Sandwich Facade

Application Large-sized facade elements Sandwich panels ... 

With textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) lighter, thinner and more filigree components can be realized (Fig. 1). The total thickness can be reduced down to 8 mm. Application demonstrators and innovative facade elements of new Institute buildings of the RWTH Aachen University show how these research results are implemented. The new laboratory hall of the Institute of Structural Concrete (IMB, RWTH Aachen University) as well as the new main building of the Institut fur Textiltechnik (ITA, RWTH Aachen University) are realized with elements made out of TRC. The IT A uses 590 m of sandwich elements with two thin TRC panels and a foam core in between (Fig. 2). 

Translucent sandwich panels for the side-facades were also made of glass-fiber-reinforced polyester composites (see Figure 1.8). The sandwich panels consisted of two layers separated by a composite fiber sheet with trapezoidal corrugations. The surface of the facade panels was finished with fleeces that also provide resistance to aging and U V radiation. As the main function of these facade elements was thermal insulation, the sandwich panels were filled with aerogels. They were therefore able to provide a K-value of 0.4 W m with a panel thickness of only 50 mm [18]. In terms of building fire considerations, a sprinkler system was installed as an active fire protection. 

Pour-in place and foam is a very attractive on-site method used for thermal insulation. This method, although not commonly used mainly due to its rather imfavourable economy, is very practical. The technique uses relatively simple equipment, and rests on the principle of pouring the specially formulated mixture to be foamed as a low viscosity liquid into the cavity to be filled (usually between the load bearing inner face of the wall and the weather resistant facade wall of brick-cement or masonry, for cavity wall construction or between metal boards to produce sandwich panels, etc.), where the mixture is left to foam and adhere the walls by sealing the cavity effectively. 

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