Optical fiber light scattering outdoor tests for interior daylighting

Abstract

In building construction, most traditional building materials block the passage of natural light through the building envelope into its interior space. Therefore, there is an energy demand for artificial lighting of interior spaces during daytime hours in almost all building types. Currently, some interior spaces in a building may have excessive sunlight exposure and as a result, external shading elements for daylight control are required. Optical fibers (OFs) are mainly used for data transmission, but previous studies have demonstrated their capability for capturing and channeling sunlight into interior spaces in an anidolic manner. The present research introduces different OF tip shapes aligned together with solar concentrators of different geometries. The objective of the study is to assess and improve the basic properties of sunlight capturing, channeling and scattering using OFs. The results demonstrate the viability of using OFs as a passive daylight system and as an advancement in the energy efficient building envelopes design. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.