Material Element

A Construction is a combination of layers, such as a wall or a roof.

Supported Attributes:

Attribute Description
Id Unique identifier for the layer. Normally prefixed with mat-.

Supported Children:

Element Description
Name  
R-value A measure of the thermal resistance (or resistance to heat loss) through a material layer of a given thickness. R-value = Thickness / Conductivity.
Note: In cases where a specific material layer relates to an air gap, a material of non-uniform thickness (such as metal decking or an I beam) or combination of materials (such as a metal stud partition - air and steel) manual adjustments to layer thickness and/or thermal conductivity is required in order for the R-value to be calculated correctly. This is not to be confused with the R-value for an entire wall, floor, or roof element which is the sum of the resistances of each material layer that makes up each element.
Thickness The distance across which heat loss occurs through a material. In most cases, this will be the face to face dimension of each material layer. The thickness of a material divided by its conductivity determines the resistance or R-value of that material.
Conductivity A measure of a materials ability to conduct heat.
Density A measure of a materials mass per unit volume.
Specific Heat A measure of the amount of heat required to heat an object per unit mass by one degree (°C/°F).

Sample:

<Material id="mat-348">

<Name>CMU LW 12in ConcFill (CB57)</Name>

<Description>Concrete Filled 30.5 cm</Description>

<R-value unit="SquareMeterKPerW">2.38</R-value>

<Thickness unit="Meters">0.304785</Thickness>

<Conductivity unit="WPerMeterK">0.725870</Conductivity>

<Density unit="KgPerCubicM">1810.260000</Density>

<SpecificHeat unit="JPerKgK">837.360000</SpecificHeat>

</Material>