Precision Panel Shakes Up Seismic Test Lab

Precision Panel Structures (Eagle, Idaho) exceeded the limits of seismic test equipment at the APA labs in Tacoma, WA in August. “This was a good news / bad news situation,” commented Drew McDaniel, General Manager of Precision Panel. “We were anticipating a quick turn-around on the test results, but APA engineers couldn’t complete the tests until they found a larger actuator that would take our panels to a point of failure. At the same time, however, its good to know our SIPs greatly exceeded everyone’s expectations.” Fortunately, APA was able to find larger-capacity equipment to complete the tests and Precision Panel gained approval of an appendix into Acceptance Criteria (AC) 04 which allows the company’s Structural Insulated Panels to be used in all seismic zones. “Thanks to the ingenuity of the Engineers at APA, they were able to successfully complete the tests to the satisfaction of the Acceptance Criteria,” added McDaniel.

Precision Panel spent most of 2004 performing extensive testing on its products in an effort to obtain an Evaluation Report through the International Code Council Evaluation Service (ICC-ES). The approval for high-risk seismic zones (Seismic Categories D1, D2 and E) means Precision Panel, its Fabricators and its sales network can provide energy efficient, high quality SIPs to any market in North America. “I was impressed with the strength of Precision Panel SIPs,” stated Tom Skaggs, lead engineer in charge of testing. “SIPs, in general, are an incredibly strong building component.”

“The California and Alaska markets are very important markets for our company,” stated Jim King, Sales Manager of Fabricated Panel Packages for Precision Panel. “Because of our proximity to the California market and the Seattle ports of embarkation to Alaska, we anticipate an increased amount of sales to these key markets. Homeowners, designers, architects, engineers and builders alike will have an even higher comfort level when specifying and building with Precision Panel SIPs,” he adds.

APA – The Engineered Wood Association (APA) Research Center, located in Tacoma, WA and Tolko Industries, one of the largest OSB manufacturers in North America, aided Precision Panel in the seismic testing. To establish a base line, APA completed initial in-plane shear tests and then a series of cyclic shearwall tests on Precision Panel SIPs, subjecting them to varying degrees of load magnitude and amplitude. Then, APA compared the results to code-accepted, conventional wood-framed shearwalls. The test results showed Precision Panel SIPs have cyclic performance characteristics similar to or better than 2-by framed walls.

“The AC04 revision is significant because, in seismic zones D1, D2 and E, a SIP manufacturer has to demonstrate their proprietary panels meet the cyclic load test criteria established by APA and adopted by the ICC Evaluation Services Committee,” says Dr. B.J. Yeh, Director of technical services for APA. “Once the manufacturer submits the data of these tests and the data are accepted by ICC-ES, a company’s SIPs may be used to build structures anywhere in the US, including the previously inaccessible states of Alaska and California,” he added.

The APA Research Center is accredited by the International Accreditation service (IAS), a subsidiary corporation of ICC, and can conduct the cyclic shearwall tests required by AC04 for APA members. Technical questions may be directed to Dr. B.J. Yeh at APA by calling 253-565-6600.

For More Information: http://www.precisionpanel.com

Contact: Brad Griffin (Brad@precisionpanel.com)