Abstract
The use of steel in construction is an alternative that has changed the panorama of this sector, contributing to an increase in productivity, and a reduction in waste and construction time. The Light Steel Framing (LSF) system, introduced in Brazil at the end of the 1990s, is undergoing a process of technical development and acceptance in the national civil construction market, but there are still shortcomings regarding the design, itemization and implementation of the complementary closing systems, and also regarding its thermal performance. This study employs an analytical approach that uses the isothermal planes method to calculate the resistance and thermal transmittance, and a numerical approach that uses the ANSYS software (version 15) to verify and compare these analyses. Multi-layer closures are considered, with the outer layer being made up of cement board and the inner layer of gypsum board, brokered by fiber glass insulation and air, with studs formed by C-section profiles in galvanized steel. The isothermal planes method revealed the value of 0.77 (m2.K)/W for the equivalent thermal resistance, 1.3 W/(m2.K) for the thermal transmittance, and 13.04 W/m2 for the heat conduction flux. The difference of the results when comparing the isothermal planes and numerical solution methods was 9% for thermal resistance and 8% for heat conduction flux. The obtained results showed that the heat flux is equivalent to a value around 54% greater than the heat flux value for a closure without the presence of steel profile.
Highlights
The current trend in the construction sector is towards integrated techniques that must meet numerous requirements in terms of eco-efficiency, safety, health, and comfort, without neglecting economic aspects
A vertical closure was used with an area limited to 0.045m2 to configure a simulation cell that was in accordance with the modulation of the lightweight steel frames (LSF) constructive system, in which studs are spaced at 400 mm
The calculations were carried out in ANSYS for both the Isothermal Planes method and the numerical approach according to the closure presented in Figure 1, considering a permanent heat exchange regime, one-dimensional heat conduction and a temperature gradient between the surfaces of the closure equivalent to 100C. This temperature gradient represents the thermal behavior of a closure applied to constructions that use air conditioning systems in the tropical climate of Brazil
Summary
The current trend in the construction sector is towards integrated techniques that must meet numerous requirements in terms of eco-efficiency, safety, health, and comfort, without neglecting economic aspects. From this perspective, buildings with lightweight steel frames (LSF) are attracting attention thanks to their advantages (Atsonios et al, 2018). The domestic market has signaled that this situation is changing and that the use of new technologies is the best way to enable the industrialization and rationalization of construction processes. LSF is characterized by frames of cold formed galvanized steel, which constitute a structural skeleton capable of withstanding the loads of the building and of the several inter-related components and subsystems that enable an industrialized construction (Santiago et al, 2012; Rodrigues; Caldas, 2016)
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