Aerogel Incorporated Plasters and Mortars: the case study of precast panels

The aim of many current studies regarding building envelopes is the improvement of their thermal resistance. In particular, many attempts have been taken to develop highly insulating materials for advanced building envelopes. The present research investigates the possibility to include aerogels in plaster and mortar products. Several samples of Aerogel Incorporated Plaster and Aerogel Incorporated Mortar were prepared by adding granules of aerogel to different types of plasters and mortars. The thermal conductivity of each sample was then measured by means of a heat flow meter apparatus. In the case of the samples of Aerogel Incorporated Mortar, the mechanical strength and the permeability were tested as well. The results showed that the thermal conductivity and the mechanical strength linearly decreased by increasing the quantity of aerogel added to the mixes. For example, while the control mixture of mortar had a thermal conductivity of 0.28 W/mK and a compressive strength of 50.3 MPa, the mixture of mortar with an addition of 36 vol.% of aerogel halved the thermal conductivity to 0.14 W/mK and reduced the compressive strength to 4.1 MPa. Finally, an Aerogel Incorporated Mortar precast panel was designed and the hygrothermal analysis of the panel was carried out by using WUFI Pro software. Results showed that the thermal transmittance of the panel was reduced by 25% compared to traditional precast panels, which suggested that energy savings and reduced costs during the lifetime of the building could be achieved.