What Is A Raised Floor?
With the increasing demand for intelligence, flexibility, and functionality in modern buildings, raised floors have gradually become the core infrastructure in scenarios such as data centers, electronic factories, and high-end office spaces. This modular floor system, through its elevated structure, provides ideal solutions for cable wiring, air conditioning ducts, static electricity dissipation, and other aspects. Starting from the basic definition of raised floors, this article will deeply explore their types, materials (such as HPL raised floors and PVC raised floors), and practical application values, providing comprehensive technical references for industry users.
The Core Definition and Structure of Raised Floors
A raised floor is a floor system composed of adjustable support structures (such as steel or aluminum columns) and modular panels. Its core function is to accommodate facilities such as cables and pipes through the elevated layer (usually with a height of 15 cm to 30 cm), while having the characteristics of load-bearing, anti-static, and ventilation.
Basic Structure
The raised floor system usually includes the following components:
Panels: The standard size is 600mm * 600mm, and the materials include steel, aluminum, or composite materials (such as HPL, PVC).
Support Pedestals: The height can be adjusted to meet different space requirements, and they are connected by crossbeams to enhance stability.
Elevated Layer: Used for cabling, ventilation, or installing auxiliary equipment, supporting flexible maintenance and upgrades.
Functional Advantages
Flexible Cabling: The cable layout can be adjusted without damaging the building structure.
Efficient Ventilation: Achieve the air circulation in clean rooms (such as in electronic factories) through the design of perforated panels or grilles.
Anti-static Protection: The surface resistance is controlled between 10⁴- 10⁹Ω to prevent static electricity from damaging precision equipment.
The Main Types and Material Selections of Raised Floors
According to application scenarios and performance requirements, raised floors can be divided into various types. Among them, HPL (High-Pressure Laminate) and PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) materials are highly favored due to their excellent comprehensive performance.
Steel Raised Floors
Core Features: Using cold-rolled steel plates as the base material, filled with cement or wooden core materials, and the surface is covered with an anti-static coating.
Applicable Scenarios: Environments with high load-bearing requirements such as data centers and server rooms.
Advantages: The load-bearing capacity can reach up to 800 kg/㎡, and it has excellent fire resistance performance (some products meet the 60-minute fire protection standard).
Material Analysis: Using high-pressure laminate (HPL) as the surface layer, the base material is a high-density wooden fiberboard or a steel core structure, and the bottom is usually reinforced with a galvanized steel plate.
Performance Highlights:
Wear-resistant and Scratch-resistant: The HPL surface layer is chemically corrosion-resistant and suitable for high-frequency use areas.
Aesthetically Pleasing and Diverse: It provides a variety of colors and textures to meet the aesthetic needs of high-end office spaces.
Typical Applications: Scenarios such as control rooms and laboratories that need to balance functionality and visual effects.
Material Analysis: The surface is an anti-static PVC veneer, the base material is mostly a wooden core board or a calcium sulfate board, and the bottom is supported by a galvanized steel plate.
Performance Highlights:
Lightweight Design: It is lighter in weight than steel floors, making it easy to install and adjust.Resistant to Moisture and Deformation: Suitable for environments with large humidity fluctuations (such as medical clean rooms).
Economical: The cost is lower than that of HPL floors, making it suitable for projects with limited budgets but in need of anti-static functions.
Application Scenarios and Selection Suggestions for Raised Floors
Data Centers and Server Rooms
Core Requirements: High load-bearing capacity, heat dissipation, and anti-static performance.
Recommended Types: Steel or HPL floors, matched with perforated panels to optimize the air flow (the opening rate is 17% - 50%).
Electronic Clean Factories
Core Requirements: Vertical ventilation and a dust-free environment.
Recommended Types: Perforated HPL or PVC floors, combined with an independent return air system to achieve laminar flow control.
High-end Office Spaces
Core Requirements: Aesthetic appearance and flexibility.
Recommended Types: HPL floors, which support modular layouts and the rapid adjustment of office equipment.
Matters Needing Attention in Selection:
Load-bearing Test: It needs to meet the standards of concentrated load and uniformly distributed load.Installation Environment: The temperature is recommended to be controlled between 5 - 35°C, and the humidity should be lower than 80% to ensure stability.
Future Trends: Technological Innovation and Sustainable Development
With the popularization of the concept of green buildings, raised floors have continuously made breakthroughs in the fields of environmental protection and recyclability:
Material Upgrades: Using coatings without volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to reduce environmental pollution.
Modular Design: Supporting rapid disassembly, assembly, and reuse, reducing the cost of building renovation.
Intelligent Integration: Combining sensor technology to monitor the floor load and static electricity status in real time.
As an important infrastructure of modern buildings, the function of raised floors has expanded from simple space optimization to comprehensive intelligent and environmentally friendly solutions. Whether it is the durability and beauty of HPL raised floors or the economic practicality of PVC raised floors, the core of the selection lies in matching the actual needs with long-term operation and maintenance goals. As a professional manufacturer with years of experience in the industry, we are committed to providing customers with efficient and reliable floor system support through technological innovation and strict quality control, contributing to the sustainable development of building spaces.