Class
Article
College
College of Engineering
Faculty Mentor
Marc Maguire
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
Advancements in material science, structural design, and construction techniques have drastically improved thermal and structural performance of concrete sandwich wall panels over the past 30 years. Recent advances have focused on reducing wythe thickness to achieve greater structural efficiency by taking advantage of composite action obtained through use of improved sandwich wall panel connectors. This often occurs at the expense of thermal efficiency, however. Conversely, strong proponents of thermal efficiency often achieve this ideal at the expense of structural efficiency since this design is most easily achieved with non-composite construction, which requires more building material. The objective of this project is to minimize heat loss at one of the most common thermal bridging locations of fully-composite sandwich wall panels (corbel connections) in an attempt to optimize both structural and thermal efficiency without sacrificing either. This project is creating and structurally testing new corbel designs that optimize thermal performance and maintain a continuous insulation so that heat loss is minimized. The findings of this project will ultimately decrease environmental impact of sandwich wall panel structures by reducing the building material required for their construction, improving sustainability, and reducing energy use and heat loss.
Location
The South Atrium
Start Date
4-12-2018 10:30 AM
End Date
4-12-2018 11:45 AM
Reducing Heat Loss in Sandwich Wall Panel Corbel Connections
The South Atrium
Advancements in material science, structural design, and construction techniques have drastically improved thermal and structural performance of concrete sandwich wall panels over the past 30 years. Recent advances have focused on reducing wythe thickness to achieve greater structural efficiency by taking advantage of composite action obtained through use of improved sandwich wall panel connectors. This often occurs at the expense of thermal efficiency, however. Conversely, strong proponents of thermal efficiency often achieve this ideal at the expense of structural efficiency since this design is most easily achieved with non-composite construction, which requires more building material. The objective of this project is to minimize heat loss at one of the most common thermal bridging locations of fully-composite sandwich wall panels (corbel connections) in an attempt to optimize both structural and thermal efficiency without sacrificing either. This project is creating and structurally testing new corbel designs that optimize thermal performance and maintain a continuous insulation so that heat loss is minimized. The findings of this project will ultimately decrease environmental impact of sandwich wall panel structures by reducing the building material required for their construction, improving sustainability, and reducing energy use and heat loss.