TRADA Testing
| TorFloor Testing of the Torfloor System |
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OMNIE uses test houses such as BSRIA and TRADA to independently test the performance of the products we supply. The TorFloor System is a structural underfloor heating system that replaces a conventional unheated chipboard or plywood floor deck. To be suitable as a structural floor the panels must pass rigorous TRADA tests. The tests at TRADA were conducted in accordance with the requirements set out in EN1195 which specifies concentrated load and soft body impact performance. The tests were carried out on test floors comprising of five panels each 1200x600mm set side by side over joists set at 600mm centres. Test loads were applied to the innermost three panels with the outer panels left to provide stability to those under test. Evo-stik weatherproof PVA glue was applied to the T+G edges between each of the five panels in the test floor. The panels under test were overlaid with 600x1200mm panels of 5mm thick 3-ply with the ply arranged so that the centre-line of each panel corresponded with the T+G edges ensuring that the ply overlay overlapped the T+G edges. The ply was stuck to the top of the panels under test using 3 straight lines of Evo-stik weatherproof PVA adhesive and pinned using six 25mm annular ring shank nails per ply panel. The extent of the gluing and pinning down of the ply overlay for the purposes of these tests was deliberately minimised in the expectation that gluing and pinning undertaken on-site in accordance with OMNIE installation instructions would be more comprehensive and consequently likely to create stronger floors. By trial, it was found that the weakest point in each panel, and therefore the point at which all tests both concentrated and soft body impact were then focussed, was adjacent to the T+G edge of each panel at the centre point of each span. This is the same weakest point found when testing standard un-machined chipboard panels of the same thickness across joists set at the same centres. The tests showed that the panels pass the requirements set out in EN12871 for impact testing. The concentrated load tests recorded that Ultimate Limit State Qk. max was 1.91kN which exceeds the 1.4kN requirement for Category A, domestic and residential activities Service Class 2, specified in BS6399:Part 1:1996 and also exceeds the 1.8kN requirement specified for Bedrooms in hotels, motels, hospital rooms and toilet areas. The TorFloor system is the only structural underfloor heating system to pass these tests. |
