Hygrothermal Performance of Building Components and Building Elements. Assessment of Moisture Transfer by Numerical Simulation


Book Description

Construction systems parts, Construction materials, Moisture, Moisture measurement, Water absorption, Water vapour, Condensation, Humidity, Rainfall, Heat transfer, Drying, Mathematical calculations, Simulation, Thermal design of buildings







Application of Bamboo in Building Envelope


Book Description

This book offers a comprehensive overview of the use of bamboo in building industry. It systematically demonstrates bamboo’s utility in terms of its properties, describing the material properties of typical industrial bamboo products, and discussing their performance evaluation and optimization as building components and in the creation of building envelopes. The book also includes examples of the high-value utilization of bamboo forest resources. Further, it examines how building performance may be affected by conditions such as climate. Including insights from material science, construction design, building physics and building climatology, the book also provides data obtained from technology and market status investigation, laboratory test and the computer simulation.This book appeals to scientists and professionals, as it introduces and tests various bamboo products, demonstrating the advantages and disadvantages for each one. The book is also a valuable resource for civil engineers and students interested in this unique plant material and its application in the building industry.




Durability of Building Materials and Components


Book Description

Durability of Building Materials and Components provides a collection of recent research works to contribute to the systematization and dissemination of knowledge related to the long-term performance and durability of construction and, simultaneously, to show the most recent advances in this domain. It includes a set of new developments in the field of durability, service life prediction methodologies, the durability approach for historical and old buildings, asset and maintenance management and on the durability of materials, systems and components. The book is divided in several chapters that intend to be a resume of the current state of knowledge for benefit of professional colleagues.




Hygrothermal Numerical Simulation Tools Applied to Building Physics


Book Description

This book presents a critical review on the development and application of hygrothermal analysis methods to simulate the coupled transport processes of Heat, Air, and Moisture (HAM) transfer for one or multidimensional cases. During the past few decades there has been relevant development in this field of study and an increase in the professional use of tools that simulate some of the physical phenomena that are involved in Heat, Air and Moisture conditions in building components or elements. Although there is a significant amount of hygrothermal models referred in the literature, the vast majority of them are not easily available to the public outside the institutions where they were developed, which restricts the analysis of this book to only 14 hygrothermal modelling tools. The special features of this book are (a) a state-of-the-art of numerical simulation tools applied to building physics, (b) the boundary conditions importance, (c) the material properties, namely, experimental methods for the measurement of relevant transport properties, and (d) the numerical investigation and application The main benefit of the book is that it discusses all the topics related to numerical simulation tools in building components (including state-of-the-art and applications) and presents some of the most important theoretical and numerical developments in building physics, providing a self-contained major reference that is appealing to both the scientists and the engineers. At the same time, this book will be going to the encounter of a variety of scientific and engineering disciplines, such as civil and mechanical engineering, architecture, etc... The book is divided in several chapters that intend to be a resume of the current state of knowledge for benefit of professional colleagues.




Building Performance Simulation for Design and Operation


Book Description

Effective building performance simulation can reduce the environmental impact of the built environment, improve indoor quality and productivity, and facilitate future innovation and technological progress in construction. It draws on many disciplines, including physics, mathematics, material science, biophysics and human behavioural, environmental and computational sciences. The discipline itself is continuously evolving and maturing, and improvements in model robustness and fidelity are constantly being made. This has sparked a new agenda focusing on the effectiveness of simulation in building life-cycle processes. Building Performance Simulation for Design and Operation begins with an introduction to the concepts of performance indicators and targets, followed by a discussion on the role of building simulation in performance-based building design and operation. This sets the ground for in-depth discussion of performance prediction for energy demand, indoor environmental quality (including thermal, visual, indoor air quality and moisture phenomena), HVAC and renewable system performance, urban level modelling, building operational optimization and automation. Produced in cooperation with the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA), and featuring contributions from fourteen internationally recognised experts in this field, this book provides a unique and comprehensive overview of building performance simulation for the complete building life-cycle from conception to demolition. It is primarily intended for advanced students in building services engineering, and in architectural, environmental or mechanical engineering; and will be useful for building and systems designers and operators.




Damp Indoor Spaces and Health


Book Description

Almost all homes, apartments, and commercial buildings will experience leaks, flooding, or other forms of excessive indoor dampness at some point. Not only is excessive dampness a health problem by itself, it also contributes to several other potentially problematic types of situations. Molds and other microbial agents favor damp indoor environments, and excess moisture may initiate the release of chemical emissions from damaged building materials and furnishings. This new book from the Institute of Medicine examines the health impact of exposures resulting from damp indoor environments and offers recommendations for public health interventions. Damp Indoor Spaces and Health covers a broad range of topics. The book not only examines the relationship between damp or moldy indoor environments and adverse health outcomes but also discusses how and where buildings get wet, how dampness influences microbial growth and chemical emissions, ways to prevent and remediate dampness, and elements of a public health response to the issues. A comprehensive literature review finds sufficient evidence of an association between damp indoor environments and some upper respiratory tract symptoms, coughing, wheezing, and asthma symptoms in sensitized persons. This important book will be of interest to a wide-ranging audience of science, health, engineering, and building professionals, government officials, and members of the public.




Moisture Control Guidance for Building Design, Construction and Maintenance


Book Description

Moisture control is fundamental to the proper functioning of any building. Controlling moisture is important to protect occupants from adverse health effects and to protect the building, its mechanical systems and its contents from physical or chemical damage. Yet, moisture problems are so common in buildings, many people consider them inevitable. Excessive moisture accumulation plagues buildings throughout the United States, from tropical Hawaii to arctic Alaska and from the hot, humid Gulf Coast to the hot, dry Sonoran Desert. Between 1994 and 1998, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation (BASE) study collected information about the indoor air quality of 100 randomly selected public and private office buildings in the 10 U.S. climatic regions.




Modelling Methods for Energy in Buildings


Book Description

Climate change mitigation and sustainable practices are now at the top of political and technical agendas. Environmental system modelling provides a way of appraising options and this book will make a significant contribution to the uptake of such systems. It provides knowledge of the principles involved in modelling systems, builds confidence amongst designers and offers a broad perspective of the potential of these new technologies. The aim of the book is to provide an understanding of the concepts and principles behind predictive modelling methods; review progress in the development of the modelling software available; and explore modelling in building design through international case studies based on real design problems.




Drying of Porous Materials


Book Description

This book provides recent advances in research on drying of particulate and porous materials. It is based on a selection of papers presented at the XI Polish Drying Symposium 2005. The contributions cover theoretical, as well as experimental and modeling research on heat and mass transfer processes during drying of porous material and fluidized beds. The book is a pioneering contribution to the science and technology of drying of particulate solids.