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Getting to the Bottom of the Solution Hanwha Azdel gained a reputation with its plywood replacement composite panels. The supplier is now placing its panels in a new place: subflooring. By Diane Bishop | Photos by Robert Bruce Photography
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ince 2006, Azdel Onboard composite panels have slowly replaced the plywood used in RV roofs, ceilings, front walls, rear walls, slide outs and cab-overs. After two-and-a-half years of extensive prototyping and testing, Hanwha Azdel now recommends using the panels in RVs’ subfloors and has created new options for doing so. The supplier says its floor panels provide a strong, lightweight flooring solution durable enough to eliminate moisture-related warranty claims. “Softening of flooring is a potential manufacturing warranty issue,” said Joe Dumeah, Hanwha Azdel’s nonautomotive/RV sales director. “ The OEMs requested we develop flooring because the way the floors are being made now, replacement of a floor is an extensive and costly repair. This is similar to the reason RV OEMs use Azdel on the exterior walls.” Azdel’s panels feature a patented polypropylene and fiberglass blend that provide an insulation value double that of wood but weigh 50% less. “A lot of our OEM customers expressed a desire to get rid of wood altogether because of the
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formaldehyde, as well as the rot, mold and mildew issues related to wood,” said Troy Robertz, Hanwha Azdel’s senior application development engineer. “The more areas where we can help the customer eliminate and replace the plywood with Azdel boards, which are formaldehyde-free and not subject to water damage, the less risk the manufacturer undertakes.”
Softening of flooring is a potential manufacturing warranty issue” – Joe Dumeah
Adding a subflooring option to OEM vehicles increases Azdel’s total square footage usage in each RV. That equates to massive weight savings tied to construction materials. The reduced weight not only impacts towability but can make adding other features that increase weight possible as well. Dumeah said by the time manufacturers requested an Azdel flooring product, engineers were preemptively working on a solution.
Testing, Testing
Rigorous subfloor testing began. Engineers examined aspects such as cost per square inch, glue adhesion and repetitive exposure to vibration, impact and bounce. One of the most important tests Hanwha Azdel conducted was whether the panels could support the weight subfloors are expected to hold. To determine the panels’ ability to bear weight, Azdel tested a large, unsupported floor section and measured the floor’s deflection capabilities under load. Performance varied depending on the construction, Robertz said, but most testing showed a deflection of just a few millimeters under a 500-pound load. “This is one of the most extensive studies we have done before launching any product outside of the original launch of our walls,” he said. After two years of subfloor testing, working closely with OEMs, engineers proved that Hanwha Azdel’s new subflooring product is about 30 percent lighter than wood alternatives and has no issues with rot, mold, delamination or structural failure, Dumeah said. rvnews.com
3/1/22 4:57 PM
