Mechanical and thermal performance of aerogel-filled sandwich panels for building insulation

Monolithic silica aerogels provide exceptional thermal insulation but have low mechanical properties. For instance, their flexural strength is typically 0.03-0.08 MPa. Here, we report on the development of a truss-core sandwich panel filled with compacted aerogel granules, designed to provide both mechanical support and thermal insulation. Mechanical and thermal properties of the sandwich panel prototype were measured and compared with theoretical models available in the literature. The models give a good description of the properties of aerogel-filled truss-core sandwich panels. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.