INFLUENCE OF DENSITY AND THICKNESS ON POLYSTYRENE INSULATED CONCRETE BLOCK WALLS

Abstract

Expanded polystyrene is known of its useful thermal properties and is widely used as an insulation material. Optimum performance depends on the design and selection of a product.   Density and thickness of polystyrene boards were investigated using two chambers built of concrete blocks.  The chambers were in the form of four block walls 20 cm in thickness, 1m by 1m size and 1m in height.   Wood boards were used in roofs. The two chambers were identical except for insulation arrangements of the blocks. One chamber was built using bricks without insulation while the other chamber involved polystyrene insulated block walls. .In order to assess the influence of density; two types of materials were considered; Wall-mate polystyrene of an average density 26 to 28 Kg/m³ and Roof-mate polystyrene of an average density of 32 to 35 Kg/m³. Boxes of 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm made of polystyrene sheets were fabricated with thicknesses of 4, 5, 8 and 10 cm. Ambient temperature and temperature inside each chamber or polystyrene box were recorded using 5TE sensors and a data logger. Hourly records through specified periods of time were logged for the insulation systems used. Temperature changes within the chambers were studied and the influence of the board thickness and material density were reported.  It was found that low-density polystyrene provides better insulation. Improvement due to a thickness of polystyrene boards was noted. The results provide a helpful guide for the specification and design works using polystyrene material.