Why It's Unique
- The Barracuda system can accommodate bricks of any shape or type from any brick manufacturer
So, bricks with large frogs, large core holes, numerous smaller core holes and of course 'solid' bricks etc. The bricks can be any material type, extruded, pressed or handmade.
(Our competitors are typically either a brick manufacturer or aligned to one in some way. Because of this the range of bricks offered is inherently limited or their system design will accommodate nothing other than their special, purpose extruded shape.)
- The Barracuda system can accommodate the wide range of brick size manufacturing tolerance variation
The wide range of brick size manufacturing tolerances stipulated within BS EN771-1 can be accommodated.
(Real bricks can, and often do, exhibit a very wide range of dimensional variation. Of particular relevance are variations in brick height or distortions of the brick that affect brick height. Our competitors tackle this by restricting brick choice to their more 'tightly toleranced' purpose extruded bricks (with the trade-off being artificiality of appearance) or complex cutting/regularisation.)
- The Barracuda system is easy to install
The brick slips are a simple push fit and system can be supplied with a complimentary 'pre-gauged' backing structure that further speeds accurate installation.
- The Barracuda system is highly durable
The system is 'all Stainless Steel' and actively promotes mortar joint durability. The simple 'single cut' slip retains strength and increases durability.
(The secondary grooves and rebates necessitated by our competitor's systems weaken the slip and potentially entrap water, reducing durability.)
- The Barracuda system provides exceptional performance, even in its 'temporary' un-mortared state
Traditional brickwork is of course mortared 'as it's laid'. Brick slip systems are, almost always, first fitted with brick slips and then subsequently mortared. This means that brick slip systems are often left un-mortared. Because we can never be certain when a façade might encounter extreme wind storm conditions, it is vital that a brick slip system, in its 'temporary' un-mortared state, performs safely during these conditions.
Testing of the Barracuda system demonstrates that un-mortared brick slips can withstand pull-out forces equivalent to windspeeds in excess of 200 miles per hour.
- The Barracuda system 'automatically levels' the brick slips so that the top surfaces of the brick are correctly aligned
The differential length teeth/frons bias the brick slip upwards so that its top surfaces are aligned as is the case with traditionally laid brickwork.
(Our competitors systems typically and incorrectly align the bottom surfaces of the brick slips or their 'mid-height'.)
- The Barracuda system uses the mortar to securely retain the brick slips
The mortar forms an effective 'shear key' with the lateral surfaces of the brick slip and the mortar is secured to the substructure/backing wall by the teeth/frons which project from the Barracuda profile.
(Our competitors simply use mortar as a decorative infill performing at most just a 'weatherproofing' function.)
- The Barracuda system securely retains the mortar within the joints
The mortar is 'locked' into place by enveloping the teeth/frons.
(Our competitors typically inject a very 'shallow' (in our opinion ineffectively retained) depth of mortar which (we believe) will limit long term system durability.)
- The Barracuda system uses real bricks cut into the simplest of 'slip' shapes
So, just a simple single cut.
(Our principle potential competitors (that mechanically capture the brick) need to use either complex shaped, purpose extruded bricks which are less characterful in appearance and limited in range or they require more complex cutting, incorporating additional rebates and slots.)
- Because the Barracuda system uses 'cut' slips, 'stock' bricks and 'handmade' bricks can be cut so that each brick produces two slips
This gets close to halving the cost of the brick slips.
- The Barracuda system is patented in the U.K., EU, USA, Canada and Australia