Hygrothermal performance of buildings

NRC Construction has developed testing facilities and equipment with industry in mind to enhance the design, construction and operation of durable, energy-efficient and cost-effective building systems. These include several full-scale wall and window chambers, a fully-instrumented test house, comprehensive roofing facilities, and specialized concrete laboratories.

NRC can test products and systems in a realistic indoor and outdoor environment where conditions such as heat, air and moisture transfer, wind effects, structural forces, and chemical reactions are simulated.

Envelope Environmental Exposure Facility (EEEF)

This unique test facility incorporates an automated environmental chamber where interior and exterior climatic conditions can be simulated over an extended period of time.

Wall specimens are exposed to wind-driven rain, temperature and moisture difference effects as well as solar radiation effects. On the " weather" side of the wall, the temperature can range from -47° to +48°C and the humidity levels range from 10 to 100% RH.

Each layer of the wall can be instrumented by several sensors, to measure relative humidity, surface temperature and moisture.

Guarded Hot Box Environmental Test Facility

The Guarded Hot Box (GHB) Environmental Test Facility is used for the determination of the thermal resistance "R", heat transfer coefficient "U", and condensation resistance values of opaque full-scale (2.44m by 2.44m) wall, window and door specimens. The facility consists of a cold chamber and hot (warm) chamber between which is installed a standard specimen. A temperature difference is created across the test specimen over a specified period of time to measure heat loss. The estimated heat flow across the specimen is measured to an accuracy of ±3% in respect to opaque wall specimens and to ±6% for window or door specimens.

This testing allows manufacturers of insulation and builders of wall systems to determine the thermal resistance, or "R-value", of their products. In accordance with accepted industry practice, the use of the GHB is the only means of assessing the R-value of wall assemblies (or windows or doors) using currently established ASTM and ISO standard test procedures.

Dynamic Roofing Facility

NRC's Dynamic Roofing Facility is one of the largest testing table in the world for evaluating the dynamic wind uplift performance of roofing assemblies. With a dimension of 16 ft x 32 ft, it is possible to apply a pressure of up to 300 pounds per square foot — equivalent to 250 kilometre-per-hour winds — which covers most of the wind conditions in Canada and the U.S. In a special enclosed chamber, high wind suction is simulated and then a gust simulator is adjusted to simulate wind fluctuations. A thermal evaluation capability also exists to measure the effects of heat conditioning and thermal cycling, and the combination of wind and thermal effects on roofs.

This facility helps manufacturers who want to evaluate their products' performance so they can penetrate North American markets — especially the east and southern coasts, which experience high wind conditions.

NRC Construction is home to world-class testing facilities that are available to the construction industry on a fee-for-service basis. For further information:

Contact

Dino Zuppa
Telephone: 613-949-0073
Email: Dino.Zuppa@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

General Information: construction@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca