Dynamic thermal performance of structurally optimized concrete floor slabs

This paper proposes a novel assessment of how the material reduction of structurally optimized ribbed concrete floor systems impacts their thermal mass performance. Through the use of conjugate heat transfer simulations, three metrics are evaluated for four different ceiling geometries. Both the passive and active behavior of the floor systems are analyzed, quantifying the effect on the room’s thermal comfort for the former, and the cooling rate for the latter. Results obtained demonstrate that, if shaped optimally, up to 30% less structural material can be used compared to conventional flat solutions without any reduction in thermal mass capacity.