Damage to the fabric of building facades is a everyday hazard particularly for high buildings due to building movement and impact damage (during cleaning). Reports of conventional stone cladding failures are common occurrence.
Stone has weak tensile strength and failure can occur when fixing connections to stone panels are stressed due to building movements, micro cracks within the stone or poor workmanship.
As a natural material stone is liable to defects, including micro cracks, its properties can be variable particularly over the long term.
The core of the Stonescreen Aerolite© panel are man made materials with consistent physical and mechanical properties.
Reinforcement layers act to retain the panel in place and prevent stone falling, even in the event of accidental impact resulting in a panel cracking (similar concept to laminated safety glass).
Stonescreen Aerolite© panels therefore avoid these potential failures and hazards.