Halina Garbalińska

This paper provides an assessment on how capillary flow affects the thermal parameters of the two popular materials for the construction of walls – ceramic and silicate bricks. In order to tackle this problem, it was necessary to conduct capillary water rise tests, consisting in recording changes in the mass of the materials in question, having them put in touch with liquid water. The dependence of the mass variation in time, measured for the individual samples, was used for the determination of particular sorption coefficients. During the course of capillary action, the basic thermal parameters, i.e. the thermal conductivity coefficient and the volumetric heat capacity coefficient were measured. A 28-day simulation period was adopted. For both materials, different diversifications of the thermal parameters were identified throughout the partition thickness, with a scale changing along the duration of the capillary flow.

In this paper, the thermal dynamic characteristics of exterior walls with variant concrete solutions of load-bearing layer were analysed. The main aim of this study was to compare the amplitudes of wave fluctuations of internal temperature and internal heat flux depending on the construction material used. Calculations were made for partitions with a structural layer made from lightweight concrete composites, autoclaved aerated concrete and reinforced concrete. Very good damping properties were obtained for the partitions made of concrete composites. The obtained data suggests that such solutions provide much smaller fluctuations of temperature and heat flux in comparison to materials with low specific heat.

In modern construction there appear two parallel independent trends. On the one hand, large emphasis is put on raising durability of construction works implemented through the selection of appropriate materials with parameters tailored to the specific conditions occurring during the operation of the building. On the other hand, great importance is attributed to the problem of energy-efficient building design, which is reflected in the increasingly stringent records of existing legislation. In this paper some questions were raised concerning the both issues. The article presents the results of autoclaved aerated concrete studies, in particular, the deterioration of its strength and thermal conductivity due to moistness.