Submitted 9 months ago by L4s@lemmy.world [bot] to technology@lemmy.world
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/aerogel-glass-brick-insulation-energy-saving/
Scientists develop game-changing ‘glass brick’ that could revolutionize construction: ‘The highest insulating performance’::The team of scientists developed an aerogel glass brick, which is a translucent and thermally insulating material.
So if you could theoretically let out a big enough fart, it will become visible on Google Maps.
Wrong post my friend
And yet Lemmy is so small I immediately knew which post they were referring to.
Wow wtf my comment didn’t go to the post I intended. Huh.
Yeah but then I’d have to stop throwing stones, and that’s one of my favorite pastimes.
You just have to go touch grass first.
Touch grass, break glass, crush ass
Aren’t we running out of sand? How is this a sustainable option.
We’re running out of concrete sand, glass sand doesn’t have to be as picky because you’re melting it
So “technically” right but not “completely” right. Thanks for the explanation.
This was Anakin’s plan along
Aerogel isn’t made our of sand
It’s made from sodium silicate… Which is made from sand.
Yes in a time where all insulated homes are desperate to keep the cool in during summer, adding more light through will really help us.
Is this a joke or do you just not understand what “insulation” means?
Houses can have a “greenhouse” effect. Light passes through, and strikes something. It is absorbed and turned to heat. The object then radiates that as infrared. Thermally shielded windows then trap this in the room. With enough insulation, and enough light, this can become a significant issue.
This is assuming, however, that these bricks are transparent to visible light, but opaque to IR.
It’s more for public buildings with glass fronts. “Revolutionize construction” is a questionable headline. Aerogels have use for replacing insulation in other ways, though.
“Revolutionize construction” is a questionable headline.
How about: revolutionize one very specific part construction under certain niche circumstances? Rolls off the tongue!
I can’t imagine there’s any reason they couldn’t make an opaque version of the same. Would probably look pretty cool in black.
I mean, I’m all for better insulated homes. I will say it’ll be hard to convince people to go for this aesthetic, though. It’s very 80s.
Melt glass, inject air bubble, insert mixer and spin thousands of times. Pour into mold.
Branch_Ranch@lemmy.world 9 months ago
I wish the article would have mentioned an R-value or at least something to describe the actual efficiency of its insulating ability.
givesomefucks@lemmy.world 9 months ago
Any time an article references another, immediately jump ship and read the original.
Atelopus-zeteki@kbin.run 9 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
gibmiser@lemmy.world 9 months ago
Or include a picture of the actual material instead of a stock photo of a glass brick stairwell…
abhibeckert@lemmy.world 9 months ago
The source article has this “visualisation”:
Image
Death_Equity@lemmy.world 9 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.
abhibeckert@lemmy.world 9 months ago
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?
Ilgaz@lemm.ee 9 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.
JakenVeina@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Me, I’m noticing the distinct lack of any information on cost or cost-effectiveness.