Experimental study on the temperature field of ETICS cladding system with finishing colorful steel plate

Colorful steel plate (CSP) is a material characterized with high durability and low maintenance requirement during the service life, especially when it is used as a decoration material in the building exterior wall. This study proposes a new type of sandwich panel for building envelope that is composed of CSP shins and ribs and is infilled with heat-insulating material core. The panel provides many advantages such as durability, corrosion resistance and speed construction. In this study, three rigs of external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) with three heat-insulating materials, namely, foam glass, foam concrete and rigid polyurethane foam, are tested inside a weathering test chamber. Thermal fields of the rigs are measured using a resistance thermometer, T-type thermocouple and an infrared imaging technology during heat-rain and heat-cold cycles. The results show that the temperatures of the CSP finish and the outer face of the insulation layer change in accordance with the air temperature of the chamber. The temperatures of CSP finish change abruptly (especially near the window) while the temperatures of the bonding layer change slowly. Among the three heat-insulating materials studied, rigid polyurethane foam is the most efficient in energy-conservation. In all three ETICSs, each layer causes a lag in time and reduces the transmission of thermal waves from the exterior to interior parts, these phenomena being more prominent with an increase in the insulating effect of the insulation layer.