Case Study
Putting DuPont™ Tyvek® Cargo Covers to the Test for Adverse Weather | DuPont USA
 
 
 

Putting DuPont™ Tyvek® Cargo Covers to the Test for Adverse Weather

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

You may know that Tyvek® Cargo Covers provide trusted protection for pharmaceuticals against temperature excursions during transit. But did you know that durable, lightweight, easy-to-handle Tyvek® Cargo Covers provide the added benefit of proven protection against other threats your valuable cargo may encounter? In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how Tyvek® Cargo Covers protect against the threat of adverse weather conditions.

Commitment to Performance

As a global science and technology company with a more than 200-year history of delivering innovative solutions, DuPont has earned a reputation for supporting customers with a wealth of product performance data based on solid scientific evidence obtained through the use of well-established testing methodologies.

Testing Under Simulated Adverse Weather Conditions

DuPont partnered with a leading third-party industrial testing group to document the performance of Tyvek®Cargo Covers when tested under some of the harshest weather conditions they will face in the real world—heavy rain and wind-driven rain.

Because there are no standards for testing cargo covers, we leveraged long-standing testing methodologies and standards from the building industry that address resistance to water exposure and penetration.

Two tests were conducted, one static and one wind-driven. The first test was to determine the effect of heavy rain on the performance of all three styles—Tyvek® Solar™ W10Tyvek® Solar™ W20 and Tyvek® Xtreme™W50. The second test was to determine the effect of wind-driven rain on the performance of our most advanced cargo cover—Tyvek® Xtreme™ W50.

Standard pallets and cardboard boxes were used for each test.

 
 
 

Testing the Effects of Torrential Rain on Tyvek® Cargo Covers

The rain simulation test was conducted according to the exposure conditions called out in the ASTM E11105 testing standard. In this test, pallets covered with each of the three styles of Tyvek® Cargo Covers were subjected to 5 gal/ft2/h (204 L/m2/h) of water from overhead for a 15-minute period. This simulates a torrential downpour of approximately eight inches (20 cm) of rain per hour, which represents twice the rate of rainfall experienced during Hurricane Harvey in 2017, which set the record for the greatest amount of rain from a single storm in the continental United States.

While rain of this magnitude is certainly not a common occurrence, strong downpours are an event that your products could experience while sitting on a tarmac during extremely severe weather.

Each of the three styles of Tyvek® Cargo Covers passed this challenging test, demonstrating their protective capabilities against the potentially damaging effects of rain—including torrential downpours—that are part of the real-world conditions your products are subjected to during transport.

Wind-driven Rain—The Threat Intensifies

In the second test, our most advanced cover—Tyvek® Xtreme™ W50—was tested against the intensified threat of wind-driven rain, using the exposure conditions of testing standard AAMA 501.1. In this test, a pallet covered with Tyvek® Xtreme™ W50 was subjected for 15 minutes to 30-mph (48-km/h) winds and 5 gal/ft2/h (204 L/m2/h) of water coming at the cover from the side to simulate wind-driven rain.

Not a single drop of water came through anywhere. Tyvek® Xtreme™ W50 withstood pummeling 30-mph (48-km/h) wind-driven rain without any water intrusion.

Based on these results, we decided to test the performance of Tyvek® Xtreme™ W50 against even more severe weather conditions. Using the same testing conditions of standard AAMA 501.1, the winds were increased to 50+ mph (80+ km/h) with the same amount of water used in the previous test for a 15-minute period. This produced horizontally driven rain—an extreme condition that represents a significant threat.

Once again, Tyvek® Xtreme™ W50 delivered exceptional performance. It withstood the more severe conditions and kept the cargo protected against water intrusion.

Learn More

We created a video of this simulated adverse weather testing so you can see for yourself how Tyvek® Cargo Covers provide exceptional protection, even under severe conditions. View the video

To learn more about how Tyvek® Cargo Covers—an exclusive technology patented by Blueye®—can protect your pharmaceutical products in transit and streamline your operations, visit Tyvek® Cargo Covers for Pharmaceuticals or contact your local DuPont representative.