Functions of Coolroom Panels
09 August 2016If we were to classify coolroom panels as little more than a series of insulated wall segments, we’d be doing these state-of-the-art composite units a disservice. Yes, each rectilinear component is designed as part of a jigsaw-like build, one that precisely maintains the chilly environment within the coolroom, but it’s also imbued with other talents. We’ll begin with durability.
Layered with Structurally Adept Innards
Multiple layers define coolroom panels. Fused together to create an engineered whole, the sandwiched filling uses a multipurpose recipe, with the steel front face serving as a mechanical barrier. The impact of a metal catering trolley or a slaughterhouse hook is ably stopped by this facing surface. Additionally, this external layer is sometimes further strengthened by bonding a polymer-reinforced finish to the metal, a coating that absorbs shock and abrasive impact.
Enhanced R-Factor Protection
As tough as the prefabricated panels undoubtedly are, durability is not their primary function. Under the shell-like outer surface is where that main function sits, for it’s down here at the core of each panel that we find specially formulated polymers. Fabricated as flattened plastics that have been chemically bonded to the metal framework, expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam inserts thermally insulate each composite segment. The result is full heat isolation and a preservation of the cool inner environment. Thermal resistance (R-factor) is the bailiwick of such engineering plastics, with EPS topping the insulation list, but other core insulants are available, including polyurethane.
Multipurpose Modular Wall Assets
If the last two paragraphs have proven anything, it’s that these prefabricated components are built to excel across multiple usage areas. They cool the sealed chamber while ensuring it’s protected from bumps and thumps. Endowed with composite aptitude, the coolroom panels also strengthen the overall structural form of the storage space, thus gifting the room with construction-grade stability. Interestingly, there are several installation methods that subsidize this strengthened build. Mechanical fasteners accelerate assembly routines, but there are also tongue-and-groove paneling formats that reduce this installation stage to a series of snap-on maneuvers.
In rewinding to primary features, the prefab panels are mainly thermal barriers. It’s from this cooling backbone that multifunctional aptitude extends, with mechanical strength topping the supplementary feature list. Steel and aluminium imbue the panels with this robust outer profile. Meanwhile, the fused core within the squarish segments uses polystyrene or polyurethane to reinforce the thermal barrier. Vapours and liquids are stopped by this secondary perimeter, which results in a stable inner environment, one that’s cool and energy efficient.
Mark Connelly
C&M Coolroom Services
E-mail: markconnelly@cmcoolrooms.com.au
Mobile: 0412 536 315
Optimized by NetwizardSEO.com.au
