ECONOMIC AND PERFORMANCE ASPECTS OF INCREASING INSULATION ON THE TEMPERATURE OF BUILT-UP ROOFING MEMBANES

The energy crisis has raised demands for a substantial increase in the insulation of roofing systems, and calculations in this paper confirm that the financially most favorable insulation has a thermal resistance much higher than that of presently used systems. Objections have been raised to the increase in the thermal resistance of roofs on the basis that this will result in a substantial increase of the temperature range to which membranes are subjected, with resultant increase of membrane cracking from temperature movement. We have made a number of calculations to check on the justification of such concerns. The results of our work, based on a number of simplifying assumptions, show that increasing the thermal resistance of insulation, over presently prevailing standards, does not significantly enlarge the thermal range to which roofing membranes are presently subjected. This applies both to changes in the ambient temperature and to solar radiation. Insulation thickness should therefore be based on considerations of economy and energy conservation, but there are still unresolved problems of decreasing impact resistance and lateral stability.

• Corporate Authors:

  American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

  100 Barr Harbor Drive, P.O. Box C700
  West Conshohocken, PA  United States  19428-2957
• Authors:
  • Cash, C G
  • Gumpertz, W H
• Publication Date: 1977-3

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 124-129
• Serial:
  • ASTM Journal of Testing and Evaluation
  • Volume: 5
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: Federal Highway Administration

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Conservation; Economic factors; Electric insulating materials; Energy; Insulating materials; Performance; Roofs; Solar radiation; Temperature; Thermal resistance; Thickness
• Uncontrolled Terms: Membranes
• Old TRIS Terms: Membranes (Biology)
• Subject Areas: Construction; Economics; Energy; Environment; Highways; Materials; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00163623
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 29 1977 12:00AM