Composite face panels for structural insulated panels

Abstract

Composite face panels for use with structural insulated panels (SIP) are provided to form a suitable replacement for structural insulated panels that employ oriented strand board or plywood. The structural insulated panel has a sandwich structure with a generally planar, insulating core. A composite face panel is disposed on each of the opposed surfaces of the insulating core. The insulating core composition includes an insulating material that is formed of an expanded polystyrene or a rigid polyurethane foam. Each composite face panel includes a core and face sheets on each surface of the core. The core composition includes mixture of a resin binder and a fire retardant. The resin binder can be formed of a methacrylate modified urethane, and the fire retardant can be formed of alumina trihydrate.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A structural insulated panel comprising:
 a sandwich structure comprising an insulating core having a generally planar configuration and two opposed surfaces, a face panel disposed on each of the two opposed surfaces;   the insulating core comprising an insulating material; and   each face panel comprising:
 a core comprising a mixture of at least a binder resin and a fire retardant, the amount of binder resin being at least 25 percent by weight of the mixture, the amount of fire retardant ranging from 50 to 200 parts per hundred relative to the binder resin; and 
 face sheets on opposed surfaces of the core of the face panel, each face sheet comprised of a fiber reinforcing material embedded in the binder resin, the binder resin comprised of the same binder resin as in the core of each face panel. 
   
     
     
         2 . The structural insulated panel of  claim 1 , wherein the binder resin is comprised of a methacrylate modified urethane, the amount of binder resin being at least 25 percent by weight of the mixture, the fire retardant is comprised of alumina trihydrate, and the amount of alumina trihydrate ranging from 50 to 200 parts per hundred relative to the binder resin. 
     
     
         3 . The structural insulated panel of  claim 1 , wherein the fiber reinforcing material is comprised of a glass fiber material. 
     
     
         4 . The structural insulated panel of  claim 1 , wherein each face panel has a thickness ranging from ¼ inch to ¾ inch. 
     
     
         5 . The structural insulated panel of  claim 1 , wherein each sandwich structure has a width of at least 4 feet, a length of at least 8 feet, and a thickness of at least 3 inches. 
     
     
         6 . The structural insulated panel of  claim 1 , wherein the insulating material is comprised of an expanded polystyrene or a rigid polyurethane foam. 
     
     
         7 . The structural insulated panel of  claim 1 , wherein the insulating material is comprised of a phenolic foam, an expandable polyethylene foam, or a polyisocyanurate. 
     
     
         8 . The structural insulated panel of  claim 1 , wherein the core of each face panel further includes a phase change material. 
     
     
         9 . The structural insulated panel of  claim 1 , wherein the core of each face panel further includes microballoons. 
     
     
         10 . The structural insulated panel of  claim 1 , wherein the core of each face panel further includes a pigment. 
     
     
         11 . A method of manufacturing the structural insulated panel of  claim 1 , comprising:
 pultruding an arrangement of the core mixture of the binder resin in an uncured state and the fire retardant with the face sheets on the opposed surfaces through a pultrusion die for a time and at a rate sufficient to cure the binder resin;   cutting the cured product exiting the pultrusion die into sections transverse to a pultrusion direction, each section comprising one of the face panels; and   laminating one of the face panels on one of the two opposed surface of the insulating core to form the sandwich structure of the structural insulated panel.   
     
     
         12 . A method of constructing a structure comprising:
 providing a plurality of structural insulated panels according to  claim 1 ; and   incorporating the structural insulated panels into the structure.   
     
     
         13 . A composite face panel comprising:
 a face panel comprising:
 a core comprising a mixture of at least a binder resin and a fire retardant, the binder resin comprised of a methacrylate modified urethane, the fire retardant comprised of alumina trihydrate, the amount of binder resin being at least 25 percent by weight of the mixture; and the amount of alumina trihydrate ranging from 50 to 200 parts per hundred relative to the binder resin, and face sheets on opposed surfaces of the core of the face panel, each face sheet comprised of a glass fiber reinforcing material embedded in the binder resin, the binder resin comprised of a methacrylate modified urethane.