"jtpr" wrote in message
ups.com...
Somebody at work told me about a new type of wall construction
(residential). It is made of pressed board on each side filled with
foam and is fully structural, no studs. I may have the details
confused but that was the basic idea. Has anybody heard of something
like this and could share some info?

-Jim


In 1978, I worked for a firm in Southern Louisiana that made walk in coolers
and freezers. One of the engineers there came up with the idea of making
preformed panels that could be used in the housing industry.

IIRC, they were simple 2 x 4 construction skinned over with different types
of coverings, both on the interior and exterior. They were then held in a
hydraulic press, and a two element expanding foam was injected. The mixture
had to be precise, as overfilling caused some of the presses to be blown
apart, pulling the anchors from concrete floors.

All in all, about 30 houses were built with this construction, and they had
a very good R value. They are not very advanced in nature, construction, or
components. They locked together with the regular cam locks used in
commercial refrigerated boxes. They also cam locked to the top and bottom
plates.

Funny. I haven't really heard much more about these in the past 28 years
until now.

Steve