An Evaluation of Thermal Conductivity from the Transient Plane Source Method and Prediction Equations for Concrete Incorporating Foamed Glass Aggregates and Gravel

In this project, the thermal conductivity of concrete made with foamed glass aggregates (FGA) and gravel aggregates is found experimentally using the transient plane source (TPS) method. Thermal conductivity predictions are made using the concrete density based and cubic model prediction equations from the American Concrete Institute code 122R and the Unifying Model equation. Measured thermal conductivities for FGA concrete were between 0.94 and 2.59 W/mK based on the mix design. Predicted thermal conductivities were between 0.25 and 3.96 W/mK with results from all but one prediction case being between 0.25 and 2.00 W/mK. In general, thermal conductivities measured from the TPS method fell within the broad range computed by the prediction equations. Results from this project suggest that a single value of thermal conductivity may not be appropriate for assessing the thermal performance of concrete made with significantly different aggregates. The 28-day compression strength of the FGA concrete mixes ranged from 24.70 to 56.97 MPa, which is acceptable for many concrete applications.