Armatherm™ Grade 500 Column Base

Armatherm Grade 500 thermal break material significantly reduces energy lost from thermal bridging in building envelope connections.

The ultra-high density rigid polyurethane blocks offer continuous insulation to support structural loads from the foundation right through to the roof. Armatherm Grade 500 is an exceptional insulator; it has high compressive strength, allowing it to be employed supporting large compressive loads with little deflection. Also offers economical, code-required compliance for cold room column base applications.

Internal steel columns traditionally extend through the building envelope floor slab and have insulation at their base. In low temperature buildings such as freezer rooms and cold storage facilities, this creates a thermal bridge and point transmittance (heat loss) at the steel column base. This is also the case for exterior columns which support floors or roof overhangs. The column to roof connection interrupts the continuous insulation, creating heat loss due to thermal bridging. Armatherm™ 500 can support and transfer these column loads while providing an effective thermal break at the column connection.

Armatherm Grade 500 is manufactured in sheets 2400 x 1200 x 25 mm and 50 mm thick and can be bonded to create 75, 100, 150, 200 and 250 mm thicknesses to achieve a specific R value.

Performance (scenarios):

- Steel column without Thermal Break:

• Clear field R-value: R-31.7 (5.57 m²K/W).
• Insulation 1D R-value: R-30 (5.26 m²K/W).
• R-value (effective): R-29.9 (5.26 m²K/W).
• U-value (effective): 0.03 (0.190 m²K/W).
• Point transmittance of column base: 0.504 (0.864 m²K/W).
• Reduction in heat loss: n/a.

- Steel column with 6" Armatherm 500:

• Clear field R-value: R-31.7 (5.57 m²K/W).
• Insulation 1D R-value: R-30 (5.26 m²K/W).
• R-value (effective): R-31.5 (5.55 m²K/W).
• U-value (effective): 0.03 (0.180 m²K/W).
• Point transmittance of column base: 0.046 (0.079 m²K/W).
• Reduction in heat loss: 91%.