The Thermal Comfort and Hygrothermal Performance of the First Certified Passive House in Estonia

This study presents the thermal comfort and hygrothermal performance of building envelope of the first certified passive single-family detached house in Estonia.Temperature and humidity conditions were measured from different rooms and building envelopes.This article presents analysis of measurement results during the first year after construction.Results showed high room temperature,achieved mainly due to large windows with southern exposure and the small heat loss of the building envelope.High indoor temperature decreased the indoor RH(relative humidity)to quite low levels.Even the RH was low,the moisture excess was high indicating that the design of PH(passive houses)indoor humidity loads cannot be decreased.Humidity in the externally insulated cross-laminated timber panels was observed to be high,caused by drying out of the constructional moisture and the high diffusion resistance of the wood fibre sheathing board.That caused water vapour condensation and risk for mould growth.In conclusion,while planning buildings with high-energy efficiency,more focused attention should be paid to the performance of the building service systems and moisture safety already in the preliminary stages of design.

BUCKLING AND POSTBUCKLING OF LAMINATED THIN CYLINDRICAL SHELLS UNDER HYGROTHERMAL ENVIRONMENTS

The influence of hygrothermal effects on the buckling and postbuckling of composite laminated cylindrical shells subjected to axial compression is investigated using a micro-to-macro-mechanical analytical model. The material properties of the composite are affected hy the variation of temperature and moisture, and are hosed on a micromechanical model of a laminate. The governing equations are based on the classical laminated shell theory, and including hygrothermal effects. The nonlinear prebuckling deformations and initial geometric imperfections of the shell were both taken into account. A boundary layer theory of shell buckling was extended to the case of laminated cylindrical shells under hygrothermal environments, and a singular peturbation technique was employed to determine buckling loads and postbuckling equilibrium paths. The numerical illustrations concern the postbuckling behavior of perfect and imperfect, cross-ply laminated cylindrical shells under different sets of environmental conditions. The influences played by temperature rise, the degree of moisture concentration, fiber volume fraction, shell geometric parameter, total number of plies, stacking sequences and initial geometric imperfections are studied.

Effect of Hygrothermal Cycle Aging on the Mechanical Behavior of Single-lap Adhesive Bonded Joints

The aging behavior of single lap joints(SLJ) in hygrothermal cycles was investigated and compared by using a shearing strength test, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis(TG/DTG), energy dispersive spectrometry(EDS) and scanning electronic microscopy(SEM). The temperature/relative humidity was set at 80 ℃/95% and –40 ℃/30% for 20 cycles, 40 cycles, and 60 cycles(one cycle was 12 hours), respectively. The experimental results show that hygrothermal aging significantly decreases the failure strength of adhesive joints. However, the failure displacement increases as the number of aging cycles increases. In addition, hygrothermal aging changes the failure mode of the adhesive joints from a cohesive fracture in un-aged adhesive layers to an interfacial failure of aged adhesive joints.

Effect Mechanisms of Hygrothermal Environments on Failure of Single-Lap and Double-Lap CFRP-Aluminum Bolted Joints

The high demands for load-carrying capability and structural efficiency of composite-metal bolted joints trigger in-depth investigations on failure mechanisms of the joints in hygrothermal environments.However,few studies have been presented to exhaustively reveal hygrothermal effects on the failure of CFRP-metal bolted joints,which differ from CFRP-CFRP or metal-metal bolted joints because of the remarkably different material properties of CFRPs and metals.In this paper,hygrothermal effects on tensile failures of single-lap and double-lap CFRP-aluminum bolted joints were experimentally and numerically investigated.A novel numerical model,in which a hygrothermal-included progressive damage model of composites was established and elastic-plastic models of metals were built,was proposed to predict the failures of the CFRP-metal bolted joints in hygrothermal environments and validated by corresponding experiments.Different failure mechanisms of single-lap and double-lap CFRP-aluminum bolted joints,under 23°C/Dry and 70°C/Wet conditions,were revealed,respectively.It follows that both the collapse failures of the single-lap and double-lap bolted joints were dominated by the bearing failure of the CFRP hole laminate in the two conditions,indicating that the hygrothermal environment did not change the macro failure modes of the joints.However,the hygrothermal environment considerably shortened the damage propagation processes and reduced the strength of the joints.Besides,the hygrothermal environment weakened the load-transfer capability of the single-lap joint more severely than the double-lap joint because it aggravated the secondary bending effects of the single-lap joint obviously.

Comparison of Decontamination Efficacy between the Rapid Hygrothermal Pasteurization and Sodium Hypochlorite Treatments

We developed a novel rapid hygrothermal pasteurization (RHP) method using saturated water vapor with a dew point of 100℃. The aim of this paper is to compare the effect of RHP treatment versus conventional sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) treatments on inactivation of natural mesophilic bacteria and quality attributes on fruits and vegetables. The RHP treatment was performed within a second by free-falling samples (cabbage, cucumber, carrot, bell pepper, pineapple and melon) through cylindrical processing chamber filled with steam. NaClO treatment was performed by washing samples with NaClO solution (100 mg/mL of free chlorine (pH 7), for 1 min). The RHP treatment showed a significantly higher inactivation effect than NaClO treatment on all tested samples. The RHP treatment had a slightly larger influence on color and vitamin C content than NaClO treatment in cabbage. Furthermore, the effects of treatment time and operated temperature were also determined using microbial model system. Elongation of treatment time did not significantly increase the microbial inactivation effect. Lowering of operated temperature by mixing air into steam tended to decrease the inactivation effect. From these results, RHP treatment could be used as an alternative method for decontaminating microorganisms on fruits and vegetables, except on leafy vegetable. In addition, it is suggested that microbial inactivation by RHP treatment was achieved through the initial condensation stage of water vapor on sample surface. By contrast, interfusion of air disturbed the effective condensation of water vapor.

The energy release rate for hygrothermal coupling elastic materials

In the fracture problems of hydrophilic elastic materials under coupling effects of heat conduction, moisture diffusion and mechanical deformation, the conventional J-integral is no longer path independent. The value of J is unequal to the energy release rate in hygrothermal coupling cases. In the present paper, we derived a general form of the energy release rate for hygrothermal fracture problems of the hydrophilic elastic materials on the basis of energy balance equation in cracked areas. By introducing the constitutive relations and the essential equations of irreversible thermodynamics, a specific expression of the energy release rate was obtained, and the expression can be reformmulated as path independent integrals, which is equivalent to the energy release rate of the fracture body. The path independence of the integrals is then verified numerically.

Out-of-Plane Compressive Behavior for UHMWPE/Polyurethane Composites after Hygrothermal Treatment

Quasi-static and high strain rate compressive behaviors and failure mechanisms of hygrothermal treated ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene/polyurethane(UHMWPE/PU)composites have been studied in this paper.Firstly,the UHMWPE composites were immersed in water at 70℃.The out-ofplane compression test was then performed on the dry/wet state specimens at quasi-static states(0.001-0.01 s^(-1))and high strain rate states(800-2 400 s^(-1)).The split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB)was adopted in the dynamic tests and waveform shapers were used to smooth and control the incident pulse.The results show that there are two platforms for the water absorption curve of UHMWPE composites.The absorption of moisture reduces the quasi-static compressive strength of the material while initially increasing,then decreasing the dynamic compressive strength.Matrix plasticization,fiber/matrix interface degradation and void expansion are the main factors affecting the irregular change of static/dynamic compressive strength of UHMWPE composites.

Hygrothermal effect on high-velocity impact resistance of woven composites

The woven glass fiber reinforced composites(GFRP)subjected to high-speed impact is investigated to identify the hygrothermal aging effect on the impact resistance.Both the hygrothermal aged and unaged glass/epoxy laminates are subjected to different impact velocities,which is confirmed as a sensitive factor for the failure modes and mechanisms.The results show the hygrothermal aging effect decreases the ballistic limit by 14.9%,but the influence on ballistic performance is limited within the impact velocity closed to the ballistic limit.The failure modes and energy dissipation mechanisms are confirmed to be slightly influenced by the hygrothermal aging effect.The hygrothermal aging effect induced localization of structural deformation and degradation of mechanical properties are the main reasons for the composite undergoing the same failure modes at smaller impact velocities.Based on the energy absorption mechanisms,analytical expressions predict the ballistic limit and energy absorption to reasonable accuracy,the underestimated total energy absorption results in a relatively poor agreement between the measured and predicted energy absorption efficiency.

The Influence of Two Natural Reinforcement Fibers on the Hygrothermal Properties of Earthen Plasters in Mogao Grottoes of China

Murals in Mogao Grottoes consist of three parts:support layer,earthen plasters and paint layer.The earthen plasters play a key role in the preservation of murals.It is a mixture of Dengban soil,sand,and plant fiber.Two different natural fibers,hemp fiber and cotton fiber,were reinforced to earthen plasters in the same percentage to evaluate the influence on hygrothermal performance.The two types of earthen plasters were studied:one containing hemp fiber in the fine plaster(HFP)and the other containing cotton fiber in the fine plaster(CFP).Specific heat capacity,dry thermal conductivity,water vapor permeability,and sorption isotherms were investigated.The results showed that the difference between two natural fibers has much more impact on the hygric properties(water vapor permeability and sorption isotherms)of earthen plasters than on their thermal performance(specific heat capacity and dry thermal conductivity).The CFP with higher density has higher thermal conductivity than the HFP with lower density.But no significant differences of specific heat capacity were observed.Compared with HFP,CFP used in murals can reduce the rate of water transfer and prevent salt from transferring water to the mural surface.The overall findings highlight that all these features of CFP are beneficial to the long-term preservation of murals.The study of the earthen plasters in Mogao Grottoes is of general significance,and the measured properties can be used to obtain coupled heat and moisture analysis of the earthen plasters and to dissect the degradation mechanism of murals.

Simulation of the Hygrothermal Behavior of a Building Envelope Based on Phase Change Materials and a Bio-Based Concrete

Phase Change Materials(PCMs)have high thermal inertia,and hemp concrete(HC),a bio-based concrete,has strong hygroscopic behavior.In previous studies,PCM has been extensively combined with many materials,however,most of these studies focused on thermal properties while neglecting hygroscopic aspects.In this study,the two materials have been combined into a building envelope and the related hygrothermal properties have been studied.In particular,numerical studies have been performed to investigate the temperature and relative humidity behavior inside the HC,and the effect of adding PCM on the hygrothermal behavior of the HC.The results show that there is a high coupling between temperature and relative humidity inside the HC,since the relative humidity changes on the second and third days are different,with values of 8%and 4%,respectively.Also,the variation of relative humidity with temperature indicates the dominant influence of temperature on relative humidity variation.With the presence of PCM,the temperature variation inside the HC is damped due to the high thermal inertia of the PCM,which also leads to suppression of moisture evaporation and thus damping of relative humidity variation.On the second and third days,the temperature changes at the central position are reduced by 4.6%and 5.1%,compared to the quarter position.For the relative humidity change,the reductions are 5.3%and 5.4%on the second and third days,respectively.Therefore,PCM,with high thermal inertia,acts as a temperature damper and has the potential to increase the moisture buffering capacity inside the HC.This makes it possible for such a combined envelope to have both thermal and hygric inertia.

Numerical simulation study on the hygrothermal performance of building exterior walls under dynamic wind-driven rain condition

Wind-driven rain(WDR)has a significant influence on the hygrothermal performance,durability,and energy consumption of building components.The calculation of WDR loads using semi-empirical models has been incorporated into the boundary conditions of coupled heat and moisture transfer models.However,prior research often relied on fixed WDR absorption ratio,which fail to accurately capture the water absorption characteristics of porous building materials under rainfall scenarios.Therefore,this study aims to investigate the coupled heat and moisture transfer of exterior walls under dynamic WDR boundary conditions,utilizing an empirically obtained WDR absorption ratio model based on field measurements.The developed coupled heat and moisture transfer model is validated against the HAMSTAD project.The findings reveal that the total WDR flux calculated with the dynamic WDR boundary is lower than that obtained with the fixed WDR boundary,with greater disparities observed in orientations experiencing higher WDR loads.The variations in moisture flow significantly impact the surface temperature and relative humidity of the walls,influencing the calculation of cooling and heating loads by different models.Compared to the transient heat transfer model,the coupled heat and moisture transfer model incorporating dynamic WDR boundary exhibits maximum increases of 17.6%and 16.2%in cooling and heating loads,respectively.The dynamic WDR boundary conditions provide more precise numerical values for surface moisture flux,offering valuable insights for the thermal design of building enclosures and load calculations for HVAC systems.

Effect of hygrothermal aging on moisture diffusion and tensile behavior of CFRP composite laminates

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer(CFRP)composites are widely used in aircraft structures,because of their superior mechanical and lightweight properties.CFRP composites are often exposed to hygrothermal environments in service.Temperature and moisture can affect the material properties of composites.In order to make clear the moisture diffusion behavior and the properties degradation of composites,the TG800/E207 composite laminates with four stacking sequences[0]16,[90]16,[±45]4s,and[(+45/0/0/-45)s]sare designed and manufactured.Moisture absorption tests are carried out at 80℃,90%RH.It is shown that the moisture absorption curves of composite laminates present a three-stage.A modified Fickian model was proposed to capture the diffusion behavior of TG800/E207 composite laminates.The relationships among the non-Fickian parameters,the environmental parameters and the stacking sequences of CFRP were correlated and compared.Results showed that the modified Fickian curve is sensitive to the diffusivity of Stage Ⅰ and Stage Ⅱ.Compared with unaged specimens,the maximum tensile stress for[0]16,[90]16,[±45]4s,and[(+45/0/0/-45)s]sdecreased by 14.94%,28.15%,11.96%,and 26.36%,respectively.The strains at failure for[0]16,[90]16,[±45]4s,and[(+45/0/0/-45)s]sdecreased by 55.38%,62.65%,46.41%,and31.71%,respectively.The elastic modulus for[0]16,[90]16,[±45]4s,and[(+45/0/0/-45)s]sincreased by 90.93%,94.57%,49.22%,and 8.22%,respectively.[90]16sample has the minimum saturated moisture content and the maximum strength degeneration.

Experimental investigation of hygrothermal behavior of wooden-frame house under real climate conditions

This paper deals with the experimental investigation of hygrothermal behavior of wooden-frame building enve-lope.The experiment was based on in-situ monitoring of a full size experimental monozone house built at the University of Lorraine.Variations in temperature and relative humidity inside and outside the envelope were logged simultaneously with local meteorological data.Results showed the high coupling between temperature and relative humidity variations within the envelope materials.An overall hygrothermal response of the wall highlighted an interesting hygrothermal dynamic behavior of the envelope which may contribute to mitigate variations of relative humidity inside the building.Nevertheless,relative humidity evolves within a range of values that can lead to mold growth at a certain position which may alter wooden envelope life.

Influence of materials’hygric properties on the hygrothermal performance of internal thermal insulation composite systems

Internal thermal insulation composite system(ITICS)can be an important measure for the energy-saving retrofitting of buildings.However,ITICS may cause harmful effects on the hygrothermal performance of building envelopes.This work investigated the influence of the materials’hygric properties on the hygrothermal perfor-mance of a typical ITICS in different climate conditions in China.Two base wall materials,the traditional concrete and a new type aerated concrete,were tested and compared for their hygric properties firstly.The influence of the hygroscopicity of exterior plasters,the permeability of insulation materials and the climate conditions were then analyzed with WUFI simulations.The hygrothermal performance was evaluated with consideration of the total water content(TWC)of the walls and the moisture flux strength,the relative humidity(RH)and the mould growth risk at the interface between the base wall and the insulation layer(B-I interface).The numerical analysis implies that the TWC of internal insulated walls depends mainly on the hygroscopicity of exterior plaster and the wind-driven rain intensity.The upper limits for the water absorption coefficient of exterior plasters used in Bei-jing,Shanghai and Fuzhou are 1e-9,1e-10,1e-10 m^(2)/s respectively.When such limits are guaranteed,a vapour tight system created by using insulation materials with a large vapour resistance factor or adding a vapour barrier can improve the hygrothermal performance of ITICS,especially for concrete walls in cold climate.

Long-Term Cumulative Damage Model of Historical Timber Member under Varying Hygrothermal Environment

A long-term damage cumulative model for the duration of load effect of structural timber is proposed in this paper, which is economical in analysis as well as involving long-term hygrothermal effect. Based on the Miner linear damage cumulative theory, the cumulative damage model is applied to analyze the annual hygrothermal, daily cyclic thermal and daily cyclic relative humidity＇s effect on load-duration behavior and to calculate the sum of damage in one year. The results indicate that the annual and daily hygrothermal effect should be taken into consideration when calculating the damage accumulation, in which the influence levels from large to small are annual hygrothermal, daily relative humidity and daily thermal effect, Considering both annual and daily hygrothermal variations as external loads the long-term model is determined. Its application to service-life prediction of a historic timber structure verifies the feasibility and high-efficiency of the proposed approach.

Study on Compressive Properties of Z-pinned Laminates in RTD and Hygrothermal Environment

Compressive tests of [0]t2 and [90]t2 unidirectional laminates and [45/0/-45/90] 2s quasi-isotropic laminates are accomplished in both room-temperature and dry （RTD） and hygrothermal environment. And simulation studies on the compressive strength of Z-pinned laminates of [0112 and [45/0/-45/90] 2s are conducted by using finite element analysis （FEA）. A microstructural unit cell for FEA is created to simulate a representative laminates unit with one pin. Within the unit cell, the first directions of the elements＇ material coordinate systems are changed to simulate the fibres＇ deflecting around the pin. The hygrothermal effect is simulated by the material properties＇ adjustments which are determined by the compressive tests of non-pined laminates. The experimental results indicate that the percentage of reduction in the compressive modulus of Z-pinned laminates caused by Z-pin becomes smaller with the percentage of 0° fibres decreasing in the laminates; the compressive strength of quasi-isotropic laminates reduces and the percentage of the reduction in the compressive strength declines with Z-pin volume content increasing, and the moisture absorption ratio of the Z-pinned specimens is greater than that of the non-pinned specimens, because the cracks around Z-pin increase the moisture absorption. In addition, the simulations show that the deflection of fibres around Z-pin is the main factor for the reduction in the compressive strength of Z-pinned unidirectional laminates, the dilution of fibre volume content caused by resin-rich pocket is the principal factor for the decline in the compressive strength of Z-pinned quasi-istropic laminates, and the compressive strength of Z-pinned specimens in hygrothermal environment reduces as the result of superimposition of some factors, including the changes in material properties caused by hygrothermal environment, the deflection of fibres and the resin-rich pocket caused by Z-pin.

A probabilistic-based method to evaluate hygrothermal performance of an internally insulated brick wall

Uncertainty exists in many aspects of building simulation.A deterministic hygrothermal analysis may not sufficiently give a reliable guidance if a number of input variables are subject to uncertainty.In this paper,a probabilistic-based method was developed to evaluate the hygrothermal performance of building components.The approach accounts for the uncertainties from model inputs and propagates them to the outputs through the simulation model,thus it provides a likelihood of performance risk.Latin hypercube sampling technique,incorporated with correlation structure among the inputs,was applied to generate the random samples that follows the intrinsic relations.The performance of an internally insulated masonry wall was evaluated by applying the proposed approach against different criteria.Thermal performance,condensation and mould growth potential of the renovated wall can overall satisfy the requirements stipulated in multifold standards.The most influential inputs were identified by the standardized regression sensitivity analysis and partial correlation technique.Both methods deliver the same key parameters for the single and time-dependent output variables in the case study.The probabilistic method can provide a comprehensive risk analysis and support the decision-maker and engineer in the design and optimization of building components.

Flexural Performance of Reinforced Concrete Beams Strengthened with Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer(CFRP)under Hygrothermal Environment Considering the Influence of CFRP-Concrete Interface

As an important component,the bond behavior of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer(CFRP)-concrete interface for a reinforced concrete(RC)beam is very significant.In this study,a theoretical model was established to analyze the flexural behavior of CFRP-strengthened RC beams,and the CFRP-concrete interfacial bond-slip relationship under hygrothermal environment was unified into one model.Two failure criteria corresponding to two types of failure modes,i.e.,concrete crushing and intermediate crack(IC)-induced debonding,were developed.Through the theoretical model,the flexural behavior of deflection,interfacial shear stress distribution and ultimate load of a CFRP-strengthened RC beam under hygrothermal environment were obtained and predicted.Moreover,the theoretical model was verified by test results.The results showed that the hygrothermal environment had a significant impact on the CFRP-concrete interface behavior.Compared with the control beam without hygrothermal environment pretreatment,the deflection and ultimate load of the strengthened RC beam decreased by 51.9%and 20%,respectively.

Experimental Study of Hygrothermal and Ultraviolet Aging on the Flexural Performance of Epoxy Polymer Mortar

This paper studies the effects of hygrothermal environment at different temperatures and ultraviolet(UV)radiation on the bending properties of epoxy polymer mortar(EPM).The microstructure changes of EPM during aging were studied by scanning electron microscopy,and the bending properties of EPM were predicted by the Arrhenius law.The results showed that the bending properties of EPM were greatly affected by the temperature in the hygrothermal aging,but not evidently affected by ultraviolet radiation in UV aging.The prediction of Arrhenius model shows that the EPM will steadily retain 92.8%,89.1%and 79.4%of the original flexural strength after long-term hygrothermal aging at 40∘C,60∘C and 80∘C,respectively.

Cross validation of hygrothermal properties of historical Chinese blue bricks with isothermal sorption experiments

The historical,cultural,and social value of heritage buildings mandates special protection of these structures.Blue brick is one kind of the main construction materials of heritage buildings,which is porous material and easily subject to deterioration due to environmental factors such as humidity.Therefore,determining the dynamic moisture content rule of materials under fluctuant ambient humidity is necessary for preventative conservation.This study measured the equilibrium moisture content of eight types of Chinese blue bricks under isothermal conditions with varying humidity levels.The results show that when ambient humidity increased from 10%to 90%,the moisture sorption of historical Chinese blue bricks tripled,which is 3 times greater than that of modern Chinese blue bricks and 10(at low humidity)to 20 times(at high humidity)greater than that of clay bricks in the international handbook.The results contribute to the improvement of the international building material database and research related to hygrothermal performance of heritage buildings in East Asia.©2021 Higher Education Press Limited Company.Publishing services by Elsevier B.V.on behalf of KeAi Communications Co.Ltd.This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license(http://creativecommons.Org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).