Fire performance of modular wall panels: Numerical analysis

Perera, Dilini; Poologanathan, Keerthan; Gatheeshgar, Perampalam; Upasiri, Irindu; Sherlock, P.; Rajanayagam, Heshachanaa; Nagaratnam, Brabha

doi:10.1016/j.istruc.2021.06.111

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Those results were utilized in this study in order to validate the developed models. Twelve (12) wall geometries were modelled, (as shown in Figure 4 and Table 4) to validate the model. The comparison of the U-value results of the developed FE model with the previous literature results is shown in Figure 5.…”

Section: Fe Model Development and Validationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most popular thermal insulation material used in LSF wall construction is mineral wool, which is usually sandwiched between the steel studs. Since it is an incombustible material, it also provides LSF components with enhanced fire protection [10][11][12]. Another common building technique for thermal insulation is the use of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) with an External Thermal Insulation Composite System (ETICS).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Enhancing Energy Efficiency of Cold‐formed Steel Framed Walls with Vacuum Insulation Panels

Rajanayagam,

Upasiri,

Poologanathan

et al. 2023

ce papers

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In the current evolving building construction sector, the use of cold‐formed steel frames (CSF) has gained popularity due to their fast, clean, and flexible constructability. On the other side, in terms of the energy efficiency of a building, the use of CSF has raised concerns due to their high thermal conductivity, especially in the case of external wall panels. Hence, it is crucial to examine the thermal performance of such wall configurations and find solutions to reduce heat loss through walls by lowering the thermal transmittance, which would ultimately enhance the energy efficiency of the buildings. Accordingly, this study focuses on analysing the thermal performance of external wall panels made of cold‐formed and thin‐walled steel‐lipped channel studs with plasterboard linings and vacuum insulation panels (VIP). 2D and 3D finite element models developed in ABAQUS were used to analyse the effect of using VIP, oriented strand board and plasterboard, and their positions on the thermal transmittance of the CSF walls. 70 numerical analyses were conducted on 35 wall configurations and the results obtained were checked against the U‐value requirements set by UK building standards. It was found that replacing oriented strand boards with plasterboards does not substantially affect the thermal transmittance of the wall. However, adopting VIP as an insulation material has shown a U‐value reduction of up to 77%. But again, the change in position of VIP in the wall cross section has no notable effect on the U‐value.

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Section: Fe Model Development and Validationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing Energy Efficiency of Cold‐formed Steel Framed Walls with Vacuum Insulation Panels

Rajanayagam,

Upasiri,

Poologanathan

et al. 2023

ce papers

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“…Integrity criteria evaluate whether the hot gas or fire flame is penetrated to the unexposed surface through cracks propagated during the fire exposure. Load-bearing criteria evaluate the load-carrying capacity of the structural member during fire exposure (Perera et al ., 2021, 2022; Suntharalingam et al ., 2021a, 2021b; Upasiri et al ., 2020, 2021a, 2021b). Material properties of the structural member are required to evaluate the fire performance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Material properties of the structural member are required to evaluate the fire performance. These material properties are temperature-dependent for most materials (Perera et al ., 2021; Suntharalingam et al ., 2021b; Upasiri et al ., 2020, 2021c). Among these properties, thermal conductivity, specific heat and material density are more critical since heat transfer through the material is governed by these properties.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fire performance of a structure is an essential feature since fire damage could cause severe disasters (Perera et al ., 2021, 2022; Suntharalingam et al ., 2021a; Upasiri et al ., 2021a; European Committee for Standardisation, 1992). Structural member undergoes a temperature variation of ambient to 1,200 °C during fire exposure; therefore, adequate measures should be taken during the design, construction and maintenance stage of the structure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Determination of elevated temperature material properties by ANN-based FE model

Upasiri

Konthesingha

Nanayakkara

et al. 2023

JSFE

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PurposeElevated temperature material properties are essential in predicting structural member's behavior in high-temperature exposures such as fire. Even though experimental methodologies are available to determine these properties, advanced equipment with high costs is required to perform those tests. Therefore, performing those experiments frequently is not feasible, and the development of numerical techniques is beneficial. A numerical technique is proposed in this study to determine the temperature-dependent thermal properties of the material using the fire test results based on the Artificial Neural Network (ANN)-based Finite Element (FE) model.Design/methodology/approachAn ANN-based FE model was developed in the Matlab program to determine the elevated temperature thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity and the product of specific heat and density of a material. The temperature distribution obtained from fire tests is fed to the ANN-based FE model and material properties are predicted to match the temperature distribution.FindingsElevated temperature thermal properties of normal-weight concrete (NWC), gypsum plasterboard and lightweight concrete were predicted using the developed model, and good agreement was observed with the actual material properties measured experimentally. The developed method could be utilized to determine any materials' elevated temperature material properties numerically with the adequate temperature distribution data obtained during a fire or heat transfer test.Originality/valueTemperature-dependent material properties are important in predicting the behavior of structural elements exposed to fire. This research study developed a numerical technique utilizing ANN theories to determine elevated temperature thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity and product of specific heat and density. Experimental methods are available to evaluate the material properties at high temperatures. However, these testing equipment are expensive and sophisticated; therefore, these equipment are not popular in laboratories causing a lack of high-temperature material properties for novel materials. However conducting a fire test to evaluate fire performance of any novel material is the common practice in the industry. ANN-based FE model developed in this study could utilize those fire testing results of the structural member (temperature distribution of the member throughout the fire tests) to predict the material's thermal properties.

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