Facade and roof systems

• Head of the research group: Prof. Ing. Boris Bielek, PhD., boris.bielek@stuba.sk
• Contact person: Ing. Michal Franek, PhD., michal.franek@stuba.sk

 Research focus 

Building aerodynamics

The Laboratory of Building Aerodynamics I is located in the Central Laboratories of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava - Trnávka. It is equipped with a low-speed Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel (BLWT). The laboratory's capabilities include:

• measuring aerodynamic characteristics of profiles and models from the fields of construction and mechanical engineering (buildings, aircraft, cars, trains, ships, their parts but also entire assemblies, etc.),
• measuring the distribution of pressures and pressure fields on the surface of models as well as determining aerodynamic coefficients of external pressure,
• measuring flow and vortex fields in the vicinity of modeled objects,
• measuring wind flow fields in both standard and complex topographic conditions, and assessing the influence of topography on the resulting flow,
• measuring emission dispersion over the modeled terrain near the emission source,
• visualizing flow using methods like smoke and helium bubbles,
• determining the physical and technical characteristics of sealing materials, specifically their air permeability, even under varying compression conditions,
• determining the volumetric air permeability coefficient (QV) of new building materials,
• experimental testing of joints between parts of perimeter walls for air infiltration,
• experimental testing of windows in terms for air infiltration,
• determining building airtightness using the Blower Door test, which applies the pressure drop method in accordance with standard STN EN 13 829. This test determines the total air exchange rate n50 at a pressure difference of 50 Pa.

Building hydrodynamics

The Building Hydrodynamics Laboratory is equipped with an integrated large-scale pressure and rain chamber. This chamber is used for experimental research on air filtration and water impermeability of building envelope details, elements, and systems. The research is conducted under the boundary conditions of wind-driven rain intensity. The laboratory's capabilities include:

• experimental testing of building perimeter walls and their joints for water penetration,
• experimental testing of transparent building structures (such as windows, glazed walls, transparent facades) to determine their water impermeability.

Roof structures

The Roof Research Laboratory is located in the basement of Block B at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, STU. Its main purpose is to perform weathering tests under laboratory conditions to determine the damage of materials and their surface layers. The lab is equipped with high-quality instrumentation for measuring and evaluating the impact of the environment and aging on building materials, particularly coated roof coverings. The laboratory’s capabilities include:

• simulating accelerated UV aging to verify the resistance of coloured surface treatments on building materials,
• determining the expected service life of coating coverings (SBS, APP, EPDM, PVC-P, TPO) and their resistance to UV radiation,
• demonstrating the tensile strength of coating coverings based on SBS, APP, EPDM, PVC-P, and TPO,
• testing the volume and mass stability of SBS, APP, EPDM, PVC-P, and TPO-based coating coverings at elevated temperatures.

 Selected publications 

• BIELEK, Boris - SZABÓ, Daniel - KLEM, Josip - KANIKOVÁ, Kristína. Application of physical theory of cavity in the construction of double skin facades. In Curved and Layered Structures [elektronický zdroj]. Vol. 9, no. 1 (2022), online, s. 40-53. ISSN 2353-7396 (2022: 1.5 - IF, 0.324 - SJR, Q1 - SJR Best Q). V databáze: WOS: 000723152900001 ; SCOPUS: 2-s2.0-85120373207 ; DOI: 10.1515/cls-2022-0004.
• FRANEK, Michal - BIELEK, Boris - MACÁK, Marek - KLEM, Josip. Functional aerodynamics and its influence on the energy and thermal mode of a naturally ventilated double-skin transparent façade. In Acta Polytechnica [elektronický zdroj]. Vol. 62, no. 4 (2022), online, s. 459-472. ISSN 1805-2363 (2022: 0.8 - IF, 0.218 - SJR, Q3 - SJR Best Q). V databáze: DOI: 10.14311/AP.2022.62.0459 ; WOS: 000860757100007 ; SCOPUS: 2-s2.0-85139513708.
• HUBOVÁ, Oľga - FRANEK, Michal - VÉGHOVÁ, Ivana. The wind tunnel study of the influence of terrain and surrounding structures on the distribution of wind pressure on a chimney. In Civil and environmental engineering. Vol. 18, iss. 2 (2022), s. 507-514. ISSN 1336-5835 (2022: 1.2 - IF, 0.333 - SJR, Q3 - SJR Best Q). V databáze: SCOPUS: 2-s2.0-85142374639 ; DOI: 10.2478/cee-2022-0048.
• FRANEK, Michal - MACÁK, Marek - HUBOVÁ, Oľga - IVÁNKOVÁ, Oľga. Impact of Turbulence Models of Wind Pressure on two Buildings with Atypical Cross-Sections. In Civil and environmental engineering. Vol. 17, iss. 2 (2021), s. 409-419. ISSN 1336-5835 (2021: 0.268 - SJR, Q3 - SJR Best Q). V databáze: WOS: 000731721600009 ; SCOPUS: 2-s2.0-85119653060 ; DOI: 10.2478/cee-2021-0044.

 Research focus 

Research on innovative panels with active thermal protection on the building facade 

• Head of the Laboratory: Assoc. Prof. Ing. Rastislav Ingeli, PhD., e-mail: rastislav.ingeli@stuba.sk
• Contact person: Prof. Ing. Daniel Kalús, PhD., e-mail: daniel.kalus@stuba.sk

The ATO laboratory is used for research into innovative panels with active thermal protection for heating, cooling and heat storage. It is used for experimental measurements, mostly for doctoral studies, but also for excursions and teaching students at lower levels of study.

Laboratory Equipment: 12 active thermal protection (ATO) panels with Rehau Rautherm S 17x2.0 mm pipes, Inox pipes (28x1.2 mm) used as the main distribution pipes, 1 Vaillant VWL 125/6A 400 V monoblock air/air heat pump, 1 Vaillant VPS R 200/1 B storage tank, 1 OKC 300 NTRR/BP hot water tank, 1 TREND 120 K combined water heater, 4 expansion tanks, 3 pump groups with Alpha 3 25-40 180 230 V pumps, 3 photovoltaic panels, 2 Rehau HKV-D8 manifolds/collectors (2 x 8 heating circuits). Additionally, the lab contains flow meters, thermometers, and consumption meters.

 Selected publications 

• MUČKOVÁ, Veronika - KALÚS, Daniel - KOUDELKOVÁ, Daniela - KURČOVÁ, Mária - STRAKOVÁ, Zuzana - SOKOL, Martin - INGELI, Rastislav - ŠŤASTNÝ, Patrik - JANÍK, Peter. Contribution to Active Thermal Protection Research - Part 1 : Analysis of Energy Functions by Parametric Study. In Energies. Vol. 16, iss. 11 (2023), online, [43] s., art. no. 4391. ISSN 1996-1073 (2023: 3.0 - IF, Q3 - JCR Best Q, 0.651 - SJR, Q1 - SJR Best Q). V databáze: DOI: 10.3390/en16114391 ; CC: 001005645300001 ; SCOPUS: 2-s2.0-85161503034.
• KALÚS, Daniel - MUČKOVÁ, Veronika - KOUDELKOVÁ, Daniela - KURČOVÁ, Mária - STRAKOVÁ, Zuzana - SOKOL, Martin - INGELI, Rastislav - ŠŤASTNÝ, Patrik - JANÍK, Peter. Contribution to Active Thermal Protection Research - Part 2 : Verification by Experimental Measurement. In Energies. Vol. 16, iss. 12 (2023), online, [33] s., art. no. 4595. ISSN 1996-1073 (2023: 3.0 - IF, Q3 - JCR Best Q, 0.651 - SJR, Q1 - SJR Best Q). V databáze: DOI: 10.3390/en16124595 ; SCOPUS: 2-s2.0-85163859338 ; CC: 001016987400001.
• MUČKOVÁ, Veronika - KALÚS, Daniel - KOUDELKOVÁ, Daniela - KURČOVÁ, Mária - STRAKOVÁ, Zuzana - SOKOL, Martin - INGELI, Rastislav - ŠŤASTNÝ, Patrik. Analysis of the Dynamic Thermal Barrier in Building Envelopes. In Coatings. Vol. 13, iss. 3 (2023), online, [42] s., art. no. 648. ISSN 2079-6412 (2023: 2.9 - IF, Q2 - JCR Best Q, 0.493 - SJR, Q2 - SJR Best Q). V databáze: SCOPUS: 2-s2.0-85152359932 ; DOI: 10.3390/coatings13030648 ; CC: 000967894100001.
• KALÚS, Daniel - KOUDELKOVÁ, Daniela - MUČKOVÁ, Veronika - KURČOVÁ, Mária - SOKOL, Martin. Design, Project, and Realization of a Prototype of an Energy-efficient Prefabricated House IDA I. using Renewable Energy Sources. In Periodica Polytechnica Civil Engineering. Vol. 67, no. 1 (2023), online, s. 232-248. ISSN 0553-6626 (2023). V databáze: WOS: 000891165200001 ; SCOPUS: 2-s2.0-85146367113 ; DOI: 10.3311/PPci.20886.

Laboratories of the Department of building constructions