Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) as Substitute for Traditional Fascia Materials.

Abstract

Timber and reinforced concrete have been used for the construction of fascia for buildings over the years. However, these conventional materials have their shortcomings hence, the need for better materials. One of such materials is expanded polystyrene (EPS). This research therefore focused on the evaluation of the properties of expanded polystyrene with the view of using it as a substitute for the traditional materials as fascia. Company standards of expanded polystyrene was obtained and compared with those of timber and concrete. Also, laboratory tests were carried out to ascertain the effects of moisture on weight, cost benefit analysis and construction requirements were evaluated for the three materials. The susceptibility of the materials to fire was evaluated. It was found that, the cost of constructing reinforced concrete fascia is 46% higher than EPS fascia of comparable size. Also, timber gains 16.61% increase in weight when exposed to moisture while EPS gained only 7.69%. In terms of fire resistance, timber has the least tolerance with a temperature range of 140-180-C followed by EPS with 180-210°C while concrete ranges between 300-650°C. However EPS is normally installed with a concrete cover on the inner phase thereby utilizing the fire resistance of concrete on that face. Thus, expanded polystyrene is an excellent replacement for timber and concrete (conventional materials) in fascia construction.