(USA) panel options Total Composites or GXV DIY Adventure Kits

[Alloy]

Azdel should be good stuff; it's popular in RVs now. Oddly I can't find any tech specs on it though... like stiffness or strength.
PIR isn't "more dense" than other foams. You can spec pretty much any density you like for PU and PVC, but I think 4 or 5 lb/ft^3 would be most common in this application.
Higher density doesn't improve the R value of foam; rather it drops as you'd expect.

Do you know the density of the foam?
Do you know what the full panel weighs per area?

Hard to believe a company that has invested so much into the design of a product expects customers to be as idiotic as the videos are.


No way for water freeze in winter because it will be full of mud and road salt then in the summer on a FSR it will catch the pebbles tossed up by the tires.


Why not use a scale used for the water test? Maybe it is known that PolyIso absorbs water.......

Moisture Contamination of Polyisocyanurate Insulation - Canadian Roofing Contractors Association

Reports have been received of moisture contamination, or signs of moisture contamination of polyisocyanurate insulation on some construction job sites.

roofingcanada.com

Higher density does not produce a higher R Value. The foaming agent (which escapes over time) initially gives PolyIso a higher R Value. The foaming condense so the R Value of PolyIsO is reduced as the temperatures drop. Temp drop will be noticed the most where the slots are cut in the floor.


The AZDEL/FRP deforms but the PolyISO doesn't. Watch when the sample is broken the foam snaps with very little deformation. That's not good.


Fires testing the foam is bogus. Take a torch to the AZDEL/FRP and see what happens. You'd be dead from the smoke coming off the AZDEL/FRP long before the fire ever reaches the foam.


10 years ago AZDEL was going to replace LUAN wood paneling in the RV industry. Several companies tried it and went back to LUAN.


The 1/2" of laminate on the foam plus the heavy extrusions eats up to allot of weight that could be used for fuel, gear or water.

 

[rruff]

Found some numbers for Azdel: http://www.matweb.com/search/datasheet.aspx?matguid=6fd6a598b3a84974b3abe57a6134a6a8&ckck=1
vs Lauan plywood:http://www.matweb.com/search/DataSheet.aspx?MatGUID=d00cc2310a2045a3b2636bf6a256f4cc
vs unspecified plywood: http://www.matweb.com/search/DataSheet.aspx?MatGUID=bd6620450973496ea2578c283e9fb807
30% glass FRP: http://www.matweb.com/search/DataSheet.aspx?MatGUID=065c3e17d9f04496a9eb51dedb9fb3bb

Density: Azdel is .25 g/cc vs .44 g/cc for Lauan. FRP with 30% glass is typically 1.85 g/cc.

Flexural Modulus: Azdel is 116 ksi vs 1080 ksi for Lauan... Lauan is nearly 10x stiffer. FRP is 1740 ksi.

Tensile Strength: Azdel is 1740 psi vs ~4000 psi for Lauan. FRP is 12,000 ksi.

The Azdel won't be adding much bending stiffness or strength to the panels because it's much weaker and less stiff compared to FRP. It's for impact and pressure loads I guess, though with very poor stiffness it seems like it wouldn't be great for that.

.63 cm (.25") of Azdel x .25 g/cc / 454 g/lb x 929 cm^2/ft^2 = .322 lb/ft^2. That's a decent chunk of weight for one skin, and not including the FRP.

 

[Alloy]

Found some numbers for Azdel: http://www.matweb.com/search/datasheet.aspx?matguid=6fd6a598b3a84974b3abe57a6134a6a8&ckck=1
vs Lauan plywood:http://www.matweb.com/search/DataSheet.aspx?MatGUID=d00cc2310a2045a3b2636bf6a256f4cc
vs unspecified plywood: http://www.matweb.com/search/DataSheet.aspx?MatGUID=bd6620450973496ea2578c283e9fb807
30% glass FRP: http://www.matweb.com/search/DataSheet.aspx?MatGUID=065c3e17d9f04496a9eb51dedb9fb3bb

Density: Azdel is .25 g/cc vs .44 g/cc for Lauan. FRP with 30% glass is typically 1.85 g/cc.

Flexural Modulus: Azdel is 116 ksi vs 1080 ksi for Lauan... Lauan is nearly 10x stiffer. FRP is 1740 ksi.

Tensile Strength: Azdel is 1740 psi vs ~4000 psi for Lauan. FRP is 12,000 ksi.

The Azdel won't be adding much bending stiffness or strength to the panels because it's much weaker and less stiff compared to FRP. It's for impact and pressure loads I guess, though with very poor stiffness it seems like it wouldn't be great for that.

.63 cm (.25") of Azdel x .25 g/cc / 454 g/lb x 929 cm^2/ft^2 = .322 lb/ft^2. That's a decent chunk of weight for one skin, and not including the FRP.

This brings back memories of the time I had a bright idea of using HDPE instead of plywood door skins. Everything was assembled inside at 60F. Once outside in the sun the HDPE lost strenth/buckled then I had to slot the holes to allow for thermal expansion.

 

[Dave Anderson]

Our PIR is rated at R-7 per inch. Our competitor's PUR is rated at R-5 per inch (per their website). And XPS is rated at 3-4 per inch, on average. PIR is a PUR that is new and approved (PIR is fire resistant, and PUR is not). If you would like to talk to us further, please reach out and contact us. www.rvglobetrekker.com

 

[rruff]

XPS is R5. EPS is R4. PIR is normally rated at 6. PIR has high R value at warm temperatures, but it falls off at low temperatures. XPS and EPS are the opposite; they get better than rated value at low temperatures.

"In real terms, using polyiso foam insulation panels is probably a poor choice if your winter temperatures dip below 50°F or 10°C. To put that statement into perspective, a wall or roof assembly in Chicago was tested for the whole of December then averaged out. The first assembly using 2" Polyisocyanurate foam panels was compared to the same assembly using 2" of EPS foam and was found to be losing 30% more heat in this study".

The difference between Polyiso, EPS & XPS Foam Insulation & Styrofoam

Which Rigid Foam Insulation panels are Best for which type of Construction? Which Save the Most Money? Which are Most Eco-Friendly? We Compare them here for you

www.ecohome.net

Based in this data, peak R value of PIR is about 5.5 at 75F (mean temp) and stays above 5 from 30F to 110F. The XPS they tested had an R value of 6 at low temperature (~30F mean?) and dropped to 5.25 at ~100F.

Big News: The R-Value of Insulation Is Not a Constant - Energy Vanguard

In the world of building construction, improvement, and analysis, we talk about R-value all the time. Generally we talk about it as if it’s a constant number. Hey, R-19 is stamped right there on the product, so that’s what it…

www.energyvanguard.com

The R value of PIR is fine for a camper box, but not outstanding compared to other foams.

 

[Alloy]

Our PIR is rated at R-7 per inch. Our competitor's PUR is rated at R-5 per inch (per their website). And XPS is rated at 3-4 per inch, on average. PIR is a PUR that is new and approved (PIR is fire resistant, and PUR is not). If you would like to talk to us further, please reach out and contact us. www.rvglobetrekker.com

"Rated at R-7 per inch" .....you could also add a layer of foiled (Reflexcite) faced bubbled (R-1) wrap which I've seen rated at R-30.

Unless you can prove differently (post the LTTR - long-term thermal resistance data) the industry value for PolyIso is R-5.6.


"Fireproof" foam has been around for decades....but it doesn't matter since the FRP and Azdel aren't "fireproof".