Thermal bridge characterization in cross-laminated timber and concrete hybrid constructions through 2d analysis: an analysis proposal

Abstract

Thermal behaviour in a building depends not only on the main elements, such as the walls, slabs or floors, but also on how these elements connect geometrically and on the composition of the materials. In building envelopes existing zones where heat transfer cannot be considered to be one-dimensional. This phenomenon is called a thermal bridge (TB). In recent years, multiple hybrid constructions with wood-concrete or wood-steel composites have been developed, achieving innovative and efficient results; however, the existing literature does not yet include studies on the effect of TBs and the types of structural connections between buildings elements in the heat transfer of hybrid structures. As such, the present work proposes an analysis that allows the characterisation of TBs in the structural connections of wall-CLT with slab-CLT and wall-concrete with slab-CLT, considering at the same time the effect of the main types of structural steel connectors. The analysis involves determining the linear thermal transmittance in steady-state temperature conditions using two-dimensional (2D) physical modelling based on International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard 10211. With this approach, design decisions can be made that will consider the reduction of heat transfer in joints where connections have a higher heat transfer. © 2023 by The authors.