Li, X: Extrusion of Cement-based Thermal Storage Materials

Incorporations of phase change materials (PCM) in building materials have been proved to be feasible to exploit high thermal storage capability of PCM to solve global energy and environmental problems we face. In this study, rheological behaviors of fresh fiber reinforced cementitious composites were investigated through using squeeze flow or upsetting test, stress relaxation and digital image processing technique in order to make extrusion process smooth and successful. And short fiber reinforced cementitious panels incorporated with granular phase change composites have been manufactured by the extrusion technique which can significantly improve the mechanical performance of cement composites. The thermal behaviors of extruded panels were investigated by one- dimensional heat conduction and simulated-room tests. It was shown that both heat capacity and thermal inertia were largely improved. The experimental results demonstrated that there could be a great potential for applying extruded thermal energy-storing panels in building constructions to improve energy efficiency.