Application of the Finite Element Method in Determining the Reduced Heat Transfer Resistance of a Hinged Facade System in Residential Buildings

Abstract

In this paper, the energy efficiency of a ventilated facade is considered by calculating the reduced heat transfer resistance of a hinged facade system (HFS). We have approved three options for fixing the hinged ventilated facade to three types of walls of residential buildings based on the material of: monolithic reinforced concrete, aerated concrete blocks, and solid brick masonry. The choice of these wall filling materials is due to their wide application, both in new construction and in the reconstruction of existing residential buildings, both in mass development and in private housing construction. The thickness of the insulation is also selected. For the selection of insulation, and in general for the calculation of the enclosing structure, the most important factor is the appearance of a dew point. The dew point depends on the thickness and material of the wall filling, the heat and humidity regime inside the building, and climatic conditions. In this paper, research is carried out in terms of calculating the reduced heat transfer resistance of suspended ventilated facades, taking into account in homogeneities using the finite element method, as well as using the traditional method, taking into account the above factors. A comparison of these calculation methods is made and a conclusion is drawn about the expediency of taking into account point bridges of cold. Through cold bridges, energy losses occur, which leads to a change in the temperature regime in the rooms (temperature decrease) during the cold period of the year, and vice versa, to increased heating of the room during the warm period of the year, which leads to the appearance of a dew point in the wall. On a ventilated facade, the most vulnerable point is the brackets, which belong to the group of point bridges of cold. Based on the calculation results, the best wall filling was determined, which reduces the thickness of the insulation from 30 % to 50 % and reduces the specific weight of the wall structure by 1.25–2.1 times, which significantly affects the load on the building foundation.