Analysis of the Occurrence of Thermal Bridges in Several Variants of Connections of the Wall and the Ground Floor in Construction Technology with the Use of a Hemp–Lime Composite

• Main Authors: Przemysław Brzyski, Magdalena Grudzińska, Dariusz Majerek
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-07-01
• Series: Materials
• Subjects: hemp–lime; building partition; thermal bridge; thermal transmittance; thermal conductivity; condensation
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/12/15/2392

This article analyses the connection of the two types of floors on the ground (floors on joists and self-supporting floors), with the external wall made of a hemp−lime composite for the occurrence of thermal bridges. Several factors that may affect the heat transfer in the junction were taken into account: the level of the floor on the ground, the wall thickness, the thermal conductivity of the composite, and the location of the timber frame construction. The technology of using hemp and lime is relatively new, and there is a lack of such analyses in the literature. The two-dimensional (2D) heat-transfer in the described construction joints was analyzed based on the finite-element method with the use of the THERM 7.4 software. The results were presented as averaged and linear thermal transmittance coefficients dependent on the above mentioned factors. The possibility of surface condensation was also checked. The differences in the values of the thermal transmittance of the junction between the two variants of ground floors reached around 0.13%−1.67% and the values of linear thermal transmittance factor reached approximately 2.43%−10.13%. The junctions with the highest floor level showed a decrease in the thermal transmittance value by about 3.00%−5.77% and in the linear thermal transmittance, by about 21.98%−53.83%, compared to the junctions with the lowest floor level. Calculations showed that almost all analyzed junctions are free from surface condensation causing mould growth, because the minimum temperature factors f_0.25 were higher than 0.78 (except for junctions with the lowered floor levels). The junction with a floor on the timber joists showed better thermal parameters than the junction with a self-supporting floor in each of the analyzed variants. By increasing the level of floor insulation, it is possible to limit the thermal bridges and improve the thermal properties of the junction.