Effect of Polyurethane Foam addition on Thermal Conductivity of Concrete

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume V, Issue VII, July 2018 | ISSN 2321–2705

Effect of Polyurethane Foam addition on Thermal Conductivity of Concrete

Sachin Lanjekar¹, Sambhaji Kadam²

^1,2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, DYPSOEA, Ambi, Maharashtra, India

Abstract—To improve thermal comfort in building and save energy, it is important to use high performance materials with good thermal insulation. The major objective of this study is to determine effect of Polyurethane Foam addition on thermal conductivity and compressive Strength of concrete. Polyurethane is an insulating material having thermal conductivity 0.018W/mk. The mix Design of M20 grade concrete was prepared by adding 0%, 0.1%, 0.25%, 0.5% liquid polyurethane foam by total weight of concrete and followed by curing in water for 7, 14, 28 days. The test results shows that there was decrease in thermal conductivity from 0.993W/mk to 0.842W/mk due to insulating effect of polyurethane foam. Decrease in density due to porosity and air pores present in concrete results in reduction in thermal conductivity. Also compressive strength decreases with addition of polyurethane foam. M20 grade concrete with 0.25% addition of polyurethane foam having 0.89W/mk thermal conductivity and 20.31N/mm2 compressive strength shows good results from thermal and design point of view.

Keywords—Polyurethane Foam, Thermal Conductivity, Compressive strength, Insulation, Concrete.

I. INTRODUCTION

Energy saving is important issue in the world because of both economical and environmental concern. Consumption of energy from the buildings constitutes about 33% of total consumption with about half of this lost through the walls [5]. Insulation in buildings is an important factor to achieve thermal comfort for its occupants for cold winters and warm summers in a composite climate. Insulation reduces unwanted heat loss or gain and decreases the energy demands of heating and cooling systems. The thermal insulation in walls and roofs not only contributes in reducing the required air-conditioning system size but also in reducing the annual energy cost in buildings. Thermal conductivity of concrete range from 2.15 to 2.51 kcal/mh0c according to different aggregates used. Thermal conductivity of concrete greatly affected by Mix design, aggregate types, as well as moisture status and unit weight in dry state [12]. If the thermal conductivity of concrete is further reduced heat loss will be decreases and hence many researchers are seeking to produce such materials.

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