Assessment of the Thermal Insulation Properties of Exterior Walls Made of Polystyrene Concrete Blocks in a Frame-Monolithic Building

Abstract

When constructing multi-storey buildings, the technology of frame housing construction using monolithic reinforced concrete structures is widely applied. The possibility of using single-Layer exterior walls made of polystyrene concrete blocks (PCB- blocks) in frame-monolithic buildings under the extreme conditions of the North is considered. A thermal analysis was performed using the HEAT 3 software on three different segments of enclosing structures with thermal conductive inclusions at the design outdoor temperature under construction conditions in the city of Yakutsk. Their thermal characteristics were determined. It was established that in the corner sections of exterior walls made of PCB-blocks with a reinforced concrete floor slab, the minimum temperature on the inner surface is below the dew point temperature. Field surveys of an operational building revealed air infiltration at the horizontal junctions where the PCB-block masonry adjoins the Lower surface of the reinforced concrete floor slab. A structural solution has been proposed to improve thermal insulation at the junction of the exterior wall and the floor slab.