CompositesWorld

JAN 2018

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NEWS CompositesWorld.com 37 CFRP in Construction 4 Concrete was poured and troweled for the interior wythe. Source | Metromont 5 Completed wall panels were loaded onto trucks and delivered to the construction site, where they were lifted by a crane and set into place. 6 After steel angles and plates embedded in each of the precast panels were welded to those in adjacent walls and floors, the building structure in that locale was complete. Source | Aerial Innovations of Georgia / Metromont airproof, waterproof, moistureproof," notes Spence, "and it elimi- nates $7/ft 2 [$75/m 2 ] worth of studs, framing and insulation." Light weight, high insulation C-GRID was developed to replace the welded metal wire mesh in concrete structures and prefabricated panels. It is made from 24K and 50K carbon fiber tows, which are assembled perpendicular to each other into a grid, using a continuous rotary-forming process that chemically binds them with a tough, heat-cured epoxy resin. In the CarbonCast wall system, C-GRID is a key component of the overall composite panel design. CarbonCast insulated wall panels use foam insulation sand- wiched between two concrete wall sections called wythes (Fig. 1, p. 35). Spence explains that C-GRID "acts as a truss, holding the front and back faces of the wall panel together, which is very efficient structurally." For example, a 9-inch (229-mm) thick CarbonCast insulated wall panel, with 3-4 inches (76-102 mm) of foam, and held together with C-GRID trusses behaves as if it were a 9-inch thick solid concrete panel. "But the C-GRID can make the panels 40-50% lighter," he adds. "It's cheaper to supply C-GRID panels to the job site vs. heavier, solid panels, and we can get two to three more C-GRID panels per truckload." ermal performance also is a benefit. Carson touts the higher insulation values of C-GRID panels, which reduce a building's energy use and carbon footprint. "Another big advantage of C-GRID is no thermal bridging," says Spence. ermal bridging occurs when a building's insulation is breached because heat or cold is conducted to its exterior via metal-to-metal contact between fasteners and other components. "C-GRID prevents this because it is not metal and, therefore, does not interrupt the foam 7 As the previous step was completed, building trades could proceed imme- diately with installation of systems and interior finishes, progressively finishing the building. Source | Aerial Innovations of Georgia / Metromont Source | Metromont

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