In fact, it could almost be called the modern philosophers’ stone. In the middle ages, alchemists searched in vain for the fabled philosophers’ stone – a mythical substance which would transform base metals into gold or silver. The search is over for today’s alchemists because Elastopor^® H is the simple building block that has it all.

 

As you know, energy conservation is becoming an increasingly important issue in the 21^st century and there is now a strong drive to save on precious resources and cut costs wherever possible. Nowhere more so than in private housebuilding. In recent years, we’ve taken great steps forward, and architects and developers are turning more and more to new energy-saving concepts. Everyone agrees that intelligent building design begins with highly efficient insulation.

 

 

In a solid construction, a typical insulated external wall consists of either a double wall structure with a core insulation, or a single wall with additional external insulation. Both of these alternatives are costly and have a relatively long construction period.

 

A new construction method is now available which consists of monolithic brickwork made from hollow blocks with thermal insulation already built in. The advantage: no additional insulation is necessary and there are substantial savings on construction time and costs.

 

In addition, a considerable amount of space is saved as there’s no need for any external insulation. Moreover, where mineral wool and perlite were used before to fill hollow blocks, now even better levels of insulation are provided by the polyurethane rigid foam Elastopor^® H from BASF.

 

 

Because of rising energy costs, the building materials industry is focusing increasingly on heat conductivity - the lower this value, the better the insulation will be. So the whole industry is looking for a product that sets itself apart from the competition. PUR rigid foam Elastopor^® H is that product, because it’s the only one that offers all these advantages:

 

·         Extremely low heat conductivity

·         Very low water intake

·         No falling or trickling out of the insulation

·         Manageable investments in industrial and building systems

·         Rapid cycle times

·         Lower requirement for heat energy

·         Altogether moderate costs

The company behind the philosophers’ stone is Knobel in Albstadt, and the product is actually called Liapor SL-plus. It’s manufactured from Lias clay, which is formed into a ceramic clay interspersed with air, and its cavity is then filled with Elastopor^® H .

The end result satisfies both architects and builders alike, providing efficient heat and noise control which can be used in a wide range of applications.

Source：web of BASF