Questions tagged [building-physics]

The physics of buildings, specifically thermal conduction, convection, & radiation; heating and cooling; ventilation; transmission and management of water vapour & pollutants

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Modeling rigid body dynamics: Trouble with equations, encountering nonsense answers

Hi, I am working on modeling a simple rigid body dynamic system through a certain range of motion. Here is the picture of the system. I am trying to solve the system for the variables $x_1'', y_1'', ...
Adam Reddy's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
288 views

What is the minimum height of a chimney needed in a camper?

Like a lot of people nowadays, I'm fitting a log fire into the back of a camper van but can't find the minimum height above the roof for the chimney. Ideally, it should be as low as possible for ...
Mike's user avatar
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2 votes
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What would happen if the air conditioning failed in a skyscraper for an extended period?

I'm writing some fiction which involves the AC in a modern glass curtain skyscraper (50-80 floors?) in an American city failing for a period of weeks, maybe even for up to two months. Could anybody ...
Reverend Speed's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
44 views

One dimensional U-Factor Calculation - How to determine indoor / outdoor film resistances

Can someone clarify the ASHRAE Fundamental 2017 (SI Units) (See Below) Indoor and Outdoor film resistances. The manual states that it comes from Table 3 and in the description of table 3 it states &...
rh0dium's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
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Sun light illumination on a lower floor vs high building closely

there is an investor that wants to build very close to our building. In case we agree, the buildings will stand like on the pictures below, 3 meters apart from each other. I tried to draw them in ...
akostadinov's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
49 views

Increase in target emission rate (TER) when using a air source heat pump (ASHP) in standard assessment procedure (SAP) calculation

I am running a SAP calculation on a proposed building which will be utilising a 8.5 kW ASHP for space and water heating. I am also running a comparative analysis against a mains gas boiler to show the ...
H.B. Finn's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
28 views

How to ensure natural ventilation through a shaft?

I have a small shaft, 2.5m wide by 4m deep, sunk into the ground. Due to explosion protection I should ensure "natural ventilation" - this is the termgiven in the relevant ordinance, no air flow ...
mart's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
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How did gothic church architects/builders properly scale up their models to full size churches?

In this video the author explains how ancient church builders used models to determine the proper shape and order of installation of architectural elements in gothic churches. From the little I know, ...
geeheeb's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
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Heat storage mass vs. AIR in an ICF house

If we would want to build a family house (ICF) regarding operational costs, should we leave the insulation on the inside, or should we remove it from the inside? If we would remove it, the walls ...
KollarA's user avatar
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equivalent full hours of heating equipment

I would like to know if there is a standard way of calculating the equivalent to a capacity factor but for heating equipment. That is the ratio between the amount of heat delivered during one year ...
mfastudillo's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
59 views

How to design safely collapsing buildings?

Background—Currently, buildings seem to be designed to be strong enough to not fall upon dangerous events, such as earthquakes. This makes them expensive, and out of the reach of poor places. Poor ...
caveman's user avatar
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How to make a galilean cannon with balls falling/rebounding straight

Here is what I mean by galilean cannon, simply letting balls fall, but hard to experiment though... First, I tried to drop 2 balls with my hands, but balls do not rebound straight and I get enormous ...
Dlouna.J's user avatar
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Washing machine in apartment

I live on a second floor of 4 story apartments building and I'm planning to change my old washer+dryer tower for a new one, however it is bigger and heavier. I'm worried that the weight could cause a ...
Giope's user avatar
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How to compute the resistance of this metallic part (steel angle iron), for a joist fitted in an I-profile beam?

Let's say we have an oak joist (15 cm x 15 cm x 370 cm), which is "fitted" in the profile of an I-profile beam (height 140 mm, width 66 mm), and the surface where the joist is laid is too ...
Basj's user avatar
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Mechanism to even out force from linear motion

Not sure exactly how to explain this, but I am looking to use a threaded rod connected to a motor, to push and pull open a gate valve. My idea for this is to attach a nut to the handle of the pull/...
drew wood's user avatar
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What design could fit this egg drop challenge?

My class is doing the egg drop challenge as a school project, but the rules are a little different than normal. First of all, the construction needs to contain a microbit connected to a battery pack ...
5TableLegs's user avatar
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Which will be stronger for securing a cantilever umbrella in a deck

I am securing a cantilever umbrella baseplate to a deck. The decking timber will be reinforced with a pine nog between the deck joists. The options that I have are to use 10mm stainless steel coach ...
Shaneel's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
115 views

How do I measure max oscillation of building using accelerometer?

For my school project, I am trying to measure the effect of a mass damper by changing the length of the string (that carries the mass), my setup is similar to the following video: https://youtu.be/...
Ashwin Rajesh's user avatar
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How to estimate the physical parameters of 40% Cu + 60% Mo alloy?

I need to know, or estimate the physical characteristics of the alloy which consists 40% copper and 60% molybdenum. I know only: Density: $9.62 \frac{g}{cm^3}$ Thermal conductivity: $223 \frac{W}{m·K}...
Andrew Kachalin's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
85 views

calculating energy usage with measuring the temperature

I am an electrical engineer working on a project. My goal of this project is to make an IoT solution where I continuously measure the temperature of room in a building. I want to calculate the amount ...
barbarossa52's user avatar