info on exterior insulation/filling material, etc.-1999

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Report A3132.1 Page 4 The monitored temperature difference across the calibrated insulation i used to calculate the heat flux profile into the wall on a continuous basis.yer was Detailed analysis of heat transfer through the wall was used to assess the resulting heat flux into each exterior insulation specimen. Using this heat flux and temperature difference across the specimens, the apparent in-situ thermal resistance of the specimens was deduced. Boundary conditions, including soil temperatures and moisture content were recorded, as well as observations of weather extremes. Four separate soil analyses were performed to characterize the soil environment, including vertical profiles of moisture content. One soil characterization report is included in Appendix C. This information was used to qualify differences in observed thermal performance of the specimens. Specimens & Installation The field experiment consisted of placing 5 expanded polystyrene (EPS) specimens on each of the east and west basement wall of Test Hut #1, for a total Of 10 specimens. There were three types of EPS insulations used, labelled A, B, and C, as listed in Table 1. On the east wall, specimens E2, E3 and E5 were fully instrumented as shown in Figure 1, whereas specimens E1 and E4 only had a mid-height set of sensors. On the west wall, W2, W3, and W5 were fully instrumented. Specimens W1 only had one set of sensors at mid-height. W4 had thermocouples at the 4 vertical locations but only one heat flux transducer at mid-height. Two different installation methods were used on the east and west wall configurations, labelled System 1 and System 2 respectively. System 1 on the west wall (Fig. 2) featured two horizontal rows of metal z-bars, separated by a wood spacer, all fastened to the header. Once the insulation was in place , the cementitious covering boards were fastened to the z-bars and wood space. No other fasteners were used, so the cementitious board was effectively 'cantilevered' over the insulation specimens. The soil was sloped at 5% grade towards the wall, to simulate a settled condition. System 2 on the east wall (Fig. 3) featured metal z-bar supports placed vertical) between each insulation specimen. The z-bars were fastened directly to the v concrete wall and wood header on the inside, and fastened to the cementitious board on the outside. Each metal z-bar was therefore a thermal bridge around the insulation. System 2 also featured an initial 5% sloped grade away from he basement wall. A plan view of the arrangement of the specimens is shown in Figure 4. The EP samples are numbered 1-5 on each wall. Other specimens consisting of different insulation types were also installed farther down the walls, as shown.