Microstructure and Thermal Conductivity of Hydrated Calcium Silicate Board Materials

Published

July 9, 2008

Author(s)

Chi T. Do, Dale P. Bentz, Paul E. Stutzman

Abstract

The thermal conductivity of a porous material is controlled by the thermal conductivities of its components and their spatial arrangement within the composite structure, e.g., the material s microstructure. Here, the relationships between thermal conductivity and microstructural parameters such as porosity and pore size are examined for two calcium silicate boards of different densities. Thermal conductivities are measured from room temperature to 400 C using a transient plane source technique, for both the as-received boards and a corresponding set of boards aged at 1000 C. Microstructure is characterized by the measurement of the boards bulk and powder densities and an assessment of pore size based on scanning electron microscopy. The experimentally measured thermal conductivities are then compared to those predicted by three previously presented theories for porous materials. A better agreement is observed between the experimental values and two of the three theories. Aging the boards at 1000 C has a small but significant effect on their thermal conductivity.

Citation

Journal of Building Physics

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

building technology, microstructure, porosity, radiation, thermal conductivity

Citation

Do, C. , Bentz, D. and Stutzman, P. (2008), Microstructure and Thermal Conductivity of Hydrated Calcium Silicate Board Materials, Journal of Building Physics, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=860684 (Accessed October 14, 2025)