Abstract
Insulation materials used for buildings are broadly classified as organic insulation materials or inorganic insulation materials. Foam gas is used for producing organic insulation materials. The thermal conductivity of foam gas is generally lower than that of air. As a result, foam gas is discharged over time and replaced by outside air that has relatively less thermal resistance. The gas composition ratio in air bubbles inside the insulation materials changes rapidly, causing the performance degradation of insulation materials. Such performance degradation can be classified into different stages. Stage 1 appears to have a duration of 5 years, and Stage 2 takes a period of over 10 years. In this study, two insulation materials that are most frequently used in South Korea were analyzed, focusing on the changes thermal resistance for the period of over 5000 days. The measurement result indicated that the thermal resistance of expanded polystyrene fell below the KS performance standards after about 80–150 days from its production date. After about 5000 days, its thermal resistance decreased by 25.7 % to 42.7 % in comparison with the initial thermal resistance. In the case of rigid polyurethane, a pattern of rapid performance degradation appeared about 100 days post-production, and the thermal resistance fell below the KS performance standards after about 1000 days. The thermal resistance decreased by 22.5 % to 27.4 % in comparison with the initial thermal resistance after about 5000 days.
Highlights
The insulation materials used for a building directly affect its cooling and heating load, significantly influencing energy bills throughout the building’s lifecycle
The specimens used in the experiment were Special Class and Class 1 expanded polystyrene foam, and 40 K and 50 K rigid polyurethane foam that were used as the insulation materials for buildings
The aim of this study was to understand the patterns of change of thermal properties of different insulation materials
Summary
The insulation materials used for a building directly affect its cooling and heating load, significantly influencing energy bills throughout the building’s lifecycle. Insulation is a fundamental method to reduce building energy consumption, as it directly affects the cooling/heating load and energy consumption of a building. The insulation performance of building envelope is largely determined by the thermal properties of building insulating materials. Those thermal properties include the density and thermal conductivity. Existing insulation materials are often replaced through renovation once a building has reached its life span or has been in use for a long period of time after its initial construction. The objective of this study is to investigate the thermal properties of building insulation materials according to long-term aging variation. Thermal properties of different insulation materials due to longterm aging variation will be utilized to suggest the revision of the relevant standards and specifications of building insulation materials
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