Abediniangerabi, B; Shahandashti, M and Makhmalbaf, A (2021) Coupled transient heat and moisture transfer investigation of facade panel connections. Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, 19(3), pp. 758-777. ISSN 1726-0531
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of panel connections on the hygrothermal performance of facade panels using a coupled, transient heat and moisture transfer analysis. A coupled, transient heat and moisture transfer analysis has been conducted to investigate the effect of panel connections in the hygrothermal behavior of facade panels. Governing partial differential equations for the coupled heat and moisture transfer were formulated. Four panel connections proposed by pre-cast/pre-stressed concrete institute were modeled for the ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete facade panel as illustrations and a finite element method was used to solve the numerical models. The results of heat transfer analysis showed that steel connections could significantly reduce the thermal resistivity of facade panels by converging heat fluxes and acting as thermal bridges within facade panels. The results also showed that the maximum heat flux in the steel connector of the panel to foundation connection was 10 times higher compared to the other connections. Also, the results of moisture transfer showed that air gaps between the panels had higher moisture flux compared to the other layers in the models. The results show the significant importance of panel connections in the energy performance analysis of facade systems. They also highlight the importance of devising novel connection designs and materials that consider the transient, coupled heat and moisture transfer in the connections to effectively exploit the potential opportunities provided by innovative facade systems to improve building energy efficiency. This paper, for the first time, investigates the effect of panel connections in the hygrothermal performance of building facade systems using a coupled, transient heat and moisture transfer analysis.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | heat transfer; moisture transfer; performance; reinforced concrete; efficiency; energy efficiency; energy performance |
| Index terms: | energy efficiency, efficiency, finite element method, numerical model, investigation, panel connection, thermal bridge, partial differential equation, energy performance, air gap, hygrothermal performance, reinforced concrete, moisture transfer, fibre-reinforced concrete |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, mathematical modelling, building materials, modelling and simulation, sustainability and energy, energy systems, structural engineering, performance management, material properties and characteristics, engineering analysis, thermal systems, environmental engineering |
| Topics: | Engineering Principles, Construction Materials, Research Practice, Sustainability, Quality Management, Design Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCA |
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