Contribution of numerical thermal simulation of masonry to the global objective of buildings energy efficiency

Abstract

The challenge of reduce energy consumption in buildings is fundamental for the near future, considering the impact of buildings in the overall energy needs. Buildings enclosure is a constructive element with a high impact on buildings thermal behavior. Masonry is yet the most popular and used solution to produce buildings external walls. Consequently, the improvement of the thermal resistance of those walls is fundamental. The masonry materials industry, including masonry units, mortars, insulation and finishes is very concerned about this problem, which is complex because there are several constraints namely the wall thickness, enough mechanical resistance and the price. The development of new materials and systems must be very well supported for a good level of knowledge of its behavior, including thermal. Experimental testing in laboratory conditions is expensive for several characteristics and numerical simulations based on the 2D or 3D finite element models are implemented. In this paper a numerical sensibility analysis of the thermal performance of a new masonry system is presented. This analysis was applied to a lightweight concrete masonry system tested in laboratory in order to evaluate the influence of the thermal properties of the constituent materials. The numerical simulations are based on 3D FE model. The main results are presented and discussed.