Barbara Klemczak

1. Introduction Thermal insulation refers to materials that minimize heat transfer between areas with differing temperatures. By creating a barrier that slows down conductive, convective, and radiative heat transfer [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ], thermal insulation effectively reduces both heat loss and gain. Simultaneously, it should be mentioned that thermal insulation materials can effectively slow down convective heat transfer, but the extent of this depends on the specific conditions.

1. Introduction Thermal insulation refers to materials that minimize heat transfer between areas with differing temperatures. By creating a barrier that slows down conductive, convective, and radiative heat transfer [1,2,3,4], thermal insulation effectively reduces both heat loss and gain. Simultaneously, it should be mentioned that thermal insulation materials can effectively slow down convective heat transfer, but the extent of this depends on the specific conditions.

1. Introduction Cracks in early-age mass concrete structures caused by hydration heat are a well-known phenomenon that affects their serviceability, durability, and tightness [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. Typically known examples of mass concrete structures prone to this issue include dams, nuclear power plant containments, large foundations, massive bridge piers and abutments, tunnels and tunnel linings, water-retaining structures, tanks, thick concrete slabs, and offshore structures [10,11,12,13,14,15].