Developing a structurally sound and durable roof slab insulation system for tropical climates

Abstract

Flat roof slabs are gaining its popularity day by day due to its advantages like cyclonic resistance, possibility for future expansion and the possibility of using them as additional working space. However, the major issue associated with roof slabs is thermal discomfort, for which, active cooling in the forms of fans and air-conditioners is the most common remedy used. This has led to extensive use of energy, increasing the operational cost of the buildings and, in the macro scale, contributing to global warming as well. Hence, the current trend is to go for passive techniques. Insulating roof slabs is identified as a better passive way to address the stated issues. In this study, several existing roof slab insulation techniques were discussed and their benefits and drawbacks were identified. While ensuring the same thermal and structural capacity of the insulation system, a new system was developed to address the drawbacks of existing systems. Computer based modelling were used to optimize the system and the small scale model testing was used to validate the results obtained by the computer simulations. Finally, a new insulation system was developed with enhanced thermal performance, structural capacity and the durability.