Ingenieur Vol 89 2022 | Page 73

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Steady-State Thermal Transmission Properties Test for Building Materials

By Ir . Dr . Abdul Murad Zainal Abidin Mechanical Research Laboratory Centre of Excellence for Engineering and Technology Jabatan Kerja Raya Malaysia

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Material testing is one of the most critical areas in materials engineering , whether in research , or in product design . Testing is one of the measures employed to evaluate the performance of a material . With respect to building construction , one of the building material ’ s properties that is usually tested is its thermal conductivity . Thermal conductivity , the k value , of an insulating material is a measure of the ease with which heat is transferred through an insulating material into the ambient air ; a measure of how heat is lost . The k value is dependent on the density , pore structure , moisture content and temperature difference within the material . In the context of measurement , there are standard methods to calculate the k value ( in Watts per metre Kelvin ( W / mK )), such as the guarded hot plate method and steady-state thermal transmission method .

In normal engineering practice , these methods are employed by manufacturers as one of their quality assurance measures . However , these methods are seldom used as a verification tool for compliance criteria for materials installed in building projects . During the construction phase of a building project , the contractor is required to submit the materials for approval prior to their delivery and installation on site . Site personnel and designers usually depend on trade catalogues that have been approved in the contract . There is the potential that material testing could be used as part of the acceptance criteria to ensure compliance with the contract before installation takes place .
The Mechanical Research Laboratory ( MRL ) at the Centre of Excellence for Engineering and Technology ( CREaTE ) was awarded the MS ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation by the Department of Standards Malaysia in May 2021 for the Steady- State Thermal Transmission Properties test for building materials . The laboratory has the capability not only to conduct materials research , but also material testing for industry and academia . There is a huge opportunity for MRL to play a role beyond its official remit by assisting the Public Works Department with regard to the material approval process to ensure compliance with acceptance criteria .
The aim of this article is to describe the testing conducted at MRL and to demonstrate the feasibility of testing going beyond the scope of materials research and can be part of the acceptance criteria for building material compliance in building projects .
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY TESTING
This section provides a brief description of the procedures for thermal testing using an example of an insulation material installed in air-conditioning ducting .
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