Foundations

Long-term submersion and refrigeration test

Ground frost protection of building

Ground frost protection is one of the fundamentals of building. Ground frost protection must function reliably at least 50 years. Ground frost insulation is expensive and labour-intensive to renew after the fact. Reliability is the most important property of ground frost insulation material!

Homogenous and sealed cell structure 

Finnfoam lasts well in even very demanding conditions, like during floods or when the drying system's efficiency has weakened. Finnfoam's completely homogenous and sealed cell structure does not allow tree roots, water or dirt materials transported within to penetrate it. Finnfoam ground frost insulation does not need protective plastics or drying systems to function properly. 

Finnfoam is impervious to water 

Ground frost insulation must always remain dry. Ground frost insulation with water penetration no longer functions as insulation and if it may break if it freezes. Finnfoam's completely homogenous and sealed cell structure resists water penetration, even if it is submerged underwater for extended periods of times and is periodically frozen. Attached are the results of the long-term submersion test.

Finnfoam lasts without being compressed

Ground frost insulation installed horizontally is often subjected to other aboveground loads than just the pressure of the ground above. These are usually point-type loads such as vehicle traffic, landscaping stones, etc. With an earth layer of over 30 cm in thickness installed on top of the insulation, the effect of these point loads can be distributed to a greater area. However, the best ground frost insulation effect is achieved when the insulation is installed near the surface of the ground.

 

Due to Finnfoam's great compression strength, the insulation can also be installed beneath foundations. Finnfoam can also withstand the weight of heavy construction machines. 

Socle insulation

Finnfoam insulation boards well withstand the loads generated during concrete pouring when making the split socle. The strong Finnfoam functions well as socle insulation and it also works as a concrete mould, which allows improved work efficiency. The smooth-surfaced Finnfoam can be removed intact after the concrete pouring, as it will not become attached to the concrete. If the insulation is wanted to be secured to the concrete, Finnfoam's surface must be slightly roughened or grooved. Finnfoam insulation can be later on installed on top of the socle using e.g. remodeling mortar. Finnfoam boards can be surface-treated using thin-trapping, which can be done in accordance with Fescon instructions, for example.

A transition wedge evens out ground frost elevation

Uniformly thick insulation	Transition wedge insulation

The earth generates heat when it freezes underneath the insulation. This additional heat is comparable to area A. The greater the area A is, the more additional heat is formed under the insulation. Therefore, it is most efficient for ground frost protection to install the insulation as near to the surface of the ground as possible. The transition wedge evens out ground frost elevations, but it also increases the additional heat created during the freezing process.