Comment on Scientists develop game-changing 'glass brick' that could revolutionize construction: 'The highest insulating performance'

Branch_Ranch@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

• givesomefucks@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Any time an article references another, immediately jump ship and read the original.

  The glass brick has a measured thermal conductivity of 53 mW/m*K and a compressive strength of nearly 45 MPa.”

  “This is the highest insulating performance of any brick found in the technical literature, let alone on the market. Additionally, it comes with the property of light transmission.”

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  • Atelopus-zeteki@kbin.run ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    For comparison: From Seves Glass Block: "Unlike standard glass blocks that have a thermal transmission coefficient "U"of 2.8 W/sq mt x K), HTI has a "U" value of 1.8 W/(sq mt x K). (https://www.sevesglassblock.com/product/191916-hti-wave-sahara-2s/). So common glass block is 2.8, fancier glass block is 1.8, and this new Aeroblock 0.053!! I think I did my numbers correctly, and DANG! I wan't to start building walls with this stuff tomorrow!!

    Also: Get the light & keep the warmth - A highly insulating, translucent aerogel glass brick for building envelopes https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352710222016060

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    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Anything to get rid of modern vinyl houses.

      Masonry is always worth it for housing, we need to go back to building houses that’ll still be habitable a century later.

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      • usualsuspect191@lemmy.ca ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Except earthquake prone areas, and maybe others I’m not thinking if. Wood isn’t the problem, cheap+fast wood is.

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      • frezik@midwest.social ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Houses generally will last a century with basic maintenance. Modern US construction techniques are a lot more thought out than is generally acknowledged.

        I’m more concerned with things becoming “outdated” in aesthetic ways. A properly installed tiled bathroom (including the bath stall) can last a long, long time, but future owners might not like the look at tear it all out. Recycling it all is a laughable dream. There are designs, though, that stand up to the test of time, and we should be pushing those more.

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    • A_A@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      You are confusing the units : the value for aerogel is for a 1 m thick wall, while the value for your glass blocks is for 16 centimeter (one block thick). So an error of 16/100 ratio (or 100/16).

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      • Atelopus-zeteki@kbin.run ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        whoops! TY!

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• gibmiser@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Or include a picture of the actual material instead of a stock photo of a glass brick stairwell…

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  • abhibeckert@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    The source article has this “visualisation”:

    Image

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    • pastermil@sh.itjust.works ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      It’s also good at broadcasting to your neighborhood whether or not you’re home.

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      • Hule@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        In these times?

        You install smart lighting to mimic human presence.

        Burglars put up wireless cameras to be sure You left.

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      • samus12345@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        You mean like how windows do now?

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• Death_Equity@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  A quick search yields an R value of 9.6-20 per inch for already available aerogel insulating materials. So a standard exterior wall would have a 3.5"(2x4) or 5.5" (2x6) cavity giving R values of 33.6 and 52.8 respectively at the lower efficiency and cheaper options. That is better performance than pretty much any other option, but the cost is like 10-30 times that of other options.

  If they are containing the aerogel granules in glass, which seems to be the case, the thermal bridging would be an issue for efficiency. A solid glass block has an R value of 1.15… A triple glazed window has an R value of 7-8.

  The better option than glass block would be filling the cavity of a double glazed window with aerogel granules, which would cut down on thermal bridging to the just the sash/casing and would be more economically viable for production.

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  • abhibeckert@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    but the cost is like 10-30 times that of other options

    Are you just talking construction costs? What about if you consider the lifetime energy consumption costs of a building that lasts, I dunno, 50 years?

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    • Natanael@slrpnk.net ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Aerogel is also fragile

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  • Ilgaz@lemm.ee ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Isn’t aeorogel really expensive to begin with? I mean we have tech like Ytong and they are still using bricks in buildings. Why? Ytong seems expensive to uneducated who have no clue about TCO and engineering.

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    • ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Aerogel is insanely expensive. It has an R-value of 10 per inch and the handy property of costing about $1 per R-value per square foot. So a piece of aerogel 1" thick by 4’ x 8’ would cost $320; the equivalent piece of 2" thick XPS foam board (also R-10) costs about $50 these days. So with aerogel you’re paying a 500% to 600% premium to have your insulation be half as thick as XPS would be - and to essentially have no compression resistance at all (vs. the 20+ PSI of foam board).

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• JakenVeina@lemm.ee ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Me, I’m noticing the distinct lack of any information on cost or cost-effectiveness.

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