SIP: structural insulated panels

SIPs are engineered wood products resulting from a controlled environment lamination of high performance rigid insulation and oriented strandboard (OSB) skins. They can either be viewed as a component of construction or an entire building system. The most common use of these products is exterior wall panels (Fig. 1). They are also frequently used as roof panels to create a vaulted or cathedral ceiling. SIP floor panels are usually only found in places where floors separate the occupants from unconditioned spaces, like crawl spaces and tuck-under garages. SIP ceiling panels can be found in the desert southwest where flat or low-slope roofs are more common. When SIP components are combined into a system, they create an unusually strong and energy- efficient building envelope. Panel sizes are limited by the size of the skins. The most common single- piece panels are 8 feet by 24 feet; mills that are currently constructing continuous mat lines or larger presses will soon be producing larger SIPs. The panels are cut in the factory and shipped out as fabricated construction walls or houses to be assembled rather than pieced together like traditional framing. SIPs use the same tools as tradition-al framing and subcontractors have had an easy time learning to utilize SIPs; the learning curve is very short. [FOREST PRODUCTS JOURNAL Vol. 50, No. 3]

Web site www.sips.org

CCE - Canadian Consulting Engineer

"a magazine for professional engineers working as consultants in the construction field. Published since 1957, it is the only national engineering magazine in Canada that covers all engineering disciplines and all geographic regions"




Forest Products Society - conference and meeting abstracts

Abstracts of many wood related conferences is available in .pdf, in the Conference section.

book on SIPs

Building with structural insulated panels (SIPs): Strength and Energy Efficiency Through Structural Panel Construction, by Morley, M., 2000

status

SIPs overcoming the elements, by Tracy, J. M., 2000