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1.1 This practice presents a laboratory guide to determine the thermal resistance of pneumatically installed loose-fill building insulations for enclosed applications of the building thermal envelope behind netting at mean temperatures between –10 and 35°C (14 to 95°F).

1.2 This practice applies to a wide variety of loose-fill thermal insulation products including but not limited to 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.

1.3 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.

1.4 The sample preparation techniques outlined in this practice do not cover the characterization of loose-fill materials intended for open applications and not intended for spray-applied applications.

1.5 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses are for information only.

1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.7 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

4.1 The thermal resistance, R, of an insulation is used to describe its thermal performance.

4.2 The thermal resistance of an insulation is related to the density and thickness of the insulation. It is desirable to obtain test data on thermal resistances at thicknesses and densities related to the end uses of the product.

4.3 In normal use, the thickness of these products range from less than 100 mm (4 in.) to greater than 150 mm (6 in.). Installed densities depend upon the product type, the installed thickness, the installation equipment used, the installation techniques, and the geometry of the insulated space.

4.4 Loose-fill insulations provide coverage information using densities selected by manufacturers to represent the product installed densities. Generally, it is necessary to know the product thermal performance at a representative density.

4.5 When applicable specifications or codes do not specify the nominal thermal resistance level to be used for comparison purposes, a recommended practice is to use the Rsi (metric) = 2.65 m F/Btu]) label density and thickness for that measurement.

4.6 If the density for test purposes is not available from the coverage chart, a test density shall be established by use of applicable specifications and codes or, if none apply, agreement between the requesting body and the testing organization.

4.7 Generally, thin sections of these materials are not uniform. Thus, the test thickness must be greater than or equal to the product’s representative thickness if the results are to be consistent and typical of use.

4.8 For purposes of this practice, it is acceptable to estimate the thermal resistance at any thickness from the thermal resistivity obtained from tests on the product at the minimum test thickness (see 4.7.1) and at the density expected for the proposed thickness.

4.9 In principle, any of the standard methods for the determination of thermal resistance are suitable for loose-fill products. These include Test Methods C177, C518, C1114, and C1363. This practice was developed in relationship to Test Method C518 specimen size and geometry. For this reason, Test Method C518 is preferred. Test Methods C177, C1114, and C1363 are acceptable but changes to specimen size and geometry are possible.

4.10 The thermal resistance of low-density insulations depend upon the direction of heat flow. Unless otherwise specified, tests shall be performed for the maximum heat flow condition, that is, a horizontal specimen with heat flow-up.

4.11 Specimens shall be prepared in a manner consistent with the intended installation procedure. Products for pneumatic installation behind netting shall be pneumatically applied (blown) using the manufacturer’s installation instructions and netting specified.