• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.345-353
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• 2024

In conventional construction practices, roof-parapet junction structures inevitably disrupt the insulation installation's continuity, leading to energy loss and thermal bridging. To address this issue, parapet thermal breaks were installed to interrupt the heat flow between the roof and the parapet, effectively preventing thermal bridging and energy loss and thereby reducing overall energy loss in buildings. This study equipped three experimental specimens with the developed parapet thermal breaks to verify their structural performance. These specimens were subjected to unidirectional loading under displacement-controlled conditions. The structural performance of these insulation structures was evaluated by comparing and analyzing the test results with corresponding analytical studies conducted using a finite element analysis program. In addition, five analytical models with varying parameters of the parapet thermal breaks were developed and compared against the baseline model. Consequently, the most efficient shape of the parapet thermal break was determined.