Estimation of the Mean Temperature Distribution Underneath a Slab-on-ground Structure

Abstract

In this article, the thermal behavior of a slab-on-ground structure with floor heating, and the interaction between a semidetached reference building and the subsoil are studied using field experiments and numerical simulations. The slab structure and its surroundings are modeled with a two-dimensional finite element model in both transient and static state conditions. According to the results, a simplified method to estimate the periodic temperature distribution at a building cross section underneath a slab-on-ground structure is presented. The method is based on temperature weighting factors of the three surrounding boundary temperatures: the external, the internal, and the subsoil temperature. The factors are determined using thermal resistances of the structural and soil layers separating the location of interest and the individual boundary temperature.