Building Construction Technology

Program: BCE
Year: IV
Lecture 2

Task
Identify three places in this building
where moisture penetration has taken
place. Try to figure what might be the
reasons.

Building Science
Thermal Environment
Thermal insulation
Thermal properties of building components
and
materials
Sound, acoustics & acoustical properties of
building components
Sound insulation

1.Thermal Environment
Source of heat to the earth solar
radiation
Solar radiation direct, diffused &
reflected

1.Thermal Environment
thermal comfort condition of mind which
expresses satisfaction with the thermal
environment
- Comfort zone: 12.7 -27.7
- Sweating zone: >30
- Shivering zone: <12.7

1.Thermal Environment
Sources of heat in a building
main source solar radiation through walls
& roof
activities of the occupants - metabolism
rate or activity level
equipments like heaters, radiators, cooking
ranges
Poor thermal environment affects the mental
task performances

1.Thermal Environment
Suitable
thermal
environment
through
selective
manipulation
of
orientation, ventilation, insulation and
fenestration
Mechanical controls like heating, airconditioning can also help to create
favorable thermal environment

1.Thermal Environment
Heat gain/loss in building: radiation,
conduction, convection, ventilation &
evaporation

Thermal Insulation

thermal insulation - control heat transfer

& protect a building from excessive heat
loss during cold seasons and heat gain
during hot seasons
This control can effectively reduce the
amount of energy required by a
buildings heating and cooling equipment to
maintain the conditions for human comfort

Thermal properties of building

components and materials:
Building materials take time to be
heated and also dissipate heat slowly
afterwards.
This delay depends on the mass of
material and its specific heat.
Thermal capacity = mass x specific heat

Thermal
properties
of
components and materials:

building

Time lag: Time taken by heat to reach other

side and depends on the nature of
materials and their thickness.
100 mm concrete ~ 3 hrs
100 mm timber ~ 5.4 hrs
100 mm earth ~ 2.4 hrs
226 mm brick ~ 7 hrs
Old walls 750 900 mm ~ 10-12 hrs

Thermal insulating materials:

Thermal insulating material are:
Slab or block insulation
Blanket insulation
Loose fill insulation
Bat insulating materials
Insulating boards
Reflective sheet materials
Light weight material

Thermal insulating materials:

Slab or block insulation
600 x 1200 x 25 mm blocks or boards
Made of cork board, mineral wool, saw
dust, cellular rubber, asbestos cement, etc
Fixed to walls or roofs

Thermal insulating materials:

Slab or block insulation
600 x 1200 x 25 mm blocks or boards
Made of cork board, mineral wool, saw
dust, cellular rubber, asbestos cement, etc
Fixed to walls or roofs

Thermal insulating materials:

Blanket insulation
Flexible fibrous rolls made from mineral
wood, wood fibres, cotton, animal hair
Thickness 12 to 18 mm
Directly spread on the wall and ceiling
surfaces

Thermal insulating materials:

Loose fill insulation
Fibrous materials like rock wool, slag wool,
wood fibre wool, etc filled loosely in the
studding space

Thermal insulating materials:

Bat insulation
Similar to blanket insulation
But of greater thickness
Spread on walls & ceilings

Thermal insulating materials:

Insulating boards
Used for interior lining of walls as well as partition
walls
Structural insulating boards made from wood
pulp, cane or other materials pressed in the form
of boards using adhesives
Available in different sizes & thickness

Thermal insulating materials:

Reflective sheet materials
High reflectivity & low emissibility high heat
resistance
Most of the solar radiation is reflected so
transmission is greatly reduced
Aluminium reflective sheets, steel sheet reflective
materials, gypsum boards, etc

Thermal insulating materials:

Light weight aggregate
Use of light weight aggregates like blast furnace,
burnt clay aggregates, vermiculite etc.

General methods
insulation:

of

thermal

Apart of using insulating, thermal inuslation

can be achieved by:
Proper orientation: orientation of
building w.r.t. sun
Shading: parapet wall construction, using
of shading devices

General methods
insulation:

of

thermal

Apart of using insulating, thermal inuslation

can be achieved by:
Proper ceiling height: emission from the
ceiling decreases as the height increases
Vegetation: planting deciduous trees in
the where sun rays enter the building

Sound, Acoustics & Acoustic

properties of building materials
Sound: Anything that can be heard is a
sound.
The loudness depends on the distance
between the source and the receiver.
The unit of subjective loudness is a phon
and the objective unit is a decibel (dB).
Hearing decibel is between 10 (rustle of
leaves, whisper to 130 (aeroplanes or
pneumatic drills) after which it is very
painful.

Acoustics
science of sound which deals with the origin,
propogation and auditory sensation of sound
the design and construction of different
building units to set optimum conditions for
producing and listening speech, music, etc.
theaters, cinema halls, audiotoriums, hospitals,
etc.
Sound proof and insulation against noise
is as important as good acoustical design.
Sound proof rooms - TV and radio stations,
laboratories, hospitals, offices, etc.

Acoustics
Sound produced in a room results in 3 reactions:
Sound waves can come into contact with the
walls, floors and ceilings and is reflected
back into the room.
Some of the sound can be absorbed by these
surfaces and the furnishes.
The sound waves upon reaching the walls,
floors, ceiling can set these members
vibrating and thus transmit the sound to
adjacent rooms.

Acoustics
Sound produced in a room results in 3
reactions:

Acoustics
Classification of sound:
Air borne sound which travels direct
through the air and travels direct to the
ear of a person
Impact sound caused by direct
contact with the structure such as
footsteps and hammering or vibrating.
Impact sound is troublesome and often
very sharp.

Sound insulation
Sound insulation or proofing is the prevention of
transmission of sound. Sound insulating materials
are of 3 types:
Non-porous rigid partitions: plastered solid
brick masonry walls, plastered stone wall, plastered
hollow concrete wall, composite wall, etc.
Porous rigid partitions: porous concrete
masonry, cinder concrete, etc
Non-rigid or flexible porous materials: felt,
mineral wool, quilt, etc. They are used in
combination with the rigid materials.

Noise
Noise is defined as any undesired sound
and may have any one of the following four
effects:
Annoyance irritation
Disturbance of sleep
Interface with the ability to hold a normal
conversation
Damage the ear

General considerations for noise control/sound insulation:

Orientation of buildings no doors and windows open to

noisy roads etc.
Proper planning of rooms in buildings
Transmission of noise by vibration can be prevented by
making the walls, floors, partitions very massive/heavy.
Control of impact sound is possible to some extent by
providing resilient materials like carpet, linoleum, cork,
etc.
Structure borne noises/sounds can be prevented by
discontinuing the path of the vibrating waves and
by using absorbing materials. Construction of expansion
joints in large framed structures acts in this manner.