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Project 2.2.3: Renewable Insulation

The Insulators
Insulation Device
(Top/Side View)

(Side/Bottom View)

Team Members: Soumya Kakarlapudi, Yoga Kanneboina,

Khalil Pyles, Harrison Steele
Principles of Engineering (POE) Period 7 Chou
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Design Brief 3
Material Description and Lifecycle 4-7
Data Summary 8-10
Works Cited 11
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Design Brief

Designers: Soumya Kakarlapudi, Yoga Kanneboina, Khalil Pyles, and

Harrison Steele

Problem Statement: There aren’t many environmentally friendly insulators created.

Design Statement: We need to design a renewable composite insulation material

Constraints: ➢ Composite insulation material must have an overall

uniform thickness less than or equal to one inch
➢ Composite insulation material must have a consistent
internal composition
➢ Individual insulation material(s) must be
environmentally friendly
➢ Individual insulation material(s) must be recyclable
➢ Individual insulation material(s) must be economical
(cost-effective)
➢ Composite insulation material dimensions must not
exceed the overall dimensions of the heat box apparatus
top and have a hole to allow attachment to heat box and
temperature gauges (the screw)

Team Deliverables: ➢ Title Page – include a photo or drawing of your material,

team members names, course and project title
➢ Table of Contents – each section given with
corresponding page number
➢ Design Brief – containing all items neatly organized on
one page
➢ Material Description and Lifecycle – describe the
composition of the insulation along with each material
and complete a material life cycle for each type of
material used
➢ Data Summary – line graph demonstrating the test data,
calculations typed neatly, a paragraph summarizing the
performance of your insulation compared to other
common insulation

Individual Deliverables: ➢ Materials brainstorm & research

➢ Project Log
➢ Recorded data & Calculations
➢ Conclusion Questions
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Material Description & Lifecycle

Our insulation contains styrofoam, aluminum, corkboard, tape, clay, and jean fabric.

1. Styrofoam
a. Extraction and Production:
Styrofoam is a good material to use because the cells of this material are not
interconnected which makes it hard for heat to go through it. An integral part of
styrofoam is styrene which has the chemical formula is ​C8​ ​H8​ ​. To make styrene
you need to ethylene and benzene polymerization initiator which converts it to
polystyrene. Then the polystyrene is heated which reduces its density. This is
what makes the styrofoam extremely light. After heating this substance they let it
cool for twenty-four hours which produces a finished product of styrofoam.
b. Distribution
When transporting styrofoam to stores, trucks carry them to places like
department stores. They are sometimes sold in large quantities. Styrofoam is cost
efficient because you can buy 0.5 pounds of it for around $3.
c. Use:
People generally use styrofoam for packaging purposes. This is because it is a
lightweight material that can provide cushioning for objects. Another reason
people use styrofoam is because it is cheap and it is often sold in large quantities.
We used it as insulation because as you can see, in the picture on the left, there
are little bubbles in the styrofoam which are supposed to be good at trapping heat.
d. Reuse:
Styrofoam is a good material to use because it is reusable. If someone is using
styrofoam as a packaging material but no longer needs a packaging material, they
can put the styrofoam under the soil of a potted plant. This provides more
drainage for the plant which is environmentally effective.
e. Recycle Stages:
To recycle styrofoam, people should drop them off at accepting recycling centers.
These recycling centers will put the styrofoam through a conveyor and shred it.
Then, it is heated into a liquid and produces almost no emissions so it is not
harmful to the environment. Once it is liquid, it becomes easier to transport and is
created into other materials.

2. Aluminum
a. Aluminum foil is a good material to use because it acts as a heat deflector and the
heat will be trapped inside of the lamp rather than affecting the outside. Even
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though aluminum is most commonly used as a heat conductor, it provides good

insulation because by allowing the heat to be entrapped within the lamp.
b. Extraction and Production
Aluminum is made using the “Bayer process of refining the bauxite ore to obtain
aluminum oxide, and the Hall-Heroult process of smelting the aluminum oxide to
release pure aluminum.”
c. Use and Distribution
Aluminum can be used in various cans and used for wrapping functions. It is
distributed through many different grocery stores and department stores. It is cost
efficient because it is $10.08 for a 200 square foot roll of aluminum which means
that it would cost $1.80 for 36 square foot of aluminum that would be used for the
insulator.
d. Life Cycle: ​The aluminum foil is taken to a treatment plant and it goes through a
process of sorting and refurbishing to make it ready for reprocessing. After, it is
turned to a molten aluminum after re-melting the aluminum. The aluminum is
then made into ingots (large blocks) that are sent to mills to be strengthened so it
can be made again into other cans, packaging, etc. Finally, they are transferred to
the stores to be reused again.
3. Jean Fabric
a. Extraction and Production
Jeans are first made from preparing the cotton yarn through a process called
carding, which helps string the cotton fibers in the fabric. Next, they weave the
yarn using the large mechanical looms. Next, they sew the different patterns and
designs on the jean fabric
b. Distribution
The jeans are then distributed after pre-washing and placed into a large-pressing
machine that steam irons. After, the jeans are placed into stacks with sizing tags
before shipped to a warehouse. The warehouse then distributes the materials by
freight trains and trucks to be sent to stores.
c. Use
Recycled denim/jean material is a good material to use because of its reduction of
thermal conductivity from the lower density. The lower the thermal conductivity
is, the less the heat will be transferred from one material to another material.
People use jean fabric as a common source for clothing on their legs.
d. Reuse and Recycle Stages
The jeans can be used again or donated to be used by others. Jean fabric used for
the insulation can be old, recycled denim that outgrew people and use cutouts to
get the material needed for insulation. In addition, it can be recycled many times
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through different charities, thrift stores, and even be hand-me-downs for other
people to wear.

4. Cork Board
a. Extraction and Production
Corkboard is made out of the bark of the Quercus suber or oak tree. Peeling off
the cork does not harm the tree and can be harvested from the same tree for about
200 years. After the bark has been peeled the tree will continue to grow and can
have the bark harvested again in 9-10 years.
b. Distribution
Corkboard can be bought in a number of different places mostly as a arts and
crafts material. Most Arts and Crafts stores will carry it in a number of different
forms. The most common form is in a bulletin board or strips of cork.
c. Use
Corkboard is often used in insulation, flooring, fishing, the wine industry, craft
projects, sound dampening, and in shoes for its soft and absorbent qualities. In the
subject of insulation, corkboard is used to insulate cold storage rooms. The
corkboard consists of granules the have been expanded to increase area and
provide better insulation due to the small air pockets between the granules.
d. Reuse and Recycle Stages
Cork is a biodegradable, recyclable, and reusable. Wine corks which are one of
the most common uses of the material can be sent to a special recycling plant to
be made into insulation, shoe material, and other uses of the material. Cork can
also be reused into creative projects and

5. Double Sided Tape

a. Extraction and Production
Double-sided tape is produced by first crushing cotton seeds. These crushed up
cotton seeds are then mixed with acetic acid. This creates the see-through,
non-adhesive part of the tape. Then, synthetic polymers are layered on both sides
of the strips. After these materials are dried, people wind the strips into rolls
which are then sold to the department stores.
b. Distribution
Double-sided strips are sold in small strips in department stores. They are cost
efficient because a pack of three rolls of double-sided tape is only around five
dollars.
c. Use
People generally use double-sided tape for art projects when they need to stick
things together.
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d. Reuse and Recycle Stages

Since environmental departments of the governments have become more
demanding about the tape being recycled, companies have found ways to make
tape easier to recycle. Instead of using petroleum-based adhesives, companies are
using water-based adhesives which allows the tape to be recycled. This also
makes tape less stronger which means you can peel it off of something and reuse
it for something else.
6. Natural clay
a. Extraction and production
Natural clay is formed from finely ground up earth and soil with traces of other
elements. Clay contains inside it varying amounts of water giving the clay a
putty-like texture. Since it is made up of ground-up earth and compacted together
natural clay is a great insulator as it has a low thermal conductivity
b. Distribution
Can be found in the earth in deposits of clay near rivers or any place with enough
moisture the other way you can get clay is you can buy it in stores
c. Use
Natural clay is usually used to make pottery of sculptures as it is easy to sculpt
and mold other things clay is used for is in construction as it is easy to find and
can be used to make or stick bricks together in the form of mortar. A more ancient
example of clay being used to create houses and other structure is the adobe
houses as they helped people withstand the harsh arid climate.
d. Reuse and Recycle stage
As clay is from the earth it is really easy to reuse all anyone needs to do is finally
grind up the clay into dust and ad water mixing it back into clay to be reused. This
is only true for natural clay not synthetic.
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Data Summary and Line Graph

Materials Width (cm) Width (in) Width (m) (these

measurements were
used for calculations)

Jeans 0.2 0.07874 0.002

Natural Clay 0.1 0.03937 0.001

Corkboard 0.4 0.15748 0.004

Double Sided Tape (2 0.2 0.07874 0.002

levels)

Styrofoam 1.2 0.47244 0.012

Aluminum 0.1 0.03937 0.001

Total 0.86614 (less than 1 0.022

inch)
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Material Work Shown Answer

L (thickness 0.022 meter

of material)

A(area of A = ( 39.37 2 0.0232

m)
6in

thermal meter
conductivity)

P (rate of 25 watts
energy
transfer)

T(temperatur T = (degrees f ahrenheit − 32) × 0.55 degrees celsius 24.89

e) Initial IN T = (76.8 degrees f ahrenheit − 32) × 0.55 degrees celsius degrees
T = 24.89 ° C
celsius

T T = (degrees f ahrenheit − 32) × 0.55 degrees celsius 65.11

(temperature) T = (149.2 degrees f ahrenheit − 32) × 0.55 degrees celsius degrees
Final IN T = 65.11 ° C celsius

T T = (degrees f ahrenheit − 32) × 0.55 degrees celsius 24.06

(temperature) T = (75.3 degrees f ahrenheit − 32) × 0.55 degrees celsius degrees
Initial OUT T = 24.06 ° C celsius

T T = (degrees f ahrenheit − 32) × 0.55 degrees celsius 25.06

(temperature) T = (77.1 degrees f ahrenheit − 32) × 0.55 degrees celsius degrees
Final OUT T = 25.06 ° C celsius

△t △t = 19.7 min × 60 sec

1 min 1182
(difference in △t = 1182 seconds seconds
time)

△T △T = 65.11 degrees celsius − 25.06 degrees celsius 40.05

(difference in △T = 40.05 ° C degrees
temperature) celsius

Value Work Shown Answer

J
Thermal Conductivity PL
K = A△T 0.05919 sm°C
Constant (K) 25 W ×0.022 m
K = 0.0232m 2
×40.05°C
K = 0.05919 smJ°C
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Energy Transferred Q = P × △t 29550 J

Through Material Q = 25 W × 1182 sec
Q = 29550 J
W
U value (thermal P
U = A△T 26.91 m 2 ×°C
conductivity of a 25 watts
U = 0.0232m 2
×40.05°C
material) U = 26.91 m 2W× C
°
2
R value (thermal R = U −1 0.037 m W×°C
W
resistance of a R = ( 26.91 m 2 ×°C
)− 1
material) 2
U = 0.037 m W×°C

Our insulation device is made of recycled denim shorts, clay, corkboard, styrofoam, double sided
tape, and aluminum foil. Our insulation device met the constraints required because it was a
composite material that was under 1 inch of thickness. The performance of our insulation device
was average. In our data, we can see that the inside temperature of the lamp severely increased as
it should, but the outside temperature measured on top of the insulator only slightly increased.
The outside temperature started from 75.3 degrees Fahrenheit to 77.1 degrees Fahrenheit in
approximately 20 minutes. This shows that the insulation device did a fair job in keeping the
outside of the light bulb stay around room temperature with a slight increase. This can compare
to other insulation devices because the R-values for some insulation materials can range from 2.0
to 4.4 per inch. Our insulation device’s R-value was 0.037 (Meters^2 * Celcius) / Watts. This
shows that our performance wasn’t as great as most of the common insulators, but it’s because
they have a stronger ability to stop heat transfer energy. The common insulators each have a
lower density that allows the insulators to have better thermal conductivity. However, we would
argue that our insulation device is more environmentally friendly and is more cost-efficient than
some of the common insulators. For example, wood is a common insulator that is more effective
then our insulation. However, most recycling centers to not accept wood whereas most recycling
centers do accept the materials that we used. All of the materials used in our insulation device
can be easily recyclable and is a part of the reusable cycle. It is also cost-efficient because it
doesn’t cost as much as most of the common insulators do; the common insulators are more
expensive because it needs to be durable and needs to sustain extreme temperatures.
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Works Cited

1) “Expanded Polystyrene Foam (EPF).” ​How Products Are Made,​

www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Expanded-Polystyrene-Foam-EPF.html.
2) “Aluminum.” ​How Products Are Made​,
www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Aluminum.html#ixzz5fMSwNXzI.
3) “How Aluminium Is Recycled.” ​Recycling Guide,​ 18 Apr. 2018,
www.recycling-guide.org.uk/science-aluminium.html.
4) “The Real Cost of Styrofoam” ​Green Dining Alliance, 2​ 016,
https://greendiningalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/real-cost-of-styrofoam_writt
en-report.pdf
5) Harris, William. “How Denim Insulation Works.” ​HowStuffWorks,​ HowStuffWorks, 15
Nov. 2011, home.howstuffworks.com/denim-insulation.htm.
6) wikiHow. “How to Reuse Styrofoam.” ​WikiHow​, WikiHow, 15 Oct. 2018,
www.wikihow.com/Reuse-Styrofoam.
7) “What Is Corkboard Made Of?” ​EHow​, Leaf Group, 17 June 2009,
www.ehow.com/about_5100835_corkboard-made.html.
8) RecycleNation. “What to Do About Recycling Cork.” ​RecycleNation​, 24 June 2015,
recyclenation.com/2015/06/what-to-do-about-recycling-cork/.
9) “Cellophane Tape.” ​How Products Are Made​,
www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Cellophane-Tape.html.