SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1990
STP23310S

Field Data on Settling in Loose-Fill Thermal Insulation

Source

Blown loose-fill thermal insulation was introduced to Sweden in the late 1970s and has become more common since then. Today loose-fill insulation is used especially for attics, both as insulation in new building production and as additional insulation in older buildings. Loose-fill insulation is mainly manufactured from mineral wool and cellulosic materials.

As users of loose-fill thermal insulation know, this insulation type can settle, which means that it will compress. It is of great importance to know the long-term behavior of the insulation thickness, so as to be able to estimate the insulation capacity during the lifetime of the structure.

This paper reviews a field study of settling in loose-fill thermal insulation performed by the National Swedish Institute for Building Research. The study is confined to the use of loose-fill insulation for horizontal structures and formed part of a wider project in which a laboratory study also was performed.

In the field study both mineral wool and cellulosic loose-fill materials were investigated. The loose-fill materials were blown on several test attics, and settling was measured during one year within the project. The paper presents results of settling after three years in practice.

Author Information

Svennerstedt, B
The National Swedish Institute for Building Research, Gävle, Sweden
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Details
Developed by Committee: C16
Pages: 231–236
DOI: 10.1520/STP23310S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-5109-3
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-1278-0