Thermal break
Encyclopedia
A thermal break or thermal barrier is an element of low thermal conductivity placed in an assembly to reduce or prevent the flow of thermal energy between conductive materials.
In architecture
and building construction some examples include the following:
In architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and building construction some examples include the following:
- a thermal break is also a load-bearing thermal insulation system used in reinforced concreteReinforced concreteReinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
structures to form a thermal break between cantileverCantileverA cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
structures and internal floor. - Insulated glazingInsulated glazingInsulated glazing also known as double glazing are double or triple glass window panes separated by an air or other gas filled space to reduce heat transfer across a part of the building envelope....
– the air or gas between the panes stops the conductive thermal energy from passing through the glass. - Metal window or curtain wall framing – a separator material is used between the inner and outer frames to prevent the temperature outside to eventually transfer through the frame and condensationCondensationCondensation is the change of the physical state of matter from gaseous phase into liquid phase, and is the reverse of vaporization. When the transition happens from the gaseous phase into the solid phase directly, the change is called deposition....
on the inside frame. - Concrete work – a single row of concrete masonry units (CMU block) is commonly set between the inner concrete slab and exterior concrete work to prevent the transfer of heat or cold through the slab.
- Garage doorGarage doorA garage door is a large door on a garage that can either be opened manually or by a garage door opener. Garage doors are necessarily large to allow passage of automobiles and/or trucks.-Description:...
s – in some doors that have high R-rating insulation, a vinylVinylA vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group ,which are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom replaced with some other group...
thermal break is used along the edges of each segment instead of rolled steel. - Metal and wood framed buildings - an insulation material installed on the roof, walls and floor prevents thermal short circuit creating the heat transfer through the framing material and controls when desired (winter/summer)resulting in energy savings.
- Metal windows and doors - separating the frame into two separate interior and exterior pieces joined with a less conductive material reduces temperature transfer. Thermal breaks (made of substantially rigid, low thermal conductive polyurethanePolyurethaneA polyurethane is any polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization, by reacting a monomer with another monomer in the presence of a catalyst.Polyurethanes are...
which is mechanically locked in aluminum window framing can be more than a thousand times less conductive than aluminum and a hundred times less than steel. - Windows and doors - separating the frame into 2 separate interior and exterior pieces joined with a less conductive material between reduces temperature transfer.