Glossary

Waterproofing
Construction element comprising waterproofing membrane materials for protecting a building from precipitation; forms a waterproof layer extending across the entire roof area.

Termination
Finishing the waterproofing at the edge of the roof.

Connection
Adapting the waterproofing to adjacent or penetrating building components and details.

Ballast
Heavy protective layer to secure the roofing layers again wind uplift.

Mobile connection
Connection or termination at building components that are subject to various kinds of movement relative to the substructure.

Movement joints
Intentional space between two elements of a structure which allows different movements.

Bitumen
Thermoplastic distillate from crude oil used for producing bitumen membranes and adhesive compounds.

Bitumen membrane
Roofing membrane consisting of a reinforcement with a bitumen facing on both sides.

Vapour barrier
Layer that reduces or prevents the diffusion of water vapour.

Elastomer bitumen membrane
Bitumen membrane with elastomer-modified bitumen facings.

Sloping roof
A slope is achieved on the roof using wedge-shaped insulating panels for the purpose of controlled removal of rainwater.

Used area
Area of roof designed to be accessed by people (simple loading), by vehicles (heavy loading), or designed for planting.

Cold self-adhesive membranes
Polymer bitumen membranes with cold self-adhesive layers applied at the factory.

Surface protection
Protective layer on the final waterproofing layer to protect it from mechanical strain and from the weather. A distinction is made between light surface protection (dressing with slate particles at the factory) and heavy surface protection (e.g. a layer of gravel).

Protective layer
Layer of building materials to give the waterproofing long-lasting protection from mechanical and thermal stresses.

Torch-on membrane
Bitumen membrane 4–5 mm in thickness, installed using a welding process.

Reinforcement
Inlay in a bitumen membrane, e.g. polyester fleece, glass fibre, scrim, composite inlays or metal strips.

Separating layer
Layer for permanently separating building materials or components from one another.

Overlap
Area in which two sheets of a waterproofing layer overlap one another at seams and joins.

Substructure
Underlying surface supporting the roof structure.

Flashing
Secures the end of the waterproofing membrane to prevent water ingress behind it.

Primer
Thin solution of bitumen which is applied to the substructure or in areas around connections to bind dust and improved adhesion when bonding waterproofing membranes.

Thermal insulation layer
Layer of material in the roof structure that reduces the transfer of heat between the inside and outside of a building.