What is a phenolic foam?
Phenolic foam is a versatile material used in a wide variety of applications where thermal performance, moisture resistance, fire performance and even structural strength are key performance criteria.
What is phenolic foam made of?
Phenolic foam is made from three main components: phenolic resin, a blowing agent and an acid catalyst; a number of additives can also be utilised to develop specific properties within the foam.
Is phenolic foam synthetic?
Phenolic resins are synthetic polymers produced by polycondensation between phenol and formaldehyde.
What is phenolic foam roof insulation?
Phenolic foam insulation is usually found in conjunction with built-up roof membranes, also known as BUR and commonly referred to as “tar and gravel” roofs. They are generally found on low-slope commercial buildings. It was manufactured in board form in thicknesses ranging from 1″ to 3 3/5″.
Is phenolic foam waterproof?
It is water resistant. It is lightweight and so is easy to transport and install. Closed cell phenolic insulation foam can resist almost all inorganic acidic erosion, organic solvents and acids.
How do you make phenolic foam?
Phenolic foams were successfully produced by mechanically whipping air into a phenolic resole resin, catalyst and surfactant formulation followed by curing the liquid froths.
What is the meaning of phenolic?
noun. Definition of phenolic (Entry 2 of 2) 1 : a usually thermosetting resin or plastic made by condensation of a phenol with an aldehyde and used especially for molding and insulating and in coatings and adhesives. — called also phenolic resin. 2 : phenol sense 2.
How are phenolic foams made?
The majority of phenolic foams is produced by physical blowing, where phenolic resoles, physical blowing agents, catalysts and surfactants are mixed and transferred into an oven; the heat causes the gasification and expansion of the blowing agents as well as the curing of the phenolic resoles, resulting in solid …
Is phenolic insulation better than PIR?
Phenolic insulation offers the best thermal performance of any insulation board on the market (even better than PIR insulation) with thermal conductivities as low as 0.018 W/mK.
What is the difference between PIR and phenolic insulation?
As with the PIR/PUR boards above, phenolic insulation boards also have a closed cell structure. Phenolic board has a slightly higher r-value (higher is better, unlike u-values) and a slightly thinner profile than PIR/PUR boards due to the manufacturing process.
Is phenolic foam insulation combustible?
But there is another popular type of combustible plastic foam, known as “phenolic” foam, which is held to have quite different fire performance.
Is phenolic foam combustible?
Is phenolic waterproof?
The coating of the wood is phenolic resin and it is this coating that makes it waterproof.
Is phenolic safe?
Exposure to phenol may cause irritation to the skin, eyes, nose, throat, and nervous system. Some symptoms of exposure to phenol are weight loss, weakness, exhaustion, muscle aches, and pain. Severe exposure can cause liver and/or kidney damage, skin burns, tremor, convulsions, and twitching.
Is polyethylene a foam?
Polyethylene is a closed cell foam, also referred to as a PE foam or LDPE foam. The material starts off as a thermoplastic which is then blown into a foam format. This is a highly durable as well as versatile product.
What insulation board has the highest R-value?
Polyisocyanurate
Polyisocyanurate: Known as polyiso for short, polyisocyanurate foam has the highest R-value per inch (R-6.5 to R-6.8) of any rigid insulation. This type of rigid foam usually comes with a reflective foil facing on both sides, so it can also serve as a radiant barrier.
Which foam board insulation is best?
polyisocyanurate
Foam board made from polyisocyanurate (polyiso) generally offers the best insulation capacity and 6.5 per inch. Water is the primary “blowing agent,” making it one of the most environmentally-friendly foams used.
Is kingspan phenolic foam?
Kingspan’s Kooltherm insulation board is a high-quality closed cell phenolic foam with a negligible open cell content (2%), which provides an ultra low thermal conductivity (lambda value λ) and therefore a very high R-value.
Is phenolic insulation banned?
The change will mean that the use of many insulation materials such as types of phenolic foam and polyisocyanurate foam will be banned. The ban will extend to hospitals, schools and care homes and will affect the construction of more than 1,000 buildings a year, a Whitehall source told the Guardian.
What is the fire rating of phenolic insulation?
In addition, phenolic foam used in factory engineered composite panels can achieve up to 2 hours fire resistance rating (insulation/integrity) in the 3m furnace test.
Can I use phenolic board for flooring?
Phenolic Board as Floor Covering
This 34″ thick phenolic overlaid birch board is also used in the transportation industry for truck and bus flooring. It is intended for use as flooring in work platforms, scaffolding, warehouses, and other wet environments.
What is the disadvantage of phenolics?
5.2.2.3 Phenolic resins
Their main disadvantages are low toughness and a curing reaction that involves the generation of water.
Are phenols toxic to humans?
Which is better polyurethane or polyethylene?
-Polyethylene tends to be harder and stronger than polyurethane, making it more suitable to cushion much heavier and/or sharper objects. Its density is 2.2 lb/ft3. -Polyethylene, being the closed cell foam that it is, makes for a foam with a very low water absorption.
What is the difference between polyurethane foam and polyethylene foam?
Polyethylene is a thermoplastic resin, which means an item made with the material can be recycled, melted down and reformed into another shape. Polyurethane, on the other hand, is a thermoset resin, meaning that it has two parts mixed together to form a chemical chain.