Abstract
The performance of vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) is strongly affected by several factors, such as panel thickness, design, quality of vacuum, and material type. In particular, the core materials inside VIPs significantly influence their overall performance. Despite their superior insulation performance, VIPs are limited in their widespread use as structural materials, because of their low material strength and the relatively expensive core materials. As an alternative core material that can compensate these limitations, foamed concrete, a type of lightweight concrete with very low density, can be used. In this study, two different types of foamed concrete were used as VIP core materials, with their effects on the thermal behavior of the VIPs having been evaluated using experimental and numerical methods. To confirm and generate numerical models for VIP analysis, micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) was utilized. The obtained results show that insulation effects increase effectively when panels with lightweight concrete are in a vacuum, and both foamed concrete types can be effectively used as VIP core materials.
Highlights
A vacuum Insulation Panel (VIP) is a system for thermal insulation which consists of an enclosed rigid core and a surrounding membrane
This study focuses on the effects of lightweight concrete on the insulation performance of VIPs, and the appropriate selection of material for the core part of the VIP is important
The performance of the VIPs with lightweight concrete cores were investigated using the thermal conductivity of the specimens
Summary
A vacuum Insulation Panel (VIP) is a system for thermal insulation which consists of an enclosed rigid core and a surrounding membrane. The thermal conductivity of VIPs is about 5 to 10 times lower than other insulation materials or systems [1,2]. To satisfy energy requirements in the construction field, new insulating materials with a high porosity and with reduced material densities have been developed, but further reduction in thermal conductivity is still desirable for more effective insulation [3,4,5]. While VIPs are being used in buildings for insulation purposes, there are limitations in their widespread application because of the relatively expensive insulation techniques involved, as compared to other insulations [6], such as mineral wool and foamed polystyrene [7,8]. In order to overcome price limitations, a method for reducing VIP production costs is needed
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