AGGLOMERATES

Among the Research & Development activities and projects developed, those aimed at the Construction and Industry segments stand out in particular:

Construction

• the partnerships undertaken with Portuguese universities, which have made it possible to enhance technical information about the products, their dissemination among architects, civil engineers and clients;
• the development and launch of new backing products for floating floors, with three available solutions, one with expanded cork and two with corkrubber, that register excellent performance in the reduction of impact and step noise;
• the finalisation of the development of a waterproof cork membrane. As a result of this project the waterproof membrane was launched at the Surfaces Fair at the beginning of 2006. This product, in addition to being impermeable to water, makes it possible to deaden the vibrations caused by the movement of tectonic plates, thus preventing fissures in ceramic floors;
• the launch of underlays of composite cork with rubber for the DIY (do-it-yourself) segment. This solution was based on the underlay made of composite cork with coconut fibre, which is positioned at the top of the market in terms of acoustic performance, but which demands a level of expertise in the application that is not compatible with the DIY segment. For this reason the BU offers a product with high performance in acoustic insulation, for both the professional segment and the DIY segment;
• the European Technical Approval (ETA) for three of the BU’s main underlays. This technical evaluation has validated CE marking of these products for the use in ceramic floors, marking which is currently required in various construction projects in the European market;
• the development of the new ProfileCORK acoustic underlay, with a wavy structure that significantly improves insulation from impact noise, allowing air to circulate between the floor and the cement screed. It is precisely this mass of air retained below the underlay that explains the excellent acoustic performance and improvement in comfort when walking. ProfileCORK may be used in different types of floor covering, such as floating floors or stick down wood.

Industry

• characterisation of cork, in accordance with the specifications of the European Space Agency (ESA). An industrial partner has been identified for the development of the new application/system with cork;
• participation in the ATPI Project (high performance damping technology for aircraft vibration attenuation and thermo-phonic insulation), technically led by AIRBUS, with a view to developing a vibratic and thermo-phonic insulation for aeroplanes, based on cork;
• development of the project to use agglomerated cork as the core material for composite materials, in partnership with a Portuguese faculty (Instituto Superior Técnico).