subject: Fiberglass Structural Panels give A New Life To Your Dwelling [print this page] Fiberglass structural panels are not a new building tool; In fact, they have actually been used since the early 1950s! The buildings they were used in have been occupied continuously since they were built and are still to this day structurally strong and sound buildings. This speaks volumes about their quality and durability.
These fiberglass panels have two outside skins with the inner part being insulated material from a unit that is monolithic. The majority of these panels get their faces from oriented strand board because this material can be purchased in larger sizes and meets all building code regulations.
The inner core is made up of Extruded Polystyrene, Expanded Polystyrene or Urethane Foam, all of which are high value materials for insulation. The care and outer skin of the fiberglass structural panels act synergistically when they are pressure laminated under conditions that are well controlled. This makes it stronger than the combination of all of its parts.
Fiberglass panels are quite strong and when a structure is assembled in the proper way, it needs not a skeleton or frame to provide support if using them. They are supplied to splines, adhesives and fasters in order to erect the building systems. They are much better to use than the conventional roofs, floors and wall methods of building and are more efficient as far as energy goes.
They are anti draft and much more strong and quite than regular stud framed buildings insulated by fiberglass batt. In fact, fiberglass structural panels surpass a frame that is 6 inches in the area of being thermally efficient. Many places use these panels for filters in furnaces because they allow for the air to move through them so freely. With less leaky air holes there are also less drafts, less noise penetrating the building and lower cost energy bills. It also gives the inside of the building a more comfortable feel that is more easily controlled.
These panels can be compared to the I beam because the foamy core acts like a web and the facings are just like the flanges of the I beam. All of the panels elements are stressed, the skin is in compression and tension and the core is able to resist buckling and sheering.
When placed under a heavy load, the facings of the panels play the role of thin columns and the core acts as a stabilizer for the facing. It works to resist any force that is trying to deflect those columns. The most thickness the core has the better the structural panel works to resist buckling so the larger the core the more strength and insulation it offers.
In the long run, using these panels save you money and boost the resale value of the structure. As an energy star rated material, you can expect to save nearly half in the cost of energy and that means more money in your wallet. This really makes the benefits of building with fiberglass structural panels shine through!
