Rubb Fabric Building News

Rubb has recently finished fabrication for a new salt storage facility for the Town of Sanford, Maine. After two years of providing several options to the town, a 70ft (21.34m) x 80ft (24.39m) BVE Rubb structure with 16.4ft (5m) sidewalls was chosen.

The structure is designed to 70 psf ground snow load and 90 mph wind load with a 3 psf collateral. The Town of Sanford likes the Rubb design as the white roof provides a naturally lit interior and the structure provides flexibility for growth. This structure will provide a salt storage capacity of 2,686 tons. The leg trusses and gable columns will be powder coated to provide another layer of protection from the highly caustic aspects of salt.

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Garland Construction was hired to repair an existing Rubb THA shelter at the USPS Springfield Bulk Mail Center. The existing structure had sustained a considerable amount of damage from past usage. It was decided that a complete replacement was the best answer which included a heavy duty concrete wall supplied by Garland Construction. The new shelter measures 26.2’ feet by 30 feet. The track operated PVC folding door was extended to allow for the poured foundation which also makes it easier for equipment to operate in the building.

The powdercoated hot-dipped galvanized frame shows little sign of corrosion after 8 years of service

It is no secret that storing salt is one of the most challenging applications for a building. The corrosive properties of salt can wreak havoc on traditional structures, especially on untreated or minimally treated steel. So it was with great interest that Rubb revisited a salt storage building in Bath, Maine after eight years in the field.

Amazingly, little to no corrosion was evident on the powdercoated finish of the Rubb building. Recognizing the highly caustic aspects of salt, Rubb added a powdercoating to the hot-dipped-galvanized steel. While the HDG process is standard on all Rubb buildings, powdercoating is used when corrosion is expected to be high, giving another layer of protection. While it is challenging to get a good powdercoat on galvanized steel, the result is well worth the effort, with a steel frame that can stand the test of time even in the most caustic environments.

Properly storing salt is both responsible and economical — a properly designed salt shed will eliminate leaching of salt into the surrounding environment, which is both a hazard and a waste of an increasingly expensive resource. Rubb buildings, with incredibly resilient frames, ample indoor light and valuable relocatability, are an excellent choice for salt storage.

A recent Yahoo! News article pointed out a dilemma looming over many municpalities this winter:  how to cope with a shortage of road salt and the associated rising prices.  Prices have spiked three or four times this year, driven by increased demand and rising fuel costs.

Hardest hit by this shortage are smaller municipalities, who receive lower priority in their bids for salt.  That, in turn, affects motorists:

Heavy snow last year heightened demand for salt, and now many towns can’t find enough of it. The shortage could force many cities to salt fewer roads, increasing the risk of accidents. Other communities are abandoning road salt for less expensive but also less effective sand or sand-salt blends.

Underlying this issue is the need to store salt securely in order to effectively protect the investment.  Salt stores left exposed to the elements will be damaged by wind, rain and erosion, while many traditional structures suffer tremendously due to the corrosive indoor environment.

Rubb bulk storage buildings provide a unique solution to salt storage problems.  Our salt sheds share the same properties that make other Rubb structures such valuable and practical working environments, such as abundant natural daylight and a large clear span that comfortably admits loading vehicles and personnel.  The hot-dipped galvanized steel frame provides uncompromising integrity in corrosive environments, resulting in a long-lasting functional space that can also be relocated should needs change in the future.

Municipalities throughout New England and other cold climates have realized the need to protect their investment in sand and gravel, and Rubb provides a solution that is also very flexible, as shown by the structure built for the Town of Derry, which needed to be integrated with existing concrete walls.

While reliable storage won’t curtail the rising costs of salt, a salt shed can reduce needless loss and provide a pleasant working environment, something that makes it more than worth it’s — ahem — salt.

A recent salt shed installation in Derry, New Hampshire showcases the effectiveness of Rubb buildings for covering salt in cold climates with heavy snow and wind loads.

The Town of Derry was looking for a salt shed that would support a storage capacity of 4,000 plus tons of salt. Rubb, designed, manufactured and installed a 70′(21.3m) x 116′(35.4m) BVE type building, with the important structural requirement for the facility to have adequate height clearance to lift a 40’ dump trailer inside the structure.

Other requests included the construction of the building without a front gable end, and of the different foundation options available, the Town of Derry felt that the traditional poured concrete design best fitted their needs. This helped to ensure that the building was able to withstand 65psf ground snow and 100mph wind with 3-second gust, Exp. C. To help secure the site, the Town installed a gated chain link fence at the entrance of the facility.

The high flexibility of Rubb buildings makes them a perfect match for salt storage applications, where adaptability to environmental regulations and long-term integrity is essential. Rubb structures are ideal for saline environments, as the PVC-coated polyester fabric cover does not rust and post-production hot-dipped galvanized steel frame ensures years of trouble-free service without rust and structural degradation.