Energy performance of buildings made of textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) sandwich panels

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the energy properties of buildings made of textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) sandwich panels in various humidity-climatic zones. Two configurations of sandwich panel are considered: conventional and advanced. The conventional sandwich panel consists of inner and outer 75 mm thick reinforced concrete layers with separated by a layer of insulation made of extruded 50 mm thick foam polystyrene (XPS) slabs. In the advanced design, due to the use of TRC, the thickness of interior and exterior structural layers is reduced to 40 mm (while maintaining strength), and the thickness of the heat-insulating layer increased to 120 mm. Glass plastic connectors of 10 mm diameter located in nodes of a square grid connect the structural layers. The authors applied an analytical method of research to buildings’ energy performance made of TRC sandwich panels based on the investigation of heat and moisture transfer processes in continuous heterogeneous media and analysis of energy indicators of buildings. For the purposes of this research, the element-by-element and complex assessment of building thermal protection was performed. Based on the results of this research, the main thermal advantages of these facade systems are identified. Building component thermal resistance is increased in multiple humidity-climatic zones, providing a high thermal protection level in winter compared to conventional facade systems. Building component heat absorption is increased by 34.4% (compared to conventional facade systems), excluding the risk of overheating of premises in summer. The risks of moisture condensation and deterioration of hydrothermal-protective properties of building components are minimized. The use of TRC sandwich panels allows reducing total heat loss through the building envelope by 26.5%. Simultaneously, the building’s specific thermal characteristic is decreased by 16.7%, and the energy-saving class increases to high levels. Construction with advanced facade systems, when the precast sandwich panels with structural layers from textile-reinforced concrete are used, extends the creative boundaries of architecture and allows you to solve the current problem of improving the architectural environment’s quality and conserve energy for future generations.

Keywords

• building
• façade system
• sandwich panel
• textile-reinforced concrete
• building component
• thermal conductivity
• heat absorption
• water vapour permeability
• thermal resistance
• thermal transmittance
• energy saving