It is extremely lightweight, but strong and durable. First, the resin beads are fed into a vertical tank containing an agitator and a controlled steam input. EPS is used widely in the building and construction industry. This stage determines the final density of the material by controlling the length of time the beads remain in the expander and/or the pressure in the expander. The R-value of EPS geofoam insulation remains constant because the closed-cell structure of EPS geofoam contains only stabilized air. San Diego, CA 92123, Distributor of Expanded Polystyrene block for use in construction applications throughout the world, All Rights Reserved - Geofoam International LLC |, Expanded polystyrene, or EPS geofoam, is a cost-efficient insulation material used in the construction industry. It is used for the … There are two reasons why Molygran can provide construction and engineering solutions. The compressive resistance of EPS geofoam at 1% deformation ranges from 2.2 psi to 18.6 psi. High compressive strengths of up to 60 psi make EPS durable and long-lasting and able to stand up to harsh conditions without deterioration. EPS geofoam weighs in at only one to two pounds per cubic foot, depending on size. The long-term performance advantages of EPS insulation correlate directly to increased energy efficiency and reduced energy costs over the life of the building. … The polystyrene can be added to the wooden shuttering before pouring, Once the concrete has dried the polystyrene … In 2016, more than 118.7 million pounds of EPS geofoam was recycled in the U.S. You’ll find recycled EPS geofoam in everything from insulated cups to outdoor furniture. At about $0.31 per square foot for a one-inch thick panel, EPS geofoam costs less per square foot than any other rigid foam board insulation product. EPS is a well‐established insulation material … EPS geofoam’s strength is even more amazing considering it is so lightweight. However, many organic solvents such as acetone, chlorinated solvents and aromatic hydrocarbon solvents can attack the foam and cause it to dissolve. Plus, EPS foam insulation can be fabricated to size or cut into any configuration to fit a specific project’s needs. For example, the cost of using a higher strength insulation than the specs call for, say a 100 psi XPS product versus a 40 psi EPS product, can almost double your material costs. And, it isn’t attractive to rats and other vermin as a source of food. Most common foam products, like coolers, wine shippers, molded end caps and corners, box packaging and even cups at the office water cooler are actually polystyrene foam. EPS foam offers exceptional dimensional stability. Size and density. It is among the few insulating materials with a … It is dependent upon the thickness and density of the building material. EPS is also used in the construction industr… It is extremely lightweight, but strong and durable. Copyright 2012 © EPS Industry Alliance. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is a rigid and tough, closed-cell foam with a normal density range of 11 to 32 kg/m 3. Since the 1950s, EPS has been recognized as a mainstream insulation material, however over the past decade, new applications have rapidly developed. EPS geofoam is water resistant and can inhibit the growth of these organisms. And, far more energy is saved over the lifetime of a building insulated with EPS foam board than is used during the manufacturing process for producing the product. Expanded polystyrene foam board insulation is a flexible, low-cost insulation product that is widely used by contractors in both residential and commercial construction for walls, roofing and below grade … It is also resistant to microorganisms in the soil. road construction, bridge abutments, slope stabilization, building foundations, retaining walls, stadium and theatre seating, fill for underground utilities and landscaping and insulation for both above- and below-grade applications. The manufacturing process for EPS conventionally begins with the creation of small polystyrene … Sustainability. In 1965, the first expanded polystyrene (EPS) block molding plant was established in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Expanded polystyrene, or EPS geofoam, is a cost-efficient insulation material used in the construction industry. Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam has for many years been used as a conventional insulation material in construction, and is extremely energy efficient. Because of that, it offers more R-value per dollar than other similar products. Expanded Polystyrene Used in Bridge Construction EPS products, including flute fillers, Terraflex Elasticized Polystyrene, and EPS Geofoam are used in road and bridge construction throughout the … Chemical inertness. Often used for insulation since the 1950s, you'll find it in walls, floors and roofs to help maintain the temperature of the building. EPS (expanded polystyrene) is an excellent material for packaging and for construction as it is a light yet rigid foam with good thermal insulation and high impact resistance. The drying potential for thermal insulation is critical to maintaining the structure’s thermal resistance. EPS geofoam is manufactured from polystyrene resin beads via a process called polymerization. Its Health House Indoor Air Quality guidelines recognize EPS geofoam as a safe material for insulation and structural support in construction projects. It manufactured blocks measuring from 0.6 m to 4.9 m (2 ft to 16 ft) in thickness, but … Moisture promotes the growth of many organisms such as mold, mildew, fungi and other bacteria. Ability to inhibit growth of biological air contaminants. Unlike the R-value, in which the higher the number, the better, a material with a lower perm rating is better at retarding movement of water vapor. Expanded polystyrene is a plastic foam material that has certain desirable properties because of its structure. Standard-sized EPS foam insulation is available in multiple sizes up to 36-inches thick and 16-feet long or larger. Foamex polystyrene building products make a major contribution to the quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness of construction as well as contributing to the sustainability of completed projects. EPS geofoam is free from dyes, formaldehyde, chloroflure carbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorcarbons (HCFCs). Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is a rigid and tough, closed-cell foam. EPS is an inert material that does not rot and provides no nutritional benefits to vermin therefore does not attract pests such as rats or termites. In fact, several different types of EPS geofoam can be specified on a single project to maximize savings. After a drying time of 30 days, the moisture level of the EPS insulation dropped to 0.7% versus 15.7% for the XPS insulation. All rights reserved. Since the 1950s, EPS has been … And, it isn’t attractive to rats and other vermin as a source of food. Building and Construction Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is an innovative building material that lends to the design and structural integrity of many building projects. One pound of EPS geofoam will support 3.5 pounds per square inch while retaining 1% or less deformation. Now, EPS is a powerful design element and an ideal choice for green building design, offering tangible environmental advantages that can maximize energy efficiency, providing improved indoor environmental quality and enhancing durability. Expanded polystyrene has many uses in construction jobs. A versatile building material, it works well for a variety of different applications such as road construction, bridge abutments, slope stabilization, building foundations, retaining walls, stadium and theatre seating, fill for underground utilities and landscaping and insulation for both above- and below-grade applications. EPS geofoam is resistant to most acids, bases and aqueous solutions of salts and alkalis. Plus, EPS foam insulation can be fabricated to size or cut into any configuration to fit a specific project’s needs. Published on August 1, 2018 January 9, 2019. The air pockets that are formed during the manufacturing process make it a great thermal insulator. Since EPS geofoam isn’t biodegradable, it won’t leach into the ground over time, adversely affecting soil and groundwater quality. It is unique in that it is a closed cell, rigid, polymeric material that is … Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) is a lightweight cellular plastic material consisting of small hollow spherical balls. The perm rating for EPS insulation is 5.0, making it a Class III permeable vapor retarder. The long-term performance advantages of EPS insulation correlate directly to increased energy efficiency and reduced energy costs over the life of the building. Since EPS geofoam is a thermoplastic material, it will not rot or decompose over time. Therefore, it is considered to be a fairly chemically inert material. EPS geofoam also has the seal of approval from the American Lung Association. R-value is a measure of a material’s resistance to heat transfer. A versatile building material, it works well for a variety of different applications such as. It has an incredibly long lifespan – up to 50 years. EPS insulation has a typical R-value of 3.85 per inch at a mean temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit and a typical R-value of 4.17 per inch at a mean temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit. EPS geofoam is 98% to 99% air by volume. The use of expanded polystyrene in construction has lot of advantages compare with the use of conventional materials which results in sustainable future. It has an incredibly long lifespan – up to 50 years. Expanded polystyrene, or EPS geofoam, is a cost-efficient insulation material used in the construction industry. Home  |  News & Announcements  |  Contact Us  |  Related Links  |  Privacy Policy, Production, Technology & Operations Conference. It is this closed cellular construction that gives EPS its remarkable characteristics. EPS geofoam qualifies for Energy Star status, a symbol backed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that signifies the product not only helps businesses/people save money but its energy-efficient properties helps protect the climate. For example, the cost of using a higher strength insulation than the specs call for, say a 100 psi XPS product versus a 40 psi EPS product, can almost double your material costs. Because a molding process is used to produce EPS foam, there are more sizes available to select from, compared to XPS foam board which comes in limited sheet sizes. During this phase, recycled EPS material is mixed with the prepuffs and is also fused into the material. Getting the maximum performance for the dollar is paramount in the competitive arena of the construction industry. And since EPS geofoam is a manufactured product, every time you use it in a project instead of a natural product, you are helping to sustain the environment. Standard-sized EPS foam insulation is available in multiple sizes up to 36-inches thick and 16-feet long or larger. Polystyrene can also be used as part of temporary shuttering to create shaped concrete to match any existing or new building designs. EPS exhibits a higher R-value over moist-dry cycles, most often seen in below-grade applications, outperforming XPS insulation and providing a long-term R-value to the project. Firstly, expanded polystyrene has qualities essential to engineering and construction … Polystyrene foams are used for a variety of applications because of its excellent set of properties including good thermal insulation, good damping properties and being extremely light … Compressive strength. Using EPS Geofoam in Retaining Wall Construction, Using EPS Geofoam to Reduce Weight in Utilities. Expanded Polystyrene and Road Construction. Issues, such as the construction of pavements on low bearing capacity subgrade soils (such as peats and clays), or in regions with severe winters, and the construction … It is extraordinarily light and buoyant, and a good insulator against heat and sound. Resistance to moisture absorption is important because water is an excellent conductor of heat. For example, in a side-by-side test of EPS and its “cousin,” XPS, or extruded polystyrene, both insulations were used below-grade on a building foundation. Ability to inhibit growth of biological air contaminants. At about $0.31 per square foot for a one-inch thick panel, EPS geofoam costs less per square foot than any other rigid foam board insulation product. The conversion of expandable polystyrene to expanded polystyrene is carried out in three stages: Pre-expansion, Maturing/Stabilization and Molding Polystyrene is produced from the crude oil refinery product styrene. However, many organic solvents such as acetone, chlorinated solvents and aromatic hydrocarbon solvents can attack the foam and cause it to dissolve. For manufacturing expanded polystyrene, … Moisture promotes the growth of many organisms such as mold, mildew, fungi and other bacteria. It is usually white and made of pre-expanded polystyrene beads. It is also resistant to microorganisms in the soil. A material’s ability to not only resist moisture but to readily release any moisture it does absorb, referred to as “drying potential,” is also an important factor to consider in an insulation material. Energy efficiency. You have probably noticed the roadworks as well as the famous orange cone areas lately. Building and construction applications account for around two-thirds of demand for expanded polystyrene. It uses no harmful greenhouse gases in the manufacturing process — pentane, a hydrocarbon solvent which doesn’t affect the ozone layer — is most often used as the blowing agent. Plus, the product itself doesn’t emit any greenhouse gases. A closer look at: Expanded Polystyrene Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) has become known for its role in smaller combustible cladding fires over the last 20 years due to its very flammable composition. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) has offered solutions to many civil engineering problems associated with pavement construction. Moreover, a study commissioned by the EPS Molders Association found that the R-value of EPS geofoam does not decrease with age, even under freeze-thaw conditions, whereas other insulation materials can lose R-value over time. During the storage phase, which may last as little as a few hours to up to three days, the prepuffs are left in the silos until they reach the desired temperature. EPS geofoam is resistant to most acids, bases and aqueous solutions of salts and alkalis. High compressive strengths of up to 60 psi make EPS durable and long-lasting and able to stand up to harsh conditions without deterioration. This publication aims to provide balanced information based on the manufacture, use and recovery from waste of EPS in the packaging and construction … It can be … It also has the highest average R-value per dollar compared to other rigid foam insulation materials. No gases are included. Dimensional stability. Steam is injected into the molds through tiny slots, to begin the fusion process. The maximum dimensional change of EPS foam should be less than 2%, which makes EPS foam in compliance with ASTM Test Method D2126. Like … The EPS insulation had a moisture content of 4.8%, compared to an 18.9% moisture content for the XPS insulation. Light Weight Comprised of about 98 percent air, expanded polystyrene … Expanded Polystyrene has been the proven answer to common packaging, insulative, and construction material solution for decades. Any polystyrene … Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is a rigid and light weight insulation material with various properties such as shock absorption, resistance to humidity, resistance to compression, retention to vitamin C, hygienic, … EPS geofoam is manufactured using primarily steam, and even the water from the manufacturing process is collected and reused. Higher densities of EPS geofoam have a greater comprehensive strength than lower densities. EPS geofoam is water resistant and can inhibit the growth of these organisms. EPS geofoam is one of the most environmentally responsible building materials you can specify in your construction project. It’s lightweight, meaning products … EPS geofoam’s strength is even more amazing considering it is so lightweight. But that rating may be misleading. One pound of EPS geofoam will support 3.5 pounds per square inch while retaining 1% or less deformation. Lightweight expanded polystyrene (EPS) is an ideal material for pre-fabricated building … It can be reused for many different applications or shredded and re-ground and added to the prepuff to be used in the manufacturing process for new EPS geofoam. By controlling the amounts of heat and pressure applied, EPS geofoam can be created in a variety of densities. In the second phase, the expanded beads, called prepuffs, are dried in the open air for several hours and then, in the third phase, they are transferred to large storage silos. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is an innovative building material that lends to the design and structural integrity of many building projects. The compressive resistance of EPS geofoam at 1% deformation ranges from 2.2 psi to 18.6 psi. The higher the R-value, the greater the material’s ability to resist conductive heat transfer and the better the material’s performance as an insulating material. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, EPS foam board provides up to two times more thermal resistance than most other insulating materials of the same thickness. With a wide range of compressive resistance strengths to choose from, it’s easy to find a solution for most every project. Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) is the generic industry name for the white rigid material made by expanding polystyrene beads with steam and pressure to bond the beads together to form blocks or to shape molds. Finally, the material is released from the mold and stored until dry. Getting the maximum performance for the dollar is paramount in the competitive arena of the construction industry. This means buildings will be cooler during the hot, summer months and warmer during the cold winter months, while reducing the building’s overall energy consumption. EPS geofoam comes in a wide variety of densities, with the most common ones ranging from .75 pounds per cubic foot (PCF) to 3 PCF. And, far more energy is saved over the lifetime of a building insulated with EPS foam board than is used during the manufacturing process for producing the product. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) can also be made out of recycled polystyrene. EPS geofoam is 100% recyclable and can be reheated and reformed indefinitely. Cost. These building panels are often used both as load bearing also as non-load … 1.2 ABOUT EXPANDED POLYSTRENE Expanded Polystyrene … When used in construction as thermal insulation, it gives significant savings on heating and cooling buildings, therefore greatly reducing CO2 and SO2 emissions. A permeance or “perm” rating is a standard measure of the water vapor permeability of a material. The simplest recycling involves crumbling the old EPS into small pieces and remolding them into usable shapes. Pentane, a hydrocarbon solvent, is typically used as the blowing agent during the manufacturing process. However, expanded polystyrene is being used for new tasks on the construction … Density is a significant driver of cost —the denser the material, the more expensive the cost. In the next phase, the prepuffs are poured into molds to obtain the size of material specified. In recent years, there has been an explosive growth of interest in the application of expanded polystyrene (EPS) for construction industry. Expanded Polystyrene is Growing in the Construction Industry with the Rise of Pre-Fabricated Housing. Elasticized Polystyrene Used in Bridge Construction Elasticized polystyrene has been used, and has proven its effectiveness, in bridge construction for over 20 years in the colder areas of the United … It is extremely lightweight, but strong and durable. Because a molding process is used to produce EPS foam, there are more sizes available to select from, compared to XPS foam board which comes in limited sheet sizes. The Eps stand for Expanded Polystyrene.This is a modern, efficient, safe and economic construction system of buildings. EPS foam offers exceptional dimensional stability. Expanded polystyrene is a versatile material with numerous applications within the construction and engineering industries. EPS is … 9325 Sky Park Court, Suite 250 Up to 10% of recycled EPS geofoam can be used in the manufacturing process. Did you know that lightweight embankment blocks made from expanded polystyrene are sometimes used in the construction … Because of that, it offers more R-value per dollar than other similar products. EPS geofoam weighs in at only one to two pounds per cubic foot, depending on size. Buildings insulated with EPS geofoam insulation are more economical to maintain over the years. The maximum dimensional change of EPS foam should be less than 2%, which makes EPS foam in compliance with ASTM Test Method D2126. Therefore, it is considered to be a fairly chemically inert material. 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