Introduction:
Raised floors consist of floor panels that are elevated above a solid supporting material, such as a slab foundation. They provide an under floor space for the housing of cabling, wiring, and cooling systems. Raised flooring is frequently installed in buildings where computer and telecommunications equipment are in high demand. These buildings include data centers, such as Austin, TX colocation centers. Other places where raised flooring is often needed include financial and insurance offices, national and local government offices, call centers, distribution centers, educational facilities, and retail facilities. In a data center environment, raised floors are the most efficient way to route cabling and provide adequate cooling to customer deployments.
Structural Design:
The key structural components of a raised flooring system are the floor panels, the pedestals, and the stringers. Floor panels are usually made of steel-clad particle board, an engineered wood product made from wood particles, or are made of steel with a cement-filled core. The floor panels can be easily removed to gain access to the mechanical and electrical systems that lie underneath them. Premier colocation centers in Austin use Tate ConCore 2500 tiles to build their raised floors. These concrete-filled tiles are extremely strong, capable of supporting 5,000 pounds on any single square inch. Pedestals form a gridded metal framework that provides support for the removable floor panels. The corners of every floor tile at Austin colocation centers rest on these pedestals. The stringers connect individual pedestals to one another, supplying additional support to the floor panels. Stringers support the edges of floor tiles at Austin colocation centers.
Applications:
A raised floor creates an under floor space that houses wiring and cabling for the facility. The wiring and cabling is then routed to wherever it is needed, without risking the hazards of exposed wires. The under floor space is also easily accessible for maintenance, rerouting, or upgrading with little to no disruption to the infrastructure of the colocation facility. This allows data center operators to quickly and easily respond to client changes without added costs in construction or operations. If the colocation facility’s layout is modified, the under floor cabling can be easily rerouted to fit the new layout. Raised floors in Austin colocation centers create a safe and secure place to run power and data cabling without impeding any of the other equipment in the facility.
Cooling System :
A cooling system ventilates the cabling and wiring systems housed within the under floor space. In a data center, cooling systems consume the most power. The open space in a data center creates opportunities for excess air to travel to places where it isn’t needed, causing cooling systems to work harder to prevent systems from overheating. The raised floors in Austin colocation centers allow colocation providers to prioritize efficiency and reduce cooling costs. Acenters, a three-feet-high under floor space creates a void sufficient for even air distribution throughout the facility. The cooling system distributes cold air exactly where customers need it, routing the air flow underneath the floor panels so that it can flow up directly into customer cabinets. This reduces the amount of cool air wasted and keeps data center costs low for customers.
Conclusion:
Raised flooring provides an under floor space in which a company’s wiring and cabling services can be stored safely from hazards. Raised floors allow for efficient data center cooling and prevent the hazard of exposed wires. They also make it easy to reroute wiring services to accommodate a change in layout. The raised floors in place at Austin colocation centers contribute to these facilities’ reputation as extremely efficient, reliable, and flexible data centers.
Lee Marsh writes articles about colocation services and data centers in Austin, Texas. He believes Austin colocation is a wise choice for many businesses and carefully explains the options available to companies today.