Thermal conductivity of materials in construction and finishing of residential buildings

When studying the properties of any building materials, special attention should be given to such a value as its thermal conductivity, since this directly determines the ability of the residential building to keep heat inside, and also to prevent its penetration from the outside. The thermal conductivity of materials is the ability to conduct heat flow through the material itself from one surface to another, which is due to the presence of a transfer potential gradient in it. Absolutely all materials have a certain coefficient of this indicator, knowing which, you can independently determine whether the material is suitable for certain purposes.

The highest thermal conductivity is possessed by metal products, which are practically incapable of accumulating heat. In winter, they freeze, and in summer they heat up to a very high temperature, completely dependent on the state of the environment. In this regard, it must be understood that the thermal conductivity of materials of this type should be taken into account when building a residential building.

Except for windows and doors, the main source of cold penetration is the exterior walls of the building, therefore, during construction, this should be given very great attention. The main building material in our country is traditionally considered red brick, whose heat capacity is 0.92 kJ / kg * K.

However, in recent years, the popularity of foam concrete, which is presented in the market of building materials with foam concrete and aerated concrete blocks , has become very popular . It is necessary to know that the thermal conductivity of materials depends on the parameters of its porosity, structure, temperature and humidity, under which heat transfer takes place. Thanks to a special autoclave technology, the foam concrete gets just such an internal structure that prevents the penetration of the cold, so today it is increasingly visible on construction sites.

In addition, the requirements for the norms for the insulation of residential buildings and structures are constantly increasing, since it allows optimizing the temperature regime, as well as significantly reducing energy costs for heating. In this regard, one of the most popular steel heaters, because the thermal conductivity of materials of this type allows to protect the building from the low temperatures of the external environment. A wide range of these products includes foam foam, mineral wool, a stone, polystyrene foam and expanded polystyrene. In addition, very recently, special "warm plasters" appeared on the market, which make it possible to provide reliable heat protection for absolutely any building. The only drawback of this new material is its high price, which significantly hampers its spread.

The most popular and affordable insulation is foam, the thermal conductivity of which is in the dry state from 0.042 to 0.037 W / m. * K, which also depends on the density of the foam (M15, M25, M35). It has excellent characteristics, which include ease, low thermal conductivity and water absorption, no harmful effects on the environment (when plastered, because it can release harmful phenols when exposed to ultraviolet rays), as well as a low price. All this makes it possible to work with such material very easily, and even independently to work on the insulation of the facade of your house.

Summing up the above, it should be stressed once again that the thermal conductivity of building materials is the most important characteristic, which should be paid attention to competent developers when building their homes, as well as to all owners when performing work on the insulation of the existing structure.