An Overview of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety's Hail Research Program

The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety opened its Research Center in Richburg, SC in 2010 to conduct building science research on behalf of the insurance industry. The hail research program was developed to better understand hailstorms, hail risk, and hail damage to building products and systems. As part of this program, IBHS has conducted field research from 2012-2018 to gather data on hailstone characteristics. These data have served as the foundation for exploring and developing technology to replicate hailstone mass, density, and compressive strength in a laboratory setting for use in impact testing of roofing products. Replication of hailstone characteristics is crucial in order to replicate real-world damages and provide an understanding of product performances. This paper will describe the IBHS hail research program, the link between field research and laboratory impact testing, as well as the technologies and methodologies used to conduct impact testing and assess the resulting damage. Datasets collected and available to research partners and stakeholders will also be described.