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Our patented
(pending) PolySteel steel tie
provides the strength,
durability, fire resistance, and
dimensional stability that
are the hallmark of the
PolySteel name.
The open web
design of both our steel tied
forms and our
NEW
PolyPro composite tied form
provides superior concrete flow
and consolidation ensuring the
strength and performance
of the entire wall system.
PolySteel forms simply produce
stronger concrete. PolySteel
is the only ICF Manufacturer to
offer you a
choice
of
steel or composite ties
and
flat wall or waffle
grid forms. |
With PolySteel, you can
be assured, you have selected the right
form for your project, a form
manufactured to the highest standards
and backed by proven performance.
4-Hour Fire Protection
Withstands Tornados and Hurricanes
Blast and Ballistics Tested
Ideal For Seismic Zones
National Code Approval
PolySteel Produces Stronger Concrete
Perhaps the most important of all the benefits of
building your home with PolySteel is the safety and
security it provides your family. Proven resistance
to
tornados, hurricanes,
and
earthquakes
as well as unparalleled
fire protection,
make a PolySteel home the safest place to protect
you and everything you love.
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Fire Safety |
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 American
PolySteel is the first insulating
concrete wall system to pass the rigors of a
4-hour fire test without the addition of
any wall coverings required to assist in its
performance.
More
>
PolySteel's unique
steel ties hold the EPS foam
together, further insulating the
walls and providing added protection
on the side unexposed to the flame.
PolySteel's extremely low
toxicity, smoke development,
and flame spread, make our
walls safer from the hazards of
fire.
The air tightness of PolySteel
structures also inhibits the oxygen
needed to allow a fire to spread
rapidly.
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A PolySteel home is the safest place to protect you
and everything you love from the dangers of severe
weather. PolySteel has proven its resistance to
tornados and hurricanes.
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The Punta
Gorda Airport Office in Punta Gorda,
Florida was built with PolySteel and
sustained minimal damage to exterior
finish only. |
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Metal and
block buildings adjacent to the Airport
Office were completely demolished. |
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Severe Weather Protection |
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PolySteel walls are
2 to 4 times stronger than
the maximum design wind load
required by the Uniform Building
Code.
PolySteel walls have
been independently tested to
withstand flying debris driven by a
250 mph
wind. |
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PolySteel walls are bullet resistant and have been
tested
during blast demonstrations performed at Quantico
Marine Corps Base during the Force Protection
Equipment Demonstrations in 2003 and 2005.
PolySteel withstood the force of 50 pounds of TNT
exploded at a distance of 6 feet with no structural
damage.
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PolySteel walls are 4 to 9 times
stronger than the maximum design earthquake load
required by the Uniform Building Code.
Any PolySteel structure built with
our insulating concrete forms can be engineered to
be resistant to seismic conditions.
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Feel confident knowing PolySteel was the first to
receive code approvals from all the major code
acceptance services in North America (BOCA, ICBO,
SBCCI & CCBC).
PolySteel forms greatly exceed
standard building requirements and have received
complete code approval throughout the United States.
Codes and More Info
>
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PolySteel forms provide the ideal
conditions for curing concrete. These conditions
allow the concrete to achieve the greatest
strength possible, creating a wall that
outperforms traditional construction methods.
Concrete is created by the chemical reaction of
cement combined with water. This reaction, called
hydration, requires time and favorable
conditions of temperature and moisture. Water is
required initially to begin the process by making a
cement paste. Once the compound is formed, hydration
starts and continues as long as moisture remains.
The process stops when moisture is removed by heat
and evaporation, but can be restarted by adding
moisture, even though this is undesirable.
This chart shows the compressive
strength that is formed under various conditions of
hydration. When the hydration process is controlled
for the first 28 days, that is, when moisture is
continually available in the mass, 100 percent
strength is obtained. If hydration is continued
beyond that point, strength continues to increase,
exceeding 125 percent after 180 days. However,
notice that various degrees of strength are obtained
if improper methods of curing are used.
Chemical action in the concrete mix
can be sustained by:
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Keeping the concrete wet 24 hours
a day, using water and hoses.
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Applying a plastic cover over the
concrete, trapping the moisture within.
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Covering the concrete with
burlap, which is kept wet.
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Covering the concrete with fresh
hay, which is kept wet. This method also aids
against freezing.
As you can see, the self-contained
environment created by the PolySteel form
provides ideal conditions for hydration to
continue up to, and beyond, 180 days. This creates a
compressive strength in the concrete that exceeds
125 percent of the strength provided by
conventional concrete curing methods.
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