Introduction Demand for energy-efficient buildings has been steadily rising.

Latest building codes have already adopted many energy conservation provisions and emphasize energy-efficient building construction. To set uniform design requirements for energy conservation, American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and AirConditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has issued its Standard 90.1, that is being rapidly adopted by building codes. Historically, insulation issues have not been on the front burner of the metal building industry indeed, inadequate insulation is still among the most often heard complaints about metal buildings. This chapter reviews some available insulation products, systems, and details to help designers make educated choices about materials and installation methods. It will not delve too deeply into the domain of HVAC engineers, dealing with thermal loads, energy conservation, and equipment selection topics. It will also avoid the matters of mass consideration, annual heating loads, and life-cycle costing for metal building systems that are well addressed in Metal Building Systems by the Building Systems Institute. The Basics of Insulation Design Heat loss or gain in a building can occur via three modes: _ radiation _ conduction _ convection Of these, conduction through the building envelope accounts for most heat transfer. Heat losses due to conduction can be reducedbut not eliminatedby additional insulation. Convection by air leaks can and should be prevented by tightening the building. Radiation affects mostly glass surfaces and can be minimized by reflective coatings. (Refer section 18.5 for more detail on reflective coatings) Since exterior walls contain openings and are otherwise thermally non-uniform, heat transfer via several parallel heat flow paths may be considered separately. The building codes and ASHRAE 90.1 specify a certain required level of thermal conductance (or transmittance) (U) for roof and wall assemblies in various locales, expressed in Btu/(h)(m2)(F). Thermal transmittance is a

reciprocal function of the thermal resistance (R) of an assembly, which is a sum of R values of the components including those of the inside and outside air films and any air cavities. Heat transfer is often accompanied by moisture movement, since warmer air contains more water vapor than cold air. Movement of vapor does not have to coincide with the actual movement of the air containing it. When warm air cools down or meets a cool surface, it loses some of its moisture, producing condensation. The air temperature at which condensation starts to occur is the dew point. Condensation may lead to metal corrosion, growth of mold and mildew, loss of insulating properties, and ruined finishes. It can be minimized by a vapor retarder installed on the warm side of the wall (or, more precisely, on the side with the higher vapor pressure). Vapor retarder slows down moisture transfer toward a cooler surface. In winter months the warm side is of course the inner surface of the wall; during hot summer months it is the outside surface. Most roofing and siding is virtually vapor-impermeable and is quite able to act as a vapor retarder for hot-weather conditions; its the cold-weather condensation protection that is normally needed for interior surfaces Types of Insulation: Type and thickness of insulation have the largest influence on thermal efficiency of a building. Indeed, spending money on insulation could be among the best investments ever made by a building owner. Properly selected roof insulation does even more for thermal performance of a single-story metal building than for a multistorey structure. All insulation functions by entrapping still air, which slows down conductive heat transfer through the insulating medium. The various types differ mainly in how this is accomplished. Five basic types of insulation are available for metal building systems: _ Fiberglass. _ Rockwool. _ Rigid. _ Spray-on. _ Foam core.

Mammut often recommends the use of fiberglass insulation due to the light-weight of the blanket, ease of installation, and the strong

adhesion of the glass fiber. Rockwool insulation is preferred in countries where it is manufactured locally and where environmental restrictions require it. Rigid and spray-on are briefly explained in section 04 and 05 of this chapter. For details on Foam Core refer chapter 8 on sandwich panels.

Fiberglass Insulation Fiberglass functions similarly to a fur coat: Both trap air on the surface of numerous individual fibers. Fiberglass blankets are the most common kind of insulation used in roofs and walls of metal buildings because of their low cost, fire and sound resistance, and ease of installation. Fiberglass insulation is the most practical type of insulation used in metal buildings. It is recommended that roofs and walls of Mammut metal buildings be insulated with standard fiberglass insulation which has the following specifications: 1. Fire safety properties comply with the following standard codes: _ BS 476 Part 4 - Non combustible; ASTM E84 (via UL 723); ASTM E136 _ BS476 Part 6 - Fire propagation _ BS476 Part 7 - Surface spread of flame 2. Rolls are 1100 mm wide with 50 mm side tabs. 3. Densities are 10, 12, 16 and 20 kg/m3. 4. The fiberglass blanket underside is laminated to a choice of functional facings to provide attractive reflective surfaces that brighten the building interior thus reducing cost of lighting. The lamination also acts as an effective vapor barrier, a control of condensation and dripping moisture, and a flame retardant component of the insulation material. The types of facings supplied are WHITE METALIZED SCRIM KRAFT (WMSK), FOIL-REINFORCED KRAFT (FRK) and FOIL-SHEILD KRAFT (FSK) and white vinyl. 5. The Moisture absorption is less than one percent by weight when tested in accordance with ASTM C553, BS 2972 or BS 6676. The fiberglass insulation does not absorb moisture from the ambient air nor water by capillary action. Only water under pressure moistens the insulation, which will quickly dry out due to the materials open cell structure. 6. Non-corrosive and chemically inert, thus

it will not cause or accelerate corrosion of steel, stainless steel, copper or aluminum, due to its inorganic and mineral composition (as per ASTM C665). 7. Wide range of working temperature limitations is from -4C to 240C. 8. Non-toxic, rot proof, odorless, nonhygroscopic and does not breed or sustain mold, fungus, bacteria or rodents. Mold growth test as per ASTM C991. 9. Thermal conductivity (K-Values) at 25C is shown in the following table: Insulation Thickness (mm) K-Value (W/m.K) at densities 10 kg/m3 12 kg/m3 16 kg/m3 20 kg/m3 50 to 150 0.042 0.040 0.039 0.036