Author Date

2023-07-03

Degree Name

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

College

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering

Defense Date

2023-06-23

Publication Date

2023-07-03

First Faculty Advisor

Kendrick Monroe Shepherd

First Faculty Reader

Spencer Guthrie

Honors Coordinator

Gregory Macfarlane

Keywords

concrete dome, sustainability, lag time, thermal analysis, thermal flux

Abstract

The objective of this research is to evaluate an insulated concrete thin-shell dome structure for thermal flux with various depths of soil coverings. Computational thermal analysis is performed to model temperature fluctuations inside a representative section of an experimental concrete dome structure during all four seasons of northern Utah. The results are compared against the baseline of a traditional insulated wood-framed building envelope and indicate that thermal flux is significantly reduced in the earth-sheltered concrete dome structure with foam on the outside of the concrete. The addition of soil dampens the amplitude of the flux and increases the time lag between maximal exterior and interior temperatures. Computational results are validated against a month of experimental data during the spring season.