A General Approach for Predicting the Thermal Performance of Metal Building Fiberglass Insulation Assemblies (OR-16-014)

This paper extends the application of a correlation developed previously by the author for the overall heat transfer coefficients (the U-factors) of single layered fiberglass Metal Building (MB) insulation assemblies to assemblies where insulation is used in a manner designed to fill up the space (the “cavity”) between the two consecutive structural elements (purlins or girts). These assemblies may involve either single or multiple insulation layers and the cavity may be filled to various extents. The paper describes a general technical approach to calculate the thermal resistances of various regions of a MB insulation assembly, namely regions beyond, underneath, and above the structural units.