Influence Of Hollow Block'S Structural Configuration On The Thermal Characteristics Of Hollow Block Wall

The impact of structural configurations on the thermal performance of a hollow block wall was analyzed. A two-dimensional energy equation was discretized by using finite difference method (FDM) with Gause-Seidel scheme, which was executed by using MATLAB program. It was found that by reducing the rib width and hole number in each row, the thermal performance could be improved. Furthermore, it is recommended to increase hole rows rather than hole thickness of a hollow block; in addition, increasing the block thickness with an increase in hole spacing is more effective than that with an increase in the holerate. Then, it is better to stagger the holes in different rows in the block. Finally, factors influencing thermal performance were-ranked with functions in descending order. The analysis of this research provided data reference and an approach to engineering-practice. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.