Miles Miller Sips Presentation

8/3/2019 Miles Miller Sips Presentation

1/17

miles millermaterial sustainability


2/17

The Big IssueNationwide, it is estimated that as much as 40% of the raw materials

consumed in the United States steel, concrete, glass, and so on are usedin construction. When building stock turns over, all of these materials become

waste. This C&D waste stream is enormous: about 130 million tons per year,

or about 25% of all of the solid waste that is discarded in the United States.


3/17

Structural Insulated PanelsMost SIPs have a core of EPS sandwiched between two OSB facings


4/17

SIP FacingsMostly OSB

Foam-core panels can be manufactured with any number ofmaterials bonded to the core to make a building component, but

OSB is the main material currently used for facings. The trendtoward using different facings for specic applications is likely tocontinue to evolve.

OSB Facings:

There are 2 main reasons why OSB is the material of choice for SIPfacings. First, it is an engineered wood product that has been extensivelytested and found to be suitable for use as a load-bearing material.Second, it is a readily available material in demand by the SIP industry.

Common thicknesses for OSB facings are 5/16 3/8 7/16 5/8 and. Theoretically, any of these thicknesses can be ordered for SIPs, butengineering test results arent available for each panel thickness, sothe SIPs might not be covered under current code compliance reports.In addition, panels ordered in unusual thicknesses arent as readilyavailable as those ordered in standard thicknesses. Because of thetendency to absorb moisture on the edges and swell, many panels aretreated with and edge sealant.

OSBs place in the market has grown signicantly also as a result ofa dwindling availability and shrinking demand for old-growth wood.OSB uses woods that are harvested from young, fast-growing treesand can be milled into large sheets. Many new OSB mills are scaledfor large production, and most can make panels up to 8 x 28. Severalcompanies can also produce sheets as large as 12 x 24 10 x 28 and

10 x 36. With both OSB and SIPs, the limitations in size are not in theproduction but in the transportation and placement of the products.


5/17

Core MaterialsEPS, XPS, Polyurethane, Others

There are three main categories of foam cores: EPS, XPS, and urethane foam. Each has

unique properties, but all provide the structural and re resistance characteristics requiredby the various building codes while offering the dramatic energy efciency associated withthe SIP construction system.

EPS:Expandable Polystyrene Today, 85% of SIPs have and EPS core. EPS foam has a closed-cell moisture resistantstructure composed of millions of tiny air-lled pockets; it is manufactured from beads that are formed by thepolymerization of a styrene monomer along with an expansion agent. The beads are heated and the expansionagent causes a very ne cellular structure to develop within the polymer. Because the blowing agent in EPS is apentane, no CFCs or HCFCs are used in the manufacturing process.

XPS:Extruded Polystyrene Has greater compressive strength, slightly higher R-values per inch of insulation, and moreresistance to water vapor than EPS. Besides the cost, one of the major limitations of XPS is that the extrusionequipment can only produce 4 in. thick sheets of the material. XPS also is not as dimensionally stable as EPSand the gluing surface isnt as at. This can create signicant issues such as interfering with the bond between thefacings and the core. This is probably why none of the current major manufacturers are using XPS in their SIPs.

Polyurethane:Polyurethane and polyisocyanurate (Generally referred to as urethane and isocyanurate) Are foams that arechemically similar, but their manufacturing processes differ. The 100% isocyanurate foam is expensive to produceand has a low thermal conductivity but tends to break down over time. The urethane foam is less costly to produceand is less susceptible to breakdown but does not produce as high an R-value per inch as does isocyanurate.One problem with these foams is that the blowing agents were originally CFC-based gases with ozone depletingpotential in the range of 1.0.

Other materials such as straw-bail are also emerging to compete in the SIP market. However, their lacking R-Valuemake them less attractive to buyers.


6/17

AdhesivesBonding the core and shells

Industrial adhesives are used to bond the OSB to the respective foam core. The glue

has to resist the forces of buckling and racking, resist moisture penetration, and keep

the panel from delaminating. There are 2 major adhesive suppliers of adhesives for theSIP industry. One is Rohm and Haas (Chicago, IL) and the other, Ashland Chemical

Co. (Columbus, OH), is a more local asset. Rohm and Haas claims that the adhesives

it supplies to the SIP industry are water based, solvent free, and dont have a negativeimpact on the environment. Urethane adhesives can bond metal and various types of

plastic skins to foam cores or, in the case of structural panel, bond these different facingsto the OSB structural skins.


7/17

Corporate ImageWhate Companies are saying about their SIPs

SIPs promote green building benets, as they are 100% recyclable and generateconsiderably less jobsite waste in comparison to conventional stick-framing building

methods. This means less waste material being put into our landlls.

Studies linking respiratory disease, allergies and other diseases to indoor air quality havespawned an array of less toxic products and improved indoor ventilation. Our panels are

very airtight giving you precise control over the indoor air quality of your home, which

helps to keep out allergens, humidity, dust, etc.

http:// www.siphomesystems.com

Our panels are made of renewable materials that are 100% recyclable. The UN hasapproved this material for green building projects. The added insulation of the polystyrene

creates a far more efcient home than conventional timber or concrete building methods.The polystyrene insulation of the panels provide great sound proong & thermal

resistance qualities.

The polystyrene insulation of the panels provide great sound proong & thermalresistance qualities.

http://www.durathermsips.com


8/17

Life Cycle of MaterialsAre the SIPs Materials Recyclable?

SIPs are being sold based on their structural strength, ease of construction (based

on contractor experience), insulation properties, resultant reduction in waste through

factory fabrication, and most importantly, they are 100% recyclable (according to theirmanufacturer). Lets look at the life cycle of these products. Are they recyclable?

OSB:The answer here is yes. The waste materials from the site can be reused for other industrial purposes making themtechically recyclable, but not reused as OSB. However, because it is biodegradabe, proper disposal can returnthem to the Earth in a sustainable life cycle.

EPS:Yes and no. Some recycling centers claim that they can recycle XPS, but these are rare. It appears that companies

are claiming that these materials are recyclable, but neglect to mention the cost the person who cares enoughto not throw it in a landll has to pay to have it shipped to an appropriate facility. This transportation is providedthrough an infrastructure based on unsustainable fossil fuel consumption.

XPS:XPS is not recyclable.

Polyurethane:Not even close.

Adhesives:Rohm and Haas claims that the adhesives it supplies to the SIP industry are water based, solvent free, and donthave a negative impact on the environment.


9/17

Case StudyAre Contractors Recycling Even Though They Can?

HBEERHouseboats to Energy Efcient Residences.

Ahead is what I noticed when I visited the construction site with my studio to talk to the manager.The contractors didnt have time to talk to the architects of the follow-on project so I was left to

talk to the general manager of Stardust Houseboat Company (commissioned to build the projectbased on their extensive custom construction experience) about the projects already built.

My rst observation was that SIP panels were used in the wall designs with energy efcient

windows. This is good. However, the ceiling was altered from the original design, usingconventional 2x8 wood members and standard blown-in foam insulation. This apparently was

altered to bring down the up-front cost of the building, already sitting around a modest $100,000.

After observing this, I thought I should ask the manager if they were recycling the waste materialsfrom the project. The answer was No, but these buildings are especially efcient and you will

understand more about what we are doing when you see it in context with the houses around it.

Then, I asked him another question: See this foam? What do you think will happen to it when

the building gets demolished? Will they be able to recycle it? Even though SIP companies dontaddress this particular issue on their sustainability-green internet splash-screens, the answermust be: the same as you would recycle it before you put it into a SIP wall or as waste duringconstruction. The manager didnt have an answer. Even in a project with Energy Efcient in the

title, builder is not thinking about the long-term environmental impacts of the building.

The big take-away: The good ideas are there, but contractors lack the leadershipand enforcement required to put the good ideas into practice.


10/17

Theory Practice


11/17

DIY SIPsLets Make our Own Materials

Many fabricators are builders want to manufacture their own panels to increase

the custom possibilities for their clients. Below is the machinery you would need to

manufacture a SIP with a maximum size of 4 x 16

-2 infeed transfer carts to stage stock prior to the glue spreader

-1 top and bottom glue spreader-1 4 x 16 scissors lift for layup of panels-1 end-loading air-pod laminating press-1 16 ofoading transfer cart

Total cost for all the equipment: $100,000

In order to ge the materials tested by a Federally Recognized third party testing agency

and obtain BOCA and ICBO approvals, the cost is upwards of $1,000,000


12/17

We Need $$More companies would be using custom SIPs panels if someone would front

the cost of experimenting and ofcially testing new panels and materials.


13/17


14/17


15/17

Fruit of the LoomSustainability Statistics

According to their website:

Our Success

In 2009, there were 80 process improvement projects throughout the Fruit of the Loom,Inc. organization. These projects showed annual savings/reductions of:

Waste in the following categories:

-Cloth by 711 tons-Paper by 241 tons-Aluminum by 0.48 tons

-Metal by 49.5 tons-Plastic by 149 tons-Wood Pallets by 3.61 tons-714,045 pounds of process chemicals-12,310,337 gallons of water


16/17

Fruit of the LoomSustainability Statistics

Recycling Program

Cloth

As an apparel manufacturer, Fruit of the Loom, Inc.s biggest potential for waste generation iscloth. Our facility personnel are continually searching for ways to reduce cloth waste from our

manufacturing processes. In addition, it is our goal to recycle all cloth waste. In 2009, werecycled over 54 million pounds of cloth.

Yarn By-Product

The nal by-product of our yarn manufacturing process that cannot be reworked is given to local

farmers for use as cattle feed. Over 1.3 million pounds of briquette waste were recycled in 2009.


17/17

HBEER & Future ResearchSemester Goal

Alternative Material Testing

The next step in my research is to collaborate with the University of Kentucky College OfEngineering (Chemical Engineering Dept.) to try to nd an appropriate sustainable resin/binder to

use in creating a custom SIP panel core.

The project will maintain the conventional SIP panel model (for now) :

OSB > Custom Insulation Core > OSB

Material Testing Sheme

Build 2 large boxes: one box made from coventional SIPs panels donated from FischerSips, andone box made from OSB plywood and waste-material insulation core. Conduct heat testing andcompare efciency.

IF the project succeeds in heat testing, I will implement the new DIY SIP panels inmy current HBEER design. Eventually, I would show the results to the research anddevelopment team at Fruit of the Loom to obtain funding for ofcial testing for a newsustainable SIP design to be used industry-wide.

Documents

Miles Miller Sips Presentation