Isolation Cork
Expanded dark cork
Agglomerate of black expanded cork is a solution with high thermal, acoustic and vibration parameters. Particularly suitable for use on walls, floors and roofs, this product is suitable for reducing noise transmission and providing greater comfort. Moreover, it is a sustainable option that allows you to save energy.
Factors to emphasize: Reduction of noise transmission; More comfort; Quality of life; Aesthetics versus design. The materials used for thermal insulation are usually light. In sound insulation materials, they are heavier, absorbent and flexible. However, although the black cork agglomerate is light, it not only reduces noise, but is also an excellent thermal insulator.
One of the distinguishing factors of dark cork is its recyclability. Thanks to this, as a result of the crushing process, we obtain a material that is ideal for embedding directly into concrete or for acoustic and thermal correction.
The properties that make it a good natural insulator, such as lightness and flexibility, depend on its particular cellular structure, which also contains a large amount of air-like gas.
In addition, the cells that make up the cork are unable to absorb water through capillarity and are therefore called "closed cells". Another advantage is that it is precisely due to the inability to absorb water that the material does not even rot, which has a positive effect on the durability of panels used in construction.
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Studies on aglomerated cork
Regarding studies carried out on the application of agglomerated cork boards expanded, it is worth noting the cladding of facades and their integration into the ETICS. At the study on the modern applications of ICB it was clarified the correct way to
application of plates and ETICS and observed the pathologies of the application of the ICB, such as exterior coating and ETICS. It was also concluded that, according to ETAG 004 for ETICS, the use of agglomerate improved the characteristics of the system to shocks and drilling, behavior to water vapor permeability, test results
adhesion and that, compared to other insulating materials, the ICB reduced the absorption of system water.
It was also concluded that the agglomerate allowed a more slow and that it was “natural fire retardant”, aspects to be confirmed in this study.
In another study carried out on the innovation of ecological cork products it was noted that expanded cork agglomerate when compared with other cork materials construction had a lower mechanical strength, and which was effectively, as always
was, a combustible material, for being an organic material. It was found that when combined with other materials it was possible to improve these characteristics. also stayed mentioned that, by densifying the cork agglomerate, it was then possible to improve
its mechanical strength without the addition of other materials.
Cork still undiscovered
Designers, architects and even engineers have a still unclear idea about the behavior of expanded cork agglomerate as an exterior covering. Ideas such as the material absorbing and not allowing water to be released easily, being a material that only serves as thermal and acoustic insulation, and cannot be applied as an exterior coating and only in the interior and/or as insulation of walls and floors of buildings, are some of the ideas that deserve to be clarified, with sustained and rigorous information.
In fact, there is still a lot to study and develop regarding this solution, to minimize the inconveniences known to this day of this material, and to effectively make it an option more often chosen.
Old Cork - New Cork
The use of plates as thermal and acoustic insulation is nothing new, but with the need to use them for other purposes, some of their characteristics have been improved and thus creating the possibility of their use for other purposes. Such is the case that they began to be used as an external coating for building walls, only possible by increasing the density, thickness of the chipboards and being able to take advantage of their thermal performance.
In Portugal, it is possible to observe the scope of this innovation in projects ranging from pavilions, schools, houses, commercial establishments to hotels and others.
The application of expanded cork agglomerate as an exterior coating is relatively recent and, as such, there is still some lack of knowledge about its long-term behavior. The more exhaustive and in-depth knowledge was the reason for, in the initial phase of this study, visits were made to works already completed and in the process of being finalized, as well as the collection of information for a better appreciation of what was observed.
Expanded cork granules
Expanded cork granules are a by-product of the production of expanded cork cotton.
Expanded cork agglomerate is a 100% ecological and recyclable product, made of renewable raw material, as the extraction of cork oak bark is part of its life cycle. For its production, only cork granules are used, which, when subjected to a thermal process, release resin (Suberin), which acts as a (natural) binder.
BENEFITS
- Excellent thermo-acoustic performance
- Excellent mechanical strength
- Dimensional stability of the material
- High durability without losing properties
- A healthier natural product
- Comfort with healthy insulation saves energy
- long-term effectiveness
Expanded Cork in buidings
Under normal conditions of use in buildings, and even in older buildings, the panels, despite direct sunlight, heavy rainfall, frequent wetting / drying cycles, perform well, showing no deformation or detachment from the wall; there are no cracks, even on sunny facades, nor the presence of fungi, lichens or vegetation. In the case of damaged boards, the behavior may be the opposite.
As for the color change, the latest designs show that the agglomerate, despite a slight loss of color, in the first months lightens more or less depending on the season in which it is applied (if it is in summer it brightens faster than in winter) in the following years it darkens again.
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Natural Color of Cork Expanded
If the designer wants the color of the agglomerate to be exactly as it was at the beginning, a water-based anti-UV impregnation can be used. However, there are architects who like color change because they consider it a cycle of natural material and if it happens naturally they like and accept it, which is why many of them choose this solution.
Currently, there are several colors, according to the customer's taste, and for this it is enough to apply a water-based paint or colored varnish. It should be noted that it should not be finished with oils, as the agglomerate absorbs them very quickly and eventually disappears. They always have to be water-based.
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