Experimental study on the thermal performance of insulating materials for metal tiles

This research aims to experimentally evaluate the thermal performance of materials intended for use as thermal insulators in metal tiles. The study involved two types of experiments: a prototype test to assess heat transfer via radiation and a laboratory experiment to measure thermal conductivity and effusivity (heat dissipation). The materials tested as insulators were expanded polystyrene (EPS) and polyurethane (PU), each in thicknesses of 10 mm, 20 mm, 30 mm, and 40 mm. The results indicate that there were no significant differences in thermal performance between EPS and PU when temperatures were close to room temperature. However, substantial thermal differences were observed at higher temperatures, particularly during heating. The study concludes that while the thermal conductivity of EPS did not significantly change with increasing thickness, the thickness of PU significantly influenced both its thermal conductivity and effusivity. These findings suggest that PU may be more effective than EPS in certain high-temperature applications, highlighting the importance of material selection and thickness in the design of thermal insulators for metal tiles.