Review on aluminium composite panels

Covering research into aluminium composite panels (ACP) materials, fire and thermal performance, installation, costs. Over 2200 publications were identified, of which 180 were selected and analysed, including research papers, standards, patents. ACPs are widely installed to protect buildings from weather (cold, heat, wind, rain, humidity) and to improve aesthetics. They have an aluminium structure, air cavities and an insulating core, which can be based on either polymers (polyethylene, polyurethane, polyisocyanurate, polystyrene) or on honeycomb or fibre-cement materials. Fire classifications of panels in different jurisdictions are compared. Thermal insulation performance, density (weight), bonding and attachment systems, fire behaviour and mechanical properties (structural resistance to fire are summarised, as are different flame retardant solutions. Challenges identified include delamination in fire (failure of bonding, particularly for non-combustible materials), weight of non-combustible materials, end-of-life recycling, production of cores from secondary materials, lack of data on thermal performance of non-combustible core ACPs, low smoke toxicity flame retardants for polymer cores.

“A Comprehensive Review of Aluminium Composite Panels”, M. Hasnat et al., J. Compos. Sci. 2025, 9, 319. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs9070319