Fuel poverty is one of the global concerns affecting not only users’financial capacity or affordability for maintaining housing operation but also the occupants’health and wellbeing.Space heating and cooling require...Fuel poverty is one of the global concerns affecting not only users’financial capacity or affordability for maintaining housing operation but also the occupants’health and wellbeing.Space heating and cooling require a relatively large amount of domestic energy use in housing.Therefore,this study was formed with the aim to propose an innovative approach to utilising free,clean renewable sources of energy applicable to the space heating and cooling of housing in both cold and hot regions.Accordingly,housing test facilities based in Melbourne,Australia,and Kuching,Malaysia,were selected and used for this study that examined the thermal performance of a proposed‘hydronic radiator’(HR)system through simulation and onsite measurements.The geothermal heat capacity of a‘vertical ground heat exchanger’(VGHE)installed in the house in Melbourne was examined previously by the authors and the VGHE measured data was also applied to this HR performance simulation.The water that circulates through the HRs is heated by sunlight and VGHE or cooled by night sky radiation.This study drew conclusions that the sole utilisation of renewable sources through these proposed HR space heating and cooling systems can provide thermally accessible or comfortable indoor living environments in both heating or cooling dominant regions.Thus,fuel poverty issues may be alleviated through HR system application.The HRs can remove a‘sensible’portion of metabolic heat,but they cannot effectively contribute to the‘latent’heat removal.Thus,the future potential use or effect of‘flow-through’HRs,which are integrated into a underfloor air distribution(UFAD)plenum,was also dsicussed in this study.In the test house located in Melbourne,the flow-through HR UFAD system is currently under development.Therefore,the performance will be measured once the system has come into operation for further testing.展开更多
Reinforced Baked Clay (RBC) seems to be potential alternative of Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) for construction of low cost houses. In order to utilize RBC as a construction material for buildings, it is necessary ...Reinforced Baked Clay (RBC) seems to be potential alternative of Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) for construction of low cost houses. In order to utilize RBC as a construction material for buildings, it is necessary to understand compression behaviour of baked clay. In this paper, relation between cube crushing strength and cylinder strength of baked clay is presented. For this purpose, clay beams were cast in a mould and compacted at a pressure of 6 MPa. The clay beams were dried and fired in a kiln at a temperature of 900?C. Cubes of 150 mm size were sawed from a baked clay beam. Cylinders of 150 mm diameter and 300 mm height were cut, from another baked clay beam, using core cutter machine. Both the cubes and cylinders were tested for compressive strength in Universal Testing Machine. The results showed that the cube crushing strength of baked clay was 25 MPa and the ratio of the compressive strength of the cylinders and the cubes was found to be 0.6. Suggestions for improvement of compressive strength of baked clay cylinders are also discussed.展开更多
For low cost houses in Pakistan, Reinforced Baked Clay (RBC) is considered to be a potential construction material as a substitute of Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC). Deflection and cracks are important parameters fo...For low cost houses in Pakistan, Reinforced Baked Clay (RBC) is considered to be a potential construction material as a substitute of Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC). Deflection and cracks are important parameters for design of beams in a building. However, for RBC beams it is still unknown that how the deflection and crack width could be controlled by increasing ratio of reinforcement. This study investigates the effect of ratio of reinforcement on deflection and cracking behaviour of baked clay beams. The results show that by increasing area of reinforcement by 50% in baked clay beams: 1) deflection was decreased to 2.5 times, and 2) crack width was reduced to three times.展开更多
Some disadvantages associated with conventional brick masonry are: high cost of construction, lower compressive strength and less durability. In order to resolve these problems, a new technique of constructing walls u...Some disadvantages associated with conventional brick masonry are: high cost of construction, lower compressive strength and less durability. In order to resolve these problems, a new technique of constructing walls using large size baked clay blocks is introduced. For this purpose, clay blocks of size 150 mm × 300 mm × 1980 mm were cast at a pressure of 6 MPa, and fired at a temperature of 700℃. In this paper, compressive strength and tensile strength of baked clay were investigated in order to find its suitability as a walling material for low cost houses. Cubes of 150 mm sides were tested in compression and the beams were tested in flexure. The results showed that compressive strength of baked clay cubes was found to be 10 MPa and tensile strength, in terms of modulus of rupture, was found to be 2.3 MPa. Since the baked clay blocks are larger in size than traditional bricks, it is inferred that the blocks could be used as a cheaper and stronger walling material.展开更多
文摘Fuel poverty is one of the global concerns affecting not only users’financial capacity or affordability for maintaining housing operation but also the occupants’health and wellbeing.Space heating and cooling require a relatively large amount of domestic energy use in housing.Therefore,this study was formed with the aim to propose an innovative approach to utilising free,clean renewable sources of energy applicable to the space heating and cooling of housing in both cold and hot regions.Accordingly,housing test facilities based in Melbourne,Australia,and Kuching,Malaysia,were selected and used for this study that examined the thermal performance of a proposed‘hydronic radiator’(HR)system through simulation and onsite measurements.The geothermal heat capacity of a‘vertical ground heat exchanger’(VGHE)installed in the house in Melbourne was examined previously by the authors and the VGHE measured data was also applied to this HR performance simulation.The water that circulates through the HRs is heated by sunlight and VGHE or cooled by night sky radiation.This study drew conclusions that the sole utilisation of renewable sources through these proposed HR space heating and cooling systems can provide thermally accessible or comfortable indoor living environments in both heating or cooling dominant regions.Thus,fuel poverty issues may be alleviated through HR system application.The HRs can remove a‘sensible’portion of metabolic heat,but they cannot effectively contribute to the‘latent’heat removal.Thus,the future potential use or effect of‘flow-through’HRs,which are integrated into a underfloor air distribution(UFAD)plenum,was also dsicussed in this study.In the test house located in Melbourne,the flow-through HR UFAD system is currently under development.Therefore,the performance will be measured once the system has come into operation for further testing.
文摘Reinforced Baked Clay (RBC) seems to be potential alternative of Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) for construction of low cost houses. In order to utilize RBC as a construction material for buildings, it is necessary to understand compression behaviour of baked clay. In this paper, relation between cube crushing strength and cylinder strength of baked clay is presented. For this purpose, clay beams were cast in a mould and compacted at a pressure of 6 MPa. The clay beams were dried and fired in a kiln at a temperature of 900?C. Cubes of 150 mm size were sawed from a baked clay beam. Cylinders of 150 mm diameter and 300 mm height were cut, from another baked clay beam, using core cutter machine. Both the cubes and cylinders were tested for compressive strength in Universal Testing Machine. The results showed that the cube crushing strength of baked clay was 25 MPa and the ratio of the compressive strength of the cylinders and the cubes was found to be 0.6. Suggestions for improvement of compressive strength of baked clay cylinders are also discussed.
文摘For low cost houses in Pakistan, Reinforced Baked Clay (RBC) is considered to be a potential construction material as a substitute of Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC). Deflection and cracks are important parameters for design of beams in a building. However, for RBC beams it is still unknown that how the deflection and crack width could be controlled by increasing ratio of reinforcement. This study investigates the effect of ratio of reinforcement on deflection and cracking behaviour of baked clay beams. The results show that by increasing area of reinforcement by 50% in baked clay beams: 1) deflection was decreased to 2.5 times, and 2) crack width was reduced to three times.
文摘Some disadvantages associated with conventional brick masonry are: high cost of construction, lower compressive strength and less durability. In order to resolve these problems, a new technique of constructing walls using large size baked clay blocks is introduced. For this purpose, clay blocks of size 150 mm × 300 mm × 1980 mm were cast at a pressure of 6 MPa, and fired at a temperature of 700℃. In this paper, compressive strength and tensile strength of baked clay were investigated in order to find its suitability as a walling material for low cost houses. Cubes of 150 mm sides were tested in compression and the beams were tested in flexure. The results showed that compressive strength of baked clay cubes was found to be 10 MPa and tensile strength, in terms of modulus of rupture, was found to be 2.3 MPa. Since the baked clay blocks are larger in size than traditional bricks, it is inferred that the blocks could be used as a cheaper and stronger walling material.
