Structural insulated panels produced from recycled Expanded-Polystrene (EPS) foam scrap. Final report
This report documents a research project undertaken to assess the feasibility of using scrap reground expanded polystyrene (EPS) in the manufacture of structural insulated panels (SIPs) in order to save material costs and reduce the amount of EPS waste products to be disposed. The project team, managed by Steven Winter Associates, Inc., a Norwalk, Connecticut-based building systems research and consulting firm included: Thermal Foams, Inc., a Buffalo-based manufacturer of EPS products; BASF Corp., the world`s largest producer of EPS beads; Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which performed thermal tests (ASTM C-518); RADCO, Inc. which performed material properties tests: density (ASTM C-303), flexural strength (ASTM C-203), tensile strength (ASTM D-1623), and transverse load test of SIPs panels (ASTM E-72). The report documents the manufacturing and testing process and concludes that there was relatively little difference in the thermal and structural characteristics under normal loading conditions of the panels tested with varying amount of regrind (from 10% - 25%) and those made with 100% virgin beads. The report recommends that additional tests be undertaken, but suggests that, based on the test results, reground EPS can be successfully used in the cores of SIPs in amounts up to 25%.
- Research Organization:
- New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Albany, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Albany, NY (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 426964
- Report Number(s):
- NYSERDA-96-12; ON: TI97002554; TRN: 97:000900
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Nov 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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