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| :: The
Quiet Corner |
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Madness:
The Lord's Prayer contains 56 words, the Ten Commandments 297, the
American Declaration of Independence 1,300 - but the EU directive on duck
eggs contains
26,911...
Remember:
"The good you do comes back to you, sometimes when you need it most,
sometimes when you least expect it"
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Frame Materials:
PVCu
PVCu or uPVC?
To be absolutely correct it is PVC-U and neither of the above!
Let’s start by telling you what these letters mean.
Question:
What is the difference between PVCu and uPVC?
Answer:
NONE
All that happened is that in our country uPVC changed its name to PVC-U in the
late 1980s to fall in line with our European friends. It seems that they were all
calling it call it PVC-U because European languages mostly place the noun (PVC in
this case) before the adjective (U).
Links to other pages on PVC-U:
PVC-U - all about
PVC-U - the origins
Replace wood with PVC
Does PVC-U go 'off-colour'?
PVC-U colours and finishes and repainting
PVC-U strengths and weaknesses
So What is PVC-U?
The polyvinyl chloride, which we know as every day PVC, is modified,
i.e. softened, and can then be used in the manufacture of
products such as handbags, sports bags, shoes and fake leather. It is
the use of this material that has made us familiar with the
abbreviation 'PVC'.
Pure PVC-U (polyvinyl
chloride unplasticised) is not quite suitable for window and door
profiles.
A small amount of stabiliser and
additives are required, the mix of which may vary slightly between
different manufacturers of profiles for window and door systems, and
is necessary to provide longevity, high weather and UV resistance and
also to achieve a brilliant white colour, for those who prefer it. It
is interesting to note that our European counterparts are not so
interested in a particularly bright or blue white, and this is
why most extrusions of German origin tend to be a more creamy
'off-white' than those specifically tailored in colour to please the
market in our country.
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basic material properties of PVC-U make it ideal for window
and door application. |
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It does not rot or biologically decompose
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It is resistant to weathering and has low maintenance requirements
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It is tough on impact
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It retains its shape within normal climatic temperatures
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It can be reshaped at very high temperature and can therefore be recycled |
The technically minded may be
interested to know that there are a number of British Standards tests
which describe a given material’s capabilities in respect of
mechanical and physical properties, including:
Tensile Yield Strength at 23%, Apparent Modulus of Elasticity, Impact
Strength, Tensile Impact, Retention of Impact after Ageing, Softening
Point, Coefficient of Linear Expansion, Coefficient of Thermal
Conductivity, Thermal Transmission, Sound Transmission, Water
Absorption and Flammability.
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