Materials

There are a wide variety of insulation materials, facings, and accessory products available for use on mechanical systems.  The list is always changing as new products are developed and older, less efficient products are phased out.  There are five major types of insulation…

• Cellular
  • Cellular insulations are composed of small individual cells either interconnecting or sealed from each other to form a cellular structure. 
  • Cellular insulation may be comprised of glass, plastics, and rubber as the base material and a variety of foaming agents.
• Fibrous
  • Fibrous insulation's are composed of small diameter fibers that finely divide the airspace.  The may be organic or inorganic and are generally held together with a binder.
  • Typical inorganic fibers include glass, rock wool, slag wool, and alumina silica.
• Flake
  • Flake insulation are composed of small particles or flakes which finely divide the air space.  The flakes may or may not be bonded together.
  • Examples are Vermiculite, or expanded mica.
• Granular
• Reflective