This article discusses the use of light-weight concrete building insulation (such as Thermal Krete™ in building wall-stud cavities.
Accompanying text reprinted/adapted/excerpted with permission from Solar Age Magazine - editor Steven Bliss.
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Quoting energy.gov's definition of cementious foam insulation material
Cementitious insulation material is a cement-based foam used as sprayed-foam or foamed-in-placed insulation.
One type of cementitious spray foam insulation known as aircrete® contains magnesium silicate and has an initial consistency similar to shaving cream.
Air krete® is pumped into closed cavities.
Cementitious foam costs about as much as polyurethane foam, is nontoxic and nonflammable, and is made from minerals (like magnesium oxide) extracted from seawater. - 2023/09/08 original source energy.gov/energysaver/insulation-materials#cementitious
Below on this page we provide a table of R-values and other properties for lightweight concrete, cementious insulation, including Air krete® and other products.
In a related approach to using light-weight concrete, "lightweight concrete construction" often uses pre-fabricated lightweight concrete panels, lightweight concrete blocks, or light-weight concrete placed on-site.
Polystyrene concrete block, panels, or EPS (expanded polystyrene) foam concrete is a composite material made of a mix of any of several versions of Portland cement to which additional ingredients are added to produce lightweight concrete.
Above at the top of this page and just above this text are examples cross-section of a lightweight panel distributed by Jinquang and building construction using those panels, cited in more detail below.
The additional lightweight concrete ingredients typically include silica aggregate (silica sand or fly ash often collected as waste from an electrical power generating utility), EPS / polystyrene granules or similar porous filler, concrete modifying agents (a set accelerator or a plasticizer and in some applications, a concrete foaming agent).
Depending on how these ingredients are combined and in what ratios, concrete products of varying density between D150 to D600 are produced for use as a construction material that has greater insulating R-value than traditional concrete or other solid masonry materials.
In our illustrations just below, polystyrene and concrete have been mixed to form concrete construction panels. In other forms the same material may be used to produce individual concrete blocks or CMUs (Concrete Masonry Units).
Both lightweight concrete block and panels may also be manufactured as lightweight cellular concrete shown below, without the concrete "skin" on the lightweigh concrete blocks shown above. (Illustration below adapted from Alibaba's oniste store, September 2023).
Above: lightweight concrete blocks with a concrete "skin".
Below: lightweight cellular concrete blocks - no skin.
This question-and-answer series on lightweight concrete use paraphrases, quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss.
What do you think of using light-weight concrete insulation such as Thermal Krete™ as an insulating filler for double 2x4 walls?
Would use of lightweight concrete insulation eliminate the need for a moisture and/or air barrier? - Lane Felker, Jefferson MD
Answer:
Thermal Krete™ (discussed at "Product Update," Solar Age 11/83) is a special magnesite concrete that is pumped into wall cavities in a way that traps air bubbles. It insulates to about R-4 per inch.
According to Thermal Krete™ company president Fred Moer, the thickest cavity in which Thermal Krete™ has been installed is a 2x8 framed (rafter depth nominal size 2" x 8" is actually about 1.5" x 7.5") cathedral ceiling. The company should be consulted regarding lightweight concrete installations in cavities beyond 8-inches thick.
The weight of the material (4-5 pounds per cubic foot) could bow out drywall in a double-framed super-insulated building wall design, or the water from the larger volume of concrete could damage building materials.
See our discussion of super-insulated buildings and double-framed wall studs
at INSULATION CHOICES & PROPERTIES.
Thermal Krete is fairly permeable to water vapor, so a vapor retarder is recommended.
As for air leakage, you should be primarily concerned about places where the concrete does not penetrate, e.g. under soleplates (sill plates), through ceiling penetrations, and out through interior partitions. Thermal Krete's manufacturer, Omni Tech Energy Products, welcomes inquiries.
As we discuss at INSULATION CHOICES , for superinsulated buildings the article concludes that a double-stud wall with fiberglass batts provided the greatest insulating value per dollar. However other insulating products may be a better choice depending on other construction details and space limitations.
Our photograph (left) shows an insulation retrofit in a crawl space where icynene foam spray was applied to the crawl space wall and between the floor joists overhead.
The article also discusses the question of air permeability of fiberglass insulation and its impact on the actual insulating value of the material compared with impermeable (to air) foam insulation products.
The impact of moisture on the R-value of fiberglass insulation is also discussed (it's low). Fiberglass both gains and loses moisture more rapidly than some other insulating products.
Foil-faced polyisocyanurate insulation
such as the Thermax® and Hi-R® brands are discussed - these products give the highest R-value per inch among insulating materials. Also, as we tested in the 1970's, the use of these products combined with a 3/4" air space permits achieving an additional R 2.7 provided that the foil is clean and the gap or air space is uniform.
The question-and-answer article below paraphrases, quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss.
I am renovating a 100-year-old house that is a mix of timber frame and stick frame construction, with massive diagonals at the corners. At some point a second story was added, and later a balloon-framed addition.
I had planned to cut fiberglass batts to fit the stud spaces but I'm beginning to think that foam-in-place insulation might save enough on labor to offset the higher material cost.
Would a foam such as Air Krete® cause any problems with the structural integrity of the house due to pressure during application, or will it actually strengthen the framework? - Stephen Ortado, contractor, White Stone, VA.
Answer:
AirKrete® is a cementious foam with the consistency of shaving cream and an R-value of about 4 per inch. (See our table just below, and see INSULATION R-VALUES & PROPERTIES to compare various insulation products.).
When foamed in place, AirKrete® (and similar products such as discussed above), has finished expanding and flows around obstacles. So it places little stress on the structure of a building. After it sets, the foam is dimensionally stable, and there is no shrinkage problem.
Because it has no structural strength, AirKrete or other cementious foam insulating products will not make the building frame any stiffer.
A vapor barrier is recommended according to the product specifications and also according to Jay Savery, an East Coast manufacturer of the material, because the foam is very porous to moisture flow.
The table below summarizes the properties of various types of cementious building insulation and was excerpted from the more extensive table of insulation properties found
Insulation Material 9 |
R-Value1 | Density2 | Perm3 | Absorption4 | Flame Spread 5 |
Smoke6 | Toxicity7 | Aging Effects |
Concrete, uninsulated | 0.0818 - 0.312517 | Typical residential weight concrete 8" wall = R 2.5 | ||||||
Concrete-insulated | 0.85 - 1.2 | 12-88 | Varies | Varies | 0 | 0 | 0 | Insulated forms available |
Concrete, air entrained | 3.9021 | |||||||
Air Krete®26
|
3.9026 | 2.07 lbs/cuFt26 | 0.1457 in/sec coefficient, or 0.3407 in/sec flow rate at 68 degF H2O27 | 026 | 026 | no | Cementious foam insulation, fireproof, non-toxic, non-shrinking, also used for acoustical sound proofing; MgO cement (Magnesium Oxide); 6 mil poly vapor barrier required |
As we discuss at INSULATION CHOICES & PROPERTIES , for superinsulated buildings the article concludes that a double-stud wall with fiberglass batts provided the greatest insulating value per dollar.
However other insulating products may be a better choice depending on other construction details and space limitations.
Our photograph (left) shows an insulation retrofit in a crawl space where icynene foam spray was applied to the crawl space wall and between the floor joists overhead.
The article also discusses the question of air permeability of fiberglass insulation and its impact on the actual insulating value of the material compared with impermeable (to air) foam insulation products.
The impact of moisture on the R-value of fiberglass insulation is also discussed (it's low). Fiberglass both gains and loses moisture more rapidly than some other insulating products.
Foil-faced polyisocyanurate insulation
such as the Thermax® and Hi-R® brands are discussed - these products give the highest R-value per inch among insulating materials.
Also, as we tested in the 1970's, the use of these products combined with a 3/4" air space permits achieving an additional R 2.7 provided that the foil is clean and the gap or air space is uniform.
The link to the original Q&A article in PDF form immediately above was preceded by the expanded/updated online version of this article found above.
Illustrated above, James Hardie provides a general example of how the company's siding products should be attached to ICF or Insulated Concrete Form constructed buildings.
...
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