Thermal Performance of Load-Bearing, Lightweight, Steel-Framed Partition Walls Using Thermal Break Strips: A Parametric Study

Paulo Santos (), Paulo Lopes and David Abrantes
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Paulo Santos: ISISE, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Coimbra, 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal
Paulo Lopes: ISISE, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Coimbra, 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal
David Abrantes: ISISE, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Coimbra, 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 24, 1-16

Abstract: Thermal bridges are a very relevant issue for lightweight steel-framed (LSF) construction systems given the high thermal conductivity of steel, which can negatively compromise their thermal behaviour, reduce their durability, and decrease the building energy efficiency. Several thermal bridge mitigation strategies exist, including the attachment of thermal break strips (TBS) to the steel studs’ flanges as one of the most widely employed techniques. In this research, the relevance of TBS to the thermal performance improvement of load-bearing LSF partition walls was assessed by performing a parametric study, making use of a validated 2D numerical model. A sensitivity analysis was performed for five different key parameters, and their importance was evaluated. The assessed parameters included the number of TBS and their thickness, width, and thermal conductivity, as well as the vertical steel stud spacing. We found that these parameters were all relevant. Moreover, regardless of the TBS thermal conductivity, it is always worth increasing their thickness. However, the increase in the TBS width does not always lead to increased thermal resistance; a thermal performance reduction was noted when increasing the width of the TBS at higher thermal conductivities. Therefore, it was concluded that it is more efficient to increase TBS thickness than their width.

Keywords: thermal performance; lightweight steel framed; partition walls; thermal break strips; parametric study; cross-section dimensions; thermal conductivity; stud spacing; number (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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