When studying the properties of any building materials, special attention should be paid to such a value as its thermal conductivity, since the ability of a residential building to retain heat inside, as well as prevent its penetration from the outside, will directly depend on this. The thermal conductivity of materials is the ability to conduct heat flow through the material itself from one surface to another, which is caused by the presence of a gradient of the transfer potential in it. Absolutely all materials have a certain coefficient of this indicator, knowing which, you can independently determine whether this material is suitable for one or another purpose.
The highest thermal conductivity is possessed by metal products, which are practically not able to accumulate heat. In the winter time they freeze, and in the summer they heat up to a very high temperature, completely depending on the state of the environment. In this regard, it must be understood that the thermal conductivity of materials of this type should be taken into account when building a residential building.
With the exception of windows and doors, the main source of cold penetration is the exterior walls of the building, so this should be given a lot of attention during construction. The main building material in our country is traditionally considered red brick, whose heat capacity is 0.92 kJ / kg * K.
Recently, however, foam concrete has become very popular, which is represented on the building materials market by foam concrete and aerated concrete blocks. You should be aware that the thermal conductivity of materials depends on its porosity, structure, temperature and humidity, at which heat transfer occurs. Thanks to a special autoclave technology, foam concrete receives just such an internal structure that prevents the penetration of cold, so today it can be increasingly seen on construction sites.
In addition, the requirements for the insulation standards of residential buildings and structures are constantly increasing, since this allows to optimize the temperature regime, as well as significantly reduce energy costs for heating. In this regard, one of the most popular steel insulation materials, since the thermal conductivity of materials of this type allows you to protect the building from low ambient temperatures. A wide range of these products includes penofol, rockwool, kamka, polystyrene and polystyrene foam. In addition, recently, special “warm plasters” have appeared on sale, which make it possible to ensure reliable thermal protection of absolutely any building. The only drawback of this new material is its high price, which significantly inhibits its distribution.
The most popular and affordable insulation is foam, whose thermal conductivity in the dry state is from 0.042 to 0.037 W / m. * K, which also depends on the density of the foam (M15, M25, M35). It has excellent characteristics, which include lightness, low thermal conductivity and water absorption, the absence of harmful effects on the environment (when plastering, since it can release harmful phenols when exposed to ultraviolet rays), as well as a low price. All this allows you to work with such material very easily, and even independently carry out work on the insulation of the facade of your house.
Summing up the above, it should be emphasized once again that the thermal conductivity of building materials is the most important characteristic that should be paid attention to competent developers when constructing their homes, as well as to all owners when performing work on the insulation of an existing building.