Roxul Industrial Insulation Process - Manual (Page 107)

2.1 Norms & Standards
2.1.4 Relevant guidelines & standards for the industrial/mechanical insulation
industry in Europe
b) Quality Assurance
It is essential that, in addition to the design
quality, the product properties guaranteed by the
insulation manufacturer, for example, the thermal
conductivity or temperature resistance are
adhered to during processing in order to achieve
flawless operation of thermal or cold insulation
constructed according to operational and
economic criteria. Well-known insulation
manufacturers guarantee this through extensive
internal and external quality control. The VDI 2055
guideline “Thermal and cold insulation
of industrial installations and building equipment”
regulates this voluntary quality assurance.
The VDI 2055 quality assurance of insulation
products is classified as a quality control,
consisting of an external and internal quality
control, as well as a certification of insulation
materials for industrial installations. The property
values specified on the product data sheets,
prospectuses or price lists of the manufacturer,
such as the thermal conductivity or maximum
service temperature for example, form the basis
for the quality control. As a result , a user or
producer of VDI 2055 quality assured insulation
products can safely assume that even publicized
property values are subject to a quality control.
When the product conforms to the properties
specified by the manufacturer in the product data
sheets, the certification body grants the
manufacturer the right to use the certification
mark “Checked in accordance with VDI 2055”.
The following text outlines the product properties
that must, at the very least, be controlled in the
case of a mineral wool insulation product, in order
for the VDI 2055 inspection mark to be granted:
Thermal conductivity as a curve (
λ
= f(t) or f(tm))
Dimensions (length, width, depth)
Apparent density
Maximum service temperature
In addition, the following product properties are
usually controlled externally:
Fire performance
Hydrophobic properties
Water-soluble chloride content (AS quality)
Internal quality control
The manufacturer takes samples during
production and tests for the relevant product
properties. For properties such as thermal
conductivity, indirect measurement methods can
also be used. The manufacturer must have a
quality management procedure in place, which
instigates the measures required to rectify the
defect in the event of deviations from the
reference values.
External quality control
For the purposes of external quality control in
accordance with VDI 2055, the manufacturer must
enter into a supervision contract with a leading
testing body, such as the FIW (Research Institute
for thermal insulation materials).
The external quality control is made up of the
following elements:
Auditing of the internal quality control
Verification of the labelling of the products
Product testing
Certification
Upon correct implementation of the internal and
external quality control of insulation products
manufactured according to VDI 2055, DIN CERTCO
developed a certificate with regard to conformity
to VDI 2055, to the data sheets of the VDI AG
“Quality Control” and to the technical data of the
manufacturer.
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