Shenton Appears on Sundance Channel

Article by Diane Kukich; photo by Doug Baker

Tripp Shenton, Interim Chair and Professor of Civil Engineering, was recently featured on a Sundance Channel "webisode" that highlighted the use of chicken feathers to make hurricane-resistant roof panels. The work was done jointly with Chemical Engineering Professor Richard Wool, whose ACRES research program focuses on affordable composites from renewable sources.

The Sundance series Big Ideas for a Small Planet focuses on environmental topics through interviews with "forward-thinking designers and features on green products and alternative ideas that may transform our everyday lives."

The monolithic roof, which was made for a one-third scale model shed-type building, not only resists wind and water penetration but also confers thermal protection.

"This roof was designed to take all of the loads that a conventional roof would take," Shenton says in the two-minute webisode, "and of course one of its biggest advantages is its hurricane resistance. The single panel is key to providing that resistance because the weakness of a conventional roof is that the sheathing panels and shingling can be sucked off due to negative pressures."

Wool points out that chicken feathers are not only light but remarkably strong. He is seeking innovative uses for the feathers, which generate 3 billion pounds of waste every year in the U.S. alone.

Click here to view the webisode.