New generation of Schöck Rutherma circuit breakers, more efficient and certified for projects in seismic zones

Thanks to constant improvements, their fields of application are particularly broad, conforming to all types of junctions (concrete/concrete but also concrete/steel, steel/steel and even concrete/wood), to treat thermal bridges of all structural configurations.

Find Schöck at the EnerJmeeting Show in Lyon on September 17, 2024: stand 34.

Today, it is the Schöck Rutherma DF/DFi models, dedicated to the treatment of thermal bridges between the slab and the façade as part of ITI (Internal Thermal Insulation), which are at the heart of the news.

Indeed, on the one hand, Schöck has further improved their thermal performance with a psi value increased from 0.13 to 0.10, positioning them as the most efficient on the market. On the other hand, Schöck is launching an anti-seismic version, Schöck Rutherma DF-S/DFi-S, under ATEx validated by the CSTB on May 31: a ready-to-use solution (without any additional modules and without specific additional reinforcement to be provided), simple and quick to implement, allowing to treat all projects subject to seismic requirements in ITI in metropolitan France.

Best psi on the market for Schöck Rutherma DF/DFi

At the heart of the new generation Schöck Rutherma DF/DFi circuit breakers, the body of the insulator remains, still in Neopor® (graphite polystyrene), as do the edge loops, for the vertical load-bearing capacity.

The changes made first concern the moment loops, taking up the bending moment on the support at the breaker, the diameter of the stainless steel part of which has been reduced, so as to restrict thermal bridges between the exterior (the facade) and the interior (the slab). Indeed, these steel through elements cause small thermal conductions: de facto, reducing their diameter induces less conductions.

Similarly, the fire-resistant plates, in the lower and upper parts of the breaker, initially made of silico-calcareous material, have been replaced by strips of mineral wool protected by a PVC profile, offering optimum fire resistance, the thermal insulation performance of the mineral wool being, moreover, superior to that of the silico-calcareous plate. Always listening to feedback from the field, Schöck has taken the opportunity to make these fire-resistant plates, previously overhanging on the sides, now flush in order to facilitate implementation.

These two modifications, at no extra cost, have made it possible to improve the thermal insulation performance of the product, which has therefore gone from a Psi value of 0.13 to 0.10, the best current value on the market!

Another interesting development is that the fire PV no longer makes it necessary to pass the continuous steels of the wall chain through the loops of the Schöck Rutherma DF/DFi breaker, which makes it easier to install the product in the formwork.

“Seismic” innovation: Schöck Rutherma DF-S/DFi-S

In order to handle all projects in seismic zones, Schöck has equipped its breakers with horizontal loops, perpendicular to the edge and moment loops, thus providing resistance to shear, i.e. the lateral translation of the slab relative to the façade.

During an earthquake, there is an acceleration caused on all the elements, in particular a horizontal acceleration which causes a differential translation between the floor and the facade. The shear force will be taken up here by the insertion of these horizontal "seismic" loops, always 2 per linear meter.

Schöck's choice to integrate these "seismic" loops directly into the breaker itself is ingenious and highly advantageous compared to other existing systems for reinforcing the attachment of the slab to the façade. Where some have designed small modules to be inserted between the breakers, Schöck offers an all-in-one solution, with no additional elements, no specific additional reinforcement to be provided (therefore no additional costs or time).

Let us recall that supporting construction professionals and in particular the ease of implementation of its innovations are leitmotifs at Schöck, whose circuit breakers already benefit from operational advantages such as color codes depending on the model, arrows indicating the direction of execution, QR Codes referring to technical instructions, fixing lugs, etc.

Of course, these "seismic" versions have structural and thermal properties that are as excellent as the "static" versions and comply with the NRA's acoustic requirements, namely sound insulation of 58 dB for airborne noise.

The new DF-S/DFi-S circuit breakers will be delivered to the construction site from September, and it is already possible to consult the Schöck teams for projects.