SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1983
STP29460S

Thermal Testing of Roof Systems

Source

A comprehensive program to investigate the thermal performance of insulated flat roofs has been developed at Drexel University in Philadelphia. A number of 1.22-m (4-ft)-square roof systems have been sealed into expanded polystyrene (EPS) modules and placed in a horizontal array on the roof of a Drexel building. The roof specimens are exposed to the outdoor urban environment and at the same time are connected to a “life support system” that maintains the undersides of the roofs exposed to a typical indoor atmosphere. A 1.22-m (4-ft)-square temperature-controlled test plate, also enclosed in EPS, is used with heat flow sensors to determine periodically the thermal resistances (R-values) of the roof systems. The test plate system has been calibrated with fibrous glass board material from the National Bureau of Standards and preliminary test results have been obtained for a single-ply roof system with EPS insulation. The application of the test plate approach to in situ R-value measurements of roofing systems at remote sites is also discussed.

Author Information

Larson, DC
Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa.
Corneliussen, RD
Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa.
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Details
Developed by Committee: C16
Pages: 400–412
DOI: 10.1520/STP29460S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-4856-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-0230-9