Plumbing Connection 3-2015

PLUMBING CONNECTION

SPRING 2015 49

RESEARCH

More experimental research is required to accurately

evaluate the capacity of conventional roof drainage systems

and to investigate how it might change in the future due

to expected increases in rainfall intensities resulting from

climate change. This is where the vision of Mark Alexander

of the AHSCA became integral to the research project taking

flight.

Sure, the AHSCA could have gone about the research

themselves; however, it was important to them, and their

members that project outcomes were both scientifically

robust and have practical application. Effectively, the

research aims to better the entire industry’s knowledge in

the area of roof drainage. As a result of this, its members

raised some $300,000 to aid the project.

So, you might be wondering who has the role of

conducting all of this research.

Well, as part of the collaboration between the AHSCA and

USC, an opening for a PhD scholarship has been created.

The research project includes detailed desktop studies

and full-scale physical modelling, including comprehensive

analysis and reporting of research results, writing

interim industry progress reports, liaison with industry

representatives when required, and contribution to the

design processes required for new product development.

The project also involves a significant amount of

hands-on construction and fabrication activities such as

optimising gutter width sizes, gutter slopes, connecting

and disconnecting downpipes, installing gutter outlets

in the base of gutters, connection and operation of flow

monitoring equipment and devices and similar manual and

physically-demanding activities.

The testing rig will be designed to accommodate the

array of gutter, downpipe and overflow configurations to be

investigated as part of this research study. The research

will focus on identifying the system configurations with the

greatest practical applicability.

The testing rig and pumps will be fed via water collected via

custom built water tanks.

SW287 06/15

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