PIR is typically produced as foam and used as rigid thermal insulation. Its thermal conductivity has a typical value of 0.023 W/(m-K) (0.16 BTU-in/(hr-ft-°F)) depending on the perimeter/area ratio.[3] PIR foam panels laminated with embossed pure aluminum foil are used for the manufacture of pre-insulated ducts used in heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Prefabricated PIR sandwich panels are manufactured from corrosion-protected corrugated steel skins bonded to a PIR foam core, and are widely used as roof and vertical wall insulation (e.g. for warehouses, factories, office buildings, etc.). Other typical uses of PIR foams are industrial and commercial pipe insulation, and carving/machining media (competing with expanded polystyrene and rigid polyurethane foams).

The insulation effectiveness of a building envelope can be compromised by voids resulting from the shrinkage of individual panels. Manufacturing criteria require that shrinkage be limited to less than 1% (previously 2%[citation needed]).[4] Even when shrinkage is limited to a value substantially below this limit, the resulting voids around the perimeter of each panel can reduce the effectiveness of the insulation, especially if the panels are assumed to provide a vapor/infiltration barrier. Multiple layers with staggered, lapped, or tongue-and-groove joints greatly reduce these problems. Isophorone diisocyanate polyisocyanurates are also used in the preparation of polyurethane coatings based on acrylic polyols[5]​ and polyethers[6]​.

Contenido

El aislamiento PIR puede ser un irritante mecánico para la piel, los ojos y las vías respiratorias superiores durante su fabricación (como el polvo).[7]​ En los estudios realizados no se ha detectado un aumento estadísticamente significativo del riesgo de enfermedades respiratorias.[8]​.

Fire risk

PIR is sometimes claimed to be flame retardant or to contain fire retardants, but these data describe the results of "small-scale tests" and "do not reflect [all] risks under real fire conditions";[9]​ the scope of fire risks includes not only fire resistance, but also the potential for toxic byproducts to be produced in different fire situations.

A 2011 study into the toxicity of insulation materials in fires by the Center for Fire and Hazard Sciences at the University of Central Lancashire studied PIR and other commonly used materials under more realistic and extensive conditions, representative of a wider range of fire risks, and noted that the majority of fire deaths were due to inhalation of toxic products. The study evaluated the degree of release of toxic products, analyzing the toxicity, the time release profiles and the lethality of the doses released in a series of smoldering and smoldering fires with poor ventilation, and concluded that PIR generally released a considerably higher level of toxic products than the other insulating materials studied (PIR > PUR > EPS > PHF; glass and rock wool were also studied).[10] In particular, it is recognized that hydrogen cyanide contributes significantly to the toxicity of PIR (and PUR) foams in the event of fire.[11]​.

The use of PIR insulation boards (cited as products FR4000 and FR5000 from Celotex, a Saint-Gobain company) was proposed[12] on the exterior of the refurbishment of London's Grenfell Tower, with vertical and horizontal sections of 100 mm and 150 mm thickness respectively;[13] subsequently, "the Ipswich company Celotex confirmed that it supplied insulating materials for the rehabilitation".[14]​ On June 14, 2017, the apartment block was engulfed in flames in less than 15 minutes from the fourth floor to the last floor, the 24th. The public inquiry into the fire determined that the Celotex cladding material was a major cause of the rapid spread of the fire, as they were much more flammable than permitted by building regulations. Celotex misled regulators about the cladding's fire performance by secretly adding fire-retardant materials to the cladding panels used during safety testing.[15]​.

PIR is typically produced as foam and used as rigid thermal insulation. Its thermal conductivity has a typical value of 0.023 W/(m-K) (0.16 BTU-in/(hr-ft-°F)) depending on the perimeter/area ratio.[3] PIR foam panels laminated with embossed pure aluminum foil are used for the manufacture of pre-insulated ducts used in heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Prefabricated PIR sandwich panels are manufactured from corrosion-protected corrugated steel skins bonded to a PIR foam core, and are widely used as roof and vertical wall insulation (e.g. for warehouses, factories, office buildings, etc.). Other typical uses of PIR foams are industrial and commercial pipe insulation, and carving/machining media (competing with expanded polystyrene and rigid polyurethane foams).

The insulation effectiveness of a building envelope can be compromised by voids resulting from the shrinkage of individual panels. Manufacturing criteria require that shrinkage be limited to less than 1% (previously 2%[citation needed]).[4] Even when shrinkage is limited to a value substantially below this limit, the resulting voids around the perimeter of each panel can reduce the effectiveness of the insulation, especially if the panels are assumed to provide a vapor/infiltration barrier. Multiple layers with staggered, lapped, or tongue-and-groove joints greatly reduce these problems. Isophorone diisocyanate polyisocyanurates are also used in the preparation of polyurethane coatings based on acrylic polyols[5]​ and polyethers[6]​.

Contenido

El aislamiento PIR puede ser un irritante mecánico para la piel, los ojos y las vías respiratorias superiores durante su fabricación (como el polvo).[7]​ En los estudios realizados no se ha detectado un aumento estadísticamente significativo del riesgo de enfermedades respiratorias.[8]​.

Fire risk

PIR is sometimes claimed to be flame retardant or to contain fire retardants, but these data describe the results of "small-scale tests" and "do not reflect [all] risks under real fire conditions";[9]​ the scope of fire risks includes not only fire resistance, but also the potential for toxic byproducts to be produced in different fire situations.

A 2011 study into the toxicity of insulation materials in fires by the Center for Fire and Hazard Sciences at the University of Central Lancashire studied PIR and other commonly used materials under more realistic and extensive conditions, representative of a wider range of fire risks, and noted that the majority of fire deaths were due to inhalation of toxic products. The study evaluated the degree of release of toxic products, analyzing the toxicity, the time release profiles and the lethality of the doses released in a series of smoldering and smoldering fires with poor ventilation, and concluded that PIR generally released a considerably higher level of toxic products than the other insulating materials studied (PIR > PUR > EPS > PHF; glass and rock wool were also studied).[10] In particular, it is recognized that hydrogen cyanide contributes significantly to the toxicity of PIR (and PUR) foams in the event of fire.[11]​.

The use of PIR insulation boards (cited as products FR4000 and FR5000 from Celotex, a Saint-Gobain company) was proposed[12] on the exterior of the refurbishment of London's Grenfell Tower, with vertical and horizontal sections of 100 mm and 150 mm thickness respectively;[13] subsequently, "the Ipswich company Celotex confirmed that it supplied insulating materials for the rehabilitation".[14]​ On June 14, 2017, the apartment block was engulfed in flames in less than 15 minutes from the fourth floor to the last floor, the 24th. The public inquiry into the fire determined that the Celotex cladding material was a major cause of the rapid spread of the fire, as they were much more flammable than permitted by building regulations. Celotex misled regulators about the cladding's fire performance by secretly adding fire-retardant materials to the cladding panels used during safety testing.[15]​.