Rubb Fabric Building News

A recent article in the American Galvanizer’s Association newsletter had some powerful words to share in a comparison of “cold galvanizing” with true hot-dipped galvanization. Dr Galv, the American Galvanizer’s Association resident expert on steel and the galvanization process, strongly rebuked the idea that the application of zinc-rich paint is comparable to hot-dipped galvanization (HDG), the ONLY method that Rubb uses to protect the steel frames of our buildings.

“Cold galvanizing” is really the application of zinc-rich paint (ZRP), and as such the technique is limited to the skill of the painter and the ability to penetrate exposed areas of weld-joints. A complete coat is necessary for there to be any protective benefit, and even so the paint’s corrosion protection is limited by environmental factors and “the amount of zinc dust in the paint, coating thickness, zinc-to-zinc contact, binding material (organic or inorganic), its adhesion to the steel, and completeness of paint coating.” In other words, “your mileage may vary.”

In contrast, hot-dipped galvanization results in a metallurgical reaction between the iron in steel and molten zinc. This results in a permanent coating of layers of zinc-iron alloys and a pure-zinc protective layer. Galvanization results in a consistent coating thickness on all interior and exterior surface. The resulting steel alloy can enjoy a long lifespan with little to no maintenance (After 30+ years, most Rubb structures show no corrosion at all).

Tests reveal a shocking difference in the expected lifespan of metals coated with zinc rich paint vs. hot-dipped galvanization. In every test administered — cathodic protection, salt fog test, 2000 hour immersion test and more — hot-dipped galvanized metal significantly outperformed ZRP steel. In most cases, hot-dipped galavanized steel showed no corrosion while ZRP steel was significantly damaged!

In the real-world, this can translate into a variety of problems for building owners with products that have been cold galvanized rather than hot-dipped galvanized. For example, because zinc-rich paint can only be applied to the exterior of a surface, a steel frame may appear to be intact while it is slowly rotting from the inside! This kind of damage is nearly undetectable until it is too late to prevent it. In contrast, HDG steel is thoroughly protected inside and out to a significantly higher degree than ZRP steel.

When evaluating steel-framed products, keep a close eye on the quality of the construction. While zinc-rich paint products are often initially less expensive than hot-dipped galvanized products, the cost of inferior engineering over the life-span of a structure more than makes up for the difference. From the beginning, Rubb has been dedicated to producing products of the highest caliber, and post-production hot-dipped galvanized is just one way we add lasting value and integrity to our structures.

The recent relocation of a Rubb building in New England is a statement to our structure’s convenient and easy relocation with minimal loss.

Boccard USA, a Houston, Texas-based firm that specializes in pip fabrication, was looking for a building for pipe welding and assembly for a Londonderry, New Hampshire worksite. This lead to their purchase of a used 39.4′ (12m) x 40′ (12m) THA shelter from us.

The building, 7 years young, had been in use at the Rubb factory in Sanford, Maine as a storage shelter. Rubb technicians disassembled the structure, cleaned and repacked the fabric membrane and reassembled the shelter on site in a matter of two weeks!

The Boccard building is just a recent example of the many times that Rubb shelters and buildings have been relocated after many years of service with minimal downtime, material loss, or expense.

For over 25 years the skyline of Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, has been dominated by the Swan Hunter Shipyard buildings located in the dockyards on the banks of the river Tyne.

Originally manufactured by Rubb back in 1982, the two rail mounted liftable structures measuring 27m span x 24m long and a large 11.5m sidewall, were often moved from shipyard to shipyard along the river by barge, and were used to house the ships and frigates being built by Swan Hunter during manufacture. The structures are to be dismantled and shipped to India where they will continue to be used by the shipbuilding industry.

The Hot Dipped Galvanized steel framework of Rubb structures has proved to be long-lasting and durable — already 26 years old, the structures are still able to preform in the harshest of climates. The PVC fabric membrane is also to be rolled up and reused once the structures arrive at their new destination.

The long life and continued re-use of these structures is a further testament to the longevity, value and flexibility of Rubb structures.

When businesses close, the inevitable result — at least with conventional construction — is an empty building. Some amount of vacant property is an expected and critical part of the real estate market, but when buyers are scarce the prospect of relocating a business location can be an enormous financial burden. On the other hand, as we noted in the story of the United Airlines Hangar in Boston, a multi-purpose and relocatable building developed by Rubb can be a huge asset when a particular building application is no longer desired at a given site.

A story about revitalization of vacant retail buildings in southeast Texas reminded us of the key differences both between the industrial and commercial building markets, and between our buildings and more conventional structures. In this story, a small town faces the challenge of what to do with the empty structures, as well as contend with the lack of tax revenue generated by vacant buildings. The solution, provided by a combination of tax incentives and creative new businesses, is to repurpose the buildings for other uses.

Where one small town succeeds, other cities struggle to fill the empty space. And while commercial buildings face their own challenges, the situation is often even more tricky with industrial buildings, where costs for repurposing are high and cost competitive with new construction — a situation that fuels yet more building inventory.

From the building owner’s perspective, ownership of a Rubb building is a lasting value no matter the current real estate market. Rubb buildings can last forever in one location, or be moved multiple times in their life. They can be assembled in the most extreme environments on earth or in busy port terminals in active cities. If a leased property sells, or if financial reasons make relocating a facility desirable, a Rubb building can be moved with a fraction of the typical cost of selling an existing property and repurposing or building anew.

Photo courtesy KTIV

A recent article of a blaze at a commercial storage building in Sioux City, Iowa reminded us of the excellent fire approval and safety ratings of our buildings. While in conventional structures a blaze can remain contained in the structure, letting even a minor blaze turn into an inferno, Rubb buildings are designed with above-code fire retardant fabrics that will allow a fire to vent without igniting the entire structure.

In this particular story, it’s good to hear that no one was harmed in the blaze and that local firefighters had the fire contained within fifteen minutes. However, under less fortunate circumstances the fire safety aspects of a building are much more important. In the case of the Merrill Marine Terminal, the building was able to successfully vent after an accidental blaze and was back in service in less than a week. Even the most insignificant fires will shut down a conventional building for much longer.

In addition to the stellar venting ability, Rubb buildings can be outfitted with rigorous fire prevention systems, and in our test environments blazes fail to degrade the structural integrity of our buildings. As simply another part of our commitment to quality, Rubb is pleased to have such a strong fire safety record, both for the safety of a building’s inhabitants and for the value of the building’s owner.

The world of industrial buildings is often a very square one, with many building materials simply not being suitable to unconventional shapes. However, there are plenty of specialized applications where a dome or circular structure is ideal, and Rubb has not balked the challenge. There are several ways that Rubb can develop a round structure that is as durable, functional and reliable as any traditional geometry.

Small dome shelters are constructed from lightweight galvanized round steel tubing, and assemble quickly with sleeved connections and a minimum number of parts. Because they are light, they can be crane lifted from a single point at the center. These shelters are often used at shipyards as propeller covers, and can also be used to cover small tanks at wastewater treatment facilities.

Larger tanks require a more robust structure, typically made from heavier square structural steel tubing. More purlins are added for bracing and to support the fabric cover. In some cases a portion of the roof is modified to add a door opening for periodic inspection and maintenance. These buildings are custom designed to match existing tank dimensions. Other uses are at fuel tank farms.

Bulk storage applications often require very large buildings, sometimes over 100′ (30.5m) in diameter, which have their geometry further customized based on the shape of the pile they are covering. When a conveyor is in use, the material can be fed into the building through a hole in the ring at the peak of the building. Wind and snow forces have a greater effect on larger buildings, so structures of this size are designed with trusses or very large structural tubing. Because forces are distributed throughout concentric rings of steel, tight fabrication tolerances must be maintained for proper geometric fit-up.

Round structures are just one of the many technical challenges Rubb faces on a regular basis. No matter what the unique needs of your project, our ingenuitive engineers can design a building that meets your needs.

Rubb structures are designed to be durable and relocatable even when used in the most trying environments, and on several occasions we have been asked to make a structure that is not only relocatable but also mobile in a harsh or specialized site. Depending on the size of the building and the type of application, there are several ways we can add mobility to a Rubb structure.

Smaller structures (such as our THA shelters) can be mounted on simple swivel casters, which allow for agile movement on hard surfaces.  This system has been used to position shelters around construction sites and over concrete curing operations.

For structures on uneven terrain, pneumatic tires on articulating axles can be used. One application of this system is at environmental cleanup jobsites, where the building can be positioned over areas of contaminated soil. These wheels are retracted or removed after movement to allow the building to be anchored to the ground.

When linear movement is a requirement, we’ve attached Hilman rollers to the base of a structure. Hilman’s unique roller design offers little rolling resistance and includes built-in brackets that engage the track to resist uplift forces due to wind. This method of mobility has been used on retractable barge/ship covers, a telescoping drydock cover, and an environmental cleanup site.

The last method of movement for any Rubb sturcture is to employ a crane.  Depending upon the size and weight of a building, crane lifting can be effective when wheels  are not an option.  Our design, engineering, and site operations staffs can assist clients with adapting our buildings for this type of movement.     

Mobility is simply another technical challenge that Rubb structures can easily meet and we can make a range of custom modifications to suit the demands of your site. Contact us for more information about our mobility systems.

The factor that most distinguishes Rubb structures from competing conventional products is their relocatability. Across our entire product line, our products are designed for straight-forward disassembly and easy transport using standard ISO containers, flatbed trucks, or air freight. From the simplest of our shelters to multi-span port buildings, our products are entirely relocatable and versatile, giving the owner huge flexibility regarding site location, intended use, and resale.

Take, for example, the story of an aircraft hangar originally bought by United Airlines. Back in 1992, United Airlines purchased one of our buildings for line-maintenance of Boeing 757’s at Logan Airport in Boston. This building was completed less than a year later and immediately began servicing these aircraft.

In 2000, United approached us about replacing this facility with a larger structure that could service Boeing 777 aircraft. This structure, which at the time would be our largest aircraft hangar (at a span of 255 feet), had the additional complication that it needed to be built on the same site as the existing building while minimizing downtime of their maintenance capability. To accommodate this, we began foundation work for the new building while still disassembling the existing building, and designed the building schedule such that United could use the facility while internal systems work was still being completed by subcontractors.

United’s original plan for the 757 maintenance facility was to move it to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where the building would be used for line maintenance of Boeing 757 aircraft used in the Far East. However, an issue with height clearance put the project on hold and the facility stayed in storage at our facility in Sanford, Maine.

Some years later, United sold the structure to Pan Am Airlines, who intended to use the structure for line maintenance at the Orlando Sanford International Airport, but that project, too, ended up on hold, and Pan Am resold the structure themselves.

What makes this story interesting is that the value of any other kind of structure would long have been extinguished before it was resold in the way this Rubb hangar was. While United could have sold a 757 aircraft hangar at the Logan Airport, should they have decided to expand a conventional facility, the expense would have been considerably greater and they never would’ve had the asset of the existing facility. And for Pan Am, having a structure that was site relocatable was much more valuable than that of a fixed facility.

Everyone buys a Rubb structure for a reason, and anyone who needs to sell one has a reason, too. While many of our customers use our structures for decades, the extreme site flexibility allows owners to be confident that should they ever need to sell our facility, they have the greatest number of options and value in the structure they own.

People often ask us what types of doors work with Rubb buildings and shelters — and can we accommodate their special needs, whether it be the ability to mend or transport the entire structure in the field, admit personnel, secure aircraft in harsh winter weather, maintain climate control, etc. Like our structures themselves, the door options for Rubb structures are completely flexible and can be customized to meet just about any scenario imaginable.

The simplest door used on many of our shelters and some buildings is a sophisticated roll-up curtain door, which provides ample environmental protection and isolates the comfortable working area of our structures. The disadvantage with this door, however, is the need to open and close it when used frequently, as is often required in warehouse environments. For these, the choice is often a PVC bi-parting door to protect the inside of the structure from wind, noise, dust or weather. In these set ups, the PVC may consist of sections or strips of thin transparent PVC which can recede horizontally when needed to admit vehicles, but allows unlimited pedestrian and forklift traffic when left in place. These simple and effective solutions suit many different kinds of warehouses and ports buildings, but are not as ideal for areas that expect severe winter weather or heavier amounts of use.

For heavier industrial applications, there are a number of effective solutions which vary depending on the specific requirements of the project. Rubb will coordinate the installation of any sort of personnel doors in addition to large doors such as roller shutter doors, vertical rising doors or fabric panel doors. For our aircraft hangars, we’ve used Norco bi-parting hangar doors and MegaDoors to meet the needs of major commercial aircraft carriers. These are the kinds of doors you’ll see at the United Airways hangar at Logan Airport or AirTran hangar in Atlanta, Georgia.

For a Rubb structure that will be frequently used in remote areas of the world, we have designed our own lines of flexible, relocatable and maintainable fabric doors. The zipper door used on our Rapid Deployment Shelter (RDS) was specifically designed with ruggedness, relocatability, and easy assembly in mind, and the entire shelter (which is easily 20′ x 20′) can be erected in less than two hours with a team of four.

Even more significant is our innovative Trident fabric door, used in our Rapid Environmental Shelter. The Trident door, like the structure it encloses, is designed to suffer through heavy snow and wind loads and is shaped to comfortably fit helicopters and aircraft. The Trident door, like the zip-up shelter door, is made out of a fabric that is easily repaired in the field, making it ideal for long-term deployment and reuse by military operations. In tune with the Rubb dedication to relocatability, the whole structure can be easily packed into an ISO container and transported as forces are moved.

Simple or complex, heavy-duty or rapidly transportable, Rubb structures accommodate the door your project requires. Whether one of our designs, or that of a leading door manufacturer, we can design the structure to meet your requirements no matter what the environmental, transportation or usage requirements.