Z-shaped Girts To Prevent Thermal Bridging

Abstract

An improved girt for building construction that provides structural stability and significantly reduces thermal bridging in facade and cladding wall assemblies. The girt is made of a reinforced, fire-resistant, thermoset resin that does not readily burn. The girt completely eliminates metal-to-metal connection points between internal building structures such as columns or posts and external wall panels, resulting in substantially reduced thermal bridging and U values.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.: 62 / 262,941, filed on Dec. 4, 2015, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to a new z-shaped girt for building construction that significantly reduces thermal bridging in facade and cladding wall assemblies.BACKGROUND OF INVENTION[0003]Residential and commercial buildings must be designed and constructed to be resistant to various environmental factors, including leakage, thermal bridging, condensation, air infiltration, decay, insects, mold, and fire.[0004]Thermal bridging is the amount of heat transfer into, or out of, a building with respect to the external surroundings. Thermal bridging can occur through heat transfer through building materials with high thermal conductivity, or gaps or leaks in the building or the insulation. Thermal bridging also allows moisture into the building struct...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a building wall insulation assembly that includes a plurality of flat non-load-bearing panels with internal slots and a load bearing frame. The panels are insulated with urethane foam and girt panels that prevent thermal bridging between the frame and panels. The use of sheeting rails improves the U value of the wall assembly by at least 75 percent. The technical effects of this invention include improved insulation, reduced thermal bridging, and improved energy efficiency of building walls.

Problems solved by technology

Thermal bridging also allows moisture into the building structure, resulting in poor indoor air quality problems, accelerated building deterioration, and ideal environments for mold growth.

Girts provide a continuous, metal path from the facade exterior through the insulated envelope and into interior steel studs resulting in thermal bridging and energy losses.

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