PVC outdoor decking as a kind of ground material widely used in gardens, courtyards, parks and other outdoor places, its performance stability is very important. However, in the high and low temperature environment, PVC decking will appear thermal expansion and cold contraction phenomenon, which not only affects the appearance, but also may cause damage to the durability of the decking.
First, a summary of the phenomenon of thermal expansion and cold contraction
Expansion and cold contraction refer to the phenomenon that the volume of a substance changes due to the change of temperature. PVC outdoor decking is made of polymer materials, and there are also problems of thermal expansion and cold contraction. In high temperature environment, decking molecular activity is enhanced, resulting in decking expansion; And low temperature environment, decking molecular activity is weakened, the decking will shrink.
Second, the expansion problem under high temperature
High temperature weather, especially the scorching summer sun, will make PVC outdoor decking obvious expansion phenomenon. The gap between the decking becomes narrow, and the decking may even deform or crack when serious. This not only affects the aesthetics of the decking, but also may affect the walking safety of pedestrians.
Third, the contraction problem at low temperature
In contrast, the shrinkage problem of PVC decking in low temperature environment could not be ignored. In the cold winter, decking molecular activity slows down, decking size shrinks, crevice becomes larger. This not only affects the overall appearance of the decking, but also may accumulate dust and sundry because of the gap is too large, increasing the difficulty of cleaning.
Four, the impact of thermal expansion and cold contraction on performance
Thermal expansion and contraction not only affect the appearance of PVC decking, but also may have a negative impact on its performance. Long-term thermal expansion and cold shrinkage may lead to accelerated aging of decking materials and reduce the durability of the decking. In addition, the change of decking gap may also affect waterproof performance, increase the risk of damp and mildew of the decking.
Fifth. Preventive measures and solutions
In order to deal with the problem of thermal expansion and cold contraction of PVC outdoor decking at high and low temperature, the following measures can be taken:
First of all, choose high quality, good stability PVC decking material. This kind of material often has better thermal expansion and cold shrinkage performance, can reduce the deformation and cracking of the decking to a certain extent.
Next, when installing decking, should set the gap between decking reasonably. The size of the gap should be determined according to the expansion coefficient of the decking material and the local climatic conditions to ensure that the decking will not squeeze each other due to expansion at high temperature and will not leave too large a gap due to contraction at low temperature.
In addition, regular maintenance of the decking is also an important measure to prevent thermal expansion and contraction problems. For example, when high temperature is in summer, watering and cooling the decking can be carried out timely to reduce the expansion of the decking; When low temperature is in winter, can clean the snow in decking crease and sundry, prevent because is too big and accumulate excessive moisture.
In short, through reasonable material selection, installation and maintenance, it can effectively reduce the problem of thermal expansion and cold contraction of PVC outdoor decking at high and low temperature, and ensure the beauty and durability of the decking.