Computational Modeling of Translucent Concrete Panels
Publication: Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 21, Issue 2
Abstract
The last decade has witnessed a heightened interest in making buildings more sustainable, which has been fueled largely by the increase in energy costs and advancements in manufacturing technology. Lighting consumes a substantial amount of this energy, making it necessary to look for alternative technology that depends more on natural lighting. This study investigated a novel building envelope material that consists of optical fibers embedded in concrete. The fibers are used to channel solar radiation into the building to reduce the dependence on artificial lighting especially during peak time. This paper presents a geometrical ray-tracing algorithm to simulate light transmission properties of the proposed translucent concrete panel. It was concluded that a tilt angle of 30° for the panel transmits the maximum amount of light among all the tilt angles considered. Using this tilt angle, the rate at which sunlight radiation is absorbed by the panel was calculated, and a preliminary study was conducted to estimate the solar heat gain coefficient of the panel for possible use in place of a glazing material by the construction industry.
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Acknowledgments
The presented research was funded by the Republic of Singapore’s National Research Foundation through a grant to the Berkeley Education Alliance for Research in Singapore (BEARS) for Singapore-Berkeley Building Efficiency and Sustainability in the Tropics (SinBerBEST) program. BEARS has been established by the University of California, Berkeley, as a center for intellectual excellence in research and education in Singapore. The authors also thank Alex Mead, Bhavesh Patel, and Zeyad Zaky for their assistance in the revision of the paper.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 21 • Issue 2 • June 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 18, 2014
Accepted: Oct 20, 2014
Published online: Nov 11, 2014
Published in print: Jun 1, 2015
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