Mechanical Resistance 

Surface hardness

Surface hardness requirements for plaster boards are defined in reference Standard NF EN 520. 

The characterisation test consists of throwing  a calibrated ball at the board and measuring the diameter of the resulting impact: 

Standard boards have an impact of less than 20 mm.  

The “extra hard” boards have an impact of less than 15 mm and are therefore considered standard NF EN 520 Class I. 

The ”ultra hard boards” have an impact of less than 13 mm. 

Impact

A partition wall must withstand two kinds of impact: 

-Hard impact: this consists of measuring the surface mark left by a steel ball, on hitting the partition surface. 

-Soft impact: this consists in measuring deformation to the partition after a series of impacts with a standard-sized sack with a mass of 50 kg. 

Pressure

Pladur partition walls are designed to withstand a distributed force of 0.20 kN/m2, with a deflection less than or equal to 5 mm

Surface Indentation

Measures the ability of a gypsum panel to resist dents caused by small, hard objects by exposing the panel to the impact of a round-tipped rod.

Based on the depth of the indentation the impact causes, the board is assigned to one of three classification levels.

The maximum load value per point without reinforcement is 30 kg/point.  

The study on Solidtex systems carried out by Tecnalia justifies the use of higher loads depending on how the partition wall is configured.   

Eccentric Loads  

These are loads that jut out from the wall or that have a large volume. The centre of gravity of the load is separated by a distance (e) from the partition on which the fixings are located, producing a leverage force on it, in addition to its own weight.  

There must be at least two fixings per element.  

Standard UNE 102043 defines maximum load values in relation to eccentricity for light loads.