Assessment of the application efficiency of recycling materials in thermal insulations

Abstract

The author of the paper presents the practical, environmental and economical results of research studies carried out on a building component used for thermal insulation in horizontal partitions and in for other applications. The said building component is a flexible plate based on recycling materials, which for the case investigated in this paper is Styrofoam regranulate (the said development has been registered as industrial pattern issued for the Silesian University of Technology: Flexible insulation plate No 23621). The scope of the research studies comprised in-situ measurements of temperature and humidity in the layers of the ventilated flat roof insulated with the said plates. For comparison, a part of the roof has been insulated with a standard insulation material, commonly used, such as mineral wool (parameters are similar to the flexible plate made of Styrofoam granulate). In the course of the studies, the parameters of the internal and external environments were recorded (humidity and temperature). Having completed the measurements, numerical analyses were carried out, using the measured parameters of the environment. In the final part of the paper, selected results of the research studies and modeling were presented. The subject involving the application of recycling materials presented in this paper is a part of a larger research cycle carried out by the author. It involves the use of waste materials and their further reapplication in the production of insulation products.