Specifying FOAMGLAS® insulation for load-bearing applications
The compressive strength of an insulation material should allow it to bear the expected loads of the intended application without compressing. Compression reduces the insulation thickness, disrupting the continuity of the thermal envelope.
Insulation specification in load-bearing industrial applications
The compressive strength of an insulation material is particularly crucial in applications such as tank bases, industrial floors, underground pipes and pipe supports. Unacceptable settlement in the insulation not only reduces its performance, it has significant safety and economic implications in terms of risking damage to mechanical systems and equipment.
In hot applications, liquid stored in a tank can lose viscosity and solidify. In cold and cryogenic applications, uneven subsidence can have serious repercussions for the integrity of the tank or cause a rupture in the steel tank base, leading to loss of the stored product.
Insulation solutions for load-bearing flat roofs and below ground structures
In flat roofs acting as roof terraces, green roofs and car park decks, the thermal insulation has to be capable of bearing increased load. The same is true where a roof features solar panel arrays, water storage tanks or equipment plant.
To protect the roof, heavy duty external coverings help to distribute the loads. However, these coverings exert their own load on the insulation layer, as well as being an additional expense. Not all insulation materials have the necessary compressive strength to bear these loads.
Similarly, insulation in below-ground applications must bear the weight of the surrounding earth and the structural loads of the building. It has to be tolerant of movement, resistant to hydrostatic pressure, impermeable to water and, depending on the make-up of the soil, also be chemically inert.
FOAMGLAS® cellular glass
The insulation material you can build on
Heavy loads such emergency fire fighting vehicles, and maintenance trucks, can drive over a roof insulated with FOAMGLAS® cellular glass. The structure of hermetically sealed, closed glass cells does not distort or warp.
Whatever the loading requirements of your project, we can provide the ideal FOAMGLAS® insulation solution. Cellular glass is capable of bearing loads of 200kPa to 500kPa (SF = 3) through the lifetime of the application, maintaining its insulation properties without compression, degradation or distortion.
There is no need to use additional heavy-duty protective layers in flat roof applications. Cellular glass is ideal for all high-traffic applications.
FOAMGLAS® cellular glass is also the perfect insulation for industrial piping and storage tanks. Despite the constant pressure, the material will never compress or deform - even at extremes of temperature.
