyester is renowned as the most widely used material in fabric structures as it offers durability, strength, stretch, and cost. Furthermore, if you are looking for the least expensive and long-term fabrications then you can choose polyesters fabric structures that are coated or laminated with PVC films. Polyester fabric is kept under tension before and during the coating process to make precontraint fabric.

• Vinyl-Laminated Polyesters: –

A reinforcing polyester scrim is pressed between the unsupported PVC films of two layers in order to compose a laminated fabric. Furthermore, the two or more layers of this laminated fabric material is used to make a single ply by pressure, heat, and an adhesive and thus, it is used for fabric structures.

• Vinyl-Coated Polyester: –

Vinyl-Coated Polyester that is made up of polyester scrim is the most frequently used fabric material in the making of the fabric structure. Exterior PVC coatings, a bonding or adhesive agent make the fabric structures more flexible. Furthermore, the scrim is applied in the liquid form and is used to deliver elongation, tensile strength, dimensional stability, and tear strength of the resulting fabric.

The adhesive agent is used to prevent fibers from absorbing water or wicking as it acts as a chemical bond between the exterior coatings and polyester fibers.

The PVC coating that contains chemicals enables you to achieve the properties that include flame retardancy, water, color, and mildew resistance.

• Fiberglass: –

Woven fiberglass is the most widely used base material. It is coated with PTFE (Silicone or Teflon) that is chemically inert and thus, it can withstand 100 °F to 450 °F+ temperatures. The fiberglass behaves elastically as it has high tensile strength and does not suffer from creep or stress relaxation.

If you are looking for high-quality, durable, cost-efficient fabric structures, then contact Skyshade – the best tensile fabric structures manufacturer company in Hyderabad.