Enhancing the thermal resistance of residential buildings by using vermiculite filler between double-layer brick walls

Department of Building and Structure Construction, Tashkent Institute of Architecture and Civil Engineering, 100194, 9A Yangishahar Street, Yunusabad District, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Abstract

This article investigates the potential for improving the thermal performance of external wall structures in low-rise residential buildings by using vermiculite granules as a filling thermal insulation material. The study was conducted under the climatic conditions of Nukus city, comparing a conventional 380 mm thick brick wall structure with a double-layer brick wall system filled with a 50 mm layer of vermiculite granules.

The calculation results indicate that heat loss through 1 m² of the external wall during the heating period is 89.25 kWh for the traditional wall structure, whereas this value decreases to 49.24 kWh for the vermiculite-filled wall. As a result, heat loss is reduced by 40.01 kWh, achieving approximately 44.8% energy savings.

The findings demonstrate that the application of vermiculite granules in double-layer brick wall constructions can serve as an effective technical solution for enhancing thermal insulation, improving energy efficiency, and reducing natural gas consumption for heating in residential buildings.