Polycarbonate acts as a building material, which appeared on the market about 20 years ago. This is a polymer that belongs to the family of thermosetting plastics and looks very attractive. Among its main characteristics it is worth highlighting high strength. Today, different types of this material are used in many areas of construction, which can be both private and industrial. But the rich color scheme and a variety of sizes allow you to realize arbitrarily bold ideas.
Polycarbonate Varieties
Considering the types of polycarbonate, you can understand that the structure of the material can be cellular or solid. The first type on the cross section has a kind of pattern that resembles a honeycomb. They form stiffeners, which are installed directly or obliquely. As a result, the manufacturer receives rectangular or triangular cells that contain air inside and give polycarbonate properties such as strength, thermal insulation and sound insulation.
Types of Cellular Polycarbonate
Having visited the store, you can find some types of polycarbonate, which have honeycombs in their composition. For example, 2H is a panel consisting of two layers, and rectangular cells are located inside. The thickness can vary from 0.4 to 1 centimeter, while the stiffeners are represented by conventional partitions. A variation of 3X is three-layer sheets that have inclined straight stiffeners. The first of these are incremental. Another variety of three-layer sheets is marked 3H and may have a thickness of 6 to 10 mm. The intermediate value is 8 millimeters.
Five-layer sheets are designated as 5W or 5X. In the first case, cells with rectangular structure are located inside, the thickness of which varies from 16 to 20 millimeters. The second variety also has inclined ribs, and the thickness can reach 25 millimeters.
Characteristics and properties of cellular polycarbonate
Polycarbonate, the types and properties of which are described in this article, is used everywhere today. However, if you decide to use cellular polycarbonate to create various kinds of structures, then you should familiarize yourself with its qualitative characteristics in more detail. The temperature range of operation of the paintings can vary from -40 to +120 degrees. The density of the material is 1.2 grams per centimeter cubic, while the tensile strength is 60 MPa.
Quite often, professional builders are interested in such a characteristic as elongation at failure, it is expressed as a percentage and for cellular polycarbonate ranges from 95 to 120. The material will soften at 150 degrees, but the temperature of stability under load is 136-144 degrees.
Polycarbonate acts as one of the leaders in transparency and strength among thermoplastic materials. It is able to withstand the blows of stones and a hammer, while maintaining its physical characteristics. Polycarbonate, the types and sizes of which will help you decide on the features of the frame, when it comes to building a greenhouse, has an impact strength that is 250 times higher compared to this characteristic of glass. This allows you to protect structures from unauthorized entry and vandalism.
Characteristics of monolithic polycarbonate
If you are considering types of polycarbonate, then it is worth considering that this material is also represented by monolithic material, which, in turn, can be direct or profiled. It can be compared by characteristics with silicate glass, but it is rather difficult to break, even if stone is used for this. This property is a definite advantage. As practice shows, scratching the surface of this polycarbonate is also quite difficult, but in the context of such sheets are represented by a solid array, they can be translucent or completely transparent. Profiled panels have a wave shape, they are characterized by increased strength and are perfectly combined with profiled roofing materials like metal tiles.
The use of certain grades of monolithic polycarbonate
Types of monolithic polycarbonate are indicated by a certain marking. It allows you to choose the material for a specific purpose. Thus, PK-5 is used for medical purposes, but PK-6 is a polymer characterized by impressive light transmission. It can be used in optics, as well as lighting engineering in the manufacture of all kinds of instrument parts. Sheets, which are characterized by the least friction, are designated by the manufacturer as PK-M-1, but PK-M-2 is a unique material that is excellent in resisting the occurrence of cracks. In addition, he is completely not afraid of the effects of the flame. Impressive thermal stability is characteristic of the material marked PK-LT-18-m, while polymer PK-LST-30 has a filler in the form of glass made of quartz or silicon.
Sheet sizes
If you are interested in the types of polycarbonate, photos, and their description you can find in the article, this will allow you to purchase the material that will meet your needs. Cellular polycarbonate has a width that is standard for this material and is 210 centimeters. Length is also generally accepted and is equivalent to 6 or 12 meters. Sometimes the weight of the sheet is also important for the work, so a 6-meter sheet, which is 0.4 centimeters thick, will weigh about 10 kilograms. This is true when polycarbonate has a density within 800 grams per 1 square meter. Thickness varies from 0.5 to 2.5 centimeters.
Sizes of monolithic polycarbonate
Polycarbonate, the types and characteristics of which are presented in the article, can be monolithic, while its length is standard and is 305 centimeters. The width is 205 centimeters, while the thickness varies from 0.2 to 0.6 centimeters. If necessary, the supplier can order the manufacture of thicker sheets, this parameter will vary from 0.8 to 1.2 centimeters.
What type of polycarbonate for a greenhouse is better to choose
The types and use of polycarbonate have been described above, however, in private construction, as a rule, this material is used to equip greenhouses. In this case, the summer resident raises the question of which type of polycarbonate is best to choose - cellular or monolithic. Cellular polycarbonate having a hollow structure is best suited for such requirements. If we compare with the monolithic, then the cell has a lower specific gravity with the same web thickness. Thus, 1 square meter of a panel with a thickness of 10 millimeters is almost an order of magnitude lighter than a solid sheet of the same chemical composition. Among other things, cellular polycarbonate has a lower thermal conductivity, which is a decisive factor when choosing a coating.
What polycarbonate thickness to choose for a greenhouse
Having examined the types of polycarbonate for a greenhouse, you will realize that this material is different in thickness. Wanting to save money, the customer quite often acquires the most inexpensive and thin sheet for arranging the greenhouse. This decision may entail the need to increase the load-bearing elements of the frame system, which will compensate for the insufficient strength of the panel. Among other things, cheap material does not match the declared thickness, which does not contribute to improving technical characteristics. You should not go to the other extreme, using the maximum thickness of polycarbonate. A thick panel can reduce light transmission by increasing the specific gravity of the sheet. As practice shows, a limit of 4 to 10 millimeters acts as the optimal thickness for the material when arranging greenhouses.
The choice of polycarbonate for the canopy
If you are interested in the types of polycarbonate for a canopy, then you should know about the recommended thickness of the sheets for these structures. If the canopy is relatively small, then a 4 mm thickness with a significant radius of curvature should be preferred. When creating a structure that will be exposed to significant snow and wind loads during operation, it is worth choosing a thickness ranging from 6 to 8 millimeters. During the construction of the canopy, which will be subjected to extreme mechanical and climatic influences of the external environment, it is worth increasing the thickness to 10 millimeters.
Conclusion
Most often, consumers are interested in the types of polycarbonate for a greenhouse, which one is best to choose when shopping, it was described above. Before purchasing this material, you should remember that it has high resistance to various kinds of chemically active environments, which makes these products the leaders in terms of quality characteristics among analogues. After all, other covering materials fail after a season or two.