The 20-year itch How to maintain that healthy-looking fabric structure

摘要

First and foremost, one needs to determine the appropriate fabric for the application. Today, structures are being designed that might, in theory, be considered permanent but are planned to be up for only 10,15 or 20 years. Likewise, there are specific fabrics with life spans and warranties that meet or exceed the performance criteria specified. So choosing the right fabric for the right application should take precedence over anything else. The next step then becomes what to do with the components (steel, fabric, and cables) upon the end of their use. Steel, and most parts of the cables, can be recycled, and there are options for some fabrics, such as recycling or downgrading the material for another use.