Experimental and numerical investigation of thermal improvement of window frames

Abstract

This article presents experimental and numerical determinations of thermal transmittance performed on three different types of window frames (vinyl, aluminium, and wooden) within the same insulated glass unit. Good agreement between experimental and numerical results was attained. Using the numerical models, thermal improvement techniques of the frames and their influence on thermal transmittance of frames were studied. The first thermal improvement technique was using the insulation materials inserted inside large air cavities. By filling the cavity of vinyl frame with the polyurethane foam, thermal transmittance of vinyl frame was lowered by 10%. The second technique was based on repeating the procedure with materials installed inside frames with the materials that have lower thermal conductivity. This technique can be applied on thermal breaks and on steel profiles inside cavities. The result of this thermal improvement (attained by replacing thermal break material with material that has lower thermal conductivity) was certain reduction of the thermal transmittance of frames, by 9%. Using stainless steel instead of the oxidized steel was reduction of the thermal transmittance of vinyl frame by 3%. For the case of wooden frames the influence of shifting glazing unit deeper into profile upon the thermal transmittance of the frame was analyzed. Installing the glass unit by 5 mm deeper into the wooden frame reduced glass thermal transmittance by 5%.