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A moisture index to characterize climates for building envelope design

Cornick, S. and Dalgliesh, W. A.
2003
Journal of Thermal Envelope and Building Science, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 151-178(28)

Cornick, S. and Dalgliesh, W. A., (2003), "A moisture index to characterize climates for building envelope design", Journal of Thermal Envelope and Building Science, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 151-178(28).
Abstract:
Premature failures of building envelopes in the 1990s, notably in coastal areas of North America, point to problems with Moisture management by Exterior Wall Systems (MEWS)1. The MEWS Consortium sought to combine field experience with lab testing and hygrothermal modeling to understand and deal with these problems. The method proposed in this paper was used in MEWS to (1) characterize climate with respect to the risk of related building envelope problems, (2) select locations of interest for a detailed hygrothermal parametric study, and (3) to select moisture reference years for the parametric study (not covered in this paper). This paper describes a method proposed for mapping North American climatic regions according to moisture loading on one hand, and the potential for drying on the other. The composite Moisture Index can be used either with hourly records or summary data and shows promise for application to specific problems, such as decay or corrosion, depending on the nature and mechanisms of the problem being investigated.
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Author Information and Other Publications Notes
Cornick, S.
  1. A comparison of empirical indoor relative humidity models with measured data
  2. A methodology to develop moisture management strategies for wood-frame walls in North America: application to stucco-clad walls
  3. Climate loads and their effect on building envelopes - an overview
  4. Defining climate regions as a basis for specifying requirements for precipitation protection for walls
  5. 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
  6. MEWS methodology for developing moisture management strategies: application to stucco-clad wood-frame walls in North America
  7. Report from Task 4 of MEWS Project - Environmental Conditions, Final Report
  8. Report from Task 8 of MEWS Project - MEWS Methodology for Developing Moisture Management Strategies - Application to Stucco Clad Wood-Frame Walls in North America  
Dalgliesh, W. A.
  1. A methodology to develop moisture management strategies for wood-frame walls in North America: application to stucco-clad walls
  2. BLWT, CFD and HAM modelling vs. the real world: bridging the gaps with full-scale measurements
  3. Defining climate regions as a basis for specifying requirements for precipitation protection for walls
  4. MEWS methodology for developing moisture management strategies: application to stucco-clad wood-frame walls in North America
  5. Report from Task 8 of MEWS Project - MEWS Methodology for Developing Moisture Management Strategies - Application to Stucco Clad Wood-Frame Walls in North America
  6. Thermal Bridges -- Heat flow models with HEAT2 HEAT3, and a general purpose 3-D solver
  7. Wind on Buildings  


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