Dismantling XPS from a ground floor
As part of the Circular construction elective, 3rd-year Bachelor in Construction students carried out several dismantling operations in social housing in Sint-Martens-Latem. For this case, 4 students dismantled a floor on the ground floor.
When dismantling a floor, a trial core was drilled to make clear how thick the different functional layers are and what type of insulation was involved (XPS - Floormate Styrofoam 200-A). The building plans were also consulted to establish the position of cables and pipes.
Floor build-up
Floor finish: ceramic tiles
Screed/levelling layer with pipes: screed
Reinforcement mesh
Vapour barrier: PE film
Floor insulation: XPS boards
Foundation slab: concrete
Lab analysis
The samples were tested for lambda value, compressive strength, F-gases, dimensional stability and moisture absorption > XPS (1994) - 3 cm - floor
proposed lambda: 0.0330 W/mK
proposed compressive strength: ≥ 168 kPa
The dimensional stability meets the current requirements.
Possibly higher water absorption than the current limit value of 0.7 vol%.
The boards are damaged by the pressure pattern of the screed.
Result
The technical parameters of the XPS boards score well. However, a trade-off must be made here as to whether the time invested in dismantling the insulation is worth it for 3 cm insulation boards.
Images
