June 2015
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5,787 Reads
Research was performed to establish the merits of utilizing fumed silica vacuum insulation panels (VIP) and aerogel enhanced fabrics in the construction of curtain wall spandrel areas; specifically, with the aim of considering potential performance improvements and novel esthetic possibilities. In doing so, a thermally isolated framing system adapted from plans for a commissioned building was chosen as a benchmark and detailed according to conventional practices commonly employed for unitized curtain wall construction. Spandrel assemblies incorporating this framing system with various applications of insulating materials were evaluated by the FEM (finite element method) and compared to results obtained from experimental evaluation. Respectively the software program Therm 6.3[1] and the ASTM C 1363[2] procedure were used with NFRC100 [3] environmental conditions. With regard to geometry, two unique compositions were employed for the study consisting of both a spandrel area isolated from adjacent vision areas and spandrel area with adjacent vision areas above and below the spandrel. In the latter case, both a fixed head rail and stack joint were included. The physical dimensions of the samples varied from 900mm x 1500mm to 1500mm x 2130mm (3 ft x 5 ft to 5 ft x 7 ft). The results of the work established that thermal modeling techniques can be proven to predict spandrel area thermal transmittance with reasonable accuracy when compared to an accepted industry test standard. Furthermore, the merits of the innovating the insulation technologies proposed are addressed quantitatively and the results are projected for a range of typical curtain wall assemblies.