Internal Walls

Typical Applications

PowerPanel Intertenancy Wall Systems detailed in this guide are loadbearing or non-loadbearing Intertenancy wall solutions for low rise multi-residential framed construction. These wall configurations consist of Hebel PowerPanels secured to the structural loadbearing framing.

a distinct difference between the systems is the PowerPanel to framing connection methods and the resulting acoustic performance qualities.

PowerPanel Intertenancy Discontinuous Wall Systems utilised and aluminium bracket system. The bracket system provides the wall with a "Discontinuous Construction" rating. PowerPanel Intertenancy Continuous Wall Systems offers a Top Hat connection where the PowerPanel is secured to the framing with horizontal steel Top Hats.

Structural Provisions

Structural Performance

The PowerPanel Intertenancy Wall Systems can be either a loadbearing or non-loadbearing wall. The Hebel PowerPanel within the wall system is non-loadbearing with the exception of self weight.

Construction Loadings

During construction, the builder shall provide the necessary temporary bracing of the panel until both structural frames are installed.

Note: The screw connections may not be adequate to stabilise the panel against construction loadings.

Cutting of Hebel PowerPanel

The standard Hebel PowerPanel can be reduced in length by cutting 150mm maximum from each end, and to a minimum width of 270m. All exposed steel reinforcement shall be liberally coated with the Fentak anti-corrosion coating available through Hebel.

Wall Frame

The Wall framing presented in this Design Guide for various wall systems are nominated for the acoustic and fire performance values. It is the designer's responsibility to determine an appropriate wall framing system to satisfy structural adequacy. Several items the designer must allow for are:

• lateral loadings
• wall height
• deflection limits
• offset distance (gap)from the panel
• building movement
• control joint locations

Wall Height

The overall wall height limit is 12m for both PowerPanel Intertenancy Discontinuous Wall Ststems and PowerPanel Intertenancy Continuous Wall Systems. The wall shall be constructed of Hebel PowerPanel of 3000mm maximum length. Walls constructed with panel lengths exceeding 3000mm are outside the scope of this guide.

Earthquake Loading

Earthquake loading has not been considered in this design guide. It is the designer's responsibility to ensure the connection system has adequate capacity to resist any imposed earthquake loading.

Fixings

Fasteners & Fixings

Most Screw fixings are timber type, which is sufficient for penetrating the metal thicknesses outlined in this design guide. Connections that have larger metal thicknesses may require a metal type screw and will need to be designed and approved by the project engineer.

Fixings - Deflection head track to substrate

The fixing to secure the angles and tracks to the concrete slab shall be capable of withstanding a shear load of 0.75kN. For high wind pressures during construction, the designer shall determine if mechanical fasteners are required:

• Drive pins and concrete nails (check size and suitability for fire rated situations with the manufacturer);
• 8mm diameter mechanical fasteners.

Table outlines the connection type and requirements for constructing PowerPanel Intertenancy Discontinuous Wall Systems detailed in this design guide.

Design & Detailing Considerations

Control Joints

Control joints must be provided at a maximum of 6m spacing. Recommended control joint widths should be 10mm minimum between Hebel PowerPanel and another building component. Control joints must also be provided to coincide with any control jiont in the main structure. Larger joint width maybe required to accommodate building movements, and these values shall be nominated by the designer. The Top Hat and back to back track must be discontinuous at a structural control joint.

Wet Area Wall Construction

Wet area wall construction requires a system that enables services to be installed in a cavity. All plumbing should be acoustically treated as required by the BCA. All wet area walls shall be lined and waterproffed in accordance with Australian standards and to BCA requirements. Gyprock® Aquachek® or Cemintel® Fibre Cement Wallboard are suitable lining materials for wet area applications.

Non-Hebel Components used in Intertenancy Wall

Components, which are not manufactured by Hebel, such as Gyprock plasterboard, timber and steel stud wall frames, Bradford insulation and others must be designed, installed and hanled in accordance with their manufacture's guidelines and recommendations.

Building Products Limited, guarantees only the products that are manufactured by Building Products Limited, not the components, products or services supplied by others.

System Components

Bradford Insulation

PowerPanel Intertenancy Discontinuous and Continuous Wall Systems incorporate Bradford Insulation materials. Tables 1.5 and 1.6 present basic information on the glasswool and polyester insulation materials.

Fasteners & Fixings

Table below outlines the connection types and requirements for constructing the PowerPanel Intertenancy Wall Systems detailed in this guide.

Gyprock® Plasterboard

PowerPanel Intertenancy Discontinuous and Continuous Wall Systems incorporate Gyprock® Plasterboard on both sides. The type, thickness and densities of plasterboard will be as per the specified wall requirements.

Fire & Acoustic Sealant

To attain the specified FRL and/or RW requirements, all perimeter gaps and penetrations must be carefully and completely sealed with an appropriate flexible polyurethane (fire and acoustic rated) sealant installed to manufacturer's specifications.

Backing Rod

Backing rod is used to enable correct filling of joints with sealant. It is recommended that backing rod be of open cell type to enable sealant to cure from behind. The diameter of backing rod must be appropriate for the width of the gap being filled.

Regulatory Issues

Dwellings constructed side-by-side on a single allotment

Where it is proposed to construct single dwellings side by side on a single allotment the internal wall between dwellings is a fire separating wall as defined in the BCA. The fire separating wall must start from the ground level (top of concrete footings or top of floor slab) and achieve a 60/60/60 FRL if load bearing, or -/60/60 FRL if non-load bearing. The wall must go to the underside of a non-combustible roof covering and any gaps be filled with fire-resisting material as described in Detail 3.7.1.11 of Volume Two of the BCA.

Dwellings constructed side-by-side on separate allotments

Where it is proposed to construct single dwellings side-by-side on separate allotments, or if subsequent subdivision is proposed, the wall might also be considered an external wall and each dwelling may be required to have its own wall starting from the ground level (top of concrete footings or top of floor slab) and each achieving a 60/60/60 FRL if load bearing, or -/60/60 FRL if non-load bearing. Contact your local authorities, as there may also be applicable legislation or discretionary powers available to vary these provisions.

Dwellings constructed side-by-side on a single allotment where subdivision may subsequently occur.

Where it is proposed to construct single dwellings side by side on a single allotment and it is known that subsequent subdivision will occur, or that subdivision might occur (and this will probably apply to most multi-dwelling developments) then, after subdivision, the internal fire separation wall might also be considered an external wall and each dwelling may be required to have its own wall starting from the ground level (top of concrete footings or top of floor slab) and achieving a 60/60/60 FRL if load bearing, or -/60/60 FRL if non-load bearing. Contact your local authorities, as these may also be applicable legislation or discretionary powers available or vary these provisions.

PowerPanel Intertenancy PowerPanel Intertenancy solutions in tiered applications

Where the internal fire separation wall extends beyond the roof line on one side only and becomes an external wall, contact Hebel Engineering Services for advice on PowerWall external wall solutions.

Compliance with a Building Code of Australia (BCA)

All building solutions, such as walls, floors, ceilings, etc. must comply with the regulations outlined in the Building Code of Australia (BCA) or other authority.

The BCA is a performance based document, and is available in two volumes which align with two groups of'Class of Building': Volume 1 - Class 2 to Class 9 Buildings; and Volume 2 - Class 1 & Class 10 Buildings - Housing Provisions. Each volume presents regulatory Performance Requirements for different Building Solutions for various classes of buildings and performance provisions.

These Performance Provisions include:

• Structure
• Fire Resistance
• Damp & Weatherproofing
• Sound Transmission & Insulation
• Energy Efficiency

This design guide presents tables and information necessary to design a PowerPanel Intertenancy Wall Systems installation that complies with the Performance Requirements of BCA. The designer must check the adequacy of the building solution for Performance Requirements outlined by the appropriate authority.

Performance Characteristics

• PowerPanel Intertenancy Discontinuous Wall Systems has been assessed to comply with the BCA requirements for "Discontinuous Constructions".
• This table must be read in conjunction with all the information provided in this Design Guide, and acoustic opinion (PKA-A034) provided by PKA Acoustic Consulting P/L and fire assessment (WFRA - 45771.1) provided by Warrington Fire Research (Aust) Pty Ltd.
• Selection of a PowerPanel Intertenancy Wall Systems from Table 2.2 should be taken with specialist consultant's advice.

• This table must be read in conjunction with all the information provided in this Design Guide and acoustic opinion (PKA - A044) provided by PKA Acoustic Consulting P/L., and Fire asessment (WFRA - 45772.1) provided by Warrington Fire Research (Aust)Pty Ltd.
• Selection of a PowerPanel Intertenancy Wall Systems should by taken with specialist consultant's advice.
• PowerPanel Intertenancy Continuous Wall Systems CAN NOT BE USED WITH STEEL FRAMING.

Sound Transmission & Insulation

Overview

The building Code of Australia (BCA) presents the Performance Requirements for sound insulation ratings. The sound insulation ratings set minimum values to consider two types of sound: airborne sound and impact sound. The Performance Requirements for airborne sound insulation and impact sound insulation ratings are dependent upon the form of construction (i.e., walls or floors), Class of Building, and the type of areas being separated. The airborne sound performance requirement is a value that would be the weighted sound reduction index (R) or weighted reduction index with spectrum adaptation term (R + C). The impact sound performance requirement is a value called the weighted normalised impact sound pressure level with spectrum adaptation term (L + C).

The BCA does provide Performance Requirements for the airborne sound and impact generated sound insulation ratings for a Intertenancy wall.

Impact Sound Performance

Impact sound is caused by vibrations, which are transferred directly through the wall and re-radiated as sound in the adjacent room. These sound vibrations can be generated by actions such as closing of a cupboard door.

The transfer of impact sound can be minimised by ensuring no mechanical connection exists between the two sides of the wall. For impact rated walls the new BCA requires walls to be of "discontinuous construction". This refers to a wall maintaining a minimum 20mm cavity between two separate leaves except at the periphery.

Note: For gap widths <= 20mm, Hebel has obtained expert opinion that discontinuous construction performance will not be compromised.

Acoustic Performance Design Recommendations

1. Hebel recommends engaging a specialist acoustic consultant on a project-by-project basis to provide design advice, confirmation of anticipated field performance, detailing and installation inspections.
2. When selecting the appropriate PowerPanel Intertenancy Wall Systems, the designer or specifier must be aware that the laboratory R  value are almost always higher than the field measured values. Therefire, allowances should be made for the lower expected field values during the selection of the system.
3. Separate advice from a specialist acoustic consultant should be sought to determine the effect on acoustic performance due to any changes to the PowerPanel Intertenancy Wall Systems, and any required modification of the installation details pertaining to the systems.
4. Increasing of cavity widths, using higher density or thicker insulation or plasterboard, will generally maintain or increase the acoustic performance of the PowerPanel Intertenancy Wall Systems.
5. The acoustic performance values of the PowerPanel Intertenancy Wall Systems shown in Tables2.2 and 2.3 are a guide only as to consistently achievable field performance. They do not constitute a field performance guarantee as factors such as the presence of flanking paths, quality of installation of the system, on-site detailing of junctions, room shapes and size, etc can significantly affect field performance. Maximising the field performance depends on the following factors:

• The systems are installed in accordance with the manufacturer's standard installation details.
• Good quality installation practices including the sealing of all junctions and joints and maintaining specified clearances.
• The systems are installed with all junctions acoustically sealed so that negligible sound transmission occurs at these points.
• Flanking paths are eliminated and the structures into which the systems are installed are capable of allowing the nominated rating to be achieved.
• Site testing conditions.
• To minimise the transfer of sound through the PowerPanel Intertenancy Wall Systems into the adjacent unit, it is suggested that a control joint be provided to break the mechanical path for the transmission of impact sound and other vibration.

Fire Resistance Performance

Fire Resistance Level (FRL) Rating of Intertenancy Systems

The fire resistance level (FRL) rating performance of the PowerPanel Intertenancy Wall Systems detailed in this guide have been derived from Warrington Fire Research assessment WFRA - 45771.3, WFRA - 45772.1 and Warrington Fire Research, fire resistance test report, WFRA - 41154.2. Refer to Tables 2.2 and 2.3 for the fire resistance levels of the wall systems.

This design guide has no recommendations for penetrations through the Intertenancy systems. Hebel recommends contacting the appropriate consultant for design and detailing advice.

System Variations

Certain variations to the PowerPanel Intertenancy Wall Systems installation will not affect the fire-resistance levels listed in Tables 2.2 and 2.3. However these variations need to be approved by the project fire consultant or project certifier. The possible variations to the systems include:

1. Changing the type of insulation between polyester, glasswool and rockwool;
2. Putting the insulation on both sides of the PowerPanel;
3. The reduction of a cavity between the wall frame and Hebel PowerPanel/plasterboard down to 10mm for PowerPanel Intertenancy Discontinuous Wall Systems.

Installation Guidelines

General

Before commencing any installation work, clean and tidy up the work area. Mark out the location of the walls.

Wall Framing

Ensure frames are installed plumb and mechanically fixed to the substrate. All timber framework is to be fabricated and installed to the manufacturer's specifications and AS1684 or AS1720.1.

Services

Ensure all services are installed within the wall frame and not on the face of the PowerPanel.

Deflection Head Track

When the wall locations have been set out, fix the deflection head tracks to the substrate. This is done using suitable fixings at 600mm maximum centres and maximum 100mm from ends. At changes in wall directions, ensure deflection head track is mitred with no gaps at the corners. Seal all but joints with polyurethane sealant.

Hebel Mortar

Mortar is placed on the DPC and should only be run out roughly 3 panels (1800mm) ahead of panel installation. The mortar bed fills the gap at the base. Generally, the mortar is 10mm thick and shall extend the full width of the panel.

Mixing of the mortar should be done in accordance with the instructions on the bag.

Wall Brackets

Screw fix the wall bracket to the top and bottom plates of the wall frame and to the PowerPanel at 600 centres. Locate within 50mm of the centre width of each panel using fixings specified in Section 12.10.

Top Hats

Top Hats should be cut to size before securing them to timber studs. At control joints the Top Hats should be discontinuous. For number, locations, spacing and fixing of Top Hats, refer to the project specifications. The project classification (Torrens or Strata) will determine the future external loading parameters of the panels and associated Top Hat and fixing arrangement required.

Hebel PowerPanel

The panels can be cut on-site using a circular saw equipped with diamond tipped cutting blade (for panel cutting limitations refer to Section 9.0). All the loose AAC particles should be brushed off the panel with a rough broom. Steel reinforcement that is exposed during cutting must be coated with a liberal application of corrosion protection coating. Any minor damage and chips to the panels must be repaired using Hebel Patch. Use packers at the base to maintain the gap and ensure gap is full of mortar. The preferred method of fixing should be to screw through the Top Hat/Bracket into the panel. Fix the panel to the deflection head.

For following panels, apply ebel Adhesive to the vertical edge and install the next panel. Repeat the installation process until the wall is complete.

Bradford Insulation

Insulation of Bradford insulation should be completed in accordance with manufacturer's handling and installation guidelines. The insulation provided should completely fill the space between the stud framing and form a continuing barrier. If there is any gap in the insulation the acoustic performance of the system may be adversely affected.

Gyprock® Plasterboard

Plasterboard sheets must be cut to fit neatly and should not be forced into position. The plasterboard is to extend the full height of the wall frame, with gaps at top and bottom for the specified sealant.

Plasterboard is fixed directly to the stud framework in accordance with the Gyprock Plasterboard Residential Installation Guide, GYP547.

Sealants

All movement joints and other gaps should be sealed off and finished neatly with fire and acoustic rated sealants. Installation of sealants must be carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications.

Installation of Electrical, Plumbing and Other Services

Installation of services into walls should be carried out at an appropriate construction sequence. This will allow easy access to cavities and wall frames, where services can be easily installed and neatly hidden.

Hebel suggests installing the plumbing and cabling after the panels have been installed. The builder or project manager should confirm appropriate construction sequence for services on a project-by-project basis.

Fasteners & Fixings

All Fixings and fasteners should be installed in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications.

Construction for PowerPanel Intertenancy Discontinuous Wall Systems

Overview of PowerPanel Intertenancy Discontinuous Wall Systems

Construction for Intertenancy Discountinuous

Junction Details for Intertenancy Discontinuous

Construction for PowerPanel Intertenancy Continuous Wall Systems

Overview of PowerPanel Intertenancy Continuous Wall Systems

*Not suitable for steel frame construction. Not deemed discontinuous construction.

Construction for PowerPanel Intertenancy Continuous Wall Systems

*Not suitable for steel frame construction. Not deemed discontinuous construction

Junction Details for Intertenancy Continuous