Eurach Research

Assessment of hygrothermal performance in dynamic conditions (UNI EN 15026)

Over the years, Eurac Research has accumulated considerable experience in assessing the hygrothermal performance of building components according to UNI EN 15026. Various simulation softwares are used for this purpose, including DELPHIN, WUFI and ProCasaClima Hygrothermal, software developed by Eurac Research in collaboration with Agenzia CasaClima and available free of charge.

    The calculation of hygrothermal performance allows to get realistic results by describing all mechanisms of transport and accumulation of moisture and heat within building materials. In addition to heat conduction, also moisture transport both as vapour diffusion and capillary water transport is modelled. Regarding the interaction of building elements with climatic parameters, it is also possible to include all the factors required for a realistic calculation, modelling not only heat transfer by conduction and moisture transport by diffusion, but also effects such as driving rain, solar radiation or long-wave radiation. Furthermore, it is possible to model these effects on an hourly or even sub-hourly time scale. Both 1D stratigraphies and 2D building details can be modelled.

    Example of hygrothermal analysis in dynamic regime of an internal insulation system in a potentially critical detail: the crossing of a wooden beam that interrupts the continuity of the insulation layer.

    Fields of application

    Hygrothermal simulations in dynamic regime can be used for a variety of applications:

    • Analysis and prevention of moisture related damages such as: interstitial condensation, degradation of materials, mould formation...
    • Design and evaluation of interior insulation systems
    • Design of flat roofs
    • Performance evaluation of hygroscopic membranes
    • Assessment of the absorption of driving rain and design of strategies to prevent it
    • Assessment of construction moisture drying times
    • Evaluation of the hygrothermal behaviour of building components in dynamic regime

    The simulations and calculations performed can also be integrated with experimental analyses. In our infrastructure Hygrothermal Testing Lab, we can measure all the material physical parameters required for their modelling in hygrothermal software in dynamic regime. This gives manufacturers and companies the opportunity to have a specific assessment of the performance of their materials and products.

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    Eurac Research is a private research center based in Bolzano (South Tyrol) with researchers from a wide variety of scientific fields who come from all over the globe. Together, through scientific knowledge and research, they share the goal of shaping the future.

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    Our research addresses the greatest challenges facing us in the future: people need health, energy, well-functioning political and social systems and an intact environment. These are complex questions, and we are seeking the answers in the interaction between many different disciplines. [About us](/en/about-us-eurac-research)

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