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Your Position: Home - Agriculture - Why Think Twice About Sandwich Panels for Your Roof ...

Why Think Twice About Sandwich Panels for Your Roof ...

Why Think Twice About Sandwich Panels for Your Roof ...

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Why Think Twice About Sandwich Panels for Your Roof Renovation

If you are planning your next home renovation, you may be exploring a sandwich panel roof as an affordable option to help get your project on its way. However, there are a number of potential disadvantages to sandwich panels that might make you pause for thought.

Here at Simplicity Planet, we tend to advise our clients against this roofing material, and today, we&#;ll walk you through exactly why that is. But first, let&#;s begin by covering what sandwich panels are&#;and then we&#;ll dive into the details of why they are sometimes so problematic.

What Are Sandwich Panels?

Sandwich panels are rigid construction panels that can be used in roofing as well as for interior or exterior walls and floors. They are made from two inflexible external layers with a third, insulating layer in between.

As you can imagine, this sandwich-like structure is where these distinctive panels get their common name, however, you may also hear sandwich panels referred to as structural insulated panels, insulated building panels, foam-core panels, stress-skin panels, or structural foam panels.

When first popularised in the United States in the mid-twentieth century, the sandwich panel was considered hugely innovative as it provided an alternative to wood-framed buildings during a time of growing concern about energy efficiency and deforestation.

Today, the insulating core of sandwich panels can be made from several different materials, including fibreglass, plastic-based materials like Polyurethane (PUR) or Expanded polystyrene (EPS), and rock wool. While these choices boost the potential versatility of this construction resource, many contemporary architects still approach its use with caution.

What&#;s the Problem With Sandwich Panels?

Several potential disadvantages come with using sandwich panels in home renovations. Some of these downsides are dependent on the type of sandwich panel used while others might accompany any installation. Read on to discover more about why this kind of roof might not always be a great idea.

(Image source: Wikipedia CC4.0)

Fire Hazard

The various synthetic foams used in the creation of sandwich panels are each highly flammable, which means that homes featuring this construction material are often at greater risk of fire. What&#;s more, arranging insurance for a home with a sandwich panel roof may be more challenging.

According to Allianz Risk Consulting, &#;Sandwich panels with combustible insulation have been involved in a number of serious fire losses globally. It is very difficult for firefighters to extinguish a fire involving sandwich panels containing a combustible core. These fires often result in a total loss of the building.&#;

This danger can be somewhat reduced by ensuring that anything combustible is kept away from the panels, that they are sealed and surrounded by fire-safe materials, and that heat-generating equipment is also installed at a safe distance.

However, factors beyond our control such as the elevated risk of wildfires here in Portugal are not something that we can plan for, making the use of synthetic-core sandwich panels a prospect with some inherent risk.

Moisture Issues

While the waterproof exterior sheathing of most sandwich panel types might have you imagining an end to moisture-related issues in your home, this unfortunately isn&#;t always the case. In fact, there are a couple of different ways in which water and sandwich panels can strike up an unwelcome friendship.

Because sandwich panelling is not breathable and often serves as a barrier between variable outdoor and indoor temperatures, in some circumstances, moisture can collect on the underside of panel roofing leading to indoor condensation, dampness, and dripping.

Adding yet another layer of possible complication, when sandwich panels are not adequately sealed during installation, moisture can begin to accumulate within their core. This can compromise the thermic insulating properties of the panels, increase their structural weight, and lead to mould formation.

Structural Vulnerability

While the relative strength-to-weight ratio of sandwich panels is certainly impressive, it is important to understand how those mighty tensile capabilities are achieved so that structural compromise can be avoided.

Essentially, the strength of sandwich panels is rooted in the consistency of both the distance between the two exterior faces and the density of the core in between. This means that when sandwich panels are poorly cut, strained, or bent during installation, they can lose vital integrity. Cutting into sandwich panel surfaces to install wiring or plumbing can often contribute to this issue.

Because of these factors, damage to sandwich panel roofing can lead to long-term structural challenges. This makes these types of roofs particularly vulnerable to strong winds, which must always be considered during the project design phase.

In addition, when sandwich panels are installed in a home renovation, their inability to flex with the timber frame of a house may also lead to the formation of air gaps and sounds emitted as different materials struggle to accommodate each other during changeable weather and temperatures.

Other Potential Sandwich Panel Pests

While the above three areas of concern are certainly the big trio when it comes to potential problems with sandwich panels, there are a couple of other things to keep in mind.

You will get efficient and thoughtful service from Huichen.

Additional resources:
Material selection chart for oil seals.
Ultimate Guide to Hydraulic Hose Fittings

We&#;ve covered the importance of proper sealing during the installation of sandwich panels, both for fire safety and the avoidance of moisture accumulation. However, it&#;s also worth noting that pests like insects or rodents can also move into your home via sandwich panelling.

This is because the core layer of many sandwich panel types, whether synthetic foam or rock wool, makes for great nesting material and can easily be burrowed into. For this reason, manufacturers often suggest applying insecticide to sandwich panel joins and sidings. Although this may not be an adequate long-term solution.

The Bottom Line: Sandwich Panels are Not Always Cost-Effective

Sandwich panels are an understandably tempting option for those looking to re-roof their house on a budget, and for some homeowners, they might be a reasonable choice. However, at the end of the day, their installation can sometimes prove a false economy, causing problems in the long term that offset any initial cost benefits.

Choosing high-quality panels, bespoke-made for your project rather than off-the-rack, and with an inflammable core may mitigate some of these issues. However, this route will likely come with a much larger price tag, levelling the playing field with other roofing materials.

For these reasons, we at Simplicity Planet prefer to install either traditional tile roofs on a wood frame or concrete structure, or EPDM flat roofs for our clients here in Portugal. Whether your dream home is a characterful renovation or an ultra-modern new build, we can provide the right roofing solution for your needs. To find out more, contact our team today.

PUR/PIR Sandwich Panels Differences

The production of polyurethane rigid foam sandwich panels has become a fundamental tool for high performance building systems.  

Although the processability between  PIR and PUR panels is similar but with certain differentiating nuances, such as processing temperatures, higher in the case of PIR panels, or the use of adhesives to improve the adhesion between the sheet and the foam, in the case of PIR panels, although more and more PUR panels producers are also using an adhesive in certain panels to guarantee the adhesion between the sheet and the foam, the field of application of PUR/ PIR sandwich panels is very similar, and they can be used for:

  • External enclosure: facades and roofs.
  • Compartmentalisation of interior spaces: fire sectors, partitions, food processing rooms, clean rooms, cold rooms, etc...

Advantages of PUR/PIR sandwich panels

The advantages of
  • Thermal insulation: It is one of the thermal insulation products with the lowest thermal conductivity coefficient. It guarantees the absence of thermal bridges thanks to the homogeneity of the insulation at all points of the panel. The assembly also minimises thermal bridges thanks to the joints, normally tongue and groove, between panels. Reduced insulation thickness thanks to the low thermal conductivity coefficient of the polyurethane foam.
  • Optimisation of usable space, since a minimum thickness is required to achieve a maximum thermal insulation level.
  • Virtually no water absorption due to the closed cell structure of the polymer, which makes them waterproof.
  • Mechanical properties that give the panels great rigidity and low weight, which facilitates and economises transport, handling, installation and structural sizing. Ease of machining and cutting.
  • Reaction to fire performance which makes PUR/PIR sandwich panels fire safe.
  • PUR/PIR sandwich panels are a prefabricated product, sustainable in their manufacture and very light for transport to the construction site. The construction of a building, both residential and industrial, with polyurethane sandwich panels generates very little waste which makes the building process more sustainable. It is recyclable: the metal sheet is melted and the polyurethane is recycled using three techniques; mechanical recycling, chemical recycling or incineration with energy recovery. The insulating capacity of polyurethane sandwich panels helps to reduce energy consumption.

The advantages of PUR / PIR sandwich panels is what makes these insulation panels even more attractive for health, safety and environment:

 

Properties of PUR/PIR sandwich panels

In terms of properties, the main difference between PUR/PIR sandwich panels lies in their composition. The foam obtained with PIR (Polyisocyanurate) systems contains a high degree of aromaticity due to the formation of the polyisocyanurate structure, providing a higher thermal stability compared to urethane (PUR) groups, thus improving its fire resistance.

The PIR foam reacts safely to fire by forming a carbonised surface layer that protects and prevents the penetration of fire into the inner layers. In the composition of PIR panels, as a general rule, there is a lower concentration of flame retardants than in PUR panels, thus generating less smoke during combustion. There are even PIR panels on the market that are free of halogen flame retardants.

Even so, the products must be tested to determine their fire behaviour with the reaction and fire resistance test methods according to current regulations depending on the location. 

In terms of thermal properties, PIR remains stable in a higher temperature range than PUR.

 

Renewable and Recyclable Sourced Product Management

At Synthesia Technology we reaffirm our commitment to sustainability by promoting the circularity of materials and improving the environmental performance of our products, all to reduce our impact on the planet.

 

Since , Synthesia Technology has been using BIO-based raw materials from renewable resources and recycled PET in the production of polyols, a key raw material used in the manufacture of high-performance core insulation sandwich panels with PIR technology, demonstrating that it is possible to use plastic responsibly, recycling it into a new product that helps to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions, to the benefit of all.


Visit our website for the most important commercial references for PIR insulation systems for continuous lamination.

 

If you want to learn more, please visit our website polyurethane composite panel.

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