Description

This article describes comparative testing of thermal conductivity on a range of thermal insulation products used in the construction of buildings. This testing was arranged by the CEN Keymark scheme for voluntary certification of insulation within Europe, and measurements have been performed using over 50 instruments in more than 25 registered laboratories.

The uniformity of the material and a unique thermal conductivity value for each set of test specimens that were used in the comparison have been established according to the Keymark scheme rules, which were developed by experts from the most respected European laboratories. These experts include most of the laboratories responsible for characterizing the European certified reference material (IRMM 440) for thermal conductivity measurements on thermal insulation products (Quin, Venuti, De Ponte, & Lamberty, 2000).

The sets of test specimens that have been characterized by the expert group were circulated and measured by the laboratories registered within the Keymark scheme, and the results are presented in this article and compared to the results of the first comparative testing in the Keymark scheme carried out up to August 2003 and presented at ITCC 27 (Rasmussen & ITCC 27 Paper, 2003).

The voluntary Keymark scheme works alongside the mandatory CE conformity mark (CE mark) used within the European Union and includes rigorous auditing and assessment of measurement capability, which provides a high level of confidence in measured thermal conductivity values produced by registered laboratories. Information on this Keymark scheme can be found on the website: www.insulation-keymark.org.

Keywords

thermal conductivity, thermal insulation products, Keymark, comparative testing, laboratories

DOI

10.5703/1288284315546

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Comparative Testing of Thermal Conductivity for Thermal Insulation Products: The European Keymark Experience for More Than 50 Equipment at 25 Test Institutes

This article describes comparative testing of thermal conductivity on a range of thermal insulation products used in the construction of buildings. This testing was arranged by the CEN Keymark scheme for voluntary certification of insulation within Europe, and measurements have been performed using over 50 instruments in more than 25 registered laboratories.

The uniformity of the material and a unique thermal conductivity value for each set of test specimens that were used in the comparison have been established according to the Keymark scheme rules, which were developed by experts from the most respected European laboratories. These experts include most of the laboratories responsible for characterizing the European certified reference material (IRMM 440) for thermal conductivity measurements on thermal insulation products (Quin, Venuti, De Ponte, & Lamberty, 2000).

The sets of test specimens that have been characterized by the expert group were circulated and measured by the laboratories registered within the Keymark scheme, and the results are presented in this article and compared to the results of the first comparative testing in the Keymark scheme carried out up to August 2003 and presented at ITCC 27 (Rasmussen & ITCC 27 Paper, 2003).

The voluntary Keymark scheme works alongside the mandatory CE conformity mark (CE mark) used within the European Union and includes rigorous auditing and assessment of measurement capability, which provides a high level of confidence in measured thermal conductivity values produced by registered laboratories. Information on this Keymark scheme can be found on the website: www.insulation-keymark.org.