IMPs–An Important Tool

by Jonathan McGaha | 29 May 2017 12:00 am

A wider variety of uses in construction market

Insulated metal panels
(IMPs) are more commonly becoming a tool for the architect on a growing variety of projects. IMPs are comprised of rigid insulation sandwiched between two metal skins. The most commonly and widely utilized IMPs are formed by a continuously poured-in-place manufacturing process which binds interior and exterior steel facings to a polyisocyanurate core.

Architects and building owners have always appreciated the increased R-value, strength and durability of IMPs, as well as the cost-effective, one-step installation that provides a finished exterior and interior. In addition to their energy-efficient benefits providing a green element to the project, IMPs can be manufactured from recycled steel content. Market demand has led to the development of a wider variety of IMPs: more widths and thicknesses, more coating options and more profiles to satisfy the desire for aesthetic considerations.

 

Cold Storage

The ability to control temperature was likely the original selling point of IMPs. Cold Storage Construction Services, Montgomery, Texas, a contractor specializing in low-energy refrigerated warehouses and work spaces, recently completed a 174,000-square-foot expansion for a grocery chain. Completed in May 2016, it houses refrigerated perishables, including meat and poultry, produce and fruit ripening rooms. Cold Storage Construction Services installed more than 100,000 square feet of IMPs as walls on the facility. The IMPs for this project were 42-inch-wide panels with a 4-inch core.

“It was a pretty straight-forward job, nothing real sexy, but it looks great,” says Wade Hudson, president and project manager for Cold Storage Construction Services. Hudson says many of the insulated metal panels were 45 feet long, but his crews routinely work with larger panels. The family-owned operation has expertise ranging from meat-and-poultry processing plants to high-volume refrigerated warehousing. Cold Storage Construction Services designs and builds workspaces requiring low temperatures, such as petrochemical, aerospace, pharmaceutical, and testing and material laboratories.

 

Commercial Use of IMPs

Cold-storage facilities keep the cold in. IMPs are also used to keep the heat out.

When American Airlines added a training and conference center to its headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, 3-inch-thick insulated metal panels were chosen to fight off the hot Texas summers and conserve energy. The panel core is a continuously poured-in-place, polyisocyanurate insulating foam, sandwiched by 22-gauge Galvalume panel skins. Panel colors were Regal White I for the interior and custom American Airlines Tan for the exterior.

The space that houses the simulators is climate controlled, so IMPs help American Airlines save on cooling costs during the warm Texas summer and autumn. Airline training simulators are large, the same size as the front end of airplanes, embodying actual cockpits. Trainees enter the cockpit via a landing on the second floor inside the building. The simulators installed for training are an Airbus 320, a McDonald Douglas 80, an Embraer ERJ 145 and five Boeing jets: B-737, B-757, B-767, B-777 and B-787.

 

IMPs Offer Durability

As with any quality building product, IMPs are tested and warranted. Panels are tested as a whole and as individual parts. This testing ensures architects and building owners that the product is safe and will perform to expectations. IMPs are tested for air and water infiltration. Typical roof and wall sidelaps allow zero water penetration and an almost immeasurable about of air infiltration. Panels are also tested to specify their corresponding R-value.

The insulating foam cores are structurally tested for shear, compressive properties, density, tensile strength and open cell content. Panels are also tested for fire resistance (ASTM E84, FM 4880) and engineering properties (ASTM E1592 and E72, FM 4881 and 4471).

Insulated metal panels are a beautifully strong and thermally efficient metal cladding product. IMPs offer quick, easy and efficient installation, save energy with a growing product offering allowing for a myriad of unique applications. Every day, designers are exploring new and exciting applications for this dynamic and versatile building product.

Brian Jaks is vice president of sales and marketing, Green Span Profiles, Waller, Texas. To learn more, visit www.greenspanprofiles.com[1].

Source URL: https://www.metalconstructionnews.com/articles/imps-an-important-tool/

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