Thermal analysis and solution of green cementitious composites model under constant and elevated temperature-a preliminary study

A cementitious composite carefully designed and mixed using aggregates, cement and waste materials forms a green concrete, providing potential for saving the environment, especially by reducing the carbon consumption in the construction industry. The reliable design of green cementitious composites’ thermal conductivity leads to significant energy savings in residential buildings, especially when used as exterior or interior walls. This preliminary study briefly describes a concept of mathematical modeling of green concrete heat transfer since an effective solution to the problem will not only improve the energy saving inside the residential but also increase the efficiency in heat-protection of the structures. The study aims to generate a mathematical model to simulate the thermal properties into a computational model to understand the model behaviour under constant and elevated temperature considering steady-state and transient-state solutions. A two-dimensional thermal model is created first then the thermal properties such as thermal conductivity, mass density, and specific heats are assigned into the model. Seven variables to express the thermal conductivity of concrete are adopted in this study based on previous research. The analysis is then continued by specifying a heat source within two model geometries, i.e. a solid model and a model with cavity. The heat flux is also assigned to estimate the heat exchange between the boundaries. The model is then analyzed, the mathematical model is solved to generate the results of temperature, gradient, and heat rates as well as heat fluxes. This study enables the characterization of thermal transfer and distribution on a green concrete model to be used as approximations in predicting the trends related to thermal properties of a green cementitious composite.