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While SIPs may be foreign to
many people, they have been around since the
1940’s. SIPs consist of two outer skins and
an inner core of some sort of insulating
material, usually foam, which come together
to form a monolithic unit.
The
outer skin of most panels consist
of either Oriented Strand Board (OSB) or
plywood. OSB is the principal outer skin
board used because the material is available
in large sizes (up to 12-ft. by 36-ft.
sheets), and most manufacturers have used
OSB facings on structural panels used for
rigorous testing needed for code approvals.
Many Structural
panels can also have other materials added
onto them. Such as: drywall, sheet metal,
or finish lumber laminated onto the OSB
structural facings at the factory. This
service helps to eliminate one or more steps
in the building process and it also speeds
up the assembly time for a home.
The cores of
SIPs, as mentioned before can be made from a
number of materials, including molded
expanded polystyrene (EPS), extruded
polystyrene (XPS), and urethane foam. Some
SIP producers use isocyanurate foam as the
core material.
The insulating
cores of the two skins of a SIP are not for
structural support, but when pressure-laminated
together under tightly controlled
situations, the two skins and the core material acts
as a whole and becomes a structure that is stronger
than the sum of its parts when assembled, Manufacturers supply splines,
connectors, adhesives, and fasteners to
erect their systems. When properly
assembled, panel built structrures need no frame or skeleton to support
it.
Most SIPs are used for building the exterior
walls, roof, floor and even foundations in
homes and commercial buildings.
Manufactured in factories, the panels are
shipped by truck to a building site and
assembled by framing crews. When
properly assembled, the resulting home or
commercial building provides an extremely
strong, well insulated and comfortable
building shell. Some
60 different companies
manufacture panels throughout North America.
A
SIP can be compared to an I-beam. The
foam core acts as the web, while the facings
are analogous to the I-beam’s flanges. All
of the elements of a SIP are stressed; the
skins are in tension and compression, while
the core resists shear and buckling.
Under load, the facings of a SIP act as
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