Laboratory Measurements and Benchmarking of an Advanced Hygrothermal Model

Recent research in the field of assessment of hygrothermal response has focused on either laboratory experimentation or hygrothermal modelling, but less work has been reported in which both aspects are combined. Such type of studies can potentially offer useful information regarding the benchmarking of models and related methods to assess hygrothermal performance of wall assemblies. This paper briefly presents an advanced hygrothermal computer model called hygIRC. The paper also reports the results of a series of experiments in which the drying rates of oriented strand board alone or in combination with several sheathing membranes were systematically measured. Results from these experiments are compared with those derived from hygIRC simulations and subsequently used to help benchmark the model. Preliminary results on the shape of the drying curves and the time taken to establish equilibrium moisture content show good agreement between the experiments and simulation. This was one of several steps undertaken in a broader benchmarking exercise to validate the model and its implementation.