Temperature-sensitive roofing system

The tile roof system developed by the University of California Santa Barbara includes a series of shutters that use wax motors to open and close according to temperature, helping to save energy.

The roof tiles open and close according to the temperature. Photo: UCSB — The roof tiles open and close according to the temperature. Photo: *UCSB*

Mechanical engineering professors at the University of California Santa Barbara have developed a flexible, adaptive roofing system that helps maintain indoor temperatures at a comfortable 18 degrees Celsius, New Atlas reported on December 15. The new research was published in the journal Device.

The system essentially consists of a series of shutters placed on the roof. When closed, these shutters have a flat black chrome-plated aluminum surface that absorbs heat and does not emit much infrared radiation, thereby warming the space below. When the shutters are open, a second layer is exposed. This layer is painted with white barium sulfate material with good infrared radiation and cooling properties, which helps to draw heat out and radiate it away.

The interesting part here is the wax motor used to open and close the shutters. Wax expands significantly when melted. So the team chose a wax with a suitable melting point of 18.2 degrees Celsius. They designed a system where as the wax melted, the expansion caused pistons to push the shutters open. When the wax solidified, the shutters closed.

The wax motors are placed under the roof to react appropriately to the temperature of the room. The shutters open and close completely within a range of less than 3 degrees Celsius, so they respond quickly to warming and cooling, constantly pushing the temperature back to its melting point of around 18 degrees Celsius, the team says.

Wax motors have traditionally been used in appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines, and even in the aerospace industry. However, the use of wax motors to control temperature control systems is very new and shows great potential for passive heating and cooling of buildings.

The team says the wax can be chosen for specific purposes. Different thermal coatings could also help tailor the system to specific manufacturing and usage areas. “The device is still a prototype, but we hope it will lead to new technologies that will one day have a positive impact on energy consumption in buildings,” says mechanical engineering professor Elliot Hawkes.

Thu Thao (According to New Atlas )

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