1. Metal Roofing Prototype
April 26, 2016
ENGS 452: Intro to Engineering Design
Hope College Engineering
Lizzie Vartabedian, Skylar Heidema, Brad Van Valkenburg, Amy
Napier
Sponsor: Quality Edge Inc.
2. Background
• Most homes in Michigan traditionally have asphalt shingles
• Quality Edge Inc. has begun using Matterhorn Metal Roofing tiles which
are Energy Star Certified
• Quality Edge Inc. wants to quantify how much more efficient the metal
tiles are compared to asphalt shingles for homes in Michigan
3.
4. Problem Statement
• It is well known that metal shingles are longer lasting than traditional
asphalt shingles, but are they also more cost effective in insulating your
Michigan home?
• The preliminary exploration into the effects of metal roofing on solar heat
gain, research project aims to answer those questions with the newly built
roofing models that accommodate the need for portability, customizability,
and easy data acquisition.
5. Previous Version
Issues with the Previous Version:
● Very bulky structure, difficult to
transport to testing area
● Data must be taken manually every
few minutes from multiple
thermocouples
● Data must be input manually to a
computer before it can be analyzed
● Structures are very permanent,
unable test different roofing
materials
6. Structural Design Requirements
• Design new roofing models to accommodate needs for portability and
customizability
• Allow for different roofing materials to be tested on the same structures
• Evaluate prototype and make improvements as needed
• Integrate data acquisition system to prototype in a way that the
acquisition system can be transported with the structure
7. Data Acquisition System Requirements
• Design a system to collect temperature data points without the need for
constant human operation
• Build a microcontroller circuit according to the design
• Program microcontroller to collect and store data
• Generate instructions for operation
8. Design of the Roofing Structure
• Numerous concept sketches were composed for the initial design of the
structure and for the best way to reduce the weight of carrying the
structure.
• The following sketches were the ones that were agreed upon as the final
roofing structure design.
15. Data Acquisition - Microcontroller
• Arduino Leonardo was used to take data points through multiple multiplexers
• Code was developed for taking multiple data points with a multiplexer and doing the
same with multiple multiplexers
• Input to Arduino is an analog voltage, so a voltage divider was set up
• Conversions from voltage to resistance to temperature were hard coded in
16. Data Acquisition - Thermistor Array
• 41 Thermistors were
arranged in roofing
structure
• Layer Array: 30
• Hanging : 9
• Studs: 2
• Each given specific ID’s and
corresponding wires labeled
• Ex: F2-2, H1a, S1
19. Data Acquisition - Circuit Design
• A custom perfboard was designed for the
circuitry.
• Have the perfboard, we just have to make it.
• 4 “Sections”
• A) Power Rail
• B) Thermistor Input/Data Node
• C) Multiplexer Area
• D) Ground Rail
A B
B
C
D
20. Data Acquisition - Arduino coding
• Basic code structure:
• Initialization, verify SD Card, setup
truth table
• Print first column thermistor labels
• For loop, running through ABC pin
combinations and through
multiplexers
• Print time (column header)
• Read analog voltage data 5
times
• Average them
• Convert to temperature using
Steinhart
• Print and save data
21. Final Budget
Material Amount Price
Plywood 28 ft2
$32
Insulation 28 ft2
$32
Latches 14 $30
Hinges 12 $25
Roofing Nails 50 $10
2x4's 7 ft $4
Total $133
Structural Portion Data Logging Portion
Material Amount Price
Arduino 2 $48
Resistor 100 $5.39
Multiplexer 10 $16.50
SD Card Shield 2 $27
Wire Roll 1 $10
Thermistor 100 $5
Total $116
22. Results and Conclusions
• The folding structure makes the structure compact for storage
• The structure is also easy to transport, assemble, and disassemble
• The asphalt shingle model has been completed with all the wires
attached
• Preliminary code for circuit completed with all desired aspects
• Circuitry to accompany code completed, perf board designed and set up
23. Next Steps
• Write and implement code for SD Card.
• Complete the metal tile structure
• Get the remaining metal roofing components from Quality Edge
• Install the thermistors and circuit components
• Finalize the circuit and make it permanent on perfboard
• Take finished structure to the roof to do preliminary testing of prototype.
• Compare asphalt vs. metal under the same conditions
24. Acknowledgements
• Research Project Advisor: Dr. Misovich
• Project Sponsor: Quality Edge Inc.
• Hope College Engineering Department
• Dr. Veldman
• Adam Peckens
• Dave Daugherty
