Partition Boards &
Partition Systems
Bison is an ideal choice for partitions, in residential, commercial, industrial complexes and public buildings, owing to its excellent qualities of fire resistance and acoustic insulation apart from natural resistance to weather, fungus, and termite and vermin attack. Bison Panel is an ideal material for many types of dry wall partitions including double skin, single skin, with steel and timber studs
Steel stud partitions provide high values of fire resistance and sound insulation. Partition systems can be adopted to achieve up to 4 hours fire rating by the use of thermal insulation materials and by providing various thicknesses of Bison Panel.
- Recommended thicknesses: 10mm, 12mm & 14mm
ADVANTAGES OF BISON PANEL PARTITIONS
- They are highly fire resistant; fire rating up to 4 hours is possible with suitable construction arrangement. Good sound proofing.
- Moisture & Weather resistant.
- Termite proof.
- Smooth surface, requiring no putty, lesser primer and paint
- Economical, durable & elegant
PARTITION FRAME FIXING
- A typical stud partition wall can be constructed by conventional stud and track system
- Galvanized steel studs (C section) 48 mm x 35 mm & 8 mm or 70 mm x 35 mm & 8 mm with suitable tracks (channel sections) are recommended for usage.
- The tracks are to be fixed to the floor and ceiling by means of masonry nails or screws.
- The vertical studs are cut to size and fitted (gripped) between the top and bottom tracks at 610 mm centre. The length of the stud shall be 2 to 3 mm shorter to allow for expansion.
- When the partition is constructed between masonry walls, the starter stud and end studs will be fixed to the walls by screws spaced at 400mm centre. The Board is fixed on the studs with a gap of 2 to 3 mm to allow for expansion.
- Openings required for doors and windows are marked on the studs and block outs left while fixing the boards. Upon completion of board fixing, the doors and window frames are fixed with screws.
BOARD FIXING
- The board is fixed around the perimeter with self tapping screws fixed at 400mm centre duly maintaining minimum edge clearance. Note that the board shouldn’t be fixed to intermediate studs until the boards on the sides have been fixed. This is to allow for adjustments along the width.
- The process is continued till one side of the partition wall is complete. Wherever openings are necessary, the boards are to be cut to suit the frame of the opening. The other face of the partition is laid with a board cut to half width, to ensure staggering of the vertical joints of inner and outer boards
- When services are to be installed within the system, the hollowness of the studs can be utilized, but care is taken to ensure that fire resistance and sound insulation performance are not impaired.
JOINTING
The grooves in the joints can either be painted neatly or covered with tee sections. In case flush joints are required, the following procedure is to be adopted using proprietary jointing compound.
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FLUSH JOINTS
The board should be fixed with a ‘gap’ of 1-2 mm and in any case not exceeding 3 mm. Edges of the Bison Panel should be limited to a width of 70 mm and a depth of 1.5 mm – 2.0 mm.
Ensure the moisture content of Bison Panel is within the stated specification of 9% + 3% before jointing commences. Use only the Alltek jointing/scrim materials and proceed as follows:
- Lightly sand cut edges of boards to remove wood flakes and other irregularities. Apply an oil based alkaline resistant primer to the recess and immediate surroundings, say 2-3” either side of surfaces of boards which are to be joined. -Allow to dry.
- Apply a thin layer of ‘Alltek flex’ to joint areas and embed a layer of the 65 mm wide ‘Jointing scrim’ by covering with a further layer of ‘Alltek flex’. Allow to dry for 24 hours. For better results leave it for 4 or 5 days.
- Apply a full coat of ‘Alltek flex Fine’ to joint and level off in a manner to leave slightly ‘Proud’. Allow to dry for 24 hours and sand down to a flat smooth surface level with boards.
- Nail and screw heads should be ‘spotted’ i.e. the impression over the heads should be filled flush with the boards surface. This is done with one or two application of the ‘Alltek Flex Fine’ filler. Alternatively, polysulfide sealants available in the market can be used
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DWARF PARTITIONS (HALF PARTITIONS)
- Effective space dividers for work stations in offices and commercial buildings
- The stability of the dwarf partitions depends only on the strength of bottom track as the top fixing doesn’t exist. Hence the bottom track is strengthened either by using higher thicknesses of tracks or by stuffing the tracks with wooden scantlings.
- Anchoring to the floor is with deep screws and plugs spaced at closer intervals (300 mm).
Timber studs can be used in place of steel studs. In this case the frames are first assembled on the ground and then fixed between the floor and the roof. Boards are fixed only after completing the frame work.
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PARTITIONS REQUIRING MORE MOVEMENT IN THE BOARD
Bison Panel is stabilized in the factory with a moisture content of 9%+3%. During its application at site of work, the moisture condition may vary according to ambient humidity and temperature in the atmosphere. It may take 24 to 72 hours to acclimatize with site conditions. So it is necessary to allow some time ranging from 24 hours to 72 hours as acclimatization period before it is put to use.
Even after fixing or put to use, the board will lose or gain some moisture due to atmospheric changes of temperature and humidity. This is common with wood or any other particle boards. When such changes are taking place the board will have a movement due to expansion or contraction. So care as to be taken by providing adequate gaps at the board joints.
In the previous paragraphs, general application of the board for making partitions in ideal conditions is discussed. Slight loose holes in screw fixing points and a gap of 2mm to 3mm at the joints normally take care of small movement in the board. The stress developed in the board due to movement will be distributed among all fixing points without causing any stress concentration and consequent cracking. But in extreme cases where the movement in the board is predominantly more (say more than 3mm,) the method of construction of supporting frame for the partitions is discussed in the following paras.
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DOUBLE SKIN INTERIOR WALL PARTITIONS
- The edges of the boards at the joints are provided with independent C studs which will allow for the necessary edge distance (20 to 30 mm) for screw fixing.
- The Board joints should have a gap of 3mm-5mm between them.
- Screws fixing for the board is done on the vertical studs only (spaced at 610 cm or 2 feet). The board is not screwed to U-tracks provided at the bottom and top of the frame.
- By this arrangement entire board along with the vertical studs will slide in the tack when the movement in the board has taken place due to expansion or contraction without causing any stress to the board.
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This method of fixing is called sliding frame or moving frame method.
NOTE: IN SLIDING FRAME METHOD SINCE THE EDGES OF THE BOARDS ARE PROVIDED WITH DOUBLE STUDS AT THE JOINTS, THE STAGGERING OF THE BOARD JOINTS WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE.
DOUBLE SKIN EXTERIOR WALL PARTITIONS
- For exterior wall Partitions, the thickness of Bison Panel shall be 12mm or 16mm.The galvanized studs and tracks should have a thickness of 1.6mm or 2 mm.
- The vertical studs should be spaced at 2′-0 or 610 mm centers and horizontal studs should be spaced at 4′-0 or 1220 mm centers.
- Double studs are to be provided at the board joints. The entire frame including double studs should be tightly fixed to each other either by proper screwing or by welding and be rigidly fixed to top and bottom tracks
- The board is screwed to frame both in vertical as well as horizontal direction as per the recommended spacing.
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INTERIOR WALLS FOR TILE FIXING
Minimum thickness of Bison Panel should be 12mm.
When tiles are to be fixed on internal walls the following procedure is recommended.
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- On the other side of the board a water repellent paint may be coated to avoid moisture ingress or pick up by the board. Two types of permanently elastic adhesives are available in the market. One is acrylic and the other cement based.
- If acrylic adhesive is used it may be applied as per user’s guide on the board and the tiles fixed with a gap of 2mm. The gaps can be filled with highly elastic tile adhesive. Tiling on the board joints should be avoided.
- When cement mortar is used for tile fixing, a wire mesh be spread and fixed on the surface of Bison panel with screws. Tiles can be fixed on the board with 15mm to 20mm thick mortar bed. Tilling is also possible on the board joints in this case.
- The supporting frame for Bison Panel for tile fixing shall have a minimum thickness of 1.6mm. To ensure rigidity of the frame it is better to provide vertical and horizontal studs at closer intervals particularly in case Acrylic tile adhesive is used for tile fixing.
DOUBLE SKIN TIMBER STUD INTERIOR PARTITIONS
- Bison Panel, of thickness 8mm or 10 mm, can be used for internal partitions.
- The frames can be made with seasoned wooden reapers of size 1½” x 3” or 45 x 75mm.
- The spacing of the wooden studs shall be 610 x 610mm or 2′ x 2′.
- Double studs are provided at the board joints. The gap between the boards can be 3 to 5 mm.
- The frame shall be sliding type in U tracks fixed at floor and soffit.
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THERMAL PROPERTIES
| Thickness of Bison Panel (mm) | Thermal Resistance, R=m2K/W | Heat Transmission Co-efficient, K=W/ m2R | Critical Value of Fire Resistance (in Hours) |
| 6 | 0.0231 | 3.722 | - |
| 8 | 0.0308 | 3.666 | 0.07 |
| 10 | 0.0385 | 3.565 | 0.15 |
| 12 | 0.0461 | 3.471 | 0.21 |
| 16 | 0.615 | 3.295 | 0.31 |
| 20 | 0.769 | 3.136 | 0.38 |
| 40 | 0.1538 | 2.527 | 0.61 |
PARTITIONS SYSTEMS: FIRE RATING & SOUND REDUCTION
Recommended thicknesses: 12mm, 14mm & 16mm
The supporting frames for fire rated partitions is same as described in content above where the interior gaps at joints are up to 5 mm and exterior gaps are up to 10mm. In both the cases sliding frame method using light structural steel studs and tracks having 1.6 to 2.3 mm thick may be use
1. TIMBER STUDS:
| Thickness | Studs Dimensions | Fibre Glass Dimension | Rockwool | Fire Rating | Sound Reduction |
| 10 mm | 75 mm x 50 mm | 25 mm thick 612 kg/m3 | - | ½ hour | 44 dB |
| 12 mm | 75 mm x 50 mm | - | 40 mm thick 43 kg/m3 | 1 hour | 46 dB |
| 16 mm | 75 mm x 50 mm | - | - | ½ hour | 45 dB |
| 16 mm | 75 mm x 50 mm | - | 40 mm thick 43 kg/m3 | 1 ½ hour | 47 dB |
| 16 mm | 75 mm x 50 mm | - | 75 mm thick 43 kg/m3 | 2 hour | 47 dB |
| 10 mm – 2 layers | 100 mm x 50 mm | - | 100 mm thick 43 kg/m3 | 4 hours | 48 dB |
2. STEEL STUDS:
| Thickness | Strips | Studs Dimensions | Fibre Glass Dimension | Rockwool | Mineral wool | Fire Rating | Sound Reduction |
| 10 mm | 100mm x 10mm | 48mm x 32mm | 25 mm thick 60 kg/m3 | - | - | ½ hour | 45 dB |
| 12 mm | 100mm x 12mm | 48mm x 32mm | 50 mm thick 60 kg/m3 | - | - | 1 hour | 52 dB |
| 16 mm | 100mm x 16mm | 48mm x 32mm | 50 mm 60 kg/m3 | - | - | 1 ½ hour | 53 dB |
| 20 mm | 100mm x 20mm | 70mm x 32mm | 2 layers of 50 mm 60 kg/m3 | - | 2 ½ hour | 53 dB | |
| 20mm & 12mm – out & in | - | 146 mm C stud boxed with 18 mm x 120 mm fillet | - | 100 mm thick 85 kg/m3 | 4 hour | 55 dB |
TERMITE PROOF
FIRE RESISTANT
WEATHER RESISTANT
STRONG & DURABLE
SOUND INSULATION
