Insulation Board Research Articles

Study on Thermal Insulation Measures for Construction of Reinforcement Sleeve Grouting Connection in Winter

<p>In this paper, the feasibility of winter construction of steel sleeve grouting connection is studied, and two technical schemes of thermal insulation measures for winter construction are provided. This paper mainly introduces the experimental research work of sleeve grouting by simulating winter construction, including test scheme, test operation flow, test equipment and test data collection and analysis. It is concluded that the thermal insulation measures of prefabricated wall panel covering electric heating blanket, XPS insulation board and sleeve outer wall winding electric companion heat preservation are feasible. Finally, according to the actual project case to verify the feasibility of thermal insulation measures, so that the project can progress smoothly, for similar projects in winter construction to provide reference and reference.</p>

Temperature-Dependent Thermal Performance of Closed-Cell Foam Insulation Board in Roof Constructions

Abstract Thermal performance of an insulation material is influenced by the in-service temperature condition. Unlike most other insulation materials, thermal resistance (R-value) of polyisocyanurat...

Effect of resin content on the physiochemical and combustion properties of wood fiber insulation board

As petrochemical products (including plastics) contribute to the destruction of the natural environment, the use of such products must be reduced. Plastics account for 90% of the insulation materials used in Korea, including extruded polystyrene (EPS), expanded polystyrene (XPS), and urethane foam. Wood-fiber insulation board (WIB) is a promising natural alternative to petrochemical insulation. This study aimed to determine the optimal amount of adhesive resin required for manufacturing WIB. Fire-resistant WIB was prepared with a melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) resin (ranging from 20% to 35%), and the physicochemical and fire-resistant properties were determined. Higher resin content led to improved physical properties, while the thermal conductivity was unaffected. With the exception of 35% resin content in the WIB, the formaldehyde emissions of the WIB samples complied with the Korean Industrial Standards requirements for Super E0 grade (less than 0.3 mg per L). The physicochemical properties of the WIB samples were sufficient for use as an insulating material, even at 20% resin content. A perpendicular flame test revealed that all samples formed a carbonized layer to prevent flame penetration, except for the specimen with 20% of the resin content. The cone calorimeter testing indicated that the MUF adhesives acted as an effective fire retardant at resin contents above 25%.

Prediction of mechanical properties of wood fiber insulation boards as a function of machine and process parameters by random forest

In this case study, machine and process variables were extracted from the process control system (Prod-IQ) and combined with tested mechanical properties of wood fiber insulation boards according to product type and time of manufacture. The boards were taken from the production line (dry process), and the internal bond strength (σmt) and the compressive strength at 10% deformation (σ10) were determined according to the European Standard EN 826 and 1607. The complete data set was preprocessed and split into training and test sets using k-fold cross-validation. The performance of the random forest algorithm (RF) was evaluated with the correlation coefficient (R), the coefficient of determination (R2), root-mean-square error (RMSE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and compared with artificial neural networks (ANN) and support vector machines (SVM). Forward feature selection was used to reduce input dimensionality and improve the generalizability of the algorithms. All machine learning algorithms predicted the mechanical properties with high accuracy, but the RF algorithm revealed the best generalization performance (σmt: R = 0.960, R2= 0.916, RMSE = 4.05, MAPE = 12.11; σ10: R = 0.981, R2= 0.963, RMSE = 17.19, MAPE = 5.64). This work demonstrates that machine learning can be applied to predict relevant properties of wood fiber boards for an improved quality control in real time.

Sound-Absorption Coefficient of Bark-Based Insulation Panels

The objective of this study was to investigate the sound absorption coefficient of bark-based insulation panels made of softwood barks Spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) and Larch (Larix decidua Mill.) by means of impedance tube, with a frequency range between 125 and 4000 Hz. The highest efficiency of sound absorption was recorded for spruce bark-based insulation boards bonded with urea-formaldehyde resin, at a level of 1000 and 2000 Hz. The potential of noise reduction of larch bark-based panels glued with tannin-based adhesive covers the same frequency interval. The experimental results show that softwood bark, an underrated material, can substitute expensive materials that involve more grey energy in sound insulation applications. Compared with wood-based composites, the engineered spruce bark (with coarse-grained and fine-grained particles) can absorb the sound even better than MDF, particleboard or OSB. Therefore, the sound absorption coefficient values strengthen the application of insulation panels based on tree bark as structural elements for the noise reduction in residential buildings, and concurrently they open the new ways for a deeper research in this field.

The Influence of Different Facings of Polyisocyanurate Boards on Heat Transfer through the Wall Corners of Insulated Buildings

Polyisocyanurate (PIR) thermal insulation boards faced with carboard, plastic, aluminum, or multilayer facings are used for thermal insulation of buildings. Facing materials are selected according to the conditions of use of PIR products. At the corners of the building where these products are joined, facings can be in the direction of the heat flux movement and significantly increase heat transfer through the linear thermal bridge formed in the connection of PIR boards with facing of both walls. Analyzing the installation of PIR thermal insulation products on the walls of a building, the structural schemes of linear thermal bridges were created, numerical calculations of the heat transfer coefficients of the linear thermal bridges were performed, and the influence of various facings on the heat transfer through the thermal bridge was evaluated. Furthermore, an experimental measurement using a heat flow meter apparatus was performed in order to confirm the results obtained by numerical calculation. This study provides more understanding concerning the necessity to evaluate the impact of different thermal conductivity facings on the heat transfer through corners of buildings insulated with PIR boards.

Use of Mineral Flame Retardants to Reduce the Combustibility of Thermal Insulating Board Composites from Plant Waste

Thermal insulation boards from unused spinning waste of linen and cotton fibers and soft wood waste have increased combustibility, like all composites with plant filler without mineral binders. To increase the fire protection of composites with plant filler, the use of flame retardants is necessary. The introduction of the composition of mineral combustion inhibitors - sodium carbonate or aluminum trihydrate allowed to reduce the combustibility of the material. The degree of damage by weight during combustion in the “ceramic box” of material samples from unused waste from the production of cotton and linen fibers and wood chips decreased by 1.3 … 3.2 times depending on the type and proportion of flame retardant additives and the type of plant filler.

Compressive Properties of Expanded Perlite Based Particulate Composite for the Application in Building Insulation Board

In this paper, expanded perlite based particulate composites for the application in building insulation board are studied for compressive behaviour. Composites with a density range from 0.452 to 0.640 g/cm3 are manufactured using floatation method by varying binder content (sodium silicate solution and corn starch as binder) and the degree of compaction. Compressive strength and modulus are investigated based on two manufacturing parameters (i.e. Compaction ratio and Water/SSS ratio) and the density of the composites. Compressive strength and modulus were found to be linearly dependent on the density however the trend for compressive strength and modulus were found to be different. The change of compressive modulus with respect to increasing density is found to be different for different compaction ratio which is not significant in the case of compressive strength. The range of specific compressive strength of the composites from 4.27 to 5.08 MPa/(g/cm3) was found to be suitable for the building insulation board application when compared with existing literature.

Heat Leakage Numerical Investigation of a Compound Parabolic Concentrator-Pulsating Heat Pipe Solar Collector

As a new type of equipment for solar medium temperature utilization, the compound parabolic concentrator-pulsating heat pipe solar collector (CPC-PHPSC) uses pulsating heat pipe (PHP) as an endotherm, which can realize efficient energy conversion. The design of proper concentration ratio of compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) ensures that the incident sunlight can be concentrated on the evaporator section surface of PHP without solar tracking system. The objective of the present work is to study the influence of solar radiation intensity, air speed, material thickness (glass and insulation board) and tilt angle on the thermal performance of the new collector, which is difficult to control in the experiment. The heat leakage process and characteristics of the CPC-PHPSC were numerically studied by establishing a 3D numerical model of the collector unit. The results show that the theoretical collector efficiency of CPC-PHPSC reaches 74.5%, which is consistent with the experimental results. During operation, the heat collection performance is the best when the tilt angle is 45° and the solar radiation intensity is 1000 W/m2, while the excessive air speed will increase the convective heat loss. Increasing the thickness of insulation board and glass has little effect on the collector efficiency.

Thermal and acoustic insulation boards from microalgae biomass, poly-β-hydroxybutyrate and glass wool

Among the many functions that a building material needs to have, its insulation functions stand out. This type of materials acts by decreasing the conduction of heat/sound in to the environment. In this context, bio-insulations have been receiving an increasing attention due to its performance and the use of sustainable/naturals insulation materials. This study was conducted to evaluate the thermal and acoustic performance of bio-based boards made from the biomass of Spirulina, bacterial poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), and glass wool. The boards were manufactured under heated compression in different proportions: 33.33% glass wool, 33.33% PHB, and 33.33% Spirulina biomass (Board A); 20% glass wool, 40% PHB, and 40% Spirulina (Board B); 40% glass wool, 40% PHB, and 20% Spirulina (Board C); and 40% glass wool, 20% PHB, and 40% Spirulina (Board D). Boards A and B showed lower thermal conductivity (0.09 W m-1 K-1) compared to traditional insulating materials, such as gypsum neat (0.44 W m-1 K-1) and Kaolin insulating firebrick (0.08–0.19 W m-1 K-1). Board D showed the highest sound absorption coefficient of ~1600 Hz compared to other bio-based insulators at the same frequency, such as polypropylene based non-woven fiber and tea-leaf-fiber with the same thickness. For the noise reduction coefficient, board B showed better results than concrete. Thus, boards A and B are suitable as thermal insulators, while boards B and D are suitable as sound insulators. For simultaneous application as a thermal and sound insulator, board B is the best choice among all boards.

Isı Yalıtım Sektöründe Maliyet Muhasebesi Uygulaması ve Bir Alan Çalışması

The rapid consumption of energy resources has shown the necessity to use energy in an efficient way. The fact that energy saving can be achieved in the buildings with heat insulation applications makes the production of heat insulation materials important. This study was conducted to evaluate the cost system of the enterprise by providing information about theproduction process and costs of XPS heat insulation boards. This study was carried out in a company which produces Extruded Polystyrene Foam (XPS) thermal insulation board in Kahramanmaras.The production process of the XPS heat insulation board has been tried to be observed in detail and also information has been obtained with the authorized persons. In addition, people in the accounting department were been interviewed and the current cost system was examined. Also the cost system applied in the enterprise and the practices carried out were examined and some shortcomings were identified and suggestions were made to eliminate these deficiencies.

Manufacturing medium-density fiberboards and wood fiber insulation boards using a blood albumin adhesive on a pilot scale

An albumin adhesive derived from animal blood was used for the first time for the production of two kinds of fiberboard in a dry process: medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and wood fiber insulation board (WFI). Additionally, the curing for WFI was completed using an innovative hot-air/hot-steam (HA/HS) process. There is a general importance to develop alternatives to substitute common binding agents, such as urea-formaldehyde (UF) or polymeric methylene diphenylene diisocyanate (pMDI) resins, and to develop value-added opportunities for such waste material from slaughterhouses. An adhesive analysis was performed to understand the curing reaction of these protein adhesives, which showed good properties in regards to viscosity or gel time. The physical-mechanical results showed on the one hand that the albumin adhesive could compete with UF-bonded MDF regarding tensile strength and modulus of rupture in conformity to the European Standard, but it failed to meet requirements for thickness swelling. The albumin adhesive also can compete with pMDI bonded WFI regarding tensile and compression strength, but it showed non-viable results for short-term water absorption.

Study on Water Absorption and Thermal Conductivity of Tunnel Insulation Materials in a Cold Region under Freeze‐Thaw Conditions

A thermal insulation layer is often deposited on the lining structure of tunnels in cold regions to solve the problem of frost damage. When the air humidity in the tunnel becomes excessively high, the thermal insulation material tends to absorb water, leading to significant changes in thermal conductivity. Moreover, the temperature differences between the day and night cycles have been observed to be significant in portal sections of cold region tunnels, which facilitate the freeze‐thaw cycle and, consequently, deteriorate the performance of the thermal insulation material. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the changes in the water absorption, thermal conductivity, and microstructure of polyurethane and polyphenolic insulation boards under freeze‐thaw conditions. To this end, an indoor water absorption test was conducted for both the insulation boards till they were saturated, which then underwent a freeze‐thaw cycle test. It was determined that the water absorption and thermal conductivities of these boards increased linearly with the number of freeze‐thaw cycles. In order to explore the change of thermal conductivity of thermal insulation materials after moisture absorption, this study provides insights into the relationship between the thermal conductivities and water contents of tunnel insulation materials under normal and freezing temperatures.

Thermal bridge effect of vertical diagonal tie connectors in precast concrete sandwich panels: an experimental and computational study

The purpose of this work was to quantify the thermal bridge effect of vertical diagonal tie connectors in precast concrete sandwich panels (PCSPs). Special interest was in cases where the use of rigid insulation (e.g. PIR) would leave air gaps between insulation boards and diagonal ties, thus intensifying the thermal bridge. A climate chamber experiment using 5 different joint types was performed to gather reference data for CFD model validation. In the experiment, natural convection was observed in joints where no additional insulation was used, i.e. in air cavities. Significantly larger heat fluxes were measured in these cavities compared to insulated joints. The thermal bridging effect was evaluated for a typical PCSP (thermal transmittance without thermal bridges U = 0.11 W/(m²·K)) using CFD software taking into account 3D heat conduction and convection. Simulation results indicate that diagonal ties without adjacent air cavities increased the average thermal transmittance (U-value) of the envelope by 8%, diagonal ties with a 6 mm air cavity – 19...33% and diagonal ties with a 10 mm air cavity – 45...56%. In conclusion, it was found that the joints in insulation caused by diagonal ties affect the overall thermal performance of the building envelope significantly when efforts are not made to fill the air cavities around the connectors.

New Aerogel Products for Construction Use: Product Specifications, Application Examples, Practical Aspects

Two new high-performance insulation materials (HPIM) for the usage in buildings are presented. We show how to use and apply the upcoming aerogel products and give examples for structural details. While both materials achieve very low lambda values due to Knudsen-Effect of aerogels, they differ clearly in other key characteristics. SLENTEX®is a slim, mechanically flexible, non-combustible aerogel mat. It is open for water vapor diffusion but water-repellent. It is suitable for applications with strict fire regulations since it is a purely mineral-based product. SLENTITE®is a homogeneous polyurethane-based aerogel insulation board without lamination or encapsulation layers and also vapor open. Its surface adheres to almost any organic or inorganic binder. It can be processed very much like conventional insulation boards. While their handling and application are very similar to other insulation materials, aerogels are however no general-purpose insulation products: due to their sophisticated production process, and thus higher price compared to conventional insulation products, HPIM are best applied as problem solvers. In well-motivated situations, e.g. where space is limited or particular aesthetic requirements apply, they offer cost effective alternatives to standard solutions.

Development of air tightness prediction method of masonry walls

Recently, the construction of external walls of various blocks, which are externally insulated with mineral wool thermal insulation layer, with ventilated air gap and external finishing (ventilated wall structures) is becoming popular for public and office buildings. These blocks are used without internal rendering because they have a good interior surface, stable dimensions, and various filling of masonry joints provide an attractive architectural appearance. This reduces the cost and duration of construction work, however, problems with airtightness of such walls often occur. The air can penetrate through blocks or their joints, and the thermal insulation and wind protection layer does not usually provide the required air tightness of the wall. Currently, there are no standard methods to predict the air tightness of such wall, in practice, samples of particular walls are produced and their air permeability is measured at the laboratories. This is a costly job, which is only suitable for a combination of particular building materials. For the broader use of results of laboratory air permeability measurements, a methodology has been developed to predict the air permeability of block masonry walls using experimentally determined air flow resistances of the individual layers. The masonry from blocks, made of ceramic, expanded clay and aerated concrete with various joints, were used for the research; mineral wool boards of various air permeability were used for thermal insulation and wind protection layer. After measuring the air resistance of masonry units, thermal insulation and wind protection boards, the air flow resistances of the walls of different construction were calculated. The comparison of calculated and measured air permeability of wall samples showed that in cases where the nature of air movement (laminar to turbulent) through a single material remains similar with the nature of air movement through the product incorporated in the structure, the calculation and measurement data differ no more than 12-15%. In structures with building products with very different air permeability properties, especially at high thicknesses of air permeable thermal insulation products, air movement parameters change occurs and calculated and measured results have larger differences.

Numerical and real-life assessment of the moisture safety of CLT structure with PIR insulation composite under the Swedish climate

The building industry is a major contributor of CO2 emission. Wood construction is a good option for carbon storage among various construction alternatives. Considering the growing market of multi-story wooden building in Sweden, CLT (cross laminated timber) structure with an alternative insulation composite with PIR insulation and MgO board was proposed. In order to prove the applicability of this construction for moisture safety, the hygrothermal performance of the wall was measured in real life at HSB Living Lab (Gothenburg, Sweden) throughout 2019. Furthermore, a numerical model to analyse its performance by transient heat and moisture transfer analysis was created to predict the performance of the wall system. After the successful validation of the numerical model, a parameter study was carried out to investigate the moisture risk of the wall system in the case of extensive wetting of the CLT panel and in various areas in Sweden (Gothenburg, Stockholm, Lund, Karlstad and Luleå). The study showed a low mould growth risk either in the test at the living lab or in the feasibility study. The development of the technology should further focus on the cost-effectiveness and design of all the construction details for the future market application.

Sustainable Material: Development Experiment of Bamboo Composite Through Biologically Binding Mechanism

Bamboo as stems have been widely manufactured for composite. However, fiber as the smallest constituent component of bamboo stems supporting the strength and flexibility of the plant has not been widely employed as raw material. These strong and flexible properties, coupled with easy planting treatment and fast harvesting, apparently make bamboo highly potential developed as sustainable raw material for composite. Unfortunately, the current manufacturing process of bamboo for composite by using chemical substances would have ended bamboo up as no longer environmentally friendly. By utilizing lignocellulose content within its fiber, this research studied fabrication of a novel composite boards from bamboo fibers through biologically binding mechanism by using fungal mycelium. Gigantochloa apus bamboo stems are extracted into three types: long fibers, short fibers, and powder. Then, the bamboo fibers are added with water and some additional nutritions then sterilized together. These substrates are then inoculated with mycelium seed of Ganoderma lucidum. The fibers bound together along with the growth of mycelium. The result shows that this board is potential to be used for interior purpose in building especially high rise building with high need of light-weight insulation and partition board and expected to replace the need for building components that have been made from unsustainable raw materials and methods.

Thermal insulation materials based on water hyacinth for application in sustainable buildings

The constant increase in environmental pollution and consumption of energy has prompted the construction industry to focus on thermal insulation. Non-renewable resources are commonly used for the production of thermal insulation materials. Therefore, a number of issues arise relating to the reuse or recycle of such materials. Also, a huge amount of energy is required for their production. Yet, another major issue of concern in India is the aquatic weed infestation in water bodies. Invasive weeds such as water hyacinth (WH) are posing severe environmental as well as economic issues. A potential remedy for these waste disposal and high dependence on non-renewable materials are the conversions of these aquatic weeds into sustainable construction material. The primary objective of this paper is to explore the utilization of WH petioles as a raw material resource for the production of thermal insulation material. The methodology to design the water hyacinth cement composite panel and its properties such as bulk density, water absorption, thermal conductivity, and flexural strength areincluded in this paper. The WH was collected; petioles were separated, sun-dried, milled into smaller particle sizes, and blend with a homogenous paste of cement and water. The homogenous mixture was poured into a mould and was compacted to produce the thermal insulation boards. The panel boards were made with water hyacinth particles that pass through 2.36 mm sieve. Water to water hyacinth ratio (w: WH) and the water hyacinth-cement ratio (WH: cement) used in the present work are 1.75 and 60: 40 respectively. In this paper, a comparative study between the thermal insulation materials made from WH with agro-waste based panel board and conventional thermal insulation materials are also included. This study indicates that WH biomass resources are a very good candidate for developing thermal insulation material and the correct combination of WH is absolutely comparable with conventional materials.

Mechanical Characterisation of Insulation Panels Based on Vegetable Typha Domingensis and Starch

The results show that the variation in the swelling rate of some samples analysed describes a sinusoid with values higher than those recommended by the AINSI A 208.1 1999 standard. The use of these panels in a dry environment is therefore strongly recommended. The Young's modulus of elasticity (YME) and the breaking Modulus of Rupture (MOR) of the composite materials are between 0.91 and 2.31 GPa and 5.39 and 16.43 MPa. These values meet the 1999 ANSI 208.1 standard, which requires that the YEM and MOR of insulation boards in buildings be greater than or equal to 550 MPa and 3 MPa, respectively. Deformation at break varies between 8.40 and 13.05 mm. These values explain the non-ductile behaviour of these materials. Finally, the evolution of the mechanical properties of the material (Flexural Modulus of Elasticity (FME), MOR and deformation) as a function of the binder rate and the particle size distribution indicate that the presence of starch in the small particle sizes (≤ 0.425mm) favours the increase in the rigidity of the material. The breaking strength of the material (small granulometry) is greater with starch proportions ranging from 10 to 15%. The presence of the binder in the composite, whatever the granulometry, changes the behaviour of the material by increasing its deformation at breakage. With regard to flexural behaviour, typha particles with a particle size between 0.425 mm and 1.25 mm with a binder content of 10% to 15% are therefore more ductile. With these characteristics, the formulations M1 (10% starch; 0.425 mm) and M4 (15% starch; 0.425 mm) indicate the best mechanical properties.