Review of world experience and properties of materials for encapsulation of terrestrial photovoltaic arrays

Published and unpublished information relating to encapsulation systems and materials properties was collected by searching the literature and appropriate data bases (over 1,300 documents were selected and reviewed) and by personal contacts including site and company visits. A data tabulation summarizing world experience with terrestrial photovoltaic arrays (50 installations) is presented in the report. Based on criteria of properties, processability, availability, and cost, candidate materials were identified which have potential for use in encapsulation systems for arrays with a lifetime of over 20 years high reliability, an efficiency greater than 10 percent, a total price less than $500/kW, and a production capacity of 500,000 kW/yr. The recommended materials (all commercially available) include, depending upon the device design, various borosilicate and soda-lime glasses and numerous polymerics suitable for specific encapsulation system functions

Construction of the Façade Systems. Production and Assembly Procedures of the Advanced Building Envelopes

The study, developed inside the experimental laboratory Material Balance Research within the Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering-ABC Department at the Politecnico di Milano, examines the advanced façade systems according to the productive and constructive contents. The work is determined in the form of a knowledge and design concept tool for the construction of advanced façade systems, used for the realization of multiple types of envelope. The book is configured in a cognitive and operative form, with the aim of providing researchers, technicians and professionals with the contents to proceed with the analysis, design and constitution of façade systems with the aid of the components, materials and assembly methods typical of the advanced and experimental contemporary scenario. Moreover, the work goes into detail on how to form, connect and plan for the construction of the advanced façade systems, specifying itself as a manual text to provide guidelines for professionals in charge of design, production and construction. The work involves the building characters of the envelopes with respect to both the range series (determined by the basic profiles) and the customized or “outside system” components. The scenario under consideration accommodates, in the range series, the types of envelopes transferred by complex, large-scale interventions, with the inclusion of appropriate tools and accessories aimed at widespread use: therefore, the components are proposed in the form of “integrated” elements, characterized by “specialization” processes. Then, the contemporary experimental production observes the application of the archetypal and tectonic properties of envelope systems and the hybridization of established façade typologies through the use of profiles and frames of different material, mechanical and connective invoice. The study deals with the main building elements and technical interfaces, explaining the anchoring structures and their connections to the load-bearing structures, examining the criteria for the assembly between the mullion and transom profiles. The study of the façade systems focuses on the methods of collecting and draining rainwater, considering the execution of the sealing and the criteria of vapour pressure compensation and drainage for glass enclosures. The analysis of framing is completed with an explanation of the methods of mechanical and structural fastening of the enclosures, noting the criteria for pressure and structural silicone assembly. In particular, the text examines the technical interfaces of the main advanced envelope systems with respect to the functional, constructive and applicative coordination procedures of the mullions and transoms framing, of the structural sealant glazing façade system, of the unit façade system, of the suspended façade system and of the double skin façade system. The technical and manual character of the book is also expressed through the analysis of the functional and application procedures of the gaskets with respect to the façade systems in order to prevent the transmission of air and water loads: the analysis focuses on the connections between the framing and the enclosure elements of the envelope, in accordance with the compensation of height differences in order to guarantee impermeability, airtightness and insulation. The study observes and investigates the types of framing elements in which the gaskets are inserted, emphasizing the specific function with respect to the connection interfaces. Then, the study examines the assembly and interface conditions between elements of different composition and production within the façade systems: in particular, the examination of the technical interfaces involves the development and application of sealants, based on the loads exerted on the jointing devices, in order to fulfil the requirements of sealing and tightness with respect to mechanical, thermal and hygrometric, water, air and wind stresses. Moreover, the study of the envelope systems examines the methodologies directed towards fulfilling the requirements with respect to the actions caused by fire loads, considering the contents related to both components and connections and fixing surfaces. The design study involves the specific sections of separation with respect to the fire compartments: this is to limit the propagation of a fire originating inside the building, the fire of a façade and its propagation, the fall of the façade elements

Design, fabrication, testing, and delivery of a solar energy collector system for residential heating and cooling

A low cost flat plate solar energy collector was designed for the heating and cooling of residential buildings. The system meets specified performance requirements, at the desired system operating levels, for a useful life of 15 to 20 years, at minimum cost and uses state-of-the-art materials and technology. The rationale for the design method was based on identifying possible material candidates for various collector components and then selecting the components which best meet the solar collector design requirements. The criteria used to eliminate certain materials were: performance and durability test results, cost analysis, and prior solar collector fabrication experience

Mechanical properties of a silicone for high temperature applications

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Mecânica. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. University of Galati. 200

Executive Design of the Façade Systems. Typologies and Technologies of the Advanced Building Envelopes

The study, developed inside the experimental laboratory Material Balance Research within the Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering-ABC Department at the Politecnico di Milano, examines the advanced façade systems according to the constitutive and typological characters, as well as the functional and applicative requirements such as the expressive, constructive and interactive criteria towards the environmental, perceptive and energy conditions. The work involves to examine the typological and technological constitution of the principal advanced façade systems in the contemporary design and experimental scenario, proposing itself as a knowledge and operational tool currently lacking in the technical literature of the sector at an international level. The work considers the field of advanced façade systems in a scientific way, constituting a support for the study and the executive design. Compared to the pre-existing literature on envelope systems, the work investigates in detail, in an analytical form, the constitution of the components on a typological and geometrical, functional and constructive level, on the basis of the documents and knowledges acquired from the essential contemporary production and construction references. At the same time, the work is configured in manual form as a reference for understanding and application with respect to traditional and complex façade systems. The study is aimed at researchers, designers and, in general, operators in the field of the advanced façade systems, considering that the level of composition of the work is directed at experts in the specific matter, who require a tool of a high explanatory and operational level. This is not a basic text, but a work that goes beyond the literature expressed on the subject at an architectural, descriptive or narrative level. The main topics concern the technological determination of lightweight prefabricated external curtain wall envelopes, according to the development of façade components, also considering multi-material relationships and specialized layering. The thematic in-depth study focuses on structural, connection and interface references related to the functional and application requirements articulated with respect to the main advanced curtain wall types. For each main type of façade, the work provides explanations and scientific information for investigating and designing the advanced façades according to the characteristics of the mullions and transoms façade system (stick system), of the structural sealant glazing façade system, of the unit façade system, of the suspended façade system and of the double skin façade system. The explanation is made with the aid of analytical insights into the physical, connective and interface constitution, supported by details and documents acquired from the advanced production and construction sectors. The book is envisaged to become the first work in a series of texts on the technical and scientific study of the advanced façade systems, planning to deal, in the future, with the contents related to the building site and construction phases, the specific constitution of the production methods, and an in-depth study of the enclosure and cladding materials. The book, intended as a basis for scientific, academy and professional study, is proposed as a useful tool within university courses, specialized and master’s courses, as well as a support for the preparation of expert technicians in the field of façade systems

Structure glass technology : systems and applications

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-73).Glass cannot compete with steel in terms of strength or durability, but it is the only structural material that offers the highly sought after qualities of translucency and transparency. The use of glass has evolved from purely decorative or architectural to structural, encouraging glass technologies to advance concurrently with increased demand. As a result, contemporary methods used to produce structural glass provide excellent strength characteristics, particularly after treatments including annealing, tempering, and heat-strengthening, which reduce its vulnerability to cracking and sudden brittle failure. Its modulus of elasticity is roughly equal to that of aluminum-greater than both wood and concrete-but doesn't allow any plastic deformation. Lamination dramatically improves both the strength and durability of glass by joining strengthened layers of glass using resin or a polyvinyl butyral foil. No comprehensive design code is currently available to aid in the design of structural glass members. The behavior of glass is examined through a variety of structural applications including beams, columns, walls, roofs and floors, and domes. Case studies are explored to underscore the technical principles discussed for each structural glass element utilized in place of more traditional building materials.by Katherine K. Leitch.M.Eng

Maine Guide to Energy Efficient Residential Construction : A Manual of Accepted Practices

Maine Guide to Energy Efficient Residential Construction : A Manual of Accepted Practices State of Maine Energy Conservation Division, Department of Economic and Community Development, 59 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0059 Second Edition - November, 1997 Contents: Dedication / Acknowledgements / Introduction / Part 1. Summary of Maine\u27s Residential Energy Standards / Part 2. Siting and Initial Design Considerations / Part 3. Important Considerations for the Design Phase / Part 4. Recommended Construction Practices / Appendixeshttps://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/me_collection/1148/thumbnail.jp