New Practice for Determination of Thermal Resistance of Loose-Fill Building Insulation in Spray-Applied Applications
1. Scope
This practice presents a laboratory guide to determine the thermal resistance of loose-fill building insulations installed in spray-applied applications at mean temperatures between10 and 35C (14 to 95F). This practice applies to a wide variety of loose-fill thermal insulation products including fibrous glass, rock/slag wool, or cellulosic fiber materials and any other insulation material that can be installed pneumatically. It does not apply to products that change their character after installation either by chemical reaction or the application of binders, adhesives or other materials that are not used in the sample preparation described in this practice, nor does it consider the effects of structures, containments, facings, or air films. Since this practice is designed for reproducible product comparison, it measures the thermal resistance of an insulation material which has been preconditioned to a relatively dry state. Consideration of changes of thermal performance of a hygroscopic insulation by sorption of water is beyond the scope of this practice. The sample preparation techniques outlined in this practice do not cover the characterization of loose-fill materials intended for open applications or behind netting applications. The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses are for information only.
Keywords
Insulation; loose-fill; thermal resistance
Rationale
There is no standard that describes and standardizes the sample preparation for thermal testing for spray-applied loose-fill products. The recent completion of a similar standard for loose-fill applications behind netting has brought light to the need for this standard.
