Insulation- Expanded polystyrene foams are made by mixing the polystyrene with a solvent, adding a gas under
pressure and finally the mixture is extruded to produce the required thickness. The extrusion process improves the
characteristics of the final foam, i.e. its mechanical resistance increases, producing non-interconnecting pores and a
more homogeneous material. The value of mechanical resistance of expanded polystyrene foams can vary from 0.4 to
1.1 kg/cm2
. There are several grades of foams available with their densities vary from 10 to 33 kg/m3
, with thermal
conductivities that are lower with the increase in density.
EPS slabs with 20 mm thickness having a density of 30kg/m3 were used to give the required thermal
insulation. The slabs having a thermal conductivity of 0.33 W/mk, were pasted to the inside walls of the cabin using
a mixture of MDI (methyl-di-isocyanides) and caster oil.