The canopy made ​​of polycarbonate with their hands

more often in the construction of private urban and suburban homes for the walls, roof coverings and devices used modern materials visors.One such material - is polycarbonate, which is great for building gazebos and greenhouses, as well as canopies over the entrance door and canopies over pools and parking for cars.

Canopy polycarbonate with their hands to mount enough just , especially because on sale you can find ready-made frame structures having different configurations and sizes from which to choose the most appropriate for a particularsite.

is easy to build your own frame and if the canopy will have a direct form - without twists and intricate configurations.Special strengthening the framework does not require, as polycarbonate is lightweight and does not let Article receptacle achitelnoy structural loads.

To understand how this material is suitable for the installation, and how to do it, you need to understand a little of its technical and decorative characteristics.

So how for awnings mostly used polycarbonate, which will be discussed.

Features Cell polycarbonate

polycarbonate hasa considerable number of unique positive qualities, which makes it indispensable in some cases;

• good translucency and transparency, which comes to 85 - 87%.
• It perfectly scatters light coming through it.
• Enough flexibility sheets, without first preparing them.
• High impact resistance , which exceeds the same quality of silicate glass in the 180 ÷ 200 times.
• However , polycarbonate weight easier glass 7 ÷ 8 times.
• material has good thermal insulation and soundproofing qualities.For example, in the rain, minimum noise is heard.
• Such a coating with a quality installation is able to withstand high snow and wind loads.
• Resistant to chemicals and UV rays as it has a special protective coating.
• Polycarbonate can withstand temperatures from - 50 in the winter and the upper limit comes up to + 115 ° C .
• Affordable polycarbonate allows you to purchase it even an average income family.
• impossible not to mention the aesthetic modern look.
• Lifetime quality polycarbonate, which has a protective coating is 20 ÷ 25 years.
• Material easy to install, which can handle even a master.

If present some characteristics of a polycarbonate of different thickness in the figures, they will look as follows:

Table main technical characteristics of structured polycarbonate panels:

Panel Type	Panel thickness in mm	weight in gr. / sq.m	bending mm	strength and tensile modulus (GOST) in kg / cm²	Shock resistance in J.	heat conductivity (heat transfer resistance is reduced)	noise absorption, dB (according to ASTM E90-83)
	strength	elasticity module	DIN	ASTM	K. W / m2So	R (1 / K)	1000 Hz	3000 Hz
	SEC 4	800	700	ND	ND	ND	ND	3.9	0.26	ND
6	1300	1050	ND	ND	2.1	2.1	3.6	0.28	18	23
8	1500	1400	653	20400	2.16	2	3.4	0.29	20	26
10	1700	1750	658	21300	2.332	2.48	3.1	0.32	22	30
16	2700	2800	705	22770	2.8	3.68	2.4	0.42	25	34
25	3500	4370	707	23120	2.98	3.82	1.75	0.58	30	42

Some quality polycarbonate useful to consider in more detail, as this information will help in the selection and installation of the roofing material.

Lightweight material

polycarbonate panels weigh less than glass, not only, but also three times less than the acrylic roofing material of the same thickness.This facilitates the design of the installation, since the lift height can be polycarbonate, without resorting to auxiliary lifting mechanisms.Due to the small mass of material, complex designs can be designed canopy, since they are not particularly weighing frame.

Polycarbonate happy to use designers who plan to create a modern original building exterior, since it makes the roof aerial and visually weightless.Especially this option pronounced, if you select a transparent coating light color, and under the cover frame painted white or made of thin elements.

high translucency

high light transmission polycarbonate panels for structures that must be covered from rain and snow, but it is well covered.Light transmission through the roof or canopy, covered with this material comes to 85 - 87%, but depends on the thickness and color of the material.

Table transmittance coefficients for standard panels as a percentage, depending on the color and thickness.

material Color	Size «Premium»	Reinforced
	4mm	6mm	8mm	10mm	16mm	20mm	25mm	4 mm - CSS	6 mm - CSS
Transparent	85/87	80/81	79/80	78/79	78	68	60	82	81
Bronze	25/24	23/22	22/21	21/20	18	16	15
Milk	33/34	31/32	30/31	30/31	26	22	20
Green	36/37	32/33	33/34	33/ 34
Blue	34/35	33/32	31/30	31/30
Brown	18/19	15/16	14/15	14/15
Turquoise	36/37	28/29	26/ 27	25/26
Yellow	74/75	74/75	72/73	71/72
Orange	54/55	54/55	52/53	51/52
Red	29/30	25/ 26	24/25	23/24
Maroon	10/11	10/11	5/6	4/5
Silver	33/34	31/32	30/31	30/31
crushed ice	80/81	79/80	79/80	79/80
crushed ice bronze	24/25	23/24	22/23	21/22

From table shows , that the polycarbonate has a lot of colors, so choose the most eye-catching design and haze - not be easy.Polycarbonate any color perfectly diffuses the sunlight and creates uniform illumination under the roof.

Shock

Polycarbonate can be called the most durable thermoplastic materials, even under mechanical stress to it in conditions of high and low temperatures.By itself, the polycarbonate is 200 times stronger than glass, but, thanks to the internal cell structure of the panels, with the impact surface springs, as if fighting off a blow.

The proposed table shows the internal structure of the panel structure, and how thick they are produced.

	structure type Graphic profile scheme	thickness of the total in mm	Bending mm
single chamber standard		4	700
6	1000
8	1400
10	1750
Double chamber standard		16	2700
Reinforced (CSS)		4	910
6	1400
quad		25	4400

roofing material not travmoopasen , so if not broken numerous fragments, as is the case with glass.When he is very strong accented beats, of course, can give a crack, but not smashed into pieces, and not deformed.

During the tests it was found that air restaurant, which has a diameter of 45 mm, flying dominant with speed 25m / s, unable to break through the roof of the panels in 16 mm thick.

UV resistance

It should be noted, that in itself polycarbonate is destroyed by exposure to ultraviolet component sunlight, and its lifetime will amount to no more than 2 - 3 years, unless it is covered by a special protectionfrom the sun.If the material was initially transparent or milky white, then it appear yellowing, or it becomes cloudy.Exposure to ultraviolet light makes unprotected panels fragile and brittle.Polycarbonate without protective film is cheaper and many attracts precisely this criterion, but buying this stuff, is not worth saving, because through roof couple of years have overlap, and it is not only unnecessary spending, but unnecessary labor costs.

polycarbonate, coated on one or better - on both sides of a stabilizing coating, can be safely used outdoors, in direct exposure to the sun on it.In this case, the ultraviolet radiation with a wavelength of 400 nm , dangerous not only for humans but also to plants, will be weakened by a protective coating, and penetrating through the roof beams are harmless.

In addition, this coating will last a long time, even a little more than guaranteed by the manufacturer.

If the panel a protective coating found only one hand , the installation is carried out by that party.

Covering almost completely unnoticed on the surface, so manufacturers indicate the desired direction of special markings, applied to a polyethylene film .

Chemical resistance

Polycarbonate quite resistant to most chemicals that can get it in terms of its use as a roofing.However, there are also substances which destroy the material - chlorinated hydrocarbons, ketones, aldehydes and alkali.This information can be useful in the selection of sealants or other materials that may come into contact with polycarbonate for assembly work, or while caring for him.Therefore, purchasing such compositions for cleaning polycarbonate roof or its sealing, it is necessary to consult the dealer or carefully review the instructions for use.

insulation

Compared with acrylic panels or with the silicate glass, polycarbonate has a great advantage in terms of thermal insulation, where it is needed, as it has a significantly lower thermal conductivity.Even if applied very thin polycarbonate panels having a thickness of 4 mm, they are twice as high for heat conservation glass, for example, in the conservatory.Polycarbonate thickness of 8 mm gives same effectiveness reflux eploizolyatsii as an ordinary glazing with double glazing, and the material in the 16 ÷ 25 mm higher than double-glazed windows with triple glazing.

During summer polycarbonate reflects the sun's rays, not allowing excess heat to penetrate into the room.

During the winter period, when the sun is low, the material is well passes rays inside , and this contributes to the heating of the room.

flexibility of the material

great advantage of polycarbonate is its flexibility, which allows to build a semi-circular or conical roofs constructions. And , it can bend without the need for heat.By purchasing the material for a particular roof, it is necessary to pay attention to this figure as the minimum bend radius for a certain polycarbonate thickness, which can be found in the table above.

bearing capacity

The coating can withstand heavy loads because of its high strength.For example, at a thickness of 16 mm, it can withstand loads of up to 400 kg / m² with arranged underneath the frame, even having a considerable size crates , a 1000 × 1000 mm.That is, if one square meter put 400 kg of snow, the material safely withstand the loads.But this amount of snow per unit area in the nature does not fall out, so worry about it not worth it.Especially, if the canopy will be constructed in the form of an arch , which will not be delayed snowdrifts.