Numerical Evaluation of the Thermal Balance Index of Insulated Concrete Form Blocks (ICF) in the External Building Walls (case study: residential typology in Tehran)

Subject Areas : Energy and architecture

Shooka Khoshbakh Bahramani ¹ , Ashkan Hassani ²

1 - Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Design, Islamic Azad University, Tehran Central Branch, Tehran, Iran.
2 - دانشجو

Received: 2024-07-16 Accepted : 2024-08-24

Keywords: Insulation concrete form, concrete form block, ICF block, heat transfer simulation, heat transfer, external building wall ,

Abstract :

Introduction: One of the significant methods in the field of reducing thermal energy loss in residential buildings is to pay attention to the heat transfer capacity of building walls, which is determined based on the thermal characteristics of their layering. In many studies, the study of these walls and their layering has been done. Statement of the problem: Despite the fact that a lot of research has been done in the field of building walls and their types of materials with a heat transfer approach, insufficient attention has been paid to the thermal properties of these walls when they are designed and built with prefabricated and industrialized materials. as a lack of research and performance, which is raised as the main problem of this research. Research methodology: according to the introduction as well as the problem raised, in the current research, the focus is on the study and numerical analysis of the heat transfer characteristics of the building walls of a residential building typology example in the city of Tehran based on insulated concrete form (ICF) blocks that are different companies are designed and built. We are supposed to get a suitable answer to the problem raised through software simulation (Design Builder software) and mathematical formulation. Results: As a result of the research process based on the main problem and source studies, the characteristic of thermal balance in two separate states was extracted in insulated concrete form blocks. Then a numerical comparison was made between these two states. In the next step, a mathematical formulation was made based on the extracted results, which allows architects and building designers to pay close attention to the heat transfer of building walls (in the form of prefabricated and industrialized blocks).

References:

1. Peippo, K., P. Kauranen, and P.D. Lund, A multicomponent PCM wall optimized for passive solar heating. Energy and Buildings, 1991. 17(4): p. 259-270.
2. Kuznik, F., J. Virgone, and J. Noel, Optimization of a phase change material wallboard for building use. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2008. 28(11): p. 1291-1298.
3. Shilei, L., et al., Experimental study and evaluation of latent heat storage in phase change materials wallboards. Energy and Buildings, 2007. 39(10): p. 1088-1091.
4. Alongi, A., et al. In Situ Measurement of Wall Thermal Properties: Parametric Investigation of the Heat Flow Meter Methods through Virtual Experiments Data. Energies, 2023. 16, DOI: 10.3390/en16104247.
5. Balaji, N., M. Mani, and B. Reddy, Thermal Performance of the Building Walls. 2013.
6. Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) As Blast-Resistant Barriers, in Structures Congress 2012. p. 35-45.
7. Blast Analysis of Integrated Framing Assemblies at Openings in Insulated Concrete Form Wall Construction, in Structures Congress 2012. p. 1-11.
8. Arun Solomon, A. and G. Hemalatha, Characteristics of expanded polystyrene (EPS) and its impact on mechanical and thermal performance of insulated concrete form (ICF) system. Structures, 2020. 23: p. 204-213.
9. Mantesi, E., et al., Assessment of ICF Energy Saving Potentials in Whole Building Performance Simulation Tools. 2015.
10. Hatami, A. and G. Morcous. Job-Built Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) for Building Construction. 2011.
11. Emamjome Kashan, M., A.S. Fung, and A. Hossein Eisapour, Insulated concrete form foundation wall as solar thermal energy storage for Cold-Climate building heating system. Energy Conversion and Management: X, 2023. 19: p. 100391.
12. Mantesi, E., et al., Empirical and computational evidence for thermal mass assessment: The example of insulating concrete formwork. Energy and Buildings, 2019. 188-189: p. 314-332.
13. Arthur, J.H. and R.J. Ribando. Use of Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) Construction for Energy Conservation in Residential Construction. in ASME 2004 International Solar Energy Conference. 2004.
14. Ekrami, N., A. Garat, and A.S. Fung, Thermal Analysis of Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) Walls. Energy Procedia, 2015. 75: p. 2150-2156.
15. Saber, H., et al., Benchmarking 3D Thermal Model against Field Measurement on the Thermal Response of an Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) Wall in Cold Climate. 2010.
16. Nunes, G.H. and J.L. Miotto, THERMO-ENERGETIC PERFORMANCE OF INSULATED CONCRETE FORMS: IMPROVEMENTS IN LOW-INCOME HOUSES IN THE CLIMATE OF SÃO PAULO. HOLOS, 2022. 8(0).
17. Amiri Fard, F., A. Jafarpour, and F. Nasiri, Comparative assessment of insulated concrete wall technologies and wood-frame walls in residential buildings: a multi-criteria analysis of hygrothermal performance, cost, and environmental footprints. Advances in Building Energy Research, 2019. 15: p. 1-33.
18. Emamjome Kashan, M., A.S. Fung, and A. Hossein Eisapour, Insulated Concrete Form Foundation Wall as Solar Thermal Energy Storage for Cold-Climate Building Heating System. Energy Conversion and Management: X, 2023.
19. Mirdad, M.A.H. and Y.H. Chui, Stiffness prediction of Mass Timber Panel-Concrete (MTPC) composite connection with inclined screws and a gap. Engineering Structures, 2020. 207: p. 110215.
20. Jia, H., et al., Thermal Insulation Properties and Simulation Analysis of Foam Concrete Regulated by Mechanical and Chemical Foaming. ACS Omega, 2023. 8.
21. Fogiatto, G.H.d. Santos, and N. Mendes. Thermal transmittance evaluation of concrete hollow blocks. 2016.
22. Henrique dos Santos, G., M.A. Fogiatto, and N. Mendes, Numerical analysis of thermal transmittance of hollow concrete blocks. Journal of Building Physics, 2017. 41: p. 24 - 7.