Steel Structures Thermal Bridging

Thermal Bridging:
Chaitanya Raj Goyal

Reducing Structural Steels Impact on Building Envelope Energy Transfer

nergy efficiency is becoming an increasingly important parameter in the design of buildings. Among the many changing trends, as a result of the green revolution, is the growing popularity and demand of energy efficient and sustainable buildings which have now become the hottest trend of the decade. The energy consumed by structures accounts for a large proportion of the total global energy consumption, and of the carbon dioxide emissions which contribute to

climate change. Much of this energy is accounted for in the space heating and cooling, and forms the crux of the problem! Steel is a fully recyclable material and probably the most recycled in the world. Owing to such properties of it, each ton of recycled steel saves 2,500 pounds of iron ore and approximately 1,000 pounds of coal. Most steel utilized in the construction of steel buildings consists of 70% recycled content - in fact, the Green Building Resource Guide

gives steel framing its highest 5 icon rating making it a true green product. Appropriately provided insulation in steel construction can substantially save natural resources, energy and money. Unfortunately, steel being 300 times more thermally conductive than wood results in short circuit thermal bridging through steel framing members. But with the continuous breakthroughs in the insulation technology it has now become possible to overcome such short comings. Today, because of public

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Steel Structures Thermal Bridging

disproportionately significant heat loss." For example, it may occur when a conductive building component, such as a steel lintel, spans the gap between the inside and outside of a building, bypassing the insulation. Thermal Bridging leads to thermal losses from the building increasing CO2 emissions from the building. Condensation may also occur on the internal wall where there is a thermal bridge leading to damage to the internal decoration. Insulation standards for roofs, walls, windows and floors in the Building Regulations have increased over the years to improve efficiency by reducing heat loss. Indian Standard code 37921978 serves as the guide of heat insulation for non industrial buildings in India. Since energy costs can be high, having thermal bridging occur in a metal building can be expensive and cost prohibitive. While efforts in this area are typically focused on the mechanical, electrical and glazing systems and not the structural system, one area where structural designers can reduce energy consumption is the loss of building energy via thermal conductivity of elements that bridge across the insulation of a wall or roof enclosure of a conditioned (i.e., heated or cooled) space when the outside temperature is warmer or colder than the interior space. Reducing these bridges has become of paramount importance to us today! Fortunately, reversing thermal bridging is possible. Thermal Bridging through structural steel: How it works? concerns regarding environmental issues as well as ever increasing energy costs, studies show that consumers have become willing and prepared to ensure that their steel buildings are energyefficient. Defining a Thermal Bridge and the associated problems Thermal bridging occurs, when heat flow that occurs across more conductive components in an otherwise well-insulated assembly, results in In the early 1990s, when the steel industry made a strong play to bring light-gauge steel framing to residential construction, it was met, understandably, by strong resistance from the lumber manufacturers, framing trades and tradition- oriented home builders who were concerned about performance and warranty. At the time, one of the most commonly expressed concerns by structural engineers debating the issue was the problem of thermal bridging. Structural steel elements are integral

An infrared thermal image of a steel-framed brick building reveals heat loss at the bright yellow lines corresponding to the locations of the relieving angles.

to the building envelope or building enclosure. Accordingly, designers need to have a basic knowledge of how envelopes work, especially the thermal impact of steel elements penetrating the envelope. As everyone knows, steel is a pretty good conductor of heat. Its R-value is incredibly low, and while it has traditionally been believed that the area of a wall or ceiling bridged by steel is so small that the overall loss of heat is relatively minor, recent research has shown that's not true for either of lightgauge steel framing or structural steel framing. According to one source, if the bridging of steel in a wall is equal to less than one-tenth or 1 percent of the total wall area, it will allow more heat to flow through that small surface area than the entire rest of the wall. Research

Window steel frame acts as a thermal bridge

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Steel Structures Thermal Bridging

Thermal-bridge

institutions looked at thermal bridging in light-gauge steel framing and discovered the thermal bridging through steel framing can reduce a walls thermal performance by 55 percent. Conduction, Convection and Radiation are the three ways in which a heat transfer can occur through a building envelope. Convection is the transport of heat energy in air that flows through the envelope. This can be a significant source of building energy loss if the envelope does not have an effective air barrier system in the envelope. Radiation is responsible for very little heat transfer across the envelope, but radiation on the exterior surface of a building in the form of solar gain, or heat loss on a cold, clear night can be very significant. But Conduction, the flow of heat through materials is responsible for the majority of the heat flow through almost all functional building envelopes, and is the primary concern in terms of thermal bridging. Resisting conductive heat flow is usually accomplished by the use of insulation materials. Repeating, Non repeating and Geometrical thermal bridges are types of classification of these bridges. Repeating thermal bridges usually follow a regular pattern and are evenly distributed over an area of the thermal envelope. Typical examples include: Ceiling joists in cold pitched roofs that

are insulated at ceiling level; ground floor joists in an insulated suspended timber ground floor; Timber studwork and I-beams in timber frame construction; Mortar joints in an insulating block inner leaf and steel wall ties in masonry cavity external wall construction. Non-repeating thermal bridges are intermittent and occur at a specific point in the construction. They are often caused by discontinuities in the thermal envelope. These discontinuities may be a result of the construction method used or may be due to changes in materials over the thermal envelope. They commonly occur around openings and other instances where materials of different thermal conductivities form part of the external envelope. Typical examples include: Around windows, doors and roof lights; around loft hatches; where internal walls or floors penetrate the thermal envelope and where steel I-beams have been used to support timber roofs. Geometrical thermal bridges, as the name suggests, are a result of the geometry (or shape) of the thermal envelope. They can be 2-dimensional (where 2 planes intersect) or 3-

dimensional (where 3 or more planes intersect). The occurrence of geometric thermal bridging is likely to increase the more complex the building geometry. Typical examples include: At the corner of an external wall; at wall/floor junctions; Junctions between windows, doors and walls, and Junctions between adjacent walls. Serial vs. Parallel Conductive Heat Paths - Conductive heat flow through a building envelope assembly, such as a wall, can occur either in series or parallel, similar to the flow of electricity. In a series heat path, heat moves progressively through one material, then the next, and so on. Series heat flows occur when the building materials are layers in adjacent planes like a sandwich: for example, a Wythe of brick, then a layer of rigid insulation, then another Wythe of block in a wall assembly. For such systems, the total R-value of the assembly can be determined by simply adding the Rvalues of the individual layers, times their thickness. A parallel heat path occurs when a plane of material is interrupted, or bridged, by another material that has different thermal properties. For example, a steel plate passing through a layer of rigid insulation forms a parallel heat path. Parallel heat paths are more complicated to evaluate than a series path. Breaking the Bridge Sometimes structural steel elements are required to penetrate the insulated envelope (e.g. canopies and roof members) or be fixed to other steel components, such as balcony brackets and brick support units. These areas require careful consideration. There are three fundamental ways of reducing thermal bridging in steel construction: Eliminate the thermal bridge by keeping the steelwork within the insulated envelope; locally insulate any steelwork that penetrates the envelope; reduce the thermal transmittance of the thermal bridge by using thermal breaks, changing the detailing or by including alternative materials. Some examples include

Applying a thermal break

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Macmillan Insulations India Pvt. Ltd.

Steel Structures Thermal Bridging

paper facing is commonly used for batt insulation and works well for increasing the permeability rating on vapor infiltration. The importance of facing extends beyond just moisture control and heat conductivity. Perhaps one of the facings that is getting the most attention in continuous insulation is foil facing, which is used as a radiant barrier, predominantly in cool roof applications. Radiant barriers are necessary primarily in hot climates where direct sunlight strikes a surface and heats it. A radiant barrier reduces the heat transfer and is affected by three factors: emissivity, reflectivity and the angle of the surface. Studies have shown that radiant barriers can reduce cooling costs between 5 -10 percent in warm climates. In cool climates, it makes more sense to increase the level of insulation rather than installing a radiant barrier. Lessons Learned
Controlling obvious thermal bridges is must

insulated sheathing; design and install distance spacers that place an air barrier between the framing and the exterior sheathing; add a reflective surface to the space so the air barrier has an increased R-value; alternate framing members to provide a break and spray foam on the framing members. Perhaps the quickest, simplest and easiest way to improve thermal performance of walls and ceilings at the most cost-effective price can be achieved with continuous insulation products, typically with rigid foam or a combination product, such as insulated metal panels. Addition of space framing is another effective solution. Most metal buildings are constructed with batt insulation draped over the framing members, and then metal panels attached. The panels compress the insulation, reducing its effectiveness and the fasteners provide a short cut to the thermal bridge. Consequently, a wall designed to achieve an R-19 value can have an effective value of R-14. Placing a thermal block on the framing member prior to installing

panels allows the wall to retain its full rating and prevent the short cut caused by fasteners. Moisture along with the energy should also be taken good care of. One of the biggest dangers to any building is the potential for moisture build-up within the walls. The defining factor is dew point, which is the temperature at which water vapor condenses. There are two ways to prevent this. One is to install enough insulation so that the dew point occurs outside the wall and the other is to use vapor barriers that prevent the moisture in the warm air from passing into the wall. Both are necessary. Continuous insulation with facing material is a convenient and easy way to construct a vapor barrier, prevent a thermal bridge (another way to get a dew point inside a wall) and add enough R-value so the building envelope works efficiently. Insulation facing and radiant barriers also demand special attention. Facings come in different varieties with different advantages. Foil facing, for example, will help reduce heat conductivity. Kraft

In addition to the sustainability impact of the use of structural steel material itself, the steel design and construction community must acknowledge the need to minimize the potential building energy that can be lost through thermal steel bridging. This change is coming quickly. We need to develop and refine a set of solutions now, before our options are limited by others. We shouldnt wait until building codes are introduced in this country incorporating specific limitations for the amount of thermal steel bridging that will be allowed in buildings depending on their use. The International Green Construction Code (IGCC), a product of the International Code Council, was published recently in March 2012. The IGCC states that the building thermal envelope shall exceed requirements in the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) by 10%. In todays market, reducing both construction and operational building cost are more important than ever before. Its time for structural engineers to understand this problem and develop solutions. After all, thats what engineering is all about!

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