Foam material product

Abstract

A method of producing a foam product subjects a body of expanded closed-cell foam, in particular expanded polystyrene particle foam, to a non-melting heat treatment at a temperature above the glass transition temperature of the plastic used to form the foam, in particular polystyrene. The volume of the foam product is reduced by the heat treatment compared with the initial state prior to the heat treatment by a value from a range between a lower limit of 50% and an upper limit of 97%.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A foam product of a heat-treated expanded closed-cell foam, wherein the volume of the foam product is reduced by a heat treatment compared with the initial state prior to the heat treatment by a value from a range between a lower limit of 50% and an upper limit of 97 %. 
     
     
         2 . The foam product according to  claim 1 , wherein the heat-treated expanded closed-cell foam is an expanded polystyrene particle foam. 
     
     
         3 . The foam product according to  claim 1  wherein the value is from a range between a lower limit of 75% and an upper limit of 96.5%. 
     
     
         4 . The foam product according to  claim 1  wherein the value is from a range between a lower limit of 85% and an upper limit of 96%. 
     
     
         5 . The foam product according to  claim 1 , wherein the density is in a range between a lower limit of 50 kg/m 3  and an upper limit of 1000 kg/m 3 . 
     
     
         6 . The foam product according to  claim 1 , wherein the compression strength is greater than 2 N/mm 2  at less than 5% compression. 
     
     
         7 . The foam product according to  claim 1 , wherein the tensile strength is greater than 1.2 N/mm 2    
     
     
         8 . The foam product according to  claim 1 , wherein the tensile bond strength is greater than 3 N/mm 2    
     
     
         9 . The foam product according to  claim 1 , wherein the heat conductivity is less than 0.1 W/mK. 
     
     
         10 . A construction material for a building comprising the foam product ( 1 ) according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         11 . An insulating element for a building to thermally uncouple a supporting component from a supported component comprising the foam product ( 1 ) according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         12 . An object for imparting buoyancy in a liquid comprising the foam product ( 1 ) according to  claim 1 .