A Moisture Index to Characterize Climates for Building Envelope Design

Abstract

/npsi/ctrl?lang=en http://nparc.cisti-icist.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/npsi/ctrl?lang=fr Access and use of this website and the material on it are subject to the Terms and Conditions set forth at http://nparc.cisti-icist.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/npsi/jsp/nparc_cp.jsp?lang=en NRC Publications Archive Archives des publications du CNRCThis publication could be one of several versions: author's original, accepted manuscript or the publisher's version. / La version de cette publication peut être l'une des suivantes : la version prépublication de l'auteur, la version acceptée du manuscrit ou la version de l'éditeur. For the publisher's version, please access the DOI link below./ Pour consulter la version de l'éditeur, utilisez le lien DOI ci-dessous.http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/109719603036210Journal of Thermal Envelope & Building Science, 27, 2, pp. 151-178, 2003-10-01 A Moisture index to characterize climates for building envelope design Cornick, S. M.; Dalgliesh, W. A. with lab testing and hygrothermal modeling to understand and deal with these problems. The method proposed in this paper was used in MEWS to 1) characterize climate with respect to the risk of moisture related building envelope problems, 2) select locations of interest for a detailed hygrothermal parametric study, and 3) to select moisture reference years for the parametric study (not covered in this paper). This paper describes a method proposed for mapping North American climatic regions according to moisture loading on one hand, and the potential for drying on the other. The composite Moisture Index can be used either with hourly records or summary data, and shows promise for application to specific problems, such as decay or corrosion, depending on the nature and mechanisms of the problem being investigated.Keywords: wall moisture; annual rainfall; climate classification; rain wetting; drying potential; moisture index; driving rain; directional driving rain index; decay hazard; Review Approaches to Climate Classification for ConstructionThere are several different schemes for classifying the world's climate, most of them possessing genuine merit. Almost all of the schemes of climate classification have subdivisions and boundaries partly based upon temperature and rainfall parameters which are not meaningful in themselves, but have significance in terms of some non-climatic feature, such as vegetation or human habitability. If one disregards non-climatic phenomena, it is difficult to provide meaningful temperature-rainfall limits of climatic types. The majority of classification schemes, therefore, are of an applied character. One basis for grouping climate schemes is to divide them into genetic (concerning origin) and empirical types. In genetic classifications an attempt is made to group climates into the causative factors (e.g. air masses, wind zones) that may be responsible for them. In empirical classifications, origin is discarded as an organizing principle, and observation and experience provide the essential elements for climatic differentiation. The Köppen cla...

Numerical study on the effects of macro climate and detailing on the relative decay hazard of Norway spruce

“…The earliest model to quantify the effect of indirect environmental variables on wood decay was developed by Scheffer (1971), who established an empirical relationship between frequency of precipitation, air temperature and wood decay. Similar models have later been developed, including those involving driving rain (Cornick and Dalgliesh, 2003), condensation (Fernandez-Golfin, 2016) and design of details amongst other parameters (Wang et al, 2008).…”

Indoor Humidity Loads and Moisture Production in Lightweight Timber-frame Detached Houses

“…Outdoor climatic conditions for hygrothermal calculations are analyzed in many studies: Rode (1993), Sanders (1996), Geving (1997), Harderup (1998), Cornick (2003), Vinha and Kalamees (2003), Kalamees and Vinha (2004). Outdoor hygrothermal loads are more criteria specific and derived for a certain geographic area.…”

Selecting moisture reference years using a Moisture Index approach

“…This section briefly outlines the Moisture Index approach. Cornick [19] describes in detail the Moisture Index approach that was used in MEWS project. A moisture index can be considered to be a moisture budget.…”