Testing StonePly: Lightweight natural stone for private jets and commercial aircraft interiors

About StonePly for Airplane Interiors

Designers, manufacturers and outfitters of custom airplane interiors for private and corporate jets have found Stone Ply to be a useful way to introduce the luxury and high-end appeal of stone to their projects. StonePly is real natural stone, granite, marble, limestone or onyx on an aluminum honeycomb backing. StonePly offers a lightweight, strong and attractive real stone finish for airplane galleys, lavatories, flooring and tables. In addition to the beauty and uniqueness of natural stone panels for aircraft interiors, StonePly also offers custom marble and granite medallions, logos and emblems for use on floors, tables and partitions.

Testing StonePly for Aircraft Interiors

The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires certain materials be fire tested.  This page is a brief summary of StonePly’s test results and flame resistance abilities.  For additional information on testing of aircraft materials, refer to the “Aircraft Materials Fire Test Handbook” for a description of all FAA-required fire test methods for aircraft materials.

Fire Resistance of StonePly Lightweight Stone Panel for Aircraft Interiors

StonePly offers designers of aircraft interiors a non-flammable panel made up of a thin stone face bonded to a non-flammable aluminum honeycomb backing panel with a thin layer of high strength epoxy.

Vertical Bunsen Burner Test for Cabin and Cargo Compartment Materials 

Airplane Interior Test: Vertical Bunsen Burner Test for Cabin and Cargo Compartment Materials

Result: Passed

StonePly meets or exceeds the requirements of the test.  The tested StonePly aluminum honeycomb backed stone panels:

• Did not ignite
• Did not flame
• Did not drip
• Did not spread flame

Scope:

This is a test for airplane interior finishes. This FAA test method is intended for use in determining the resistance of materials to flame when tested according to the 60-second and 12-second Vertical Bunsen Burner Tests specified in Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 25.853 and FAR 25.855.

Samples were 3/4″ StonePly (1/4″ stone face and 1/2″ aluminum honeycomb), 3″ by 12″ samples.  

• Two samples of marble on aluminum honeycomb panels
• Two samples of granite on aluminum honeycomb panels

The StonePly stone panels were exposed to the flame from a 3/8-inch Bunsen burner with a 1550°F minimum flame temperature for 60 seconds.

Result:

No sample ignition, flaming, dripping or spread of flame.

The StonePly stone/aluminum honeycomb panel did not ignite, flame, drip or spread flame.

Airplane Interior Test: 45-Degree Bunsen Burner Test for Cargo Compartment Liners and Waste Storage Compartment Materials

Result: Passed

This is a test for airplane interior finish materials use in cargo compartments. It is a similar test to the vertical test listed above, except for the angle of the panel. StonePly stone panels meet or exceeds the requirements of the 45-Degree Bunsen Burner Test. Both granite on aluminum honeycomb and marble on aluminum honeycomb panels were tested. When tested, StonePly panels:

• Did not burn
• Flame did not penetrate any of the specimens
• Glow time of less than 1.5 seconds  (Less than the 10 second standard to pass)

Airplane Interior Test: Horizontal Bunsen Burner Test for Cabin, Cargo Compartment, and Miscellaneous Materials

Result: Passed.

This test method is intended for use in determining the resistance of materials to flame when tested according to the 15-second horizontal Bunsen burner tests specified in FAR 25.853. In this test, materials for airplane interiors are subjected to the flame of a Bunsen burner. Both StonePly granite on aluminum honeycomb and StonePly marble on aluminum honeycomb panels were tested.

Burn Rate: 0

• Did not ignite
• Did not flame
• Did not drip
• Did not spread flame

This document is produced in the interest of information exchange. While the contents are believed to be accurate and complete, StonePly assumes no liability for the contents, their completeness or use thereof.

For more information, visit StonePly.com, email info@stoneply.com or call 903-454 4630.

About StonePly

StonePly is the leading stone on aluminum honeycomb panel manufacturer. To meet its commitment to provide “any stone form anywhere in the world” StonePly maintains a global network of procurement in Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and the stone quarrying centers of the world. Offices, manufacturing and warehousing facilities are in Greenville, TX. Family owned and operated for over 25 years, StonePly is the oldest stone on aluminum honeycomb panel manufacturer and supplier under the same ownership.  Clients and commissions include NASA, The US Nuclear Regulatory Agency, US National Park Service, Rolex, Hyatt, Disney, Atlantis Resort, Four Seasons and others.

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StonePly is a high performance facade and cladding panel, made up of natural stone facing and aluminum honeycomb backing. The panels resist natural disasters and high impacts, while also providing the ability to flex under heavy loads.

Tornadoes:

The Challenge: In an average year, there are more than 1,200 tornadoes in the USA. These tornadoes blow through with winds as high as 200 miles per hour and result in over 1,500 injuries, 100 fatalities, and billions in property damage each year.

The Solution: StonePly has been engineered to tornadic wind speeds and wind loads.

Hurricanes:

The Challenge: In an average year, there are ten tropical storms. Six of which become hurricanes.

Along the coasts, hurricanes cause billions of dollars in damage each year. Over 50% of the US population lives in hurricane affected areas.

The Solution: StonePly has proven itself hurricane resistant on construction projects all along the Gulf Coast region, from Texas to Florida and into the Caribbean. The Atlantis Project in the Caribbean features over 120,000 square feet of StonePly and has withstood six hurricanes. StonePly has been engineered, tested and approved for high wind areas and has passed large missile impact testing for wind borne debris.

Thunderstorms and Hail:

The Challenge: Thunderstorms with hail and high winds cause damages totaling in the billions of dollars per year.

The Solution: StonePly has been tested and proven hail impact resistant.

 Floods:

The Challenge: Flooding makes up over 75% of the federally declared disasters and is the most common disaster event in the United States. Facades must be able to resist both storm surges and potential submergence, often over long periods, at the ground level.

The Solution: StonePly can be submerged for extended periods, even years. The panels contain no wood or paper to rot. StonePly panels have been submerged for over 10 years without adverse effects.

 Fires and Wildfires:

The Challenge: In 2012, some 38 wildfires produced 1.1 billion in economic losses. In cities, building fires are a major concern.

The Solution: StonePly is a noncombustible. StonePly is inherently non-combustible both on the face, which is natural stone, but also – and this is important – on the backside of the panel, the side that faces the building. Some competitors use fiber glass or plastic backings for their stones. StonePly never does. Unlike competitor’s panels, the back of our panels is non-combustible aluminum. Both faces offer a 0 flame spread and great fire resistance.

Earthquakes:

The Challenge: Earthquakes pose a serious risk in California, Hawaii and Alaska, but they also affect many eastern and Midwestern regions. Every year there are 5,000 seismic events with 400 earthquakes large enough to cause damage to buildings. Traditional stone cladding is vulnerable to earthquakes.

The Solution: StonePly is proven, both in the laboratory and in the field to be able to handle extreme building movement, bending, twisting and racking forces. The aluminum honeycomb reinforcement prevents breakage and falling components.

To meet all these challenges, you need an exterior cladding that’s able to resist the forces of nature. Ordinary natural stone cladding is inherently fragile. StonePly on the other hand, can resist impacts from windblown debris, flooding, earthquakes, and fire.

Thanks to its unique combination of strength, durability, beauty, and ductility, StonePly is the ideal cladding panel for stone facades wherever disasters may strike. If you need testing data or assistance with detailing StonePly, samples or specifications, give us a call at 903-454-4630.

We are here to help.

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The Challenge of Designing a Blast Resistant Stone Facade

It’s an unfortunate fact of life today that buildings are at risk due to terrorism. In a fraction of a second, explosives in a parked car can destroy the face of a building. When designing a building enclosure or facade, the impact of blasts is a force to be considered. This is especially true when designing facades for courthouses, hospitals, government buildings and other high risk facilities. In a blast event, the shock wave of the blast striking the facade cladding can be mitigated by stopping flying debris and absorbing the blast energy. So how do you design a stone facade to be blast resistant? Following are some solutions to the challenge.

Ductile Stone Cladding for Blast Resistant Building Envelopes

In blast resistant cladding and building envelopes, a greater emphasis is placed on ductile behavior of a cladding in response to blast loading. StonePly, with its aluminum honeycomb is an excellent material to consider, since by its very nature it is ductile. Even though it presents a stone facade to the world, the aluminum backing means that StonePly bends and deforms elastically prior to failing. In a blast, StonePly cladding panels perform much better than slab stone. This is because StonePly has capacity both in tension and in compression, where ordinary stone cladding only has capacity in compression. This means StonePly stone panels are up to 60 times more impact resistant than granite or marble slab panels.

Preventing and Stopping Flying Debris with Stone Ply Facade Panels

In a blast, flying fragments can cause as much or more harm than the explosion itself. So how do you avoid fragmentation of stone cladding and the creation of flying debris? Designers of blast resistant buildings are using architectural elements and cladding that do not fragment during an explosion. With StonePly, the entire stone is bonded to a ductile aluminum panel. In lower level blast events, the blast energy is absorbed as the panel flexes under the shock wave and then returns to normal. Under a higher level blast, the stone may fracture, but the aluminum panel, acts as a safety net. Much like in a car wreck when the laminated safety glass holds the pieces of broken glass together, the aluminum holds the stone pieces together.

Slowing Impact Time to Reduce Blast Effects on the Building Structure

A large bomb blast pushes the stone face of the StonePly cladding inward. The aluminum honeycomb panel goes into tension, and the cells of the aluminum honeycomb act as thousands of crumple zones as they absorb the blast energy. By the panels flexing under the load some energy is absorbed and dissipated.  In addition, the individual honeycomb cells act as little airbags to further absorb the impact.  By slowing the impact time you reduce the force of the impact.

Anyone who has ever hit a bubble wrap padded surface versus a solid concrete surface with their hand understands that while the padding (by slowing the impact time) reduces the damage to your hand, it also reduces the damage to whatever is behind the padding and reduces the impact force applied to it. It is the same principle as an airbag or crumple zones in a car. When it comes to cladding and blast resistance, the ideal cladding is one that can resist smaller blast loads, but when they blast loads become very large, can crumple and deform in an energy absorbing manner, to reduce the blast load on the structure and to prevent flying debris. While StonePly panels flex and bounce back from smaller blast pressures, under extreme blast pressures, the StonePly honeycomb cells crumple like little airbags. Like the crumple zones and airbags of a car protect the driver from the crash impact, the StonePly cladding of the building envelope softens the impact and protects the buildings structure and its occupants from the full force of the blast.

The importance of the StonePly slowing the blast impact down can be explained mathematically.  Newton’s second law may be written as mΔv=Ft where m is the mass, Δv is the change in speed, F is the average force, and t is the time during which F acts. So the longer you can make the collision time when the blasts shock wave strikes the buildings cladding, by crumple zones, flexing and air cells (the t in the equation), the smaller the F (the blast waves force transferred to the building) will be.

With their high impact strength, ductile nature and energy absorbing cell structure, StonePly panels can form an important component of a complete system of blast resistant cladding for your building enclosure and the protection of its occupants.

Fire Resistant and Blast Resistant Cladding

In a blast event, fire is an added concern. Conventional bombs and explosives rely of the rapid oxidation of a fuel to create an explosion and fire. Fire and smoke can be as deadly and damaging as the initial blast.  Stone Ply offers a non-combustible stone face, with a 0 flame spread surfaces, both on the stone front side and the non-combustible aluminum back. In ASTM standard testing, StonePly resisted over 240 minutes of direct flame against the panel face without any penetration or any burning through. In addition, in the flame exposure test, the back of panel never reached temperatures over 160 degrees, protecting materials behind the exterior building envelope from heat and flame.

And unlike some cladding materials, which have only one side non-combustible, StonePly offers a non-combustible front and back. In the event of a blast where flame penetrates the cladding and into the drainage cavity, StonePly features a non-combustible, 0 flame spread, aluminum back.

A Rich Selection of Stone Colors are Available for Blast Resistant Cladding

Blast resistant stone facades can be beautiful. Compared to ordinary stone veneer cladding, you get the same natural stone exterior but in a stronger, ductile and 60 times higher impact strength panel. StonePly cladding panels are available in natural granite, marble, limestone, onyx and travertine. The blast resistance and strength of the panel are derived from the back of the panel, the aluminum honeycomb core. The stone that is selected for the exterior face has little or no effect on the blast resistance, so the architect designing the facade is free to select from a rich palette of stones from around the world.

Designing for Blast Resistance vs Traditional Building Enclosure Design

Blast designs involve a building enclosure built to withstand a high pressure over a very short period and in a relatively concentrated area. Traditional cladding and building enclosure designs require façades to resist lower pressures and more uniformly distributed loads. Wind loads apply pressure to the facade over extended periods and repeatedly (day after day, year after year). Blast loads are onetime events, with a concentrated load over a small area. The total force acting on the entire building envelope from a 30psf wind load (1.44 kPa) can be much higher than the smaller, but more concentrated load from a blast. The blast creates a concentrated load on a few facade panels, but the smaller but concentrated pressure wave can exert much higher pressures per square foot.

The higher impact resistance of StonePly cladding allows it to resist concentrated impacts 60 times better than a solid granite slab cladding.

The Next Step

If you have questions or need assistance with stone cladding design details or blast resistant stone cladding, please contact us. We are happy to help.

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If you are involved with a stone cladding or facade project that needs restoration or you are an architect, engineer, owner or contractor tasked with designing or constructing a stone cladding project, you want to avoid problems. Several prominent buildings have suffered from the problem of marble facade failure, including the Amoco building in Chicago, the Finlandia City Hall in Helsinki, La Grande Arch and SCOR Tower in Paris and IBM Tower in Brussels.

So Why Do Some Marble Facades Bow and Warp?

Natural stone has been used for facade applications for centuries. But until relatively recently, the marble was always heavy 4″ to 8″ thick slabs. These stone panels did not bow, but they also placed considerable weight on the building. In the late 1950’s, the slab thickness was reduced to 1 1/2″ or so. This reduced the weight of the stone cladding, but introduced some new problems. One of these problems was slab bowing. Over time the facade slabs can bow to be either convex or concave. The attachment of the slabs, by kerf cuts and slots, tended to rely on the weakest property of the stone for attachment.

Where on the building facade do most stone failures occur?

The greatest amount of bowing is on south facing facades. Here the sun tends to cycle the stone cladding through greater temperature swings.

What stones fail, bow and crack in facades and cladding applications?

The marbles most susceptible to bowing are white marbles. These include Italian Carrara marble, but also marbles from Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Norway, China and USA. Marbles of the same variety, from the same quarry, can have a different propensity to bowing.

White Carrara

Arabescato

Limestone facade panels generally do not bow, but may expand out of their anchors.

What climates cause stone facade failure?

The problem with marble facades is not limited to one climate or one type of marble.  In the USA, buildings in several states have had problems. In Europe, there are building facades with bowed marble slabs from both the cooler climates of Finland and Denmark to the warmer climates of Portugal and Spain.  Bowed slabs occur in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

Why does the marble bow?

Certain marble slabs permanently warp in response to uneven heating and cooling and a moisture variation in the stone. Each day, the sun heats the panel face causing it to dry out and to expand more than the back of the slab. The inside face of the panel (against the building) remains cooler and more moist. When the crystals within some marbles expand, they do not return all the way back to their original size when cooled. The result is a gradual bowing or cupping of the stone facade panel with each heating/cooling and damp/dry cycle. In addition to the change in shape, the process weakens the stone.

In laboratory testing some 80 different marbles we have found the main external cause of bowing to be uneven solar heating with a moisture gradient. Various marble types respond in different ways to the cycles. This mostly depends upon the microscopic crystal patterns within a marble and how the grains are “locked” together.

What is the solution to marble cladding bowing and deterioration?

One solution is to use StonePly instead of slab marble. StonePly combines a thin 1/4″ layer of natural stone bonded to aluminum honeycomb backing. The StonePly panel relies on the aluminum honeycomb for strength and rigidity, not on the stone. Testing has proven that StonePly panels do not suffer the same thermal hysteresis problem as slab stone.

Tested and Proven

StonePly has been tested using the European procedure for testing stone slab bowing. In the test, the slab is partially submerged in water. The un-submerged face of the slab is exposed to radiant heat. The slab is subjected to repeated cycle of heating and cooling. In testing, 40 cycles are considered sufficient to show if the marble has a tendency to bow. After 200 cycles, the StonePly shows no discernible bowing or warping.

Laboratory Testing

Illustration of how stone panels are lab testing for bowing

 Real World Testing

Failure of Entergy Building panels

The panels on the Entergy Building failed. The owner replaced them with StonePly panels of the same stone variety and eliminated the problems.  You can view the case study here

Entergy Building Restored

For more information on StonePly panels please contact us at 903-454-4630.

AND HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

The post Problems with Failed Stone Cladding and Deterioration of Marble Facades appeared first on Stone Panel Information.

Aluminum vs. Plastic

StonePly panels are backed with aluminum honeycomb between two continuous sheets of aluminum.

Our competitor uses plastic (epoxy coated fiberglass) skins over honeycomb.

Why do we use the more expensive aluminum (and yet still offer better pricing)?

• Aluminum does not burn
• Aluminum does not break down when exposed to sunlight and UV rays
• Aluminum allows attachment anywhere to the back of the panel
• Aluminum provides superior strength
• Aluminum  makes a stronger attachment point
• Aluminum is recyclable

Aluminum has a long and proven history in everything from window frames for skyscrapers to frames and wings for airplanes, etc. Aluminum offers exceptional corrosion resistance, flame resistance, does not become brittle with age and is unaffected by sunlight. The competitions plastic backing must be protected from the sunlight and from flame and offers a much weaker connection point.

Quality Connections

With both systems, the bond of the stone to the honeycomb panel exceeds the strength of the stone.  This means that under tension, the natural stone actually splits apart before the adhesive bond breaks. Since it is a natural material, the stone strength varies from around 220psi for marbles to around 330psi for granites.

The real test of the assembled panel strength is the connection of the honeycomb panel to the structure in the field. In testing, StonePly offered 5 times the fastener pull out strength of the competition. StonePly also allows you to use screw fasteners anywhere on the back of the panel. Simply screw on the Z clip or tab and hang. The competitions connection requires either factory installed T-nuts (which makes them unforgiving of site variations) or field applied t-nut inserts set in wet epoxy. These field epoxied inserts are messy, slow and subject to field cure and quality variations. The wet set epoxy inserts slow the install as they cure overnight.

Faster supply

At StonePly, we have a streamlined, lean and fast production system. Experience shows that on average, StonePly produces and supplies panels to your job site twice as fast as our competitor. Saving up to two months on the schedule are common. On fast track projects or when additional panels are needed this can be an enormous benefit.

Faster install

StonePly panels have a tested and proven screw attachment system that allows attachment of z clips to the back of the panel in seconds. Our competitor requires epoxy set T nuts that require up to 24 hours to set. Imagine the productivity, install quality and space requirements differences between the systems.

• Ours anchors install in 2 seconds, theirs can take up to 24 hours.
• Our anchors can be installed rain or shine, theirs requires dry weather.
• Ours installs at any temperature, theirs requires warm weather.
• Our panels go from the crate to the wall. Theirs requires an area to lay out panels for drilling, mixing epoxy and the epoxy cure time.

Greater Capacity

StonePly offers over 250,000 square feet of production space; no one offers faster service or greater production capacity for any size project.

Technical Expertise

StonePly offers design, petrology, engineering and installation assistance.  We offer assistance from our in house architects, engineers, 30+ year veterans of the stone industry and CAD/CNC specialists.

Experience

StonePly is part of the Stromberg Group. For over 30 years the leaders in composite architectural products.

Reputation

Clients and Commissions include leading architects, government agencies and corporations. A brief list of satisfied customers includes The Atlantis Resort, The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Agency, The US Capitol, Tommy Hilfiger Stores, The University of California, Caesars Palace, Entergy and the list goes on.

Compare apples to apples

For more information about StonePly panels you can contact us at 903-454-4630. We look forward to hearing from you!

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StonePly is a thin, lightweight natural stone cladding made up of granite, marble or limestone bonded to an aluminum panel with a honeycomb core. StonePly is stronger, lighter and easier to attach to the building than slab stone. In addition, StonePly performs very well in fire exposure conditions.

StonePly has a non-combustible, 0 flame spread surface on both the front and back surfaces. It performs very well in fire testing. StonePly meets the European standards for cladding materials and is considered a non-combustible cladding. The main raw materials for StonePly are non-combustible stone and non-combustible aluminum along with a small amount of epoxy adhesive.

Fire and Ice Testing

European Union Fire Standards and Lightweight Stone Panels

The EN fire standards have harmonized the various different national standards that existed in EU member states. For cladding and building envelopes, the two main European Standards (EN) in force for assessing fire behavior of building products are:

• EN 13501-1: Fire classification of construction products and building elements – Part 1: classification using test data from Reaction to Fire test. 
  The Reaction to Fire Test determines whether a material will burn and add fuel to a fire.
• EN 13501-2: Test for Fire Resistance of construction elements. 
  Fire Resistance indicates how well a building assembly can resist a fire and prevent it from penetrating the assembly (wall, roof or other assembly).

EN 13501-1

EN 13501-1: Fire classification of construction products and building elements – Part 1: classification using test data from Reaction to Fire is a material test. Under this test, StonePly achieves a Class A: No significant contribution to fire growth.

EN 13501-2

EN 13501-2: Test for Fire Resistance of construction elements is an assembly test. The Fire Resistance test indicates how well a wall, roof or partition can hold back the fire and prevent it from penetrating. This is not a test of just the wall face or wall cladding, but of the entire wall or roof assembly.

The standard EN 13501-2 specifies the criteria to characterize the Fire Resistance of a building system under REI:

A wall assembly fulfilling all these basic criteria for 90 minutes will be classified REI 90.
Depending on the materials used in the wall assembly, walls constructed with StonePly can range from 60 minutes to more than 240 minutes Fire Resistance.

Flame Testing

Non-Combustible Backing on StonePly

While the EU standards are uniform, interpretation of the standards varies and is still a somewhat local process. Several jurisdictions limit the use of combustible materials in wall cavities. There have been several cases of multistory fires where the cladding had a non-combustible face, but a combustible backing. Fire was able to spread through the drainage gap behind the cladding. Unlike some composite panels, StonePly utilizes a solid sheet of non-combustible aluminum as a backing for its aluminum honeycomb core. This provides a 0 flame spread on both the inner and outer face.

Questions or Need Help?

For more information or assistance visit www.StonePly.com or contact us at 903-454-4630.

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Introduction

StonePly is committed to producing the finest quality. As the World leader in natural stone/honeycomb composite panels, StonePly observes rigorous quality control procedures and testing. Owners and specifiers receive the peace of mind that comes from knowing StonePly has been subjected to testing well beyond the code minimum. Testing has been performed at independent national laboratories, universities and at StonePly’s own research and manufacturing facilities.

FIRE TESTING – SUMMARY

TESTING LABORATORIES (Partial List)

• Construction Consulting International
• Materials Laboratory, University of Maine
• Weiss Jandy and Associates
• Independent Testing Laboratory
• Dallas Labs

For more information on StonePly testing or general information about our panels, please contact us here or at 903-454-4630.

The post StonePly® – The Facts appeared first on Stone Panel Information.

1. THE COLOR

Stones run the gamut from light to dark and all colors in between. Keep in mind that dark stones can get very hot to the touch in full sun. In areas where people can touch the stone, a black or dark brown stone may not be a good choice.

White Carrara

Impala Black

2. SURFACE FINISH

How a stone appears depends upon color, pattern and reflectivity. Color is made up of reflected light and the texture of the stone’s surface affects that. Polished stones tend to be darker, while sandblasted or flamed stones appear lighter. A black granite may appear deep black when polished, light gray when honed and an even paler shade of gray when flamed. When selecting cladding stones, make sure you see both the stone and the finish before you decide.

Polished Granite

3. PATTERN

Some stone a homogeneous in pattern. Others have a strong pattern or veining. When installed, the pattern should all run the same direction. Make sure to get this one right, or you could wind up with a hodgepodge of a pattern.

4. DON’T CRACK UP

When designing a façade, keep in mind that ordinary slabs can shatter and fall in a high wind, seismic or hail condition. StonePly features an aluminum honeycomb backing that is bonded to every square inch of the stone. It’s hurricane proof, large missile impact resistant and earthquake resistant.

Even in hurricanes, even in earthquakes.

5. HAVE A STRONG ATTACHMENT

The cladding panel should be permanently bonded to an aluminum honeycomb and fastened to the structure. Unlike ordinary slab connections that are only at the edges, StonePly connections are fast, super secure and engineered to last.

Aluminum Honeycomb Backing

Now that you know what to look for and design for in stone cladding project, here are a few projects to look at.

Attachment details can be found at Details

Specifications are available at Specs

For assistance with a particular design or attachment question, we are here and eager to help.

The post How to: FIND THE PERFECT STONE FOR YOUR CLADDING PROJECT appeared first on Stone Panel Information.

Travertines are one of the more popular stones for cladding applications. The pitted and layered appearance has been attractive to designers and architects since ancient times. Travertines have a stratified appearance as they are formed by the overlapping of horizontal stone layers. The stone has a number of small holes more or less parallel to the direction of the bedding layers. Travertine is prized as a wall cladding for its undulating layered pattern of bedding and its natural voids. The layered appearance is accentuated by the pitting which varies in size and frequency. Italy is source for the best known varieties of travertine, but travertines are also quarried in Mexico, Turkey and elsewhere around the world.

Italian White Travertine or Travertine Bianco is the primary white travertine quarried in Italy. Due to the small number of quarrying areas and their limited production, the availability of white travertine varieties for exterior or interior cladding projects can be fairly limited. Thanks to the efficiency of the StonePly process, more cladding can be produced with less stone and that helps ensure an adequate supply of travertine for any sized project. Other travertines include Silver, Walnut, Golden and Roman.

Travertino Romano Travertine (Beige Travertine)

Quarry blocks from the travertine quarries are generally medium-sized. From these blocks StonePly panels are produced as 4′ by 8′ panels or in sizes custom produced for your application. The travertine face of the StonePly panels is typically 1/4″ thick with a backing of either 1/2″ or 3/4″ aluminum honeycomb. The panel weight is around 3.4 lbs per sq ft. For some special applications a fiberglass backing or an aluminum composite backing can be used. The StonePly travertine on aluminum honeycomb cladding panels offer 60 times the impact strength of ordinary travertine, are able to resist hurricane force winds, large missile impact testing and seismic racking.

Applications

Travertine StonePly panels are suitable for cladding and wall panels for both interiors and exteriors. Despite the pitting, travertine is surprisingly resistant to freeze thaw and StonePly’s travertine cladding panels are suitable for use in freezing weather and appropriate for all climates. Ordinary travertine panels are porous to water and, when used as a cladding, they can leak rain into the wall cavity. StonePly travertine panels have a solid sheet of aluminum behind them that makes them impervious to the passage of moisture.

The surface of travertine wall panels and cladding is generally either polished or honed. When used as a flooring, travertine should be filled to avoid dirt collecting in the voids. This can be done at the factory and involves filling the voids with a resin and stone powder or a cementitious stone filler.

Testing and Standards for Travertine Panels

StonePly travertine panels are tested to various standards including UL, ASTM standards and ICC/IRC or IBC (International Building Code) standards. Testing has also been done to confirm compliance with the International Residential Code and International Fire Code standards.

StonePly also offers extensive testing data to Canadian standards. For our European clients, StonePly offers testing to UK (BS), Italian, European Standards and other testing standards. Engineering is available for the panels and their attachments for cladding, curtain wall or other applications.

Some of the ASTM standards and specifications that apply to travertine cladding include:

ASTM 330-02 Standard Test Method for Structural Performance of Curtain Walls

ASTM E1996-05B Specifications for Performance of Impact Protective Systems Impacted by Windborne Debris in Hurricanes

ASTM C1527 / C1527M-11Standard Specification for Travertine Dimension Stone

ASTM C97/C97M Test Methods for Absorption and Bulk Specific Gravity of Dimension Stone

ASTM C99/C99M Test Method for Modulus of Rupture of Dimension Stone
ASTM C119 Terminology Relating to Dimension Stone
ASTM C170/C170M Test Method for Compressive Strength of Dimension Stone
ASTM C241/C241M Test Method for Abrasion Resistance of Stone Subjected to Foot Traffic
ASTM C1528 Guide for Selection of Dimension Stone

Large Missile Impact Testing:  Large missile impact tests involve firing a weighted 2 X 4 at the stone cladding panel. The test simulates the impact of large windborne debris, such as wood framing, tree limbs, posts and other large objects. The test involves impact followed by severe pressure cycling. The StonePly panel passed, while the ordinary stone slab control was broken and failed.

Small Missile Impact Testing: The small missile impact test simulates smaller wind-borne debris, such as hail or roof gravel. The cladding panel must resist windborne debris followed by severe pressure cycling.

Testing information is available here.

In architectural specifications, StonePly Travertine Cladding may be specified under:

SECTION 07420 NATURAL STONE REINFORCED PANELS (EXTERIOR)

SECTION 09452 NATURAL STONE REINFORCED PANELS (INTERIOR)

These specifications are available here.

If your project involves travertine cladding, wall panels, travertine elevator panels or other applications where a super strong, lightweight and easy to install travertine panel would be appropriate, contact us. Our specialists are available to help you with details, pricing, specifications or other questions you may have.

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About Stone Ply for Airplane Interiors

At first glance, stone on an airplane sounds like an extravagant idea. But consider this; StonePly weighs about the same as plywood, it’s non-combustible and beautiful. So thanks to the strength and lightweight properties of StonePly, airplane designers are able to use the exquisite beauty and quality of natural stone on private and corporate jets.

Designers, manufacturers and outfitters of custom airplane interiors for private and corporate jets have found StonePly to be a useful way to introduce the high end appeal of stone to their projects. StonePly offers a lightweight, strong and attractive real stone finish for airplane galleys, lavatories, flooring and tables. And in addition to the beauty and uniqueness of natural stone panels for aircraft interiors, StonePly also offers custom marble and granite insets, medallions and logos for use on airplane floors, tables and partitions.

Testing StonePly for Aircraft Interiors

The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires certain materials be fire tested. This following is a brief summary of Stone Ply’s test results and flame resistance abilities.  For additional information on testing of aircraft materials, refer to the “Aircraft Materials Fire Test Handbook” for a description of all FAA-required fire test methods for aircraft materials.

Fire Resistance of StonePly Lightweight Stone Panel for Aircraft Interiors

StonePly offers designers of aircraft interiors a non flammable panel made up of a thin stone face bonded to a non flammable aluminum back panel with an aluminum honeycomb core. The materials are bonded together with a thin layer of high strength epoxy.

Airplane Interior Test: Vertical Bunsen Burner Test for Cabin and Cargo Compartment Materials

Result: Passed

StonePly meets or exceeds the requirements of the test. The tested StonePly aluminum honeycomb backed stone panels:

• Did not ignite
• Did not flame
• Did not drip
• Did not spread flame

Scope: This is a test for airplane interior finishes. This FAA test method is intended for use in determining the resistance of materials to flame when tested according to the 60-second and 12-second Vertical Bunsen Burner Tests specified in Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 25.853 and FAR 25.855.

Samples were 3/4″ StonePly (1/4″ stone face and 1/2″ aluminum honeycomb), 2″ by 12″ samples. Both marble on aluminum honeycomb panels and granite on aluminum honeycomb panels were tested. The StonePly stone panels were exposed to the flame from a 3/8-inch Bunsen burner with a 1550°F minimum flame temperature for 60 seconds.

Result: No ignition, flaming, dripping or spread of flame. 

StonePly Aluminum Honeycomb Stone Panel Testing: Vertical Bunsen Burner Test for Cabin and Cargo Compartment Materials

In the above test, the StonePly stone/aluminum honeycomb panel did not ignite, flame, drip or spread flame.

Airplane Interior Test: 45-Degree Bunsen Burner Test for Cargo Compartment Liners and Waste Stowage Compartment Materials

Result: Passed

This is a test for airplane interior finish materials used in cargo compartments. It is a similar test to the vertical test listed above, except for the angle of the panel. StonePly panels meet or exceeds the requirements of the 45- Degree Bunsen Burner Test. Both granite on aluminum honeycomb and marble on aluminum honeycomb panels were tested. When tested, StonePly:

• Did not burn
• Flame did not penetrate any of the specimens
• Glow time of less than 1.5 seconds was less than the 10 second standard to pass

Airplane Interior Test: Horizontal Bunsen Burner Test for Cabin, Cargo Compartment, and Miscellaneous Materials

This test method is intended for use in determining the resistance of materials to flame when tested according to the 15-second horizontal Bunsen burner tests specified in FAR 25.853. In this test, materials for airplane interiors are subjected to the flame of a Bunsen burner. StonePly granite on aluminum honeycomb and marble on aluminum honeycomb panels were tested.

Result: Passed.

Burn Rate – 0

• Did not ignite
• Did not flame
• Did not drip
• Did not spread flame

Conclusion

StonePly is safe for use in aircraft interiors.

If you have questions about attachments details or stone varieties available, contact StonePly.

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