Jacketing applied over mechanical insulation can serve several purposes. Regardless of the type of jacketing and insulation, jacketing is used to ensure both the short-term and long-term performance of the insulation in the particular application. Assuming the jacketing is specified, manufactured, supplied, and installed correctly, over time it will only perform as designed if properly maintained.
Several types of jacketing are used on mechanical insulation materials, including all service jacket (ASJ), foil-scrim-kraft (FSK), sheet metal such as aluminum, metal foil, various types of thin plastic, synthetic rubber laminates with pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA), metal foil with PSA, multi-ply laminates with PSA, and fabrics with mastics and adhesives. The integrity of the jacketing is critical to the insulation’s performance, whether the insulation is applied to air handling ducts, pipes, or equipment—indoors or outdoors—and whether the system operates at above-ambient or below-ambient temperature. This is why maintenance of the jacketing is so important. Since maintenance decisions generally are made by facility owners (who set budgets), jacket maintenance can be made a priority for insulation maintenance workers.
If you're interested in learning more about how to design a highly effective insulation and jacketing system that can inhibit CUI, we encourage you to sign up for our live webinar, "Combat CUI: How to Combine Insulation & Jacketing to Inhibit Corrosion." Click here to register.