Two-dimensional heat transfer analysis of timber structure walls filled with hemp-lime composite

Abstract

Hemp-lime composite is a thermal insulating material used as a filling in timber frame construction walls. It is a material based on the wooden part of industrial hemp stalk (hemp shives) and lime binder. In practice, different wall thicknesses, composites with different thermal properties and various configurations of timber structure are used. These factors affect the temperature distribution in the wall. In the thermally weaker areas of walls, there is a greater risk of condensation and mould growth. This issue is important while designing walls based on organic materials. The paper presents the two-dimensional (2D) heat-transfer analysis based on the finite-element method, using THERM software. Several variants of external walls were adopted for the analysis. Thermal parameters of hemp-lime composites used in the analysis were obtained from our own research. The results of the analysis were presented as the values of the thermal transmittance coefficient and linear thermal transmittance equivalent to timber construction. The temperature distribution for an exemplary wall was also shown graphically in the form of isotherms and colour-flooded isotherms.