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Water vapor transmission and moisture accumulation in polyurethane and polyisocyanurate foams

Schwartz, N. V., Bomberg, M., and Kumaran, M. K.
1996
Water Vapor Transmission Through Building Materials and System: Mechanisms and Measurement, ASTM STP 1039, H. R. Trechsel and M. Bomberg, Eds., American Society for Testing and Materials, Phila-delphia, , pp. 63-72
water vapor transmission, testing, water vapor permeance, thermal gradient, polyurethane foam, polyisocyanurate foam, moisture accumulation

Schwartz, N. V., Bomberg, M., and Kumaran, M. K., (1996), "Water vapor transmission and moisture accumulation in polyurethane and polyisocyanurate foams", Water Vapor Transmission Through Building Materials and System: Mechanisms and Measurement, ASTM STP 1039, H. R. Trechsel and M. Bomberg, Eds., American Society for Testing and Materials, Phila-delphia, , pp. 63-72.
Abstract:
Water vapor transport through rigid polyurethane and polyisocyanurate foams was investigated using three test methods-two under isothermal conditions and one in the presence of a thermal gradient. All three methods yielded water vapor transmission coefficients of the materials. It is observed that the magnitude of the coefficients increases rapidly with temperature above 20'C. In one of the isothermal methods called a modified cup method, developed at the Institute for Research in Construction, only the temperature has to be controlled and this is considered a definite advantage over the other method, ASTM Test Methods of Water Vapor Transmission of Materials, (E 96-80) dry cup method, in which both temperature and relative humidity are to be controlled. Further, the modified cup method also allows the determination of moisture accumulated in the test specimen during moisture trans-port, It was conclusively shown that during isothermal transport processes no moisture ac-cumulates in either the polyurethane or the polyisocyanurate specimens.

The accumulation and distribution of moisture in the presence of a thermal gradient was also investigated. Contrary to the isothermal process, the moisture transport in the presence of a thermal gradient acting in the same direction as the vapor pressure gradient results in the accumulation of large quantities of water in the foams. This phenomenon may be partly attributed to the temperature dependence of the water vapor transmission coefficients.

Appears in Trechsel, H. R. and Bomberg, M., (Eds), 1996, Water vapor transmission through building materials and system: mechanisms and measurement
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Author Information and Other Publications Notes
Schwartz, N. V.
     
Bomberg, M.
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  2. Building envelope and environmental control - Part 3: Issues of system integration
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  5. Building envelope: Heat, air and moisture interactions
  6. Final Report from Task 8 of MEWS Project (T8-03) - Hygrothermal Response of Exterior Wall Systems to Climate Loading: Methodology and Interpretation of Results for Stucco, EIFS, Masonry and Siding Clad Wood-Frame Walls
  7. Heat, air and moisture control in walls of Canadian houses: a review of the historic basis for current practices
  8. In-Situ performance evaluation of exterior insulation basement systems (EIBS) - spray polyurethane foam: summary report
  9. Integrated Methodology for Evaluation of Energy Performance of the Building Enclosures -- Part 1: Test Program Development
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  11. Modified cup for testing of water vapour transmission through thick, permeable materials
  12. Moisture management of EIFS walls. Part 1.The basis for evaluation
  13. Performance evaluation of exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS)
  14. Position paper on material characterization and HAM model benchmarking
  15. Report from Task 2 of MEWS Project - Description of 17 Large Sale Wall Specimens Built for Water Entry Investigation in IRC Dynamic Wall Testing Facility
  16. Report from Task 8 of MEWS Project - MEWS Methodology for Developing Moisture Management Strategies - Application to Stucco Clad Wood-Frame Walls in North America
  17. The energy conundrum of modern buildings
  18. Three-dimensional analysis of thermal resistance of exterior basement insulation systems (EIBS)
  19. Towards an engineering model of material characteristics for input to ham transport simulations - Part 1: an approach
  20. Water vapor transmission through building materials and system: mechanisms and measurement  
Kumaran, M. K.
Building Performance Laboratory, Institute for Research in Construction, National Research Council Canada
  1. A comparison of empirical indoor relative humidity models with measured data
  2. A logical extension of the ASTM Standard E96 to determine the dependence of water vapor transmission on relative humidity
  3. A methodology to develop moisture management strategies for wood-frame walls in North America: application to stucco-clad walls
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  5. Application of gamma-ray spectroscopy for determination of moisture distribution in insulating materials
  6. Benchmarking of the advanced hygrothermal model hygIRC with mid scale experiments
  7. Building envelope design, Part 2: estimating field performance of thermal insulation
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  9. Determination of equilibrium moisture content of building materials: some practical difficulties
  10. Durability assessments of wood-frame construction using the concept of damage-functions
  11. Effect of exfiltration on the hygrothermal behaviour of a residential wall assembly: results from calculations and computer simulations
  12. Final Report, IEA-Annex 24, Task 3: Material Properties
  13. Indoor and outdoor weather analysis tool for hygrothermal modelling
  14. Influence of material properties on the moisture response of an ideal stucco wall: results from hygrothermal simulation
  15. In-Situ performance evaluation of exterior insulation basement systems (EIBS) - spray polyurethane foam: summary report
  16. MEWS methodology for developing moisture management strategies: application to stucco-clad wood-frame walls in North America
  17. Modeling heat, air and moisture transport through building materials and components
  18. Moisture buffering capacities of five North American building materials
  19. Moisture diffusivity of building materials from water absorption measurements
  20. Moisture transport coefficient of pine from gamma ray absorption measurements
  21. On implementing experimental biological damage-functions models in durability assessment systems
  22. Prediction of moisture response of wood frame walls using IRC's advanced hygrothermal model (hygIRC)
  23. Protecting the long-term performance of building envelope components
  24. Report from Task 4 of MEWS Project - Environmental Conditions, Final Report
  25. Report from Task 8 of MEWS Project - MEWS Methodology for Developing Moisture Management Strategies - Application to Stucco Clad Wood-Frame Walls in North America
  26. Taking guess work out of placing air/vapor barriers
  27. Three-dimensional analysis of thermal resistance of exterior basement insulation systems (EIBS)
  28. Use of hygrothermal numerical modeling to identify optimal retrofit options for high-rise buildings
  29. Vapor transport characteristics of mineral fiber insulation from heat flow meter measurements  


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