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The CENTER for BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

INSTITUTE for APPLIED TECHNOLOGY

NATIONAL BUREAU of STANDARDS

DEPARTMENT of COMMERCE

building technology

project summaries /^7r

.U57

NO 446

1975

OF STANDAKDS

LIBRARY

AUG 1 7 W6

.U67

Foreword The Center for Building Technology (CBT) provides the

technical and scientific bases for criteria and standards that

improve the usefulness, safety, and economy of buildings

while conserving building materials and energy. CRT's

activities support the building technology program of the

Federal, State and local government; assist design professions, building officials and the research community by

developing design criteria that improve buildings; and

assist manufacturers of building products by developing

criteria for evaluating innovative building materials.

The report summarizes CRT's research for calendar year

1975. Each summary lists the project title, its progress,

point of contact within CRT and sponsor. The reader is encouraged to review two other companion documents.

NRS Special Publication 439, The Center for Building

Technology: A Perspective, presents the facilities and

approaches to building research at the Center. Another

document, CBT Publications, lists with abstracts and keywords, all reports published by CRT during the past

decade.

The summaries presented in this report are arranged by

subject-matter categories, such as Disaster Mitigation,

Structural Studies, Economics, and so on. These categories, however, were selected merely to group like projects—not to reflect the structure of the Center. CRT's

organization is shown below:

CENTER FOR

BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

CENTER

HEADQUARTERS

OFFICE OF

BUILDING STANDARDS

AND CODES SERVICES

OFFICE OF

HOUSING AND

BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

OFFICE OF

ENERGY

CONSERVATION

STRUCTURES, MATERIALS AND

SAFETY DIVISION

BUILDING ENVIRONMENT

DIVISION

TECHNICAL EVALUATION & APPLICATION DIVISION

Structures SectionThermal Engineering

Section

Architectural Research

Section

Materials &

Composites

Section

Mechanical

Systems

Section

Building Economics

Section

Building

Safety

Section

Building Services Section

Sensory

Environment

Section
Contents

ENERGY CONSERVATION

2 Energy Conservation Program

2 Energy Conservation I^iformation

ENERGY CONSERVATION IN BUILDINGS

4 Energy Conservation in Buildings

4 Technical and Management Support to Federal

Energy Administration

4 Energy Storage in Buildings

5 General Services Administration Manchester Building

5 Energy Conservation in Garden Apartments

5 Twin Rivers Energy Conservation

6 Support: Community Services Administration

Winterization Program

6 Computer Control of Heating, Ventilating and AirConditioning Equipment for Energy Conservation

7 Ventilation Systems for Energy Conservation

7 Equipment Maintenance for Energy Conservation

7 Field Study of Oil Burners

ENERGY CONSERVATION IN COMMUNITIES

10 Modular Integrated Utility Systems: Demonstration

10 Modular Integrated Utility Systems: Design, Analysis and

Technical Support

11 Modular Integrated Utility Systems: Project Management

11 Modular Integrated Utility Systems: Programmatic

Support

12 Energy Conservation Handbook

ENERGY CONSERVATION IN INDUSTRY

14 Industrial Energy Management Program

14 Technical Assistance and Analysis for Industry

15 Establishment of a Data Base for Combustion Modeling

15 Energy Conservation in Blended Cement

16 Characterization of Waste Paper Pulps

ENERGY SAVINGS THROUGH PERFORMANCE CODES AND

STANDARDS

18 Program Management for Standards Research and

Development

18 American Society for Heating, Refrigerating, and AirConditioning Engineers and National Fire Protection

Association Standards for Energy Conservation

18 Building Energy Conservation Standards

19 Model Documentation for Energy Standards

20 Economics in Building Standards

20 Energy Budget Approach for Building Standards

20 Energy Research and Development Administration

Technical and Professional Services
SOLAR ENERGY

ECONOMICS

22 Solar Energy Program for Housing Systems

22 Solar Energy Demonstration Program

23 Testing of Retrofitted Solar Heating, Ventilating, and

Air-Conditioning System

23 Solar Energy Standards

25 Techniques for Economic Evaluation of Buildings

25 Economic Analysis of Building Codes

26 Economic Analysis of Lead-Paint Abatement Techniques

26 Economics of Energy Conservation

26 Economic Evaluation of Roof and Wall Sections

27 Economic Microstudies of New Building Practices

27 Economics of Siting Buildings

27 Fenestration: Economics

27 Effects of "Resource Impact Factors"

28 Housing Needs in Developing Countries

SENSORY ENVIRONMENT

30 Noise In and Around Buildings

30 Criteria for Building Noise

30 Fenestration: Design

31 Illumination Criteria for Buildings

31 Visual Environment

32 Color Appearance

32 Behavioral Research Design Applications

33 Visual Techniques in Non-Destructive Testing

ARCHITECTURAL RESEARCH

35 Architectural Research

35 Architectural Psychology

36 Fenestration: Architectural

36 Architect-in-Residence

SAFETY

38 Slip Resistance of Flooring

38 Restraint Equipment

39 Guardrails in Building Structures

39 Outdoor Structures Safety

40 Safety in Concrete Building Construction

40 Door and Window Security

THERMAL STUDIES

42 Thermal Measurement Technology

42 Heat Transfer for Thermal Energy Storage

42 Air Infiltration in Reactor Control Rooms

43 Thermographic Measurement Technology
43 Measurement of Indoor Radiation

44 Fenestration: Thermal

44 Sealed Insulating Glass

44 Thermal Performance of Thick Fibrous Insulation

45 Insulation in Refrigerated Warehouses

45 Wall Studies for the Air Force

46 Retrofitting a Domestic Dwelling for Energy Savings

46 Standards for Refrigeration Components

47 Energy Conservation for Food Service Equipment

DISASTER MITIGATION

49 Fire and Live Loads in Buildings

49 Seismic Provisions for Disaster Mitigation

50 Seismic Performance of Building Service Systems

51 Disaster Investigations

52 Workshop on Earthquake Resistant Masonry

52 Hurricane Effects on Port Facilities

52 Tornado-Borne Missile Velocities

PLUMBING AND DRAINAGE

54 Studies of Reduced-Size Venting

54 Plumbing Systems Design Criteria

55 Measurement Technology: Utility Loads

56 Veteran's Administration Hospital Plumbing Criteria

57 Technology of Water Conservation

58 Computer Evaluation of Building Plumbing Systems

58 National Plumbing Code

59 Liquid Waste Management Research

59 Criteria for Piping Materials

59 Service Systems Data Processing

MOBILE HOMES

61 Mobile Homes and Recreational Vehicles

61 Energy Use in Mobile Homes

61 Dow Research Associate Program: Energy Conservation

in Mobile Homes

62 Coordinating Fire Safety Research in Single-Family

Residences and Mobile Homes

63 Wind Forces on Mobile Homes

63 Storing the Department of Housing and Urban

Development's Disaster Mobile Homes

MATERIALS

65 Durability Prediction Methodology

65 Inorganic Building Materials

66 Organic Coatings

67 Aversive Coatings to Reduce Lead-Paint Poisoning

67 Nontoxic Yellow Marking Paint

68 Underground Plastic Pipe Systems

iv
68 Joints in Plastic Pipes

69 Building Joint Sealants

69 Waterproofing Practices Manual

70 Building Stone Preservatives

70 Performance of Roofing

70 Evaluation of Elastomeric Roofing

71 Viscosity Grading Criteria for Roofing Asphalt

71 Field Survey of Roofing

71 Fiber-Reinforced Concretes and Mortars

72 Nondestructive Evaluation of Building Materials

72 Corrosion of Metals

73 Corrosion of Pipes at Military Facilities

73 Guidelines for Evaluation and Use of Urea-Formaldehyde

Foamed Resin as a Thermal and Sound Insulation

74 Polyurethane Seamless Flooring

74 Restoration and Preservation of Adobe Materials

MECHANICAL SYSTEMS

ELECTRICAL

76 Part-Load Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning

Equipment

76 Heat Pumps

77 Oil Heat Utilization

77 A Technical Conference on the Improvement of Heating,

Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning Equipment

79 Innovative Electrical Connections

79 Innovative Electric Wiring Systems

80 Electrical Service Quality Measurement

80 Aluminum Wiring in Branch Circuits

81 Radiant Heating in Seamless Flooring

81 Energy Usage of Household Appliances

STRUCTURAL

83 Wind Loads on Structures

83 High Wind Study for Developing Countries

84 Administration of the Secretariat; American National

Standards Institute, Inc. Standard A58, Building Code

Requirements for Minimum Design Loads in Buildings

and Other Structures

85 Structural Rehability

85 Performance Standard: Foundations and Excavations

85 Geotechnical Engineering

86 Residential Structures in Mining Areas

86 Shear Transfer Phenomenon in Reinforced Concrete

87 Design Criteria for Masonry

87 Requirements for Masonry, American National Standards

Institute, Inc. Standard A41

88 Model Study of a Parking Garage Collapse

88 Air Force Mobile Shelters

V
CODES AND STANDARDS

90 Building Standards, Improvement and Implementation

91 National Conference of States on Building Codes and

Standards

91 Laboratory Evaluation and Accreditation Program

91 Coordinated Evaluation System

92 Coordinated Metric Dimensions for Buildings

93 Metrication and Dimensional Coordination: A Literature

Search

93 Research Conference on the Building Regulatory Process

93 Technology for Building Standards and Regulations

94 Application of Decision Tables to Life Safety Code

HOUSING AND BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

96 Housing Technology

96 Department of Housing and Urban Development Lead

Paint Hazards

97 Compendium of Test Methods Used in Operation

Breakthrough

97 Performance Standards for Special and Innovative

Construction

98 Methodology Handbook for Housing Surveys

98 Fire Compendium for Operation Breakthrough

98 Coordinating Fire Standards Research-Suppression

99 Building Technology Information

99 Federal Building Technology

100 Building Procurement Workshops

100 Technical and Scientific Support to the Occupational

Safety and Health Administration

100 Technical and Scientific Support to the Tri-Services

Committee

101 International Building Research

101 Center for Building Technology/Brazil Cooperative

Training Program

102 Joint US/Egyptian Cooperative Program

102 Program Evaluation and Planning

VI
Energy

Conservation

Energy Programs at the Center are centered in four areas, each presented in turn: energy savings in buildings; in

industry; in newly planned communities; and in perform- ance codes and standards.

/
ENERGY CONSERVATION PROGRAM

Jack Snell

Office of Energy Conservation - 301-921-3571

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The National Bureau of Standards (NBS) energy conservation program involves coordinated efforts within the

areas of buildings, community services, industry and

standards carried out by many units within NBS and outside contractors. This project covers the overall planning,

management, monitoring, and support functions of the

energy conservation program office. The overall program

plan and organizational framework were developed for

management of the buildings and industry portions of the

Center's energy program. Accomplishments include substantial staff support to the Federal Energy Administration,

the Energy Research and Development Administration, and

the Department of Housing and Urban Development in

developing the FY76 energy conservation programs for

these agencies.

ENERGY CONSERVATION

INFORMATION

Jack Snell

Office of Energy Conservation - 301-921-3571

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

To be most effective, research findings on energy conservation need to quickly reach those who may benefit

from them. They also must be presented in an effective

and usable form. This project supports preparation of a variety of publications to disseminate the findings of the

National Bureau of Standards research. Inquiries for technical information are accommodated, and information

brochures prepared. Liaison is being established and

maintained with the university and academic community

and with industry and professional groups to identify

energy conservation needs and to foster the exchange of

ideas and information. A series of issue papers will be

presented and seminars involving leading academic and

industry researchers will be supported.

2
Energy Conservation

in Buildings

3
ENERGY CONSERVATION IN

BUILDINGS

Heinz Trechsel

Office of Energy Conservation - 301-921-3892

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

This program involves coordinated efforts carried out

by many units within the National Bureau of Standards

and contractors. It supports the overall building-related

planning, management, monitoring, and support functions

of the energy conservation program office. The Center is evaluating the energy conservation in buildings program

for FY77 and beyond, based on an analysis of future re- search needs and priorities. A systems study of energy

balance in buildings, considering all the elements of energy

gains and losses, is being conducted to determine those

areas of technology requiring research which have the

greatest potential for energy conservation both in the near and long term.

TECHNICAL AND MANAGEMENT

SUPPORT TO FEDERAL ENERGY

ADMINISTRATION

Heinz Trechsel

Office of Energy Conservation - 301-921-3892

Sponsor - Federal Energy Administration

The National Bureau of Standards (NBS) energy con- servation in buildings program involves coordinated efforts

within NBS, the Federal Energy Administration (FEA),

outside contractors, and other agencies. Project activity

includes detailed monitoring of the NBS research projects

in the FEA-supported energy conservation in buildings

program, milestone completion, and delivery of products.

Major activities also involve developing and planning the

research program and providing technical support to FEA

for evaluation of research proposals, technical conferences,

etc.

ENERGY STORAGE IN BUILDINGS

Joseph Chi

Building Environment Division - 301 -921 -3521

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The goal of this program is to establish which energy

storage techniques are most advantageous. The program is establishing criteria for incorporating energy storage

systems into buildings, determining the potential of various

types of energy storage systems, and developing test methods for evaluating energy storage systems. Some of

the technologies to be evaluated are thermal storage

(latent/sensible) , flywheels, batteries, hydrogen, compressed air, magnetic and hydraulic.

The criteria to be developed will involve the determination of those parameters (i.e., energy density, specific

energy, etc.) that are significant for evaluating the compatability of various energy storage systems with different

types of buildings. It will also attempt to establish quantitative ranges within which the parameters should remain

for each building type. These ranges will be established

by a thorough analysis of energy demand in existing

buildings.

4
GENERAL SERVICES

ADMINISTRATION MANCHESTER

BUILDING

Tamami Kusuda

Building Environment Division 301-921-3501

Sponsor - Energy Research and Development

Administration

The Center is assisting the General Services Administration to design, construct, and evaluate an energy conservation demonstration office building in Manchester,

New Hampshire. Comprehensive energy analysis calculations were followed by experimental validation by securing

at least two years of continuous (hourly) data acquisition

for building thermal performance and energy consumption.

This project also covers the design procurement and

evaluation of a solar heating and cooling system.

ENERGY CONSERVATION IN GARDEN

APARTMENTS

Max Needleman

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3512

Sponsor - Federal Energy A dministration

Heating and cooling loads are being measured for a garden apartment complex. These loads will then be compared with corresponding values after techniques to reduce

energy consumption are installed. These retrofit measures

include installation of storm windows, addition of solar

shading devices to the window systems, and installation of

a device to record the on-off cycle of the heating and air- conditioning system. The National Bureau of Standards

Load Determination (NBSLD) computer program will be

used for predicting pre-retrofit and post-retrofit heating

loads for three instrumented apartments. Then, NBSLD

will be used to predict heating loads for the whole apartment complex, permitting the reductions in heating

requirements to be quantified. This procedure will be

repeated during the summer season, permitting the reduction in cooling energy requirements to be quantified.

TWIN RIVERS ENERGY

CONSERVATION

Heinz Trechsel

Office of Energy Conservation - 301 -921 -3892

Sponsor - Energy Research and Development

Administration

This project is operating in concert with the National

Science Foundation project, "Energy Husbandry in

Housing," being conducted by Princeton University. The

study is a two-year effort consisting of a planned retrofit

experiment in townhouses at Twin Rivers, New Jersey, and

the development of a series of manuals for specific audi- ences of the building community. Low-cost retrofit experiments are being conducted to provide quantitative data for

retrofit manuals. An energy conservation guide for homebuyers and an operating manual for homeowners will be

developed. During FY77, an experiment will be conducted

to provide a measured data base for a retrofit manual that

starts with the assumption that an investment in energy

conservation will be made. Other manuals to be produced in FY77 include a manual for small builders, a manual for state and local officials, a manual for large

builders, developers, architects and engineers, and a handbook for the building research community.

5
SUPPORT: COMMUNITY SERVICES

ADMINISTRATION WINTERIZATION

PROGRAM

John Stroik

Technical Evaluation and Application Division

301-921-3595

Sponsor - Community Services Administration

Since it has become imperative to conserve energy and

energy costs are increasing, the Community Services

Administration (CSA) has estabUshed a program to winterize the homes of those least able to afford retrofitting to conserve energy—the poor. The Center will

assist the CSA in its program by developing performance

criteria and retrofitting guidelines, and providing technical

assistance in reviewing and evaluating methodologies.

This includes the development of a comprehensive plan

plus immediate technical assistance for the CSA.

After analysis of the state-of-the-art in retrofitting for

energy conservation of low-income family housing,

including past and ongoing CSA projects, a comprehensive

plan of research and technical assistance will be developed.

Included will be: investigations into the performance of

existing materials and methods; evaluations of the CSA

pilot project in Colorado; technical and economic evaluations of innovative retrofit options; development of criteria

for use in guidelines in addition to assisting in the development of the guidelines themselves. The work will be

carried out by an interdisciplinary team of architects,

thermal engineers, building economists, material specialists,

and others.

COMPUTER CONTROL OF HEATING,

VENTILATING AND AIR CONDITIONING

EQUIPMENT FOR ENERGY

CONSERVATION

David Didion

Building Environment Division - 301-921-2994

Sponsors - National Bureau of Standards

Federal Energy A dministration

To determine the operational control techniques that

will provide the greatest, and most practical, savings in the

general purpose laboratories at the National Bureau of

Standards (NBS) , an experimental program is being conducted. It entails the automation of mechanical systems,

central computerized control, and metering of selected zones in an NBS building under a variety of control

patterns and seasons. Based on these results and practical

operating experience, a more realistic determination can be

made of the methods to be used in the remaining general

purpose labs and in the NBS Administration Building. The

experimental data verifying the computer simulation model

will allow for generalization to other office buildings of

similar systems.

The Center will install instrumentation and controls in

the ten air handlers in the building. Signals from these

points will be sent to a central computerized control panel,

which will determine the mode, or modes, of operation that

will result in the most efficient operation compatible with

the laboratory requirements. Measurements of the energy

consumption will be made during four seasons to determine the energy savings achievable through the automation

of the heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems

serving the general purpose laboratories at NBS.

6
VENTILATION SYSTEMS FOR ENERGY

CONSERVATION

Tamami Kusuda

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3501

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

Since approximately 30 percent of energy used for

heating and cooling a building is spent for processing ventilation air, it is important to design and operate ventilation

systems efficiently.

The approach is to study the amount of outdoor air needed for the well-being of the occupants and to develop

methods of controlling ventilation rate according to the

needs of the occupants. In conjunction with an Energy

Research and Development Administration-supported project, actual buildings will be operated under planned

ventilation modes, and the occupants' responses will be

studied simultaneously. The specific approach taken in

this project is to study the build-up of various room air

contaminants under various modes of ventilation control,

types and location of ventilation air sensors, and the

variable volume systems and a reheat system. This study

will use the National Bureau of Standards computer

program that simulates the performance of air-side (ventilation) systems.

EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE FOR

ENERGY CONSERVATION

Joel Levy

Technical Evaluation and Application Division

301-921-3701

Sponsor - Federal Energy Administration

Better maintained equipment will use less energy per

unit of output. Under these conditions, it becomes profitable to increase the level of equipment maintenance used

to deliver building services. The purpose of this study is

to develop a model that will permit quantification of the

appropriate level of maintenance in terms of performance

attainment and relative costs. Such a model will help

decision-makers select economically efficient levels of

maintenance for elements of building services equipment

such as heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems,

illumination equipment, and elevators an'd escalators.

A finite-state, finite-action-space Markovian dynamic

programming model of equipment performance as a function of maintenance levels will be constructed. An

algorithm for finding the best maintenance policy will be

written in the BASIC computer language. The model will

be applied in an illustrative example.

FIELD STUDY OF OIL BURNERS

George Kelly

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3521

Sponsor - Federal Energy Administration

Improving the seasonal performance of residential oil burners can save considerable energy. This program is aimed at determining how this can be done and evaluating

the potential energy savings that could result from various

modifications.

A procedure for reducing nozzle size and for recognizing

oversize units will be developed. Then, a field study will

be made to evaluate further reductions in the firing rate achievable through burner modification and changes in the

fire box.

During FY75, data were obtained on the effect of annual

7
oil burner tune-up and the potential energy savings resulting from the reduction of nozzle size on oversized installations. The projected average seasonal fuel and cost savings

obtained by a 29-percent reduction of the average nozzle

size of a representative mix of oil-burner systems in New

England were 5.2 percent and 3.7 percent, respectively.

Savings for four other system mixes, representative of

other U.S. regions, were also derived.

The analysis indicates that the control of excess combustion air is an essential factor in the amount of energy

savings realized. The study found that (1) up to an 8- percent fuel saving could be achieved by nozzle size reduction if the percent of excess air could be maintained

constant; and (2) the savings would be increased to 15.7

percent if the nozzle size reduction could have been

coupled to a reduction in excess air from the "as found"

average of 85.7 percent to 40 percent (equivalent to a 21.5

percent reduction of combustion air).

\

8
Energy Conservation in

Communities
MODULAR INTEGRATED UTILITY

SYSTEMS: DEMONSTRATION

Clinton Phillips

Office of Energy Conservation - 301-921-3741

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

The Modular Integrated Utility Systems (MIUS) demonstration is the first fully integrated plant demonstration

providing electrical, thermal, solid waste management, and

wastewater management community services. The Center's

successful involvement in the MIUS Total Energy Demonstration for the Department of Housing and Urban

Development (HUD) has resulted in the Center being given

lead technical responsibility. The Center for Building

Technology will develop and implement the MIUS design

monitoring and evaluation plan of the plant similar to that

provided in the Total Energy Demonstration. The design

monitoring requires that the National Bureau of Standards

(NBS) be responsible for evaluating the design of the

MIUS plant in accordance with the NBS-prepared perform- ance specification. In FY75, the Center provided energy, economic, and

environmental analyses of proposals received in response

to HUD's MIUS Demonstration request for proposals.

Initial program plans for the complete demonstration

design monitoring and performance evaluation were

developed.

MODULAR INTEGRATED UTILITY

SYSTEMS: DESIGN, ANALYSIS AND

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

John Ryan

Office of Energy Conservation - 301-921-3741

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

Although the principal technical study resources of the

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-

Modular Integrated Utility Systems (MIUS) program are in other participating agencies, the Centers' expertise is used

to knit together the technical output, to assist HUD in the

technical direction of the program, and to review other

participating agency documentation for publication.

Four efforts have been identified under the Design,

Analysis and Technical Support Program: Performance

Specifications; Economic and Institutional Studies; Technical Reviews; and Technology Evaluations.

In the performance specification effort the Center is developing a document which contains the minimum per- formance quality levels of the MIUS products and

services: reliability, energy efficiency, control, environmental impact, natural hazards resistance, occupational

safety, and community impact.

Under the Economic and Institutional Studies effort, the

Center is conducting cost/benefit, economic feasibility, and

marketing studies, to develop methodologies for such

analyses and to identify and develop solutions to institutional, legal, and governmental factors which constrain,

delay or prevent the implementation of the MIUS concept.

In the Technical Review effort the Center for Building

Technology is conducting coordinated technical reviews of

certain MIUS program documentation and performing less rigorous reviews of other program documentation.

In the Technology Evaluation effort the Center is

10
conducting investigations in several key areas of MIUS

technology. Particular emphasis is placed on those technologies where particular NBS expertise exists. For

example, technology evaluation of heat pumps relative to MIUS technology and of the integration of wastewater

treatment in MIUS is being performed. A new task con- cerned with the field-based laboratory investigation of solid

waste incineration/heat recovery/MIUS integration of the

Jersey City Total Engery Demonstration site was initiated. In addition, completion of earlier efforts is anticipated in

FY76: publication of the MIUS technology evaluation of

computer software; the solid waste data base; and an

electrical load profile.

MODULAR INTEGRATED UTILITY

SYSTEMS: PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Clinton Phillips

Office of Energy Conservation - 301-921-3741

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

The Department of Housing and Urban Development

(HUD)-Modular Integrated Utility Systems (MIUS) program is studying—by means of real-life demonstrations

the improvements to be obtained by integration in furnishing the essential utility services for communities. The

utilities of principal concern are electric energy, heating

and cooling, liquid and solid waste management and

potable water. Integration of the facilities for providing

these services minimizes net environmental impact and

permits optimization of energy utilization, mass flow, resource demand, management/maintenance labor, and

plant sizing. The project consists of several principal

subelements: Technical Support, Total Energy Demonstration and MIUS Demonstration.

MODULAR INTEGRATED UTILITY

SYSTEMS: PROGRAMMATIC

SUPPORT

Clinton Phillips

Office of Energy Conservation 301-921-3741

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

The Center, under the Department of Housing and

Urban Development (HUD) Memorandum of Understanding on the Modular Integrated Utility System

(MIUS), has provided programmatic management support

to HUD for the overall multi-agency HUD-MIUS program.

For the past year the Center has monitored the overall

direction of the program, made technical and managerial

recommendations to HUD, participated in interagency dis- cussions as support to HUD, represented HUD in various

roles, and provided a management information system

service to HUD.

During FY75, information systems were developed,

accepted by HUD, refined, and maintained. Final duplication and organization of the MIUS technical reference file was completed. The Center developed and maintained a program control and monitoring information system in a MIUS situation room display at the National Bureau of

Standards.

214-434 O - 76 - 2
ENERGY COINSERVATIOIN HAINDBOOK

Clinton Phillips

Office of Energy Conservation 301-921-3741

Sponsor - United States Air Force

This research will identify and consohdate energy conservation measures, determine their applications to Air

Force facilities, and prepare an energy conservation handbook for use by the Air Force base engineers. The handbook will explain energy conservation options and procedures for retrofit of existing facilities. In addition, the

handbook will present benefit/cost analysis procedures for

computation of potential savings and amortization data for

alternative energy conservation measures. Health, safety,

and environmental impact will also be considered. Special

portions of the handbook will be devoted to conducting

building surveys and energy audits.

12
Energy Conservation

13
INDUSTRIAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT

PROGRAM

Kenneth Kreider

Office of Energy Conservation - 301 -921 -3275

Sponsor Department of Commerce

The Department of Commerce (DoC) has developed a program, based on the National Bureau of Standards

(NBS) Handbook 115, Energy Conservation Program Guide

for Industry and Commerce to assist industry and commerce

in adjusting to the increased cost and shortage of energy.

The Center is supplying the scientific and technical support to DoC.

Specific projects in the Center's effort include supplements to Handbook 115, a guidebook specifically for small

businesses engaged in light industry and commerce, a

college course guide for energy conservation practices, case

studies in small businesses, a waste heat engineering guidebook, and process energy conservation manuals for such

areas as steam systems, furnaces, kilns, and ovens. The

Center will also provide, as requested, technical review

and analysis of industrial processes, research proposals,

and legislative proposals in energy conservation; technical

support for workshops; and program management for

effective coordination of NBS projects and for interactions with other government, academic, and industrial

institutions.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND

ANALYSIS FOR INDUSTRY

Kenneth Kreider

Office of Energy Conservation 301 -921 -3275

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

Lack of a firm technical base in energy conservation will

seriously hamper national efforts in energy conservation

and selection and implementation of Federal fiscal and

regulatory initiative, since the problem of excessive energy

consumption is based on effective technology.

To aid industry in voluntary energy conservation projects, the following activities are being undertaken: • An assessment of the use of the National Bureau of

Standards (NBS) Handbook 115, Energy Conservation

Program Guide for Industry and Commerce (EPIC) in

five industrial plants has been commissioned with the

University of Tennessee. • A Catholic University study is being used to help

develop the EPIC program for light industry and commerce. • A university engineering course on energy management, based upon EPIC, is being developed.

An assessment of the role of measurement technology

and controls in energy conservation in industry is being

carried out. A system will be developed for evaluating

energy fluxes in an industrial process, and recommendations will be made on ways to monitor and control these

fluxes. In addition, an effort will be made to gain insight

into possible technical developments aimed at improved

energy control.

The NBS role in combustion technology is being

assessed. In particular, NBS is examining the measure- ment research needs of the industrial community and the

14
appropriate roles of NBS, the national laboratories, and

private organizations.

The use of improved thermography for industrial plant

surveys is being further developed and applied to process

heat balances and plant energy audits. Quantitative

studies will be carried out on selected industrial facilities,

including before and after studies on the effects of energy

conservation measures on patterns of radiant energy losses

ESTABLISHMENT OF A DATA BASE

FOR COMBUSTION MODELING

Kenneth Kreider

Office of Energy Conservation - 301 -921 -3275

Sponsor - Energy Research and Development

A dministration

In recent years a major advance has taken place in the

quantitative computer modeling of large scale chemical and

engineering systems. The usefulness of present-day

computer models is strongly dependent on a detailed and

accurate description of the elementary chemical reactions

and thermal properties of the reactive intermediate radical

and ionic species. The mathematical models have now

become crucial tools in combustion systems development

and control. In particular, they are invaluable for the

proper interpretation of bench and pilot plant experiments.

At the elementary chemical reaction level, the data are pertinent to many different system models, and there is an

overriding need for consistency, as well as accuracy, in the

data base used when different organizations attack the same problem area. This creates a need not only for

measurements, but also for development of new and more

accurate measurement techniques and computerized data

activities.

The National Bureau of Standards (NBS) will address

the development of accurate data on the mechanisms, rates and energetics of selected classes of combustion reactions.

These data are used not only in combustion, but also in

many other sectors of technology to develop quantitative

models of diverse high temperature systems to aid in the

description and control of flames, plasmas, combustion

systems and petrochemical processes. The project

activities include development and definition of measure- ment techniques, accurate measurements and compilation,

evaluation and dissemination of data.

NBS is assessing where the data needs for combustion

research and combustor development are most urgent, and

engaging in data measurement, compilation, and analysis,

aimed at producing a series of reports presenting reliable

and consistent data on those reactions for which such data

are most urgently needed.

ENERGY CONSERVATION IN

BLENDED CEMENT

At present, portland cement manufacture requires

almost one percent of the energy consumed in the U.S.

The replacement of a portion of this material by a suitable

waste product such as fly ash will result in a substantial

15
Kenneth Kreider

Office of Energy Conservation - 301-921-3275

Sponsor - Energy Research and Development

A dministration

energy savings and also will alleviate waste disposal

problems. Electric utilities now produce about 30 million

tons of fly ash annually. While blended cements have

seen only limited use in the U.S., their value has been

demonstrated by extensive use in other industrialized

countries.

In this project, the reactions of blended cements containing waste and by-product materials will be studied to provide insight to the important variables in the choice of

cement replacement materials. The effect of the replacement materials on the alkali-aggregate reaction, sulfate

resistance, strength development, and durability of blended

cements will be evaluated to provide a basis for perform- ance tests and criteria.

The study of the alkali-aggregate and sulfate attack

reactions will be carried out by chemical analysis. X-ray

diffraction, scanning electron and optical microscopy,

thermal analysis, and mechanical property measurements.

Although tests will be carried out in accordance with the

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) procedures, new tests will be developed where needed. The

new tests will be submitted for consideration by ASTM.

CHARACTERIZATION OF WASTE

PAPER PULPS

Kenneth Kreider

Office of Energy Conservation - 301-921-3275

Sponsor - Energy Research and Development

A dministration

Paper recycling results in considerable savings in

energy consumption per ton of paper produced; no logging

or pulping is required in paper recycling. However, most

waste paper is composed of a mixture of paper grades.

There is a limited use for this waste paper, regardless of

the quality of the paper in the mixture, since the paper

industry is not accustomed to working with unknown fiber

mixtures. If pulp made from mixed waste paper were characterized and graded, there would be greater incentive to recycle, since this waste could be used to make more than

just the lowest of paper grades.

In this project, test methods are being developed to supply the data necessary to characterize and grade pulps

made from mixtures of assorted fibers. At first, mixtures

will be made from identified and characterized pulps

according to a statistical sampling plan. Fiber-length dis- tribution will be determined by an image-analysis technique, and the specific surface of the pulps in aqueous

suspension will be determined. Paper will be made on a laboratory scale, and the physical properties of the paper

will be determined. Fiber strength and bondability will be

determined by a short-span tensile technique. A complete

statistical analysis of the data will determine the best

means for predicting paper properties from pulp properties.

Finally, pulps will be made from mixed waste paper,characterized, graded, made into paper, and evaluated to compare

predicted with actual properties.

Increased recycling would result in lower energy con- sumption by the paper industry, and many solid waste

problems for municipalities would be alleviated.

16
Energy Savings

through

Performance Codes and Standards
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT FOR

STANDARDS RESEARCH AND

DEVELOPMENT

Jim Heldenbrand

Office of Energy Conservation - 301-921-3892

Sponsor - Energy Research and Development

A dministration

The objective of this project is to provide the program

management services to obtain the conceptual models and

research data needed as a basis for drafting energy conservation standards of the performance type.

The Office of Energy Conservation, Center for Building

Technology, will act as technical program manager for

planning and integrating the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA)/the National Bureau of

Standards (NBS) research projects for development of the

energy conservation performance standards (as defined in

the Modification of ERDA/NBS Memorandum of Understanding, November 1975), planning and integrating the

relationships of similar work funded by all other agencies

at the NBS, and coordinating with and integrating the

products of directly related work funded by the ERDA at other locations and work performed by private organizations.

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HEATING,

REFRIGERATING AND AIR-CONDITIONING ENGINEERS AND NATIONAL

FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION

STANDARDS FOR ENERGY

CONSERVATION

Paul A chenbach

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3637

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

ASHRAE Standard 90-75, Energy Conservation in New

Building Design was issued by the American Society of

Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers

(ASHRAE), in collaboration with the Illuminating Engineering Society (lES), in October 1975. It is the nation's

first comprehensive energy conservation standard that is applicable to all types of new buildings.

ASHRAE 90-75 is based on a research document,

NBSIR 74-452 Design and Evaluation Criteria for Energy

Conservation in New Buildings, published by the National

Bureau of Standards in February 1974 in response to a request from the National Conference of States on Building Codes and Standards (NCSBCS) , an organization of

building regulatory officials from State and local governments.

Current ASHRAE energy conservation activities involve

the development of a proposed ASHRAE Standard 100

series for retrofitting existing buildings for energy conservation and continuing update of ASHRAE Standard

90-75. During FY76, a Center for Building Technology

staffer will serve on the technical panels, drafting the 100

series and updating 90-75.

BUILDING ENERGY CONSERVATION

STANDARDS

Jim Heldenbrand

Office of Energy Conservation 301 -921 -3892

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

Approximately one third of the energy consumed in the

U.S. is used by the building sector. It has been estimated

that 40 to 50 percent of energy used in new buildings

could be saved by energy conserving designs. Building

performarice standards (e.g., energy budgets) represent a

logical extention of the performance concept now

developed at the level of a component performance

standard, such as in the American Society of Heating,

18
Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)

Standard 90-75. Building performance standards—standards that limit the annual energy usage of buildings—focus on energy conservation as a performance concept, provide

energy design objectives, and demand an approach to design without direct constraints on design options.

The purpose of this Department of Housing and Urban

Development (HUD) sponsored project is to develop

objectives, a technical approach and a detailed program

plan for formulating and implementing energy conservation performance standards for new buildings. The motivation for the standards implementation program is to assure

effective application of the standards for energy conservation. To the extent that standards are performanceoriented, they increase the complexity of evaluations for

design approval by building regulatory agencies, in comparison with prescriptive standards that specify the

materials and methods to be used.

The technical program for standards development and

standards implementation will be managed by the Center

for Building Technology for the Secretary of HUD, in

response to policy direction from the Energy Resources

Council Task Force on Thermal Standards. In the pre- liminary plan the management framework of coordinating

various other agency roles, the Federal Energy Administration has policy overview; HUD, implementation; the

Energy Research and Development Administration

(ERDA)/NBS, research, development and demonstration;

and the General Services Administration, implementation.

Initial ERDA/NBS research projects related to the

standards program are described elsewhere in this

document.

MODEL DOCUMENTATION FOR

ENERGY STANDARDS

Patrick Cooke

Office of Building Standards and Codes

Services - 301-921-3361

Sponsor - Energy Research and Development

A dministration

This project involves the development of model informational documentation and procedures to facilitate the

adoption and implementation of building energy conser- vation standards of the component performance type.

State-of-the-art studies of existing regulatory programs and

systems dealing with building energy conservation will be

conducted and documented to provide a basis for a co- ordinated national system to be available when standards

are promulgated. The approach will be patterned after the

existing National Bureau of Standards Coordinated Evaluation Systems project for manufactured buildings.

19
ECONOMICS IN BUILDING

STANDARDS

Stephen Petersen Technical Evaluation and Application

Division - 301-921-3701

Sponsor - Energy Research and Development

A dministration

Economic analysis to support the National Bureau of

Standards building energy conservation standards program is being conducted during FY76. This project is primarily empirical in nature, applying economic methodologies developed in support of the standards program.

The extent to which appropriate energy conservation techniques might be economically justified for buildings of dif- ferent types, in different climates, and using different

energy forms will be objectively determined using life- cycle cost and energy savings data. Recommendations for

performance standards will be made based on this analysis.

Economic optimization models based on marginal

analysis are being applied to the energy conservation

design of residential, commercial, and public buildings.

Cost data relevant to energy conservation in new buildings

are being collected by a contractor for use in running the

model. A computer program will be used in estimating

annual savings for various combinations of energy con- servation features in buildings of different types and in

different climates. Economically optimal combinations of

energy conservation techniques sensitive to climates,

economic factors, and user requirements will be estimated.

Commercially available computer programs will be used

where necessary to supplement the National Bureau of

Standards Load Determination computer program.

ENERGY BUDGET APPROACH FOR

BUILDING STANDARDS

William Carroll

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3503

Sponsor - Energy Research and Development

Administration

The technical aspects of an energy budget concept as the

basis of energy performance standards in buildings will be

explored and developed. In addition to the concept definition, methods of application, including building and climate

classification schemes and simple and reliable calculation

methods, will be developed by a multidisciplinary approach

using related economic, architectural and human factors

experts. This methodology will subsequently be employed

in a separate project to produce energy budgets for all

classified building types, functions, and climatic conditions.

Energy budgets will provide a reliable, effective evaluation

tool to aid in the development of building energy perform- ance standards, which will stimulate energy conservation

practice in building design, while allowing the freedom for

innovation.

ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION TECHNICAL

AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Jim Heldenbrand

Office of Energy Conservation - 301 -921 -3892

Sponsor - Energy Research and Development

A dministration

Technical and professional services will be provided by

the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) staff to support

the Energy Research and Development Administration

(ERDA) in its overall research and demonstration responsibility for the Energy Performance Standards Program.

This support to ERDA supplements the NBS responsibility

for overall technical program management in response to policy direction from ERDA, the Federal Energy Administration and the Department of Housing and Urban

Development.

20
Solar Energy
SOLAR ENERGY PROGRAM FOR

HOUSING SYSTEMS

Robert Dikkers

Office of Housing and Building

Technology - 301-921-3285

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

In view of the current energy crisis and the increasing

rise in the cost of fossil fuels, the Department of Housing

and Urban Development (HUD) initiated a cooperative

program with the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) to determine the feasibility, use, and performance characteristics of solar energy systems and dwellings using such

systems.

To develop interim performance criteria, an interdisciplinary team of the Center for Building Technology staff

members was organized. This team prepared criteria drafts

that were reviewed by a 10-member consultant evaluation

panel consisting of experts from the solar energy field. In

addition, drafts were reviewed by Federal agencies

responsible for the residential demonstration program,

HUD and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. General public and industry comments were also

solicited and obtained through an open conference held

at NBS in November 1974.

The Interim Performance Criteria for Solar Heating and

Combined Heating/Cooling Systems and Dwellings was

completed on schedule and transmitted to HUD. Minor

modifications were made to this document and it was pubhshed for general distribution in February 1975.

NBS is developing a plan for HUD which will describe

the technical performance data to be collected during the

solar residential demonstration program. NBS will also

prepare Intermediate Minimum Property Standards for Solar

Heating and Domestic Hot Water Systems. These standards will be a supplement to HUD's Minimum Property

Standards for single family and multifamily housing.

SOLAR ENERGY DEMONSTRATION

PROGRAM

Robert Dikkers

Office of Housing and Building

Technology - 301-921-3285

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

Energy Research and

Development Administration

An interdisciplinary team of the Center for Building

Technology staff members is organized to develop the

interim performance criteria for the solar energy commerical demonstration program. Public and industry

comments on these criteria will be solicited before final

publication. The team will monitor the design, construction, and operation of commercial solar energy systems and

feed back the information thus obtained in the development of the final performance criteria. The testing and

evaluation of systems and subsystems developed under the

research and development phases of the heating and

cooling program will be monitored and reviewed, as well

as those recommended for demonstration, testing, and

further development under the commercial demonstration

program. In addition, consultant and advisory service will

be provided to the Energy Research and Development

Administration for the review of various grants and proposed programs of study.

22
TESTING OF RETROFITTED SOLAR

HEATING, VENTILATING, AND AIRCONDITIONING SYSTEM

James Hill

Building Environment Division - 301 -921 -3512

Sponsor - Energy Research and Development

A dministration

A solar heating and cooling system has been designed

and installed in a four-bedroom house on the National

Bureau of Standards grounds. This project involves the

operation, data acquisition, and evaluation of the solar

system for 18 months. Measured data will be compared

with predicted data for several operational modes to determine the adequacy of the analytical models to predict

fossil fuel savings. The solar system consists of flat-plate

collectors with water/ ethylene glycol as the transfer fluid,

water storage, and an absorption air conditioner in the

existing forced-air system of the house. The approach is

to evaluate the system during typical summer and winter

operation and compare it with the performance predicted

with available analytical models. Emphasis will be placed on evaluating the performance of the system in a variety

of modes of operation.

SOLAR ENERGY STANDARDS

James Hill

Building Environment Division 301 -921 -3512

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The National Bureau of Standards (NBS) staff are

participating in committees to develop standards for solar

energy collectors, storage devices, and systems. The

development of these standards is in response to a national

need to conserve fossil fuels and to use renewable fuel sources such as solar energy. NBS is in a unique position

of having the laboratory facilities and technical expertise

to make a significant contribution. During FY76, the

Center will complete draft standards on solar energy col- lectors, storage devices, and systems. The Center will also

participate with the American Society for Testing and

Materials, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating

and Air-Conditioning Engineers, and the American

National Standards Institute, Inc. committees to assist in

the preparation of national conservation standards.

23
Economics

24
TECHNIQUES FOR ECONOMIC

EVALUATION OF BUILDINGS

Harold Marshall

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division 301-921-3701

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The objective of this project is to develop and refine the

theories and methods of benefit-cost analysis, risk-benefit

analysis, and life-cycle costing for applications to building

evaluations.

The approach is as follo'vs: (1) to conduct a literature

search on available evaluating methods and statistical data,

both in the U.S. and abroad; (2) to examine non-building

applications of evaluation techniques to determine their

applicability to building problems; (3) to examine alternative methods for evaluating losses of life and personal

injuries; (4) to examine techniques for evaluating alternative building designs for preventing losses from fire and

other disasters, and for reducing the consumption of

energy; (5) to examine cost-sharing rules as they impact on construction design and scale; (6) to increase the

Center for Building Technology awareness of the applicability of economics to building problems and include

economics in interdisciplinary research through seminars

and workshops.

Last year, benefit-cost, risk-benefit, and life-cycle cost methods were refined for evaluating alternative building

technologies. The staff participated in seminars, training,

and research relating to applications of these methods.

Specific accomplishments included a Federal workshop on

building economics, publication of four papers in the proceedings of the Purdue University Conference on Heating,

Ventilating, and A ir-Conditioning Equipment and Components

for Buildings, preparation of three articles for submission

to professional journals, completion of a chapter in Salinity

in Water Resources, and completion of a report, Solar

Heating and Cooling of Buildings: Methods of Economic

Evaluation.

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF BUILDING

CODES

John McConnaughey

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division - 301-921-3701

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

In recent years construction costs have risen faster than

the general cost of living, and many persons contend that

the construction industry is technologically backward and

inefficient. Some observers believe that restrictive building codes promote inefficiency and substantially increase

cost, while other experts believe the impact of building

codes exists in part due to the lack of appropriate information. This study will develop an economic framework to help identify the impact of building codes on construction

costs, and upon the distribution of income between buyers,

builders, building material producers, and construction

workers.

To increase information, an Economic Impact State- ment "wiW be developed that will provide a standardized

method of analyzing the economic impact of a specific

building code change. Building officials seek to improve

public health, safety, and welfare through building codes.

25
The economic impact statement will be designed to be

especially useful to building officials in choosing between

two code alternatives, or between the choice of enacting or not enacting a code change. The study will conclude with

a case study of one particular code change to illustrate the use of the economic impact statement.

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF LEAD-PAINT

ABATEMENT TECHNIQUES

Robert Chapman

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division - 301-921-3701

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

Lead paint abatement techniques differ not only in their

efficiency at removing the hazard from the environment,

but also in their installation and maintenance costs. Thus,

the choice of the optimal abatement technique is neither

readily apparent nor easily determined. This study will

assist the urban planner to make the choice among abatement techniques for a given set of constraints (e.g., surface

type, substrate condition, occupancy status) by providing

(1) an analysis of the determinants and structure of costs

at the abatement technique level and (2) an analysis of

performance characteristics of the alternative techniques.

ECONOMICS OF ENERGY

CONSERVATION

Stephen Petersen Technical Evaluation and Application

Division -301-921-3701

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

Twelve percent of the national energy supply is con- sumed in residential space heating and cooling operations.

Yet much of this energy is wasted due to inadequate

thermal insulation. If homeowners can determine how

energy conservation retrofitting techniques will benefit

them in economic terms, they may respond faster and

more accurately to national energy conservation requirements.

Last year, most of the information and methodologies

for the homeowners report were generated in preparing a technical study on optimal combinations of energy conser- vation retrofitting techniques for residential application.

The approach this year was to assemble this information to be easily interpreted by the layman interested in reducing

the energy requirement of his home. The booklet entitled

Making the Most of Your Energy Dollars in Home Heating

and Cooling includes allowances for climatic conditions,

current fuel prices, the rate at which fuel prices are rising,

and the cost of specific retrofitting techniques.

ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF ROOF

AND WALL SECTIONS

Phillip Chen

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division - 301-921-3701

Sponsor - Tri-Service Committee

For military construction of administrative housing,

recreation and hospital facilities, the Center is compiling

technical, construction, and energy cost information for a 25-year life cycle on wall and roof sections generally used

or potentially suitable in the Washington, D.C. area. This

information, intended for use by the building designer, will

highlight energy conservation and labor-saving materials.

26
ECONOMIC MICROSTUDIES OF NEW

BLIILDING PRACTICES

Harold Marshall

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division 301-921-3701

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

This project developed a benefit-cost methodology for

measuring the net social impacts of improvements in technology that are introduced through the building regulatory

system and through the building industry on a voluntary

basis. Impacts studied are social benefits and costs that

result from the introduction of reduced-sized venting in

plumbing and improved standards and practices in roofing.

ECONOMICS OF SITING BUILDINGS

Joseph Kowalski

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division - 301-921-3701

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The economics of location and the determinants of site advantage, previously developed as part of this project, will

be extended. The Center will devise quantitative measures

of the characteristics of location that describe the relative

site advantages of residential locations. These variables

will then be used in an econometric model to estimate

their relative importance on the structure and level of the

submarket demand for housing. The data used to estimate

this model will be based on special cross tabulations from

the 1970 Census of Metropolitan Housing. Two reports. The

Economics of Siting Buildings and The Impact of Residential

Site Selection on Housing Demand will result from this

research.

FENESTRATION: ECONOMICS

Rosalie Ruegg

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division 301-921-3701

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The capital and maintenance costs of alternative window

characteristics, as well as psychological benefits and costs, are important to the overall efficiency of window selection.

An economic analysis of windows will provide a more

complete approach to the optimal selection of windows.

Economists from the Center will develop a life-cycle cost model for analyzing alternative window characteristics,

in a given application, in terms of the combined net effect

of thermal, construction, and maintenance costs. Using

thermal data developed by the Center's Thermal Engineering Systems Section, and costs of alternative window characteristics described by the Center's Architectural Research

Section, the life-cycle cost model will be exercised for

selected window applications. Any preliminary measures of

psychological benefits and costs identified by the Center's

Sensory Environment Section from the existing literature

will be related to the life-cycle cost measures.

EFFECTS OF "RESOURCE IMPACT

FACTORS"

Stephen E. Weber

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division - 301-921-3701

Sponsor - Federal Energy A dministration

This project will assess the efficiency and energy conservation impacts of alternative "Resource Impact Factors"

(RIF's). Criteria for specifying RIF's that will provide the

price or cost information necessary for generating efficient

energy conservation standards for buildings are also being

developed. These RIF's are necessary for the development

and application of an economically efficient energy conservation performance standard for buildings.

27

214-434 O - 76 - 3
The study will compare the performance requirements

of energy conservation standards generated with and without RIF's, and will examine the impact on the proposed

performance standard that might result from various RIF

values. Consideration will also be given to the extent to which RIF's should be specified nationally or regionally.

A report has been completed. Evaluation of Energy

Resources in the Development of Performance Standards for

Energy Conservation in Buildings, which addresses economic

formulation of energy performance standards. This report

lays the groundwork for introducing RIF's into the process

of standards development by demonstrating the need for

making the standard depend on the relative and absolute

social values of energy resources.

This project published the report The Economics of

Building Needs: A Methodological Guide, prepared for

meetings on "Development of Design Criteria and Methodology for Low-Rise/Low-Cost Buildings to Better Resist

Extreme Winds" in Manila, the Philippines and Kingston,

Jamaica. The work established a method by which housing

needs can be forecasted. It thus established the relative

economic importance of improved design criteria and construction methods.

HOUSING NEEDS IN DEVELOPING

COUNTRIES

Joseph Kowalski

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division 301-921-3701

Sponsor - Agency for International Development

28
Sensory

Environment

29
NOISE IN AND AROUND BUILDINGS

Simone Yaniv

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division - 301-921-2177

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

Light weight materials, prefabricated systems, and

emphasis on open-space planning has resulted in increased

exposure of building occupants to indoor and outdoor

noise. The higher noise levels have led to an increased awareness among governmental agencies, builders, architects, and the public of the need for a quieter environment. The National Bureau of Standards initiated a re- search program designed to assess and improve the design

tools now available to architects and builders concerned

with the acoustical environment of buildings.

The emphasis is on identifying the main factors asso- ciated with human response to noise in buildings and

evaluating how well current methods account for those

parameters.

Such studies consist of obtaining a "library" of

household noises as they actually occur in dwellings

through the use of tape recordings. They will be analyzed

and assessed by human observers. The results of these

studies will provide the data base on human response to the acoustical climate of buildings for the purpose of

improving criteria for use in standards, codes, and regulations.

CRITERIA FOR BUILDING NOISE

Simone Yaniv

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division - 301-921-2177

Sponsor - Environmental Protection Agency

The Center for Building Technology is working with the

Environmental Protection Agency on a program to develop

improved acoustical criteria for buildings. This program

consists of a review and evaluation of available data on

indoor noise levels in dwellings. An examination will be

made of human response data employed to validate

acoustical rating schemes commonly used by building

designers, to determine their applicability to building

codes.

Another phase is concerned with the development of an

experimental plan. The plan consists of a social survey

and noise measurement techniques to assess the statistical

distribution of indoor noise, its relationship to outdoor

noise, and the reaction of building dwellers to their

acoustical climates.

FENESTRATION: DESIGN

Belinda Collins

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division - 301-921-2177

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The impact of the window upon the overall energy con- sumption of a building is not fully understood. Inputs

from four separate disciplines, thermal engineering,

economics, architecture, and psychology, will be used to investigate the performance of the window. This research

project is being developed to discover ways of conserving

energy through cost-efficient window design, while meeting

both architectural requirements and user needs.

Although the simplest solution for reducing energy

consumption might be the total elimination of the window,

this may not always be desirable from the standpoint of the

30
user, the designer, or the engineer. As a result, the

benefits and drawbacks of windows must be specified in

many terms before design criteria can be developed.

Progress to date has included modification of the

National Bureau of Standards Load Determination Computer Program to be suitable for the exterior envelope

analysis, development of average-day solar radiation for

energy analysis, and experimental evaluation of windowglass coating; a window design-study report; development

of a life-cycle cost model; data collection on Venetian blind

usage; and publication of a literature evaluation of psychological reaction to environments with and without

windows.

ILLUMINATION CRITERIA FOR

BUILDINGS

Gary Yonemura

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division - 301-921-2177

Sponsor - Energy Research and Development

Administration

This project is developing a new basis for recommending

levels of illumination that are more conducive to energy

conservation. The present recommendations state that

increasing illumination levels increase visibility, whereas

the new function recommends an optimum luminance

level. Levels higher than the optimum can lead to decreased visibility, along with consuming higher amounts

of energy.

VISUAL ENVIRONMENT

Gary Yonemura

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division - 301-921-2177

Sponsor National Bureau of Standards

How much light do we need to perform specific tasks?

The visual performance data currently used to recommend

levels of illumination are based on the simplest type of

visual requirement, threshold detection (I barely see that

spot of light). Researchers, designers, and engineers who

don't subscribe to the present recommended practices,

argue that the experimental conditions under which the

current recommendations are based are not simulations of

real-world conditions. The Center has undertaken studies

to obtain a more valid determination of illumination

requirements; that is, visual performance evaluated under

stimulus conditions more nearly resembling situations en- countered in everyday life, suprathreshold levels (I see the

target under both conditions, but it is more distinct under

illumination condition A than B). Studies conducted with

gratings and letters under suprathreshold conditions

indicate a significant difference between the functions.

The threshold function states that ever-increasing light

levels result in ever-increasing visibility. The suprathreshold function states there is a luminance level that is best

for performance and that increasing or decreasing

luminance beyond this optimum results in a poorer image.

Another part of this project studies veiling reflectance.

Light sources are installed in luminaires that redirect the

light from the lamp to the desired location. The design

and placement of these luminaires affect energy consump31
tion by the effectiveness of the hght rays for visual task

performance. An efficient luminaire will reflect more of

the lamp light, but more importantly will direct the lamp

output to the desired location with the correct geometry,

resulting in a minimum of veiling reflection.

COLOR APPEARANCE

Gerald Howett

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division - 301-921-2177

Sponsor National Bureau of Standards

This project uses visual theory, mathematical modeling,

and psychophysical experimentation in a continuing

development of color science, with the aim of applying

color to safety, communication, visual comfort, and

esthetic satisfaction. Current surface-color emphasis is on

development and popularization of a single master set of

colors for all safety-coding applications. Current illumination-color emphasis is on evaluating formulas that have

been proposed for predicting the luminances of colored

lights seen as equally bright. The ultimate goal is a revised

photometry and possible application to energy saving in

lighting.

Color coding is a common method for rapidly communicating safety information. Many government agencies

and trade associations have developed over the years their

own sets of colors for use in identifying different

categories of traffic signs or warning labels. Most of these

color codes contain, for example, a red, but the exact

"shade" of red prescribed is not the same in all the codes.

This project aims at encouraging all these groups to choose

their colors from a single, limited set of precisely defined

colors with explicit meanings.

Similarly, it has long been known that the standard

procedure (used in photometers) for calculating the total luminous output of a light leads to errors that are sometimes quite serious. Development of a more accurate

formula, and instruments based on it, will not only

advance photometric science, but will permit realistic

comparisons by lighting engineers of the outputs of dif- ferent types of light sources. This research could also

permit energy savings by encouraging the replacement of

lights now over-rated in visual effectiveness by fewer lights

of greater true effectiveness.

BEHAVIORIAL RESEARCH DESIGN

APPLICATIONS

Arthur Rubin

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division - 301-921-2177

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

This acitivity will promote the use of behavioral

methods and data in the design process. An early study

(user requirements in the home, a data-collection methodology) was a review of primarily survey research applicable

to "user" studies in buildings. This investigation also

touched upon other research approaches that might be

appropriate for occupant studies of buildings, and indicated

that a wealth of information, compiled in many disciplinary

areas, is available for researchers concerned with defining

32
user requirements in buildings.

The most recent study, now nearing completion, is designed to be an in-depth examination of methodologies

from a variety of disciplines that might be employed in user studies - and an evaluation of them from the standpoint of an experimental psychologist. The study is directed particularly to designers and architectural students

in the hope of providing an insight into the relationship of

behavioral research methodology and design, thereby

improving communications between these two disciplines.

VISUAL TECHNIQUES IN NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING

Gary Yonemura

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division - 301-921-2177

Sponsor National Bureau of Standards

The human observer is currently the weakest link in

nondestructive testing (NDT) systems that include a "visual" component. Field observations and interviews

with NDT experts will be conducted to detail the information needs by NDT and describe the working environment

as it impacts on NDT visual tasks. This information will

be used to recommend change in current NDT practices.

Field trips are being made to installations now con- ducting NDT in radiography, magnetic particles, and

penetrant techniques. The visual parameters involved are being identified in detail and procedures, standards, and

optimum physical conditions under which tests can be per- formed will be recommended. They will be presented as Considerations and Standards for Visual Inspection Techniques at the National Bureau of Standards, the America

Society for Testing and Materials, the American Society for

Nondestructive Testing Symposium on Nondestructive

Testing Standards.

33
Architectural

Research

34
ARCHITECTURAL RESEARCH

Stephen Margulis

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division - 301-921-3595

Sponsors - National Bureau of Standards;

Department of Housing and Urban

Development

National priorities have been set for safer buildings, for

buildings that pollute less, and for buildings that conserve

energy. But safety, pollution control, and energy conservation increase costs. These increases have, in turn, caused

building costs to escalate. One answer to this is improved

construction productivity. Whether factory-built

residences could satisfy the Nation's need for housing was

addressed in the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Operation Breakthrough, a large experiment to stimulate industrialization and innovation in housing. The

Center is surveying and reporting the opinions, attitudes,

and behavioral reports of those directly affected by this

housing—its occupants. Their experiences with regard to

safety, security, comfort, convenience, and other matters

will be compared with those of occupants of conventional

housing. This information, including conclusions and

recommendations for the design and management of future

housing, will be directed to the housing industry and the

general public. In addition, a report on consumer information will be published.

Benefit-cost analysis assesses the goodness of design, for

conventional as well as industrialized housing and for other

building types as well. This research project is investigating the "benefit" aspects of benefit-cost analyses for

buildings.

Building researchers and practicing professionals need

to improve their communication skills, especially writing;

likewise, new computer techniques are needed to increase

productivity in building design and construction. Reports on both of these topics will be published. Fundamental to the application of research findings is the building per- formance approach, which has been adopted and furthered

at the National Bureau of Standards. A report to estabUsh

a Performance Theory for A rchitectural Design will be

prepared.

ARCHITECTURAL PSYCHOLOGY

John Archea

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division - 301-921-3595

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

Architectural psychology examines how people use the

buildings designed and constructed for them, as a way of

improving the design of future buildings. For example, in

FY74 and FT75, privacy studies were begun to establish

psychological knowledge in a subject area of great interest

to the public, but one which previously had not been

systematically researched. Behavioral studies in privacy

are continuing, and will be augmented by studies in stair

safety and building use by the elderly. Stair safety studies

will complete research commenced in FY74 and continued

in FY75 to set safety performance criteria aimed at reducing the number (350,000) of stair accidents each year. A

monograph on human perception as related to building

safety will be published. Studies will develop a research

35
method and findings on the use of nursing homes by old

persons. A Uterature search on law enforcement facilities

will be published, as will a report on the psychological

aspects of architectural design. All architectural psychology research will result ultimately in research reports,

performance criteria, standards, design guides, or user

guidelines to improve the built environment for the benefit

of the people who use and enjoy it.

FENESTRATION: ARCHITECTURAL

Robert Hastings

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division - 301-921-3595

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

Until recently, the energy consumption implications of

architectural design decisions were of much concern. The mechanical and illumination systems could always be

designed to compensate accordingly. Over-design and large

safety factors made calculating design subtleties a superfluous endeavor. The rapid escalation of energy costs has

changed this situation. It is now important that architectural design strategies that will conserve energy be

identified and that lighting, cooling, heating, and ventilation load calculations be sensitive to such design subtleties.

Windows are a critical consideration because they may be

responsible for up to 40 percent of a building's heating and

cooling loads, or they may actually result in a net reduction of these loads. This project will identify energy con- serving design strategies for windows and evaluate the

sensitivity of modeling methodologies and strategies.

Among other considerations, this project will assist in the

synthesis of architectural design strategies with the

thermal, psychological, and economic constraints. An

interdisciplinary methodology publication will then be

published.

ARCHITECT-IN -RESIDENCE

Porter Driscoll

Technical Evaluation and Application

Division - 301-921-3704

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

To strengthen the link between the design professions

and the building research community, a new post has been

developed at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS).

The American Institute of Architects (AIA)/NBS Architect-in-Residence Edward C. Fordyce, Assistant Director of

Planning, Science Museum of Virginia was recently

selected by the two organizations and will remain in

residence at the Gaithersburg campus for a period of

approximately one year. Mr. Fordyce's efforts will be

focused on the transfer of solar energy information from

researchers to architects. He will, in this capacity, be

involved in the development of audio-visual packages for

distribution to AIA chapters. Informal reports will be

forthcoming at intervals during this fiscal year.

Last year, John Holton of Perkins & Will, Architects,

Engineers and Planners, Chicago, 111., was selected as the

first Architect-in-Residence. He has been active as a re- search resource to ongoing research projects within the

36
Center, has participated in two Off-Site programs, and has

conducted individual research on natural lighting in

buildings, working with other researchers in the Center

and other parts of NBS. Liaison activities included confer- ences with the Directors of the Center, the Institute for

Applied Technology, and NBS, as well as staff at Argonne

National Laboratories and other research organizations.

37
SLIP RESISTANCE OF FLOORING

Robert Brungraber

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3851

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The National Commission on Product Safety reported

in 1970 that falls in the home each year kill about 12,000

and injure 6,000,000 people in the U.S.A. Slippery floors are

listed as a large contributor to these figures. However,

there are no well-established or generally accepted slipperi- ness standards for flooring. This project was initiated to provide information needed to commence the development

of floor slipperiness standards. It includes a state-of-theart study, evaluations of three existing test methods, and

the preparation of plans for additional studies. Among

these studies was the development of a dependable portable

tester to measure a fundamental property that denotes

slipperiness. This tester is being used to establish standards for flooring materials to control slipperiness.

The state-of-the-art was determined by searching the

literature and by visiting several testing laboratories

currently active in floor slipperiness studies. Preliminary

laboratory evaluation of the three most promising test methods was completed, using three commonly used types

of flooring material. Two of the three test methods (The

Horizontal pull and the James) measure a fundamental

property, coefficient of friction; however, both of them

have serious limitations and need further development to make them reliable and portable.

The development of a reliable test method for field use

is needed. This was performed by making a portable tester based on principles similar to those of a device now

accepted by the American Society for Testing and Materials.

A sensor suitable for simulating human skin on wet or soapy bathroom and swimming pool surfaces will be

selected. Also simulated natural leather shoe soles are being investigated. A series of tests are being conducted to assess accuracy and precision of the portable tester.

RESTRAINT EQUIPMENT

Harold Steinberg

Product Systems Analyses Division - 301-921-3204

Sponsor - Occupational Safety and Health

Administration

Each year falls injure or kill thousands of Americans.

Some of these injuries are the result of falls experienced

by workers whose jobs require that they perform their

tasks many feet above the ground. The Occupational

Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recognizes the

need for the development of valid performance standards

for safety belts, harnesses, lanyards, lifelines, shock

absorbers, grabbing devices, and other components of

worker restraint systems. The American National

Standards Institute, the Standard A10.14, currently under

development, is likely not to satisfy OSHA's needs for

several reasons. Therefore, OSHA is drafting its own per- formance standard for worker restraint systems. Even

though the primary focus in the standard under development is the construction industry, it will lay the groundwork for related standards concerning safety restraint for

lineman, tree-pruners, window washers, etc.

38
The study, which the Center is coordinating for the

Center for Consumer Product Technology of the Institute

for AppHed Technology, will involve the application of

systems analysis, product engineering, and human factors

methodologies.

GUARDRAILS IN BUILDING

STRUCTURES

George Fattal

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3475

Sponsor - Occupational Safety and Health

A dministration

The objective of this study is to formulate structural

design criteria for guardrails. The study of guardrail

systems will consist of: (1) an analysis of available information including codes, standards, worker anthropometrics

and technical data; (2) a field survey of common types of

installations, (3) experimental and analytical evaluation of

guardrail loading and response and (4) preparation of

structural performance criteria and a supplementary design

guide. These performance criteria will be the basis for

compliance of guardrail systems with respect to loading,

geometry and resistance function.

To achieve the objectives of this project, the architectural research section of the Center will compile statistical information on the anthropometric features of workers,

and will assist in the survey of prototypical installations

in the field, including acquisition of existing information on guardrail failures.

Last year project tasks were drafted on the basis of

problem areas identified through working sessions with the

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Also, a

literature survey and preparations for testing were begun.

OUTDOOR STRUCTURES SAFETY

John Archea

Technical Evaluation and Application Division

301-921-3595

Sponsor - Consumer Product Safety Commission

Many injuries, result from accidents involving "outdoor

structures," which include the following three product

categories: (1) retaining walls, patios, terraces; (2)

porches, balconies, open side floors, and floor openings;

(3) handrails, railings, and balconies. This research is aimed at reducing the severity of these accidents.

The Center has developed a behavioral model for

accidents with stairs and doors. This model will be ex- tended to encompass outdoor structures. The Center has

also developed techniques for investigating accidents

through analyses of accident data, surveys of product

usage, observations of human behavior in connection with

product usage, and analyses of videotapes of such usage.

These approaches will be used to identify where, when,

why, and to whom accidents occur with outdoor structures

and to recommend safety performance criteria as well as user guidelines.

39
SAFETY IN CONCRETE BUILDING

CONSTRUCTION

Hai Sang Lew

Structures, Materials and Safety Division

301-921-3851

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

This project is concerned with studies of two specific areas that affect safety in concrete construction. They are:

(1) strength of falsework, which provides temporary support to a concrete structure during construction, and (2) rate of construction. As part of the first investigation, the

study will determine the capacity of single-post shores as affected by field conditions. The second investigation will include the rate of strength and stiffness gain of concrete

at early ages, evaluation of various methods of determining

in situ strength of concrete, and development of a mathematical model of construction process to study parameters

that affect the rate of construction cycle.

Among the accidents and failures that occur during

concrete construction, nearly 60 percent are falsework

failures, which usually happen at the tim^ concrete is being placed. Because falsework costs can account for as much as 60 percent of the structural cost of cast-in-place

concrete, early removal and reuse of the formwork and

shores can decrease construction costs. Hence, for

economic reasons, contractors want to remove forms and

shore as early as possible. Such premature removals have

caused serious failures or difficulties in the completed

structures.

DOOR AND WINDOW SECURITY

Thomas Reichard

Structures, Materials and Safety Division -

301-921-3475

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

This project will propose criteria and test methods for

residential and commercial doors and windows that will

provide a known level of security against common burglary

attacks. Approximately 90 percent of the burglaries are made through doors and windows; 80 percent occur at residences and small businesses. The losses to the resident

and small businessman due to burglaries, which amounted

to $500 million in 1970, are increasing every year. Justice

Department statistics show that the large majority of

burglaries are performed by the unskilled. This analysis

emphasized that a relatively great decrease in burglary

losses could be made by a relatively small improvement to doors and windows.

Typical doors, windows, and burglary tools, were instrumented so that the actual forces imposed, and resisted,

could be measured. From these measurements, tests simulating burglary attacks were developed. The tests were

designed so that the simulated attack would not be easily

related to the actual attack method. Four levels of performance were identified as being related to the levels of

skill and/or tools for door assemblies and three levels for

window assemblies.

Last year, draft performance standards for these four

levels of security were prepared for door assemblies and

door components. A companion set of draft standards for

window assemblies was prepared and forwarded to the

sponsor.

It is expected that additional testing of hardware items,

especially add-ons such as bolt latches, will be completed

this year. Also a Selection and Application Guide for

security hardware will be prepared.

40
Thermal Studies

41
THERMAL MEASUREMENT

TECHNOLOGY

Tamami Kusuda

Building Environment Division • 301-921-3501

Sponsors - National Bureau of Standards;

Department of Housing and Urban

Development

Under this project, two major methods of thermal

measurement and performance testing will be pursued.

First, will be a new and improved guarded-hot-plate

apparatus for use as an absolute method of measuring the

thermal conductivity and thermal conductance of insulation and building materials. This apparatus is to replace

the present apparatus (circa 1937) currently defined in

the American Society for Testing and Materials Standard

C177. Current methods and equipment are used as the

national reference for supplying calibrated specimens to other laboratories in the U.S. and in several foreign

countries and are used to measure materials for the

National Bureau of Standards and other governmental

agencies. The other task in the project is to develop and

verify an automated technique to simplify the measure- ment of air infiltration sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) dilution

monitoring with respect to time. A computer-controllers

system is being developed in cooperation with an independent research laboratory.

HEAT TRANSFER FOR THERMAL

ENERGY STORAGE

Elmer Streed

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3503

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

One method of controlling the interior thermal conditions

of buildings is to design the building thermal capacitance

to conform to the ambient diurnal environment cycle for

reducing peak heating and cooling load requirements. This

program intends to develop analytical and experimental

methods to predict and measure the transfer and storage

of thermal energy for building heating and cooling applications using a wet sand bed.

Reduction in the consumption of expendable fuels for

the heating and cooling of buildings is being pursued by

the addition of thermal insulation, the reduction of air

infiltration, and the use of total energy concepts. Past

studies have shown the need for the use of thermal storage

tanks with solar collectors, the desirability of using phase

change materials, and the use of heat pipes to transfer the

thermal energy from collectors to storage or from storage

to the point of use. No heat-transfer studies have been

reported on this specific application.

A review will be made of the characteristics and experimental procedures for determining thermal performance of

water infiltrating sand bed. Analytical models describing

the transfer and storage of thermal energy will be generated for use in simple building systems.

AIR INFILTRATION IN REACTOR

CONTROL ROOMS

Charles Hunt

Building Environment Divison - 301 -921 -3512

Sponsor - Nuclear Regulatory Commission

This project will measure the air leakage of atomic power

plant control rooms by the use of sulfur hexafluoride

(SFg) tracer gas. At present, there is no established procedure for measuring the air leakage into a control room

operating in the emergency mode—shut off from its sur- roundings. However, the National Bureau of Standards

42
developed SF^ tracer-gas technique is well suited to this

task. The rate of dilution of SFj (in parts-per-billion) is used to estimate the air infiltration rate in two sample

rooms. Control rooms at Beaver Valley, Pennsylvania and

Brown's Ferry, Alabama, have been visited and specific

measurements and sampling problems identified. Equipment has been assembled. The first measurements took

place in September 1975, at Beaver Valley. Brown's Ferry

is tentatively scheduled for March, 1976.

THERMOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENT

TECHNOLOGY

Douglas Burch

Building Environment Divison - 301 -921 -3512

Sponsor - Federal Energy Administration

This project will develop a novel surface-heat-flow

measurement technique, one that is needed for evaluating

building thermal insulation. The use of thermographic

techniques have thus far been limited to the measurement

of surface temperatures and patterns of temperature, but

there is no information on the use of this technique for

measuring heat flow. This new technique would provide a way for non-destructive, large-scale, accurate heat-flow

measurement.

The technique consists of developing a well-calibrated

heat-flow reference pad whose surface emittance is matched with the building surface under observation. A

suitable electronic link needs to be developed so that the

thermographic image of the reference pad and the building

surface are identical. This can be done by controlling the

heat emitted (or absorbed) by the reference pad. The

apparatus, which includes an integrator and digital display

of the heat flux, is in the conceptual stage.

MEASUREMENT OF INDOOR

RADIATION

James Hill

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3512

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

Under this project, new instrumentation for predicting

human thermal comfort is being developed. Traditionally,

thermal environments for human occupancy are evaluated

by physical measurements of mean radiant temperature,

air temperature, air velocity, and humidity. However,

these do not directly permit consideration of the asymmetries and transient nature of thermal environments.

Asymmetries are common in radiant environments and

also arise from flows of cold or warm air impinging separately or simultaneously upon different sides of a human

body. Spot-measurements of air temperature or air

velocity cannot detect such asymmetries, nor do they

permit consideration of their effects in ratings of environments for comfort.

Last year, a contract was issued to Dr. Theodore

Benzinger for the development of a prototype resultant

surface temperature (RST) meter. Basically, this is a device that produces heat at the same rate per unit surface area as does a human body. Whenever any factor of the

thermal environment changes, the resultant surface

temperature of the instrument must also change in order

43

214-434 O - 76 - 4
that the equihbrium between production and loss of heat can be restored. The RST meter was used in a segment of

the field study on the National Bureau of Standards field

test house to demonstrate the degree to which asymmetrical radiant conditions exist in a typical residential dwelling

in winter.

FENESTRATION: THERMAL

Elmer Streed

Building Environment Divison - 301 -921 -3503

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The approach to thermal-related aspects of windows is to relate artificial lighting and energy requirements with the

solar thermal and day-light characteristics of selected

window types. Data compatible with the Bureau's Load

Determination Program (NBSLD) will be generated to permit simultaneous analysis of these parameters to determine the effect on total energy consumption of building

types. These data will be used for additional analysis with

economic, architectural, and psychophysical factors.

SEALED INSULATING GLASS

Mahn Hahn

Building Environment Divison - 301 -921 -3503

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

Insulating glass may be prone to condensation of

moisture inside its air cavity. To improve the performance

of insulating glass, it was necessary to develop reliable

testing procedures and instruments to see how dry the air

space was before and after installation.

A cooperative effort among the Department of Housing

and Urban Development, the National Bureau of Standards, the American Society for Testing and Materials, and

industry has been undertaken to develop a new method for

measuring the frost point of air between the glass, and to conduct round-robin tests on various temperature and

humidity test cycles imposed on the insulating glass.

For this project. Dr. Mahn Hahn, a research associate

with the Thermal Engineering Section, received an I-R 100

Award, an honor bestowed by Industrial Research magazine. The award is given annually to researchers, in- novators, and developers responsible for significant new

products. Dr. Hahn developed the apparatus for measuring

the dew-frost point in insulating glass.

THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF THICK

FIBROUS INSULATION

Elmer Streed

Building Environment Divison - 301 -921 -3503

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The basis for the use of fibrous insulation with thick- nesses of up to 35 centimeters (14 inches) is the assumption that the thermal conductance follows the basic Fourier

Equation; i.e., the thermal conductance is inversely porportional to the thickness. However, in actual practice,

the insulation is subjected to a dynamic environment with

variations in relative humidity, temperature, and internal

air movement, which could cause a deviation from this

relationship. The design and specification of commercial

low-density fibrous insulation is a compromise between

reducing the conductance, economics, and the application

requirement. Improved theoretical understanding of the

44
transfer phenomena especially relating to the internal air

motion will help the manufacturer, design professionals

and contractors better understand the in-service thermal

properties and moisture condensation problems and

moisture transfer.

This project will combine Bureau expertise in thermal

conductivity measurements with university and industry

experience to determine realistic heat transfer performance

of building walls. Experimental verification of predicted

performance is being performed and a comparison is being

made with available data using the computer simulation

technique.

INSULATION IN REFRIGERATED

WAREHOUSES

Tamami Kusuda

Building Environment Divison - 301-921-3501

Sponsor - Tri-Services Committee

This project explored the feasibility of drying out wet

insulation in cold-storage warehouse walls and ceilings by

forced-circulation of warehouse air. A majority of the nation's cold storage warehouses are experiencing difficulties in keeping the insulated wall from

becoming water logged, because of continued water vapor

condensation from outside. The method resulting from

this project will contribute to large energy savings, in

addition to a substantial reduction in warehouse deterioration.

The National Bureau of Standards apparatus for testing

air, moisture, and heat transfer through walls was used for

the conventional glass fiber type warehouse wall with a conventional vapor barrier. First the vapor barrier of the

test walls was intentionally punctured in accordance with a predetermined pattern to bring the moisture into the

insulation. Then, the cold side air was forced into the

insulation by local, as well as overall, pressurization to see whether condensation in the insulation could be prevented

or removed.

The test on a simulated fibrous glass insulation wall was completed. Separate tests on specimens of various

insulating material such as cellulosic fiber, urea formaldehyde, and fibrous glass were also completed. It was

found that the moisture condensation was prevented and

any wet insulation was dried out by a slight increase in the

pressurization of the cold side.

WALL STUDIES FOR THE AIR FORCE

Douglas Burch

Building Environment Divison - 301-921-3512

Sponsor - United States Air Force

This project will evaluate the effectiveness of several

procedures designed to prevent damaging moisture accumulation in walls to which thermal insulation was added to reduce energy consumed for heating. Application of vapor

barrier paints and venting the insulated cavity to the out- door are examples. A survey of Air Force buildings will

be conducted to identify three wall construction types that

frequently develop moisture accumulation problems after

being retrofitted. Laboratory and field studies will then be

45
conducted to examine the effectiveness of protective measures. A full-scale wall section will be constructed in the

laboratory and will be fitted into a test apparatus which

will maintain the interior wall surface at 24 °C (75 °F) and

40% relative humidity and the exterior wall surface at a prolonged cold condition. The purpose of the tests con- ducted on the full-scale laboratory wall section would be to study in detail the moisture accumulation processes and

the effects that occur in retrofitted walls.

RETROFITTING A DOMESTIC

DWELLING FOR ENERGY SAVINGS

Douglas Burch

Building Environment Divison - 301-921-3521

Sponsor - Federal Energy Administration

The objective of this project is to measure the energy

required for winter heating and summer cooling of a

residential dwelling in an "as is" condition under a variety

of weather conditions, and then determine the energy

requirement after retrofitting.

During FY75, winter heating energy and air infiltration rates were measured and correlated with respect to outdoor

conditions, so that savings in heating energy requirements

could be determined. Then, three phases of the retrofit:

caulking, adding insulation, and adding storm windows and

doors, were performed. It was found that the steps taken

to reduce air leakage (caulking, weather stripping, etc.) were not particularly effective in reducing air infiltration or heat loss rate because the test house was initially of

tight construction, having air change rates from 0.4 to 0.75

air changes per hour before the caulking was done. The

application of storm windows was found to have essentially no effect on the rate of air infiltration, but produced

heating energy savings of about 24 percent. The addition

of insulation saved an additional 28 percent. The total heating energy savings resulting from all the energy con- servation measures was found to be 52 percent. The addition of insulation caused the rate of air infiltration to decrease by roughly 20 percent from its initially low value.

At the end of the winter heating season, samples of wood

siding, sheathing, and insulation cores were taken from

house walls to determine moisture content. A comprehensive interim progress report was written. Awnings were

installed on the house. The summer cooling energy re- quirements were measured for the retrofitted test house

and compared to corresponding pre-retrofit values.

STANDARDS FOR REFRIGERATION

COMPONENTS

William Mulroj

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3512

Sponsor Army Natick Development Center

Since 1948, the National Bureau of Standards has

responded to the needs of the Department of Defense's

Natick Laboratories in the field of refrigeration and heating

equipment. Information developed in this program was

used for Natick's immediate needs and for generating and

updating the standards of the American National Standards

Institute, Inc., the American Society of Heating, Refriger46
ating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, and similar organizations. Methods of testing and ratings of performance

characteristics were published and are now routinely used

in the industry.

Kecent work involved laboratory measurement of per- formance of refrigeration equipment. The goal was to obtain maximum efficiency and use of energy consumed

without impairing reliability and effectiveness. The purpose was to improve energy efficiency and to develop

equipment and systems, such as the heat pump, that

deliver two to three times more cooling effect than the

power supplied.

ENERGY CONSERVATION FOR FOOD

SERVICE EQUIPMENT

William Mulroy

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3521

Sponsor - A rmy Natick Development Center

There are no existing test procedures for measuring the

performance of food-service equipment under usage conditions. As a result, there are no data on the efficiency of

different features or control methods for ovens, refrigeration units, or refrigerated structures—under part load,

variable ambient, or simulated usage conditions. This

project is developing test procedures to fill this void and is generating data to allow evaluation of different food-service

equipment systems for energy consumption and life-cycle

costing.

For example, normal refrigeration units are rated at full output at one fixed set of temperature conditions. This

year, part load and variable ambient tests are being per- formed on refrigeration units. Several control systems are being used on this unit so that the response to variable

conditions can be evaluated. Tests are also being per- formed to determine the efficiency improvement that could

be expected by fitting larger than normal heat transfer

surfaces. Studies will show jhe benefits to be obtained by

employing demand defrost with careful sizing of the defrost

heat supply.

47
Disaster

H

48
FIRE AND LIVE LOADS IN BUILDINGS

Charles Culver

Office of Housing and Building Technology - 301-921-3126

Sponsors - General Services Administration;

National Academy of Sciences

The objectives of this project are to collect fire load

and live load data and to apply probabilistic models for

predicting loads in office occupancies. The office building

fire load and live load program involves surveys of rooms

selected in a statistical manner chosen from buildings

located throughout the United States. Based on surveyed

room factors, interior finish, and the type, quantities and

distribution of combustible contents and other live loads, a

statistical model was devised to predict the fire and live

loads to be expected in buildings.

The design of safe, economical structures requires consideration of loading and structural resistance. Although

most building codes currently treat the design problems

in a deterministic fashion, the trend in code development

in the United States and abroad involves explicit consideration of the variability of these factors. Results obtained

from this survey improve the understanding of the factors

affecting loads in buildings and permit developing design

values based on the probabilistic nature of the loading for

incorporation in national model codes and consensus

standards. This will contribute to improved building safety

and provide one means for reducing life and property loss

due to fires. Survey techniques based on weight inventorying and data

collection procedures were developed. Characteristics such

as height, age, location, etc. of office buildings in the

U.S. were determined and used to select a statistical

sample of the buildings which were surveyed. Special data

processing techniques and computer programs were

developed for data analysis purposes. The final project

report is available.

BUILDING PRACTICES FOR

DISASTER MITIGATION

Charles Culver

Office of Housing and Building Technology - 301-921-3126

Sponsors - National Science Foundation;

Defense Civil Preparedness Agency;

National Bureau of Standards

Federal concern with building practice for disaster

mitigation arises from major statutory responsibilities.

Approximately 37 percent of all new construction is directly or indirectly Federally supported; good practices

protect these investments and reponsibilities. The Disaster

Relief Act Amendments of 1974 (P.L. 93-288) expanded

these responsibilities requiring evaluation of the hazard

potential of existing Federal facilities and Federal designation of appropriate reconstruction standards.

Working in cooperation with other agencies, the Center

for Building Technology provides research results for

implementation in Federal disaster mitigation programs.

Outputs include manuals of practice, recommendations

for inclusion in codes and standards, and design criteria

and procedures for improved building practices.

A report detailing procedures for evaluating the hazard

potential of existing buildings was prepared. An evaluation

of a new procedure for the design of earthquake resistant

structures also was completed. A major effort was initiated

49
to develop comprehensive nationally applicable seismic

design provisions. Representatives from 12 Federal

agencies and 85 professionals from across the country are

participating in the effort. Presently the Center staff are working with the other

Federal agencies in planning and coordinating work related

to the provisions of P.L. 93-288. Specific research problems related to these provisions will be identified and

implementation plans developed. The work will concentrate on the General Services Administration activities

in evaluating existing Federal facilities and the Department

of Housing and Urban Development's development of

reconstruction standards. In consultation with the

Defense Civil Preparedness Agency staff, their research

needs relative to disaster mitigation will also be reviewed

and procedures established for focusing laboratory work on

required problem areas. An implementation plan for laboratory research in the area of earthquake-resistant masonry construction will be

developed based on results obtained from a future Center

workshop. A report for use by design professionals will be

prepared detailing the basic assumptions and concepts of

the response spectrum approach to seismic design.

Development of comprehensive seismic design provisions

for buildings will continue and a first draft of the provisions issued for review and comment. A special workshop

was held at the Bureau to provide an opportunity for

Federal representatives to provide direct input to the final

provisions.

SEISMIC PERFORMANCE OF

BUILDING SERVICE SYSTEMS

Charles Yancey

Structures, Materials and Safety Division

301-921-3475

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

This project will develop a program plan for establishing

seismic performance requirements for building service

systems in critical facilities (hospitals, communication

centers, etc.) that must remain functional following the occurrence of earthquakes. The earthquake-resistant

design of service systems and the performance of these

systems in past earthquakes will be reviewed. Then a re- search plan will be developed for obtaining information

required to improve this seismic performance and to ensure functioning after an earthquake.

The effort will involve: (1) the identification of

critical service systems and functional requirements for

these systems following an earthquake; (2) a review of the

nature and extent of building service system's damage

resulting from earthquakes; and (3) a review of seismic

design procedures for building service systems and the data

used to establish these procedures. Critical service systems

and user requirements for these systems following an

earthquake will be established by working directly with

Federal agencies responsible for emergency facilities. These

50
requirements, [such as the length of time following an

earthquake that the service systems must remain functional, dependence on external supply (water, power, gas,

etc.) versus reserve on-site supplies, and others] provide

the basis for performance criteria. Direct involvement of

these agencies in the problem definition will ensure that

the research plan developed is responsive to their needs.

The review of earthquake damage to service systems

will be carried out in consultation with individuals in- volved in post-disaster investigations. Particular attention

will be given to the limited data on failure modes for these

systems and their performance following an earthquake.

Needed experimental and analytical studies will be identified and incorporated in an overall research plan for

building service systems.

DISASTER INVESTIGATIONS

Charles Culver

Office of Housing and Building Technology - 301-921-3126

Sponsors - National Bureau of Standards

Defense Civil Preparedness Agency

These investigations help define those construction

practices where improvements would significantly reduce

the loss caused by natural hazards and other extreme

loadings. This study includes formulation of research

plans directed toward obtaining data on the behavior of

building components and systems and implementation of

these results through consensus standards and codes.

Life and property losses from natural disasters are increasing annually. Studies have shown that improved

standards and codes provide one means for substantially

reducing these losses. For earthquakes alone, it has been

estimated that improved standards could reduce total property losses incurred over the next 25 years by 10

percent.

Effective post-disaster investigations require considerable planning to ensure collection of the most significant

types of data and full use of the learning opportunity provided by natural disasters. The Center for Building Technology's (CBT) effort will be coordinated with that of other

Federal agencies concerned with collecting damage statistics and providing disaster assistance, such as the Defense

Civil Preparedness Agency and the Federal Disaster Assist- ance Administration. It is anticipated that this coordination will lead to definition of a specific role for CBT in

disaster recovery operations.

Liaison has been maintained with the National Science

Foundation (NSF) activities related to post-disaster investigations. CBT staff has monitored a major project for NSF

concerned with developing post-earthquake investigation

procedures and provided extensive review of project

reports. CBT staff has also participated in the Federal

Interagency Disaster Mitigation Group and investigations were conducted following the collapse of a Federal office

building in Florida and following foundation problems at the Department of Housing and Urban Development building in Washington.

51
WORKSHOP ON EARTHQUAKE

RESISTANT MASONRY

Robert Crist

Structures, Materials and Safety Division

301-921-3471

Sponsor - National Science Foundation

The project is to organize and conduct a workshop on

Earthquake Resistant Masonry Construction. In Part I of

the workshop, investigators will discuss the objective and

scope of existing research programs and present their findings to this date. Also included in Part I will be presentations by users of present design criteria for masonry

structures. Part II of the workshop will consist of working

groups who will assess ongoing research, research needs,

and research priorities. The proceedings of the workshop

will be published by the National Bureau of Standards.

HURRICANE EFFECTS ON PORT

FACILITIES

Emil Simiu

Structures, Materials and Safety Division

301-921-3475

Sponsor - The Maritime Administration

The purpose of this project is to contribute to the reduction of losses experienced by Gulf Coast and Atlantic

Coast ports subject to hurricanes. This will be accomplished through the acquisition of wind speed data under

actual hurricane conditions. Recommendations based on

these data and on other available information will be made

for the improvement of procedures used in the design of

port facilities. In FY75, a Center for Building Technology (CBT) team

investigated conditions during Hurricane Carmen (August

1974). Two technical papers (for locations of hurricane

winds and hurricane wind profiles) were published. Procedures for evaluating code provisions on design for winds were developed. CBT also gave assistance to port facilities

in the requisition and installation of peak-reading

anemometers.

TORNADO-BORNE MISSILE

VELOCITIES

Emil Simiu

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3475

Sponsor - Energy Research and Development

Administration

This project will provide criteria for the safe and eco- nomical design of nuclear power plants that may be hit by

tornado-generated missiles. This will be accomplished by

estimating tornado-borne missile velocities, by obtaining

pertinent data on drag and lift of typical missiles using

wind tunnel tests, and by calculating peak and ejection

missile velocities.

In FY75, a model for the motion of missiles in a tornado

field was completed. A computer program for calculating

and graphically representing wind speeds and trajectories was also developed. This year the Center plans to further

develop the results of wind-tunnel studies along with a list of drag and lift coefficients. The Center also will prepare a

report for the sponsor, Tomado-Bome Missile Velocities,

including a critique of present approaches, the computer

program, and results.

52
53
STUDIES OF REDUCED-SIZE VENTING

Mary Jane Orloski

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3293

Sponsor - Tri-Services Committee

This project, featuring a planned field study, was

established to validate and improve existing, laboratorybased design criteria for reduced-size venting.

Plans for four types of military housing units were

modified in accordance with existing criteria for re- duced-size venting as recommended by the Center. These

units were fitted with instrumentation and a data acquisition system to measure the most significant parameters

that determine service loads and hydraulic/pneumatic

functional performance. Such parameters include: seal

retention in idle traps; blow-back/bubbling in idle traps;

peak penumatic pressure excursions in vents adjacent to

idle traps; water depth in building drain; air flow rates in

vents; and time and spatial distribution of discharge operations of the principal load-producing fixtures and

appliances.

The Center has recommended certain criteria for the

design of reduced-size venting systems in one- and twostory housing units, and has suggested that further eco- nomies and greater reliability may be possible based on (1)

service data on load patterns, and on actual hydraulicpneumatic performance in occupied buildings, and (2) data

from selected laboratory tests designed to contribute to a more generalized, computational approach than is now possible with present design criteria.

PLUMBING SYSTEMS DESIGN

CRITERIA

Lawrence Galowin

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3293

Sponsor National Bureau of Standards

The Center for Building Technology (CBT) plans to upgrade present methodology for the hydraulic design and

evaluation of plumbing systems, with an orientation to performance concepts. The work is needed to provide a

scientific basis for criteria and evaluation techiques that

will: (1) speed acceptance of innovative designs, and (2)

reduce consumption of materials, energy, and water. The

results will significantly contribute to effective input in

national and international standards, and in the model

codes and specifications used by other governmental

agencies. Mathematical models, reproducible test methods,

and user-oriented performance criteria will be developed

from laboratory experimentation. This information and

computer aids will be used to predict the hydraulic performance of a range of designs.

During FY75, further progress was made to complete the

CBT plumbing research laboratory. Of particular signific- ance was the acquisition and installation of a modern dis- play and test-load controller system. The design, fabrication, and installation of instruments and components was

essentially completed, comprising a specially designed 5-

story single-stack drain-waste-vent system with building sewer and submergence simulator. For the U.S. counterpart commission to Conseil International du Batiment

54
(CIB) W62, Water Supply and Drainage for Buildings,

work involved preliminary efforts to define a number of

national issues and research needs, and to plan for the

1976 CIB W62 Symposium to be held in Washington.

Liaison and review activities have continued on the P.L.

480 program on Water Conservation measures in Plumbing

(at the Standards Institution of Israel), on the P.L. 480

program on hydraulic performance of innovative high-rise

sanitary drainage systems (at the Central Building Research

Institute of India), and on the Complementary Research

Agreement between CBT and the Building Research Establishment (BRE), (United Kingdom) on building drainage.

Progress was made in organizing a program to introduce

the performance approach as a complementary activity in

the American National Standards Institute, Inc. A40 project on the National Plumbing Code.

FY76 plans are to issue reports on preliminary tests on

stack dynamics and calibration of fixtures, to complete

exchanges under prior agreement with BRE, and to install

several pieces of equipment required to support research

work. Among these are automatic hydraulic terminal

control devices (e.g., digital valves and associated electronics), additional signal conditioners for strain gauges,

pressure transducers, a low-range load cell, transparent

fittings and pipe, pressure overrange switch-gauges, waterdepth transducers, and bubbling transducers.

MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY:

UTILITY LOADS

Richard Grot

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3293

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

This project will provide new or improved instrumentation for research activities related to water usage, energy

consumption, and plumbing phenomena. For many re- search undertakings, instrumentation is either not available, not automated, or excessively expensive. An in- creasing emphasis on field measurement of energy and

water parameters requires low-cost, automated data acquisition. Similarly, the proper functioning of the building

electrical systems laboratory and the plumbing tower

require special purpose instrumentation.

Since last year, the prototype field-portable data acquisition system for monitoring water usage in residences has

been assembled. The compact system will measure and

record the signal output of flowmeters, flow switches, and

temperature transducers in both digital and analog form.

A plumbing fixture trap depth sensor and signal conditioning package has been designed, constructed, and laboratory tested. This sensor is capable of measuring trap depth

retention to within 5 mm and indicates that water is flowing through the trap. Electronic instrumentation has been

designed, constructed and tested for the encoding and

recording of discrete events, and for the totalizing of pulses

55
from water meters, electric meters or gas meters, to meas- ure the total quantity of water, electricity, or gas con- sumed in an interval of time. A small propeller anemometer and corresponding signal conditioning cards have

been constructed for measurement of air flow in ducts.

This instrumentation has been assembled, along with the

necessary control logic cards, in two types of data logging

packages; one applicable for measuring water and drainage

usage patterns and evaluating innovation in plumbing systems

and the other for determining energy usage patterns of household appliances.

During this year, instrumentation for interfacing the

building electrical systems laboratory and the plumbing

tower to the Center's mini-computer are being assembled

and tested. Emphasis is placed on modifying commercially

available data logging equipment and the Bureau-developed

equipment to the specific needs of these laboratories.

Several schemes for rapidly scanning and storing two to

five second bursts of data for later transmission or recording at slower rates are being examined.

VETERAN'S ADMINISTRATION

HOSPITAL PLUMBING CRITERIA

Lawrence Galowin

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3293

Sponsor - Veteran's Administration

This project provides for the application of simplified

plumbing drainage concepts in hospital design to reduce

the quantities of materials used and to increase the effi- ciency of space use, particularly in the modernization of

old hospitals. Provision is made for the transfer of existing criteria and research-based design recommendations to be used in the development of new criteria through

planned laboratory tests, and for a field performance

evaluation to confirm the adequacy of the design criteria

and to demonstrate the benefits achieved.

The findings are expected to be of particular interest to the Veteran's Administration (VA) in planning for future

medical care services, and are also expected to be of significant interest to other governmental and private-sector

agencies concerned with providing medical care services

emphasizing spatial efficiency in design. The study

approach is as follows:

Phase 1 - Review existing VA criteria and plumbing

plans and specifications in the light of recently

developed criteria and performance data for

simplified designs for drain-waste-vent

systems, with recommendations as to applications and benefits in selected VA building

programs.

Phase 2 - Full-scale or critical-component tests in the

Center's plumbing research laboratory, or at

56
some other appropriate laboratory having

faciUties suitable for the acquisition and

analysis of data from complex dynamic fluid

flow processes.

Phase 3 - Field demonstrations in one or more VA

hospitals, involving measurements of key

hydraulic performance parameters and loadpatterns at selected points in the building.

TECHNOLOGY OF WATER

CONSERVATION

Lawrence Galowin

Building Environment Division 301-921-3293

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

Inadequate supplies of water can affect the health,

safety, and welfare of the entire population and can cause

severe economic repercussions in industry and agriculture.

Water demands in dwellings have historically expanded,

and the introduction of new water-consuming devices imposes new loads on the water supply system as well as increases the waste-water treatment loads. New program

developments are under way to expand the water resource

base as the availability of watershed, developments

vanishes; e.g., the Environmental Protection Agency's program in waste-water reprocessing to potable quality for re- cycling. Alternate strategies can be developed to satisfy the

water demand requirements. Two examples are: (1)

matching the supply water quality to the usage requirement with dual-pipe supply systems in buildings, and (2)

establishing water conservation practices through technological innovation with reduced water flow systems and

fixtures. This project is limited to the investigation of

approaches for developing standard practices of water

conservation by built-in technologies.

The broad objectives of developing water conservation

attitudes and equipment practices that reduce water con- sumption are to be approached in a step-by-step manner.

This initial task is to conduct studies of built-in water

supply distribution systems and fixtures as follows: to determine the measure of functional adequacy for several

proposed systems that conserve water; to develop protocols

of testing methods for evaluation; to conduct tests for

realization of water savings; and to reduce energy con- sumption and impact upon the water quality delivered.

At present, there are no standards for measurement and

evaluation of claims of water-conservation practices; e.g., reduced flush toilets do not require verification of claimed

reduced flow per flush. In installations of blended or tempered hot water single-pipe water supply distribution

systems in dwellings the patterns of usage may mitigate,

the water and energy savings. Innovative approaches for

methods of water conservation are marketed with claims of

water savings which are not backed by reliable tests. There is a need for uniformity, particularly with respect

to a normal base load or patterns of usage.

57
During this year, the Center is selecting representative

samples of typical classes of water conservation single-pipe

blended water systems for inclusion in the test program,

preparing protocols for test methods, reviewing baseline

standards of comparison from demand curves, and formulating procedures to assess the water quality discharge at the tap.

COMPUTER EVALUATION OF

BUILDING PLUMBING SYSTEMS

Lawrence Galowin

Building Environment Division 301-921-3293

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

This project was intended to apply computer-aided

graphics developments to the evaluation of various

building services. High-speed computers and computer

graphics were used to physically describe the installation

within the building. The information required to dimensionally describe the building and empirical data to describe loads, fixture locations, system designs, and use

patterns were catalogued and processed to produce standardized inputs for computer programs under development

for evaluating building plumbing systems at the National

Bureau of Standards and Building Research Establishment

in the United Kingdom (as well as other studies conducted

elsewhere)

In FY75, the Center completed the interfacing of the

Tektronix plotting routines into the minicomputer; operational status was attained with display cathode ray tube

peripheral. This system provides geometric and graphic

display with hard copy available on command.

NATIONAL PLUMBING CODE

Lawrence Galowin

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3293

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The American National Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI)

A40 National Plumbing Code was last revised in 1955 and

is in serious need of upgrading. Participation on this

standards committee allows implementation of the Center's

research results, especially in the area of performance

standards, and also helps to identify future research needs.

While extensive input will be made to the development of

the specification portion of the standard, the major opportunity for the Bureau appears to lie in the application of

the performance approach to plumbing standards.

A40 and its sub-groups currently are revising the A40

Plumbing Code along two different tracks: traditional

specification code lines, and a performance type document.

With extensive input from the Bureau, considerable

progress was made on the drafting of the specification

document. Three meetings of the A40 committee were

attended by the Bureau staff. It is anticipated that the

specification document will be submitted to the ANSI con- sensus process in early 1976. Activity associated with the

development of the performance-type optional code will

continue during the year.

58
LIQUID WASTE MANAGEMENT

RESEARCH

Richard Symuleski

Building Environment Division 301 -921 -3293

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

This project will provide technical support in monitoring

the performance of a Department of Housing and Urban

Development contractor who is developing a waste-water

management manual for new housing. Responsibilities

will include review of all documentation produced by the

contractor. The objective is to ensure that the manual

developed will be useful to the building community and to the general public.

CRITERIA FOR PIPING MATERIALS

Lawrence Galowin

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3293

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

Criteria to support the acceptance of innovative piping

materials are urgently needed. In particular, thermoplastics have become attractive in terms of first cost and

convenience of assembly; but on the other hand, the product standards do not directly address certain characteristics critical to safety or durability.

In this project, a review of existing standards and

industry data was carried out to establish the user-related measures of functional performance, of health and safety,

and of durability for installed piping systems. Laboratory

tests were conducted to examine the critical performance

characteristics not specifically covered in the standards,

and from these data suggested performance criteria and

test methods were drafted as supplemental to, not instead

of, the existing product standards. The approach will produce broad evaluation criteria that are not dependent on

the particular materials; however, the performance characteristics of the material may determine which criteria are

critical and hence, which test methods need to be

developed.

In FY75, laboratory work was completed, supplementing

earlier work. This work was concentrated mainly in the

areas of fire performance and thermal properties, and

involved a broadened range of thermoplastics materials.

Some of the concerns relating to the use of thermoplastic piping in above-ground residential plumbing sys- tems can be significantly reduced or eliminated by a more

careful application of existing knowledge in design, installation, and inspection. In other areas, e.g., fire safety,

environmental stress cracking, and quality of joints, recom- mendations to develop suitable evaluation methods are contained in the reports already issued and in preparation.

SERVICE SYSTEMS DATA PROCESSING

Daniel Rorrer

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3521

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

To date, the computer software needed in support of the

Building Environment Division projects has been purchased

from project funds. Such software serves a general

purpose function for experimental control, data acquisition,

reduction, and analysis. However, lack of a common

support base for software development has led to many

59

214-434 O - 76 - 5
specialized programs. New general purpose programs are needed, which will enhance laboratory capability and ease the use of instrumentation for plumbing, data-acquisition

systems, and conversions for precomputer analysis of

laboratory and field data. This project will satisfy these

needs and provide for regular maintenance of minicomputer software.

Mobile

Homes

60
MOBILE HOMES AND

RECREATIONAL VEHICLES

James Gross

Office of Building Standards and Codes

Services -301-921-3447

Sponsors Department of Housing and Urban

Development;

National Bureau of Standards

The Center for Building Technology (CBT) has for many

years been represented on the American National

Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI) A119.1 Committee on

Mobile Homes, which develops the standard for mobile

homes. This involvement was given increased emphasis

about three years ago when CBT decided to designate ANSI

Committee A119 as a high priority standard activity. This

resulted in an increased level of participation on the

Sectional Committee on Mobile homes and the Sectional

Committee on Mobile Home Installation and their task

forces. It eventually led to CBT's being invited to join the

A119 Correlating Committee, which oversees all mobile

home and recreational vehicle standards development. The

ANSI A119.1 Standard for Mobile Homes has gained wide

acceptance with 46 States using the standard in their

mobile home regulatory program. The Department of

Housing and Urban Development, in developing the mandatory Federal Mobile Home Standard, has utilized a large

part of A119.1.

The active CBT participation in the ANSI A119 Committee has provided a means for transmitting the results

of mobile home research to interested parties in industry,

government, and consumer groups.

ENERGY USE IN MOBILE HOMES

Bradley Peavy

Building Environment Division - 301 -921 -3503

Sponsor - Federal Energy Administration

This project is concerned with energy utilization in

heating and cooling mobile homes. The test plan includes

the instrumentation and measurement of the thermal per- formance of a new, furnished mobile home, built to 1974

American National Standards Institute, Inc. A119.1

standards, in the large Center for Building Technology

(CBT) environmental laboratory. The work in CBT will be

supplemented by contract research by Purdue University

to determine the efficiency of heating and air-conditioning

systems used in mobile homes.

DOW RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

PROGRAM: ENERGY CONSERVATION

IN MOBILE HOMES

Paul A chenbach

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3637

Sponsor - Dow Chemical Company

The National Bureau of Standards has entered into an

agreement to supervise and administer, on behalf of the

Dow Chemical Co., a research associate program related to energy conservation in mobile homes. The effort is directed toward the formulation of economically feasible

performance requirements, criteria, and test methods to minimize energy requirements of mobile homes. The re- search associate activities will be complementary to present

Center activities in mobile home thermal performance,

structural behavior, and materials of construction.

61
COORDINATING FIRE SAFETY

RESEARCH IN SINGLE-FAMILY

RESIDENCES AND MOBILE HOMES

Harry Thompson

Office of Housing and Building Technology

301-921-3233

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

The Center for Building Technology is coordinating with

the Center for Fire Research two fire safety research projects. The first seeks to develop meaningful test data and

design criteria for fire safety in mobile homes. Fire safety

appears to be a special problem in mobile homes which

comprise more than 40% of new home construction. Technical information on certain fire safety aspects is lacking

and is needed to improve the current mobile home standard National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 501 B

American National Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI) 119.1

and a new Federal mobile home standard. This kind of

information is needed by fire departments and building code officials, by government agencies and by the

mobile home industry.

The basic approach to this research involves (a) air

movement, ignition, detection and fire growth studies on

used and new mobile homes and (b) laboratory tests on

materials. Subsequent phases will address the contribution

of furnishings and the effectiveness of suppression systems on minimizing fire severity. Four moible homes will be

included in this test program.

In FY75, a series of air movement tests were performed

to determine the significance of air flow patterns on

potential fire growth. A series of 28 full scale kitchen

cabinet tests were conducted to evaluate the potential fire

hazards in the kitchen area and to develop appropriate

design rules to minimize these hazards. A series of 9 full scale corridor tests were conducted to evaluate the relative

performance of a variety of interior finish materials. The

information provided by the testing in FY75 was also trans- mitted to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as input to the HUD effort to prepare a national standard for mobile homes.

The second project will define the fire exposure from

the combustible contents of rooms in single-family

dwellings and mobile homes. Recent data is not available on the type and distribution of fire combustible contents

in residences. Adequate evaluation of the effects of fire on

the buildings by fire protection engineers, building designers and code officials, is not possible.

Information will be collected by surveying the combustible fire loads in a statistical sampling of homes and apartments, and by using analytical methods to define the limits

of fire exposure due to the burning of these combustibles

under a range of fire growth conditions. The assembled

data will provide the fire load input to analytical models of

fire growth and severity which will be used to generate fire

exposure curves for residences and mobile homes.

62
WIND FORCES ON MOBILE HOMES

Richard Marshall

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921 -3475

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

The project will lead to a better understanding of the

wind characteristics at heights up to 10 meters and the

relationship between these characteristics and wind loads on mobile home structural components and anchoring sys- tems. Task No. 1 will involve the direct measurement of

wind speeds, surface pressures, lift, drag and overturning

movements on a full-scale mobile home. Task No. 2 will

involve the study of load-deformation relationships and the

behavior of structural components at or near ultimate load

capacity by application of simulated wind forces.

The project will include both field and laboratory studies

of wind forces and the response of a full-scale mobile home

to these forces. A 3.6 m (12ft) x 20.3 m (60ft) unit will

be fully instrumented to measure internal pressures,

external surface pressures and certain racking deformations. The unit is mounted on a rigid bed which can be

rotated to alter the relative wind direction and which is

fitted with sensors such that life, drag and overturning

moment can be measured directly. Corresponding meas- urements of the mean and fluctuating components of the

oncoming wind are also being measured. Detailed studies

of load-deformation characteristics and performance of

structural components at near ultimate load capacity will

be carried out in the National Bureau of Standards

structures laboratory using hydraulic rams to apply loads

which are similar in amplitude and frequency content to

real loads associated with extreme winds. Finally, the

information collected from these studies will be used to draft recommendations for mobile home wind load design

requirements.

STORING THE DEPARTMENT OF

HOUSING AND URBAN

DEVELOPMENT'S DISASTER MOBILE

HOMES

James Pielert

Office of Building Standards and Codes

Services - 301-921-3146

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

The Center for Building Technology is providing the

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

with recommendations on the most cost-effective method

of storing mobile homes at storage centers located around

the United States for use as emergency temporary housing

for victims of future natural disasters. HUD is now

storing 8,500 mobile homes from the Hurricane Agnes

stockpile and they want to ensure that deterioration of

these units be kept to a minimum, along with storage and

upkeep costs. Specific concerns are water penetration;

rodent, dust and insect penetration; in-transit damage; and

humidity damage. The project includes visits to mobile

storage centers around the United States to evaluate procedures and to assist in the development of recommendations for alleviating the problem areas.

63
64
DURABILITY PREDICTION

METHODOLOGY

Larry Masters

Structures, Materials and Safety Division

301-921-3371

Sponsor National Bureau of Standards

Durability is often the most important attribute required

of a building component or material, but it is the most difficult attribute to measure and predict on the basis of

short-term tests. At present, short-term tests are seldom

satisfactory for predicting long-term performance. Thus,

there is an urgent need to improve durability prediction

techniques.

This research is aimed at developing durability standards

bv improving the technology of durability prediction of

building components and materials. It involves the

developing and applying a general methodology for

durability prediction, maintaining seven natural exposure

stations, performing tests to provide information about the

relationships between the effects of natural weathering and

accelerated laboratory weathering, and performing a complementary program with the Canadian National Research Council (NRC) to develop international standards

for natural weathering of building materials.

A general methodology for durability prediction was

developed and is being improved by application and by

participation of the American Society for Testing and

Materials (ASTM). The methodology provides the framework for both natural and accelerated tests performed at the Bureau and in the complementary program with the

Canadian NRC. The methodology will be submitted to ASTM as a recommended practice, and its application will

provide information about the relationships between the

effects of natural and accelerated weathering. In the

complementary program with NRC, candidate materials

proposed for use as standards for exposure to ultra-violet

radiation and sunlight will be exposed on the NBS and

NRC outdoor exposure racks and in laboratory accelerated

weathering equipment. Changes observed in the specimens

in laboratory tests will be compared with those obtained in

the field. In addition, the linearity of the responses to radiation will be investigated in both sets of specimens and

the derived calibration curves compared to establish which,

if any, of the candidate materials are suitable for use as radiation exposure standards.

INORGANIC BUILDING

MATERIALS

James Clifton

Structures, Materials and Safety Division

301-921-3407

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

In this project relationships are sought between in- service performance of inorganic building materials and

their composition and structure. Knowledge of these

relationships provides a basis for performance tests and

criteria. These contribute to improved effectiveness in the use of building materials. They also aid in making

decisions about the substitution of materials.

The porosities, phase compositions, mechanical properties and durabilities of inorganic materials are determined

using techniques that include optical scanning electron

65
microscopy, mercury porosimetry, tensile and compressive

strength measurements, fracture mechanics, thermal

analysis, and X-ray diffraction. The durabilities of

materials to freeze-thaw cycles, to wetting and drying, and

to temperature extremes are also investigated.

In FY75, the following work was completed: (1) the

mechanical properties and fracture mechanic properties of

polymer-impregnated mortars were compared with those

properties of unimpregnated mortars; (2) the residual

porosities of polymer-impregnated hardened cement pastes

and mortars were measured by mercury intrusion and

nitrogen condensation; (3) a study of the effect of the geometry, concentration, and fiber material on the mechanical

properties of fiber-reinforced mortars; (4) a manuscript on

the performance of concrete at high temperatures was pre- pared; and (5) the microstructure of hardened cement

paste was investigated by scanning electron and optical

microscopy.

For FY76, the plans are as follows: (1) investigate the

effects of specimen size and temperature on the relationship between stress intensity and rate of crack growth for

polymer-impregnated and unimpregnated hardened cement

pastes, mortars and concretes; and (2) study the microstructure of impregnated and unimpregnated hardened

cement pastes and mortars by mercury porosimetry and

scanning electron and optical microscopy and relate microstructure to performance.

ORGANIC COATINGS

Paul Campbell

Structures, Materials and Safety Division

301-921-3441

Sponsors - Tri-Services Committee;

National Bureau of Standards

About $3.5 billion is spent annually on paints and

allied products, but this represents only 20 percent of the

total amount spent each year on painting. The value of

the paint is rarely as much as one percent of the value of

the building or object being painted, yet marketability and

subsequent maintenance is dependent on the performance

of the coating. Durability and performance studies, test method development, and cooperative efforts with voluntary standards organizations play important roles in improving coating performance and in reducing maintenance

costs. Individual factors, such as humidity, solar radiation,

corrosive environments, and thermal shock, which affect

the durability of exterior coatings on various substrates,

will be examined by laboratory tests. Test methods will be

developed to determine performance characteristics that

will be applicable to the American Society for Testing and

Materials (ASTM) standard test methods. Federal Test

Method Standard No. 141, and coatings specifications.

In FY75, a study of the performance of exterior coatings

containing non-mercurial fungicides was completed. Preliminary studies on the effects of sulfur dioxide on main66
tenance coatings were also completed. In cooperation with

ASTM, the Center participated in the evaluation of test methods for gloss and reflectance measurements, stain

removal, analysis of heavy metals in low concentrations,

and standard atmosphere conditioning.

AVERSIVE COATINGS TO REDUCE

LEAD-PAINT POISONING

Max Tryon

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3441

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

Aversive coatings that will discourage children from

eating lead paint flakes are being considered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development as a possible

deterent to the ingestion of paint. Since little is known

about the ability of aversive coatings to retain their

deterent properties over long periods of time, tests for the

durability of aversive coatings must be developed and

applied in their evaluation.

For each aversive coating selected for evaluation, three

main tasks will be carried out: the development of a suitable analytical procedure for determining the quantities

of the essential aversive ingredients; a study of extraction

procedures for the essential aversive materials using

laboratory samples containing known amounts of the

materials; and an evaluation of its ability to be retained on

laboratory-prepared painted surfaces after artificial weathering and repeated washing.

NONTOXIC YELLOW MARKING PAINT

Paul Campbell

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3441

Sponsor Department of Transportation

Until recently, the most widely-used yellow paint pigment was lead chromate. With the restriction of lead pigments for use in buildings and the possibility that they will

be banned from use in highway markings, there is a need

to identify and evaluate the performance of substitute

yellow pigments. While the project is specifically con- cerned with non-lead pigments for marking paints, the

knowledge gained will provide knowledge about non-lead

yellow pigments for use in paints and buildings.

In this project, information on non-lead yellow pigments and their use in paints has been obtained from the

literature and from pigment and paint manufacturers.

Marking paint formulations using non-lead pigments are being evaluated in the laboratory for such properties as

light fastness, hiding power, abrasion resistance, adhesion,

and durability. Painted specimens will also be tested for

resistance to various climatic environments by exposure at outdoor exposure sites and for usefulness as marking

paints in field tests on highways. Performance criteria for

non-lead yellow marking paints will be recommended in

the final report.

67
UNDERGROUND PLASTIC

PIPE SYSTEMS

Tamami Kusuda

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3501

Sponsor - Tri-Services Committee

This project will evaluate new underground pipe systems

that have not met the existing Tri-Services criteria that the

pipe insulation be driable, drainable, and air testable. The

evaluation objective is to determine if these non TriServices systems will stay dry under specified test conditions, particular to each pipe system.

The existing Tri-Services criteria are applicable only to a conduit system which has air space between the insulation

and the conduit. There are, however, many new underground systems, especially plastic pipe systems, which do

not have the air space. The representations are that these

systems are so completely water-tight that there is no need

for the requirement of drainability, driability, and air

testability. It is in the interest of Tri-Services, as well as other government agencies, to verify these claims.

Each different underground pipe system requires dif- ferent testing procedures. Appropriate tests will be devised for each selected pipe system to see how reliable it is and to determine if the water, once brought in, can effectively be removed by the circulation of air or other inert gases. During this fiscal year, dynamic boiling tests on one of

non-Tri-Services's systems were completed to clarify the

failure mechanism. Also completed were moisture migration tests of a chilled water pipe insulated by hydrophobic

powder. Thermal performance tests are in progress for a new, but non-air-testable, asbestos conduit system.

In FY76, a facility to conduct boiling tests of calcium

silicate insulation with new fibrous glass binders (instead

of asbestos binders) is being constructed to test several

commercial pipe insulations. Dynamic boiling tests on a new non-air-space conduit system will be completed.

JOINTS IN PLASTIC PIPES

Max Tryon

Structures, Materials and Safety Division

301-921-3441

Sponsors - Tri-Services Committee;

National Bureau of Standards

Plastic pipes are finding increasing use for transmitting

natural gas, sewage, and steam condensate at military

installations. Unfortunately, there have been numerous

failures of plastic pipe systems that have passed acceptance

tests. Because many of the failures have been attributed

to faulty joint construction, there is an important need for

reliable, non-destructive tests for joints in plastic pipes.

Using plastic pipe joints of varying quality prepared in

the laboratory, potential non-destructive test methods were

evaluated for their ability to identify faults and for ease of

use. Non-destructive test methods investigated included

thermal conductivity and thermographic scanning techniques.

Plastic pipe joints containing known flaws were pre- pared. Two thermal methods were tested for their ability

to detect the flaws from local differences in surface

temperature when the pipes were heated internally with

68
warm water. The scanning cameras could detect all the

flaws but liquid crystals only detected the largest ones.

BUILDING JOINT SEALANTS

Arthur Hockman

Structures, Materials and Safety Division

301-921-3497

Sponsor • Tri-Services Committee

Premature failure of sealants in buildings results in

damaged interior and costly repairs and maintenance, as well as loss of heat. The need for durable sealants is

critical because of curtain wall designs, large thin panels,

modular construction, and use of high expansivity

materials. The large dimensional changes that occur in

buildings demand better sealants.

In this project, the sponsor is kept informed of the

latest developments on sealant test methods, specifications,

and practices. This information is obtained by laboratory

and field evaluation of new sealants and by participation in

standards-making organizations, e.g., American Society for

Testing and Materials (ASTM), American Concrete

Institute, etc. Cooperation with architects, government

agencies, producers, organizations such as the Adhesives

and Sealants Council, National Paint and Coatings Associations, universities, and foreign groups relating to sealant

research is maintained; consultation is continuously provided to the sponsor.

In FY75, the Center completed the evaluation of several

samples of the new ± 50% class of sealants and recom- mended the inclusion of such a class in appropriate Federal

and ASTM specifications. A second draft of a Recommended Practice for Chemically Cured Sealants was completed for ASTM ballot. A third round-robin study of PeelAdhesion tests and first drafts of revisions of Federal

Specifications were also finished.

The Center is performing the following during FY76:

(1) revise and upgrade three 5-year old ASTM Standards on joint sealants; (2) develop the ASTM Specification for

chemically cured sealants to replace the American National

Standards Institute, Inc. A116.1; (3) expose sealants to accelerated weathering and to natural exposure; (4) plan

complementary program with the National Research Council,

Division of Building Research, Canada.

WATERPROOFING PRACTICES

MANUAL

Paul Campbell

Structures, Materials and Safety Division

301-921-3441

Sponsor - Tri-Services Committee

Water damage to military building installations and to their contents presents a continuing problem. A manual

establishing standard waterproofing practices will benefit

all military services by helping to ensure the adoption of

proper practices. The manual developed under this project

will include sections on environmental exposure, types of

substrate (including construction details), classes of waterproofing products, methods of surface preparation and

coating application, and life-cycle costing related to the

waterproofing of buildings.

69
BUILDING STONE PRESERVATIVES

James Clifton

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3407

Sponsor - National Park Service

Faced with evidence of serious stone deterioration in

historic buildings, the National Park Service asked the

Center to evaluate commercial stone preservatives and to develop performance criteria. The criteria will aid the

selection of materials for the preservation of national

monuments.

Fifty-seven recommended stone preservatives were

collected and subjected to tests. The effects of heat, freez- ing and thawing, water, ultraviolet radiation, salt, and

sulfurous acid solutions on preservative-treated stone were

evaluated in a specially constructed chamber and also in a

series of separate tests. The results, including recom- mended criteria for selection of stone preservatives, will be

published in a National Bureau of Standards Building

Science Series report.

PERFORMANCE OF ROOFING

Robert Mathey

Structures, Materials and Safety Division

301-921-3407

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

For over 70 years, bituminous built-up roofing has been

specified by prescriptive specifications. Little attention has

been given to the mechanical and physical properties of the

membrane. Criteria are needed that quantitatively state the level of membrane performance. Producers of roofing

products also need criteria for the types of products they

manufacture.

Twenty performance characteristics of built-up roofing

membranes were identified. They include tensile strength,

coefficient of thermal expansion, flexural strength, tensile

fatigue strength, flexural fatigue strength, moisture expansion, effects of moisture on strength, shear strength

(horizontal and vertical), impact resistance, notch tensile

strength, creep, wind uplift resistance, weather test, fire resistance, ply adhesion, permeability, abrasion resistance,

fungus resistance, tearing, and pliability. Test methods are being developed and applied to the measurement of the

performance characteristics that were identified. Contributions to the development of standards and test methods

are being made through participation in the American

Society for Testing and Materials D8 and E6 committees.

Round-robin testing to measure the coefficient of linear

thermal expansion of roofing membranes has begun. A

test method was developed to measure the water vapor

permeability of roofing membranes; laboratory tests are in

progress.

EVALUATION OF ELASTOMERIC

ROOFING

Walter Rossiter

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 3401-921-3407

Sponsor - Tri-Services Committee

Elastomeric roofing materials are being used in greater

quantities because of economic considerations, shortages of

conventional materials and the special requirements of

roofs such as domes, barrels, and hyperbolic paraboloids.

While the performance of elastomeric roofing may be as good as or better than conventional systems, there are

efjsentially no criteria against which to measure the per70
formance of this type of roofing systems.

In this project, the performance of elastomeric roofing

materials and systems is being investigated by field observations, discussions with material producers and a review

of literature. The information obtained will be related to actual in-service performance such as tensile strength,

extensibility, adhesion to various substrates, strength of

bonded joints, abrasion resistance, and effects of temperature variation and weathering. Data and information

obtained from the field, literature studies, and consultations with materials producers will be used in the development of design, material, and construction guidelines and

preliminary performance criteria.

VISCOSITY GRADING CRITERIA

FOR ROOFING ASPHALT

Walter Rossiter

Structures, Materials and Safety Division

301-921-3407

Sponsor - Tri-Services Committee

In this project, the viscosities of roofing asphalts now in use were measured at temperatures covering the range

normally used in roofing construction. Twenty roofing

asphalts from various crude oil sources were collected.

The kinematic viscosities of the asphalts were measured at 166 °C (330 °F), 193 ° C (380 °F), and 221 °C (430 °F).

In addition, 48 three ply built-up membranes were field

constructed at known temperatures within the range

163 °C (325 °F) to 260 °C (500 °F). The thickness of

interply asphalt in each sample was measured. The re- lationship between viscosity and interply thickness will be

discussed in the final report and a viscosity grading cri- terion will be proposed. The report, for which all data are now on hand, will be prepared as part of the "Performance

of Roofing" project.

FIELD SURVEY OF ROOFING

Robert Mathey

Structures, Materials and Safety Division

301-921-3407

Sponsor - Department of the Army

This project is to complete a report on the field survey

of roofing at military installations for which on-site roof

inspections were made in previous years. The report will cover the condition of the roofs which were inspected, and

make recommendations for improvement of design,

material and application specifications for roofing. Consultation will be provided to the U.S. Army, at their

request, for the purpose of solving roofing problems. The

consultation will include field inspections of roofs and

laboratory tests as needed to provide recommendations for

proper repair, replacement, and/or selection of roofing

systems.

FIBER -REINFORCED CONCRETES

AND MORTARS

James Clifton

Structures, Materials and Safety Division

301-921-3407

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

Fiber-reinforced polymer-impregnated mortars and concretes are new types of building materials that have great

promise. Because of their anticipated strength and toughness, it should be possible to use them in prefabricated

roof and wall elements and other structural components of

single-family dwellings and larger buildings. However, per71

214-434 0-76-6
formance criteria must be established before these

materials can be widely used in building construction.

This project will contribute to the knowledge required to establish performance criteria.

The flexural and compressive strengths of control

mortars, fiber-reinforced mortars, and polymer-impregnated, fiber-reinforced mortars have been measured and

the corresponding load-deformation curves recorded. The

fibers used have included chopped steel and glass rovings. In the case of chopped steel, the fiber variables have been

length, cross-sectional shape, and tensile strength.

At given volume concentrations of fibers, the results have

shown marked differences in behavior attributable to dif- ferences in fiber-matrix bond strength, fiber tensile

strength, and fiber length. The importance of fiber tensile

strength has been apparent in polymer-impregnated specimens where the bond strengths have been sufficiently high

to prevent fiber pull-out from the matrix during fracture.

The project is being completed with measurements of the

bond between the matrix and individual fibers.

Because concrete is one of the nation's most

important structural materials, there is a need for reliable

techniques for inspection of concrete at all ages, both to expedite construction and to protect the public. The

present range of techniques for inspection of concrete is inadequate to meet the needs of inspectors, which are growing with the increasingly critical demands made upon

concrete in high-rise buildings and nuclear power plants.

There is a need for critical evaluation of the existing techniques and for the development of performance standards

for new techniques.

The literature and other sources of information on nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of concrete have been

critically reviewed. Individuals, research institutes, and

standards organizations will be contacted. The adequacy

of current information on the available methods will be

a.ssessed and research needs related to the NDE of concrete

identified.

Metals and alloys are important constituents of almost

all structures (e.g., pipe, electrical wiring, reinforcing

bars, steel beams, roofing, siding, etc). However, the corrosion of metals and alloys is a major problem and the

estimated annual loss attributed to corrosion amounts to

several billions of dollars.

In this project, the protective properties of organic and

metallic coatings on metallic substrates are being assessed.

Technical methods are being used to measure rates of corrosion, the nature of the interface between the substrate

NONDESTRUCTIVE EVALUATION OF

BUILDING MATERIALS

James Clifton

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3407

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

CORROSION OF METALS

James Clifton

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3407

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

72
and coating, and cohesion and adhesion of the coating.

Existing methods are being evaluated and new methods

developed to determine the corrosion state of coated and

uncoated metals and to measure the rate of corrosion.

Ways to reduce the corrosion of metallic piping are also

being evaluated.

In FY75, data were obtained on the protection against

corrosion provided by zinc coatings (galvanizing) on steel rebars and of epoxy coatings on rebars embedded in concrete prisms. The specimens were exposed to different

concentrations of chloride and, for the galvanized bars, the

effects on the corrosion rate of small holes of various

known sizes cut through the zinc coating were investigated.

Preparations have been made for a study of the weathering of thirteen metal siding and roofing materials with a range of metallic coatings. Electrochemical test equipment, needed for more detailed studies of corrosion, has

been obtained.

In FY76, the Center is completing the studies of the

protective properties of zinc on steel rebars. Test specimens of metal sidings and roofing panels will be placed at exposure sites. An investigation of the corrosion of hot

water pipes has begun. The corrosion of steel-fiber reinforced mortars immersed in aqueous solutions containing

chloride ions will also be studied.

CORROSION OF PIPES AT MILITARY

FACILITIES

James Clifton

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3407

Sponsor - Tri-Services Committee

The corrosion of piping used for the transportation of

hot water and steam at military installations costs millions

of dollars per year from maintenance and replacement and

in interruption of services. This is part of the more than 8

billion dollars per year cost of corrosion in the United

States. The full extent of the problems has not yet been

identified since they are usually dealt with on a local

basis.

Major corrosion problems associated with piping at military facilities have been identified by review of cor- rosion survey reports and discussions with representatives

of the Tri-Services Committee on Materials. A final report

has been prepared in which these corrosion problems are discussed and recommended practices to minimize the

corrosion of piping are given.

GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATION AND

USE OF UREA-FORMALDEHYDE

FOAMED RESIN AS A THERMAL AND

SOUND INSULATION

Geoffrey Frohnsdorff

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3458

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

The energy crisis has increased interest in the use of

foamed polymeric insulations because of their improved

insulation characteristics and their ability to be used on

irregularly shaped surfaces or in spaces where access is

difficult. There have been problems associated with such

foams used in residential construction. However, many of

these problems can be resolved by proper design, selection

of areas of application, formulating, and proper application.

73
The Center for Building Technology (CBT) will identify

the properties of urea-formaldehyde foam that affect its performance as thermal and sound insulation, and evaluate

existing test methods to measure these properties. Test

methods such as air sampling and analysis after installation are to be identified and examined. CBT will prepare guidelines for the evaluation and use of foam insulation that

will include recommended levels of performance of this

material. The guidelines will also include suggested formulations of the urea-formaldehyde foam, application

methods, curing techniques, and areas of application.

POLYURETHANE SEAMLESS

FLOORING

McClure Godette

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3441

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

The use of a durable flooring system in the high traffic areas of public housing offers great potential savings. A

new water-thinned polyurethane flooring system is claimed

to be a durable high performance system, easily cleaned,

and easily applied and resurfaced. Also, the hazards of

toxic solvents and monomer are eliminated. The simplicity

and reduced hazard of the system offer potential advantages for application in tenant self-help programs. However, because the system is new, its performance characteristics need to be determined.

In this project, both laboratory testing and field

demonstrations provide the basis for evaluation and for

recommendation of a performance specification. Laboratory testing has included abrasion resistance, accelerated

aging, and comparison of the performance with that of

other flooring systems. Field demonstration tests are being

coordinated by the Center personnel.

In FY75, substrates were obtained and prepared for

application of the system. A format was devised for

monitoring the application and performance in each of the

10 Department of Housing and Urban Development

regions. The application of the system at the selected sites was carried out and the performance is now being

monitored.

RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION

OF ADOBE MATERIALS

James Clifton

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3407

Sponsor - National Park Service

The National Park Service (NFS) has responsibility for

the preservation of many historic adobe structures. In

deciding on the appropriate preservation action for any

adobe structure, NPS needs information on the composition and physical properties of adobes, the responses of

adobes to environment exposures, and methods for stabilizing adobe structures. In this project, the adequacy of current information on

the properties of adobe is being determined and research

needs related to the preservation of adobe are being

identified. This analysis will lead to a research program to characterize the important properties of adobe.

74
Mechanical

75
PART-LOAD HEATING, VENTILATING,

AND AIR-CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT

George Kelly

Building Environment Division - 301 -921 -3521

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

With this project, the Center for Building Technology

(CBT) is developing test methods in support of consensus

standards for part-load testing and rating of unitary heat

pumps, air-conditioners, and heat plants for residences and

small buildings.

At present, the heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning

industry equipment performance ratings are based on

steady-state test methods. This has led to a continuing

dispute on the actual field performance of heating/cooling

equipment. Ultimately, laboratory methods that more

closely simulate field performance will be necessary if manufacturers are to accurately rate their equipment under

part-load operation. Part-load ratings will in turn allow

designers to use the most energy effective equipment and

to design more efficient heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems.

During FY75, test rigs were constructed for boilers and

air-to-air heat pumps, and now data are being obtained. A

paper was published on gas-fired boilers and another is being prepared on heat pumps. Part-load operation was shown to have a very detrimental effect on the perform- ance of gas-fired boilers and heat pumps operated in the

cooling mode. The performance of heat pumps providing

heating was found to be most affected by ice-build-up on

the outdoor coil and defrosting, although operation at partload in the non-frosting region also tended to lower the heat

pump's performance.

During FY76, CBT continued collecting data on gas-fired

boilers and air-to-air heat pumps. Theoretical models of

fossil fuel heating plants and heat pumps are being studied.

Contacts are being made with industry and the appropriate

standards-writing organizations concerning a joint effort at developing a better performance standard for gas-fired

boilers and heat pumps. Work has started on documenting

the effect of part-load operation on other heating, ventilating and air-conditioning equipment, such as oil-fired

furnaces and boilers, gas-fired furnaces, and chillers.

HEAT PUMPS

George Kelly

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3521

Sponsors - National Bureau of Standards;

Federal Energy Administration

The study will determine the part-load and seasonal

performance of electrical heat pumps by testing one

electric motor-driven heat pump in the field and another

in the laboratory. The Center also will evaluate the

potential for using engines to drive heat pumps.

Data were collected during the summer of 1974 and the

winter of 1974-75 on the dynamic performance of the heat

pump during tests to determine the cooling and heating

requirements of a test house. These data seem to indicate

that considerable energy savings may be possible. The

Center, through monitoring activities, documented the per- formance of the test house heat pump during the 75-76 heat76
ing season. An electric motor-dirven heat pump and an

engine-driven heat pump will be studied in the laboratory

under carefully controlled conditions. This will allow for a much more rigorous evaluation than is possible under field conditions.

OIL HEAT UTILIZATION

George Kelly

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3521

Sponsor - Federal Energy Administration

This project will identify areas of research and development in the oil heating field which have the best potential

for improving the utilization of fuel oil. It will rank, these

areas according to how rapidly they contribute to energy

conservation (immediate, short term, long term, etc.),

estimate the chance of successfully completing a research

and development program in each area, and determine the

amount of funding needed for these programs.

A technical panel consisting of personnel from the

National Bureau of Standards (NBS), National Oil Fuel

Institute, the oil industry, universities, and a fuel oil dealership will conduct the research. NBS personnel will

evaluate proposed research projects in the most promising

areas. In carrying out this evaluation, the advice of

various panel members and experts in the field will be

solicited.

A TECHNICAL CONFERENCE ON THE

IMPROVEMENT OF HEATING,

VENTILATING, AND AIRCONDITIONING EQUIPMENT

David Didion

Building Environment Division - 301 -921 -2994

Sponsor - Federal Energy Administration

The project organized and presented a technical con- ference jointly managed by the National Bureau of

Standards and Purdue University. The goals of the con- ference were to exchange and document concepts and

applications that can lead to a reduction, and understanding,

of the energy used in air-conditioning and heating in commercial and industrial buildings. The objectives also were

to provide leadership and stimulation in equipment and

system design, analysis of system performance, and energy

conservation potentials.

Papers that deal with current practices leading to a minimization of energy consumption were included. The

sessions were primarily intended for engineers responsible

for component design and manufacture, system design and

selection, and building operation.

77
78
INNOVATIVE ELECTRICAL

CONNECTIONS

William Meese

Building Environment Division • 301-921-3293

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

Fire safety, long life requirements, codes and other

institutional constraints, and a lack of technical data based on performance, have led to slowly changing regulations

concerning electrical connections in residential branch

circuits. Innovations involving electrical connections

could lead to significant advancements and lower costs in

housing construction if safety and functional requirements

could be satisfied. Laboratory investigations are needed to determine failure mechanisms of electrical connections so

that meaningful performance criteria and test methods can

be established.

The approach to: (1) obtain and analyze current technology, including code and other institutional constraints,

(2) develop preliminary performance criteria and test methods and identify research needs, (3) determine how

electrical connections fail under simulated "real world"

conditions, (4) develop technical data needed in the evaluation of electrical connections, and (5) develop and publish

criteria and test methods for the evaluation of innovative

electrical connections.

FY76 plans are to continue to develop data involving

overheating failure mechanisms and to continue to develop

other technical data, including an improved method to measure connection quahty. Development of criteria and

test methods will be undertaken and testing in accordance

with the criteria will be performed. Unexpected tentative

results indicate that innovative connectors developed and

under development by industry appear to not only provide

significant cost savings, but also provide superior characteristics relative to physical and durability requirements.

INNOVATIVE ELECTRIC WIRING

SYSTEMS

William Meese

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3293

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

In this project, performance standards and test methods

for non-metallic sheathed electrical residential branchcircuit wiring are being developed. Extensive new restrictions have been placed on the use of such cable (romex)

by the 1975 National Electric Code. The lack of appropriate technical data on which to base these restrictions

and the resultant increase in the costs of housing have

illustrated the need for objective research. Flat conductor

cable, which has been extensively used for aerospace

purposes, promises to bring economies to residential

branch circuits if appropriate National Electrical Code

"expectations" can be satisfied.

The approach to this project is to (1) obtain and analyze

bases for the National Electrical Code restrictions on nonmetallic sheathed cable and obtain and analyze any applicable technical data and institutional restraints on conventional and innovative branch-circuit electrical systems;

(2) develop and perform laboratory and field investigations

to obtain data for the evaluation of such electrical systems.

79
including data on failure mechanisms; (3) develop and

publish criteria and test methods for the evaluation of

conventional and innovative electrical branch circuit

wiring systems.

Last year, a preliminary study of flat conductor cable

for residential wiring systems, including information on a prototype installation in Yonkers, New York, was made.

This year, the Center is determining areas where data are needed. Literature reviews and laboratory investigations in areas where it is known that technical data are needed (such as cause, spread, and effects of fires in

branch circuits) will simultaneously proceed.

ELECTRICAL SERVICE QUALITY

MEASUREMENT

Adolfo Camacho

Building Environment Division - 301 -921 -3293

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

Quality of electrical service affects the operation and

durability of electrical and electronic appliances and other

equipment. Representative data on variation from standard

electrical service characteristics are needed to establish

elements of design requirements for electrical and elec- tronic equipment in buildings. The lifetime of equipment

may be improved by development of improved control and

better regulated supply at the building service entrance.

A spinoff of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's spacecraft flat-conductor wiring to building

electrical circuit service is sponsored by the Technology

Transfer Office. Economical installations are potentially

great, particularly in retrofits.

Instrumentation was rented and preliminary field

measurements were made. Even though enough measure- ments have not been taken to be statistically valid, the

number of low-voltage transient events indicate a need for

in-depth studies. It has been determined that some lowvoltage events are caused by the irregular demands of electrical equipment in the building. Also, a flat conductor

report was completed on a field installation in Yonkers,

New York.

ALUMINUM WIRING IN BRANCH

CIRCUITS

Larry Masters

Structures, Materials and Safety Division

301-921-3371

Sponsor - Tri-Services Committee

Aluminum wiring in branch-circuit electrical systems of

homes and other buildings on military bases has been

increasing since the mid 1960's. Recently, overheated

receptacles and switches have been reported in many buildings. There is concern that overheated devices could pre- sent a fire hazard. Studies of aluminum wiring on military

bases are needed to identify mechanisms by which over- heating might occur, and to develop recommendations to ensure the connections to aluminum will not overheat.

In this project, military bases having aluminum electrical wiring are being identified and the wiring at selected

bases is being inspected. Information obtained from the

inspections will be used to hypothesize failure mechanisms

and to design laboratory experiments to verify the mechanisms.

80
RADIANT HEATING IN SEAMLESS

FLOORING

Paul Campbell

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3441

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

Public housing usually has a disproportionate share of

elderly and very young residents. Adequate, well-designed,

and economical heating systems have a direct bearing on

their health and comfort. A novel approach to heating is

to provide radiant heat by electrical resistance heaters

embedded in, or beneath, seamless floors. This study will include a literature survey on the feasibility of the radiant-panel seamless flooring system, pre- paration of a small-scale laboratory heating system, evaluation of the system, identification of the heating components and flooring systems for use in a radiant heating

system, and recommendations for future research, such as human response factors or life-cycle costing.

Literature on both radiant heating elements and seamless flooring systems has been reviewed. Nineteen flooring

systems have been obtained and performance testing of the

systems has been carried out.

ENERGY USAGE OF HOUSEHOLD

APPLIANCES

Richard Grot

Building Environment Division - 301-921-3293

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

As directed by Congress, the Consumer Product Safety

Commission has the responsibility for a program of energy

labeling for major household appliances. The effectiveness

of this labeling depends on the establishment of realistic

test procedures for determining efficiency At present,

there are insufficient data on actual usage of household

appliances to determine if the proposed test methods

reflect the actual operational characteristics. In this project, the instrumentation, data analysis,

schemes, and field methods developed in the other Center

projects "Measurement Technology" and "Utility Load

Measurement" are being used to determine the energy per- formance of household appliances. Instrumentation packages for monitoring appliance usage in a sample of dwellings are being assembled and deployed.

Two instrumentation packages for monitoring the energy

usage patterns of household appliances have been

assembled and are being installed in residences at Twin

Rivers, New Jersey. Data have been gathered on the usage

of energy in a single residence in order to check the instrumentation scheme and provide preliminary data. The

instrumentation developed during FY75 is being used to monitor the energy usage of household appliances in eight

residences at Twin Rivers (four of which have electric

appliances, four of which have gas appliances). Representative periods of usage will be chosen for each season of

the year.

81
Structural

82
WIND LOADS ON STRUCTURES

Richard Marshall

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3475

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The purpose of this project is to improve building code

provisions regarding wind effects on buildings and other

structures. Recent trends in design philosophy, use of new

materials, and innovative construction details have led to structures with an increased sensitivity to wind effects. As

Secretariat of the American National Standards Institute,

Inc. Committee A58.1, the Center has a vital interest in

the development of suitable criteria to ensure the design of

buildings that will perform satisfactorily under wind conditions likely to occur during the anticipated life of the

structure. The project involves the use of experimerital data cur- rently available and the collection of additional data, either

by the use of wind tunnel modeling or by direct measure- ment of structures in service. Along with this, theoretical

models will be developed and checked against experimental

results. Among other outputs of this project are: publication of a report The Buffeting of Tall Structures by

Strong JVinds; publication of Equivalent Static Wind

Loads for Tall Building Design, 4th World Conference on Wind Effects on Buildings, September, 1975; publication

of Probabalistic Models of Extreme Wind Speeds: Uncertainties and Limitations, 4th World Conference on Wind Effects on Buildings, September 1975; publication of

Engineering Aspects of Cyclone Tracy, National Academy of

Engineering Report; and publication of Wind Pressure on

Single-Family Dwellings.

HIGH WIND STUDY FOR

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Richard Marshall

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3475

Sponsor - Agency for International Development

The research addresses developing improved design

criteria for low-cost/low-rise buildings to better resist

extreme winds. Existing criteria for wind loads do not

adequately provide for steady and fluctuating wind pres- sures along the edges of roofs and walls where separated

flows occur. Extreme suction pressures in these regions

are one of the primary contributors to building damage.

Thus, such research can result in substantial benefits both

in the U.S. and in other high-wind areas. This project analyzes wind loadings on a sample

of six low-rise buildings at three statistically independent

test sites in the Philippines. Wind tunnel modeling of the

six test buildings is being performed, with the appropriate

correlation analysis. Climatological, social and housing

information also are being analyzed.

The following activities were completed in FY75: (1)

instrumented the remaining two of the six Philippine test houses; (2) validated wind-tunnel modeling techniques to simulate natural surface winds with representative meas- urements obtained from full-scale buildings; (3) analyzed

wind and pressure data on the six full-scale test buildings;

(4) developed extreme wind distributions for the Philippines;

(5) monitored the progress of the Bureau-trained Filipino

83
technicians; (6) conducted a wind tunnel model study of

a Republic of Philippine-United States school building and

prepared reports on test results.

The FY76 plans are for the following: (1) continuation

of full-scale test program at the three field-test sites

through December of 1975 (end of typhoon season); (2)

reduction and analysis of full-scale data; (3) limited investigation of wind tunnel models to aid in the interpretation

and extension of full-scale test results; (4) incorporation of

field data and subsequent laboratory test data as a result of

damage to Darwin, Australia, due to Cyclone Tracy; (5)

refinement of wind load criteria; and (6) regional seminar

in Kingston, Jamaica, November 1975.

Last year, a 15-minute color-sound film was produced on

the effect of winds on structures; it has been shown to a number of international audiences. Also, consumeroriented versions of all the reports prepared for this project will be published for world-wide distribution.

ADMINISTRATION OF THE

SECRETARIAT, AMERICAN NATIONAL

STANDARDS INSTITUTE A58,

BUILDING CODE REQUIREMENTS

FOR MINIMUM DESIGN LOADS IN

BUILDINGS AND OTHER

STRUCTURES

Robert Crist

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3471

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The existence of the standard. Building Code Requirements for Minimum Design Loads in Buildings and Other

Structures, over the past fifty years has demonstrated the

need for a consistent nation-wide standard for loads on

building structures. The use of this standard has to be

further encouraged because the model building codes are not consistent with respect to loadings on building

structures.

It is obvious that a consistent set of design loads should

be used and that a particular structure in a particular geographical location should have the same load on it regardless of which code is applied. This is not the case now. A

primary problem that the committee is directly addressing

is the confusion in the use of load factor design, which has

resulted in different load factors being used for steel and

concrete structures. As a result, this project is to support the administrative

operations of the Secretariat of the American National

Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI) Committee A58, Building

Code Requirements for Minimum Design Loads in Buildings and Other Structures. This Secretariat also includes

the USA Technical Advisory Group Administration for the

International Organization for Standards Committee TC-98

Bases for the Design of Structures. The Secretariat re- sponsibilities will be maintenance of the current Standard,

ANSI A58. 1-1972; formulation, organization, and coordination of the A58 Committee; and coordination of revisions

to the current standard, A58. 1-1972.

84
STRUCTURAL RELIABILITY

Bruce Ellingwood

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3475

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

There is a growing interest on the part of the engineering profession in the use of probabiHstic methods in

developing design criteria. The central role played by the

Center in standards development necessitates a program in

structural reliability.

The purpose of this project is to develop a methodology

to facilitate and systematize the selection of design criteria.

The procedures will explicitly reflect design uncertainties,

risks, and consequences of failure, and provide an improved basis for evaluating design alternatives with regard

to strength and serviceability. The concepts will be

demonstrated with a case study employing realistic data on

loads and properties of materials.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD:

FOUNDATIONS AND EXCAVATIONS

Felix Yokel

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3475

Sponsors - National Bureau of Standards;

Department of Housing and Urban

Development

The American National Standards Institute, Inc. Standard A56, for foundations and excavations, will be replaced

by a performance standard prepared under an American

Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) standards committee.

The standard will be prepared under the direction of the

recently appointed ASCE Committee of Foundations and

Excavations. The technical work necessary to prepare a draft standard is funded by the Department of Housing

and Urban Development (HUD). The funds under this

project will be used for administrative support associated

with the ASCE Committee work. This committee support

will continue beyond the duration of the HUD project,

until all balloting is complete and the standard is ready

for publication, and probably beyond this time for the

review of feedback from the application of the standard.

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

Felix Yokel

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3475

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The annual loss in the U.S. by foundation distress and

soil stability failure is estimated to exceed $3 billion. As a

result of the energy crisis, subsurface exploration will be

conducted on a large scale and the construction of mass

transportation systems will be stepped up in many metropolitan areas. There will also be a significant increase in

strip mining and deep mining, sometimes adjacent to, or under, settled areas. Subsurface exploration requires new

and more sophisticated measurement techniques. Mass

transportation projects involve excavation, dewatering and

pile driving, thus endangering adjacent buildings and

activities. Deep mining causes subsidence and strip mining

creates slope stability and re-grading problems. All these

problems are within the geotechnical domain.

This project will look at the overall problems, the role of

various other Federal agencies in this field, and the

national needs, to determine the proper role of the

National Bureau of Standards (NBS). This effort will provide much needed direction and insure that the overall

85
NBS program in the geotechnical area is consistent with

the NBS mission and adequately responds to national

needs.

In addition to developing an overall research program in

geotechnical engineering, a more specific study is underway: the measurement of the effect of excavations on

adjacent structures and in situ measurement of soil

properties.

RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES IN

MINING AREAS

Felix Yokel

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3475

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

As a result of the energy crisis, increasing land will be

subjected to underground and strip mining. In spite of the

environmental degradation in these areas, rising land

values will create increasing pressure to use the land for

residences. The resulting problems are subsidence and

collapse of supporting soil, erosion, disrupted drainage

patterns, contamination of surface waters, and slope

stability. There is a need to investigate these problems to provide adequate guidance for future Department of

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) policies.

This project will assemble information on the extent of

residential areas affected by subsidence problems in the

U.S., and assess the probable dimensions of the problem in

the future. Localities now affected will be visited to gain an understanding of the need for design provision and code

regulation, and to study the technical details of the problems which were conducted in Wilkes Barre, Pa. The

Center proposal will be prepared for HUD for the preparation of performance and design criteria, practice standards,

and perhaps a catalogue of acceptable design solutions.

In FY75, a field examination of mine subsidence problems was conducted in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. The Center con- ducted detailed review with HUD and their consultants to define areas of priority.

SHEAR TRANSFER PHENOMENON

IN REINFORCED CONCRETE

Edgar Leyendecker

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3475

Sponsor - Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Current design assumptions rely very little on the resist- ance of the concrete or the resistance contributed by the

interaction of the concrete and the reinforcing steel. This

research project will study the possible improvement of

design methods by evaluating the applicability of the interface shear transfer mechanism for the design of the con- tainment building. Research data obtained on the shear

transfer mechanism are also applicable to other building

types constructed of reinforced concrete.

The containment building of a nuclear reactor for many

nuclear power plants is currently reinforced concrete consisting of a system of orthogonal and diagonal reinforcement in each face of the wall. Large reinforcing bars and

high percentages of reinforcing steel are used. Current

design assumptions rely heavily upon the resistance of the

86
reinforcing steel and very little on the resistance of the

concrete or the resistance contributed by the interaction of

the concrete and the reinforcing steel. The mechanism of

interface shear transfer may provide a rationale by which

these effects can be taken into consideration in the design

of the containment building. Improvement of design

criteria could result in substantial savings of reinforcing

steel. Stress or deformation fields and the resulting mechanisms that will be studied in this research occur to some

extent on all reinforced concrete building structures,

especially when they are subjected to seismic loading.

Thus, results from this research will not only be applicable to the reinforced concrete containment building of

nuclear power plants but also to the walls, beams, footings and pile caps in other types of building structures.

DESIGN CRITERIA FOR MASONRY

Felix Yokel

Structures, Materials and Safety Division • 301-921-3475

Sponsors - National Bureau of Standards;

Tri-Services Committee;

Brick Institute of America

A cooperative program of research between industry and

government has been established by the Center to improve

the design of masonry structures in seismic regions. This

project responds to the need for more information on the

response of masonry structures to earthquake loads, to develop design criteria similar to those now used for steel and concrete construction.

This project has three phases. Phase I: A study to compare existing standards, codes, and informal design practices with the state of the art, to compile test information,

and to identify information that will require additional

research. Phase II: A test program, designed to develop

information on strength, stiffness, and ductility of shearwalls, to develop tests capable of measuring these properties, and to evaluate the performance of various design

details. Phase III: The synthesis of results and development of design criteria.

REQUIREMENTS FOR MASONRY,

AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARDS

INSTITUTE STANDARD A41

Felix Yokel

Structures, Materials and Safety Division - 301-921-3475

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

Compared with those of other construction materials,

design standards for masonry are lagging. Because of

industry fragmentation, there is also no overall consistent

approach to masonry design, encompassing brick, concrete,

block, composite construction, and other types of masonry.

Besides the need for design standards for "engineered

masonry," it is also necessary to preserve and revise the

present empirical standard, since the majority of masonry

construction consists of projects for which the masonry

is not designed by professional engineers. Damage to masonry construction recently observed in the Washington, D.C. area after a rather moderate storm underscores this need.

Under this project, an empirical standard will be pre87

214-434 O - 76 - 7
pared under the American National Standards Institute,

Inc. Standard A41.1. Beginning with the work accom- phshed in FY75, a draft document was prepared by the

Center's staff and put before the drafting committee for

approval. This draft will then be reviewed and put out for

ballot to the A41 Committee.

MODEL STUDY OF A PARKING

GARAGE COLLAPSE

Edgar Ley endecker

Structures, Materials and Safety Division

301-921-3475

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

Unbonded post-tensioned concrete is a relatively new

type of construction that is being widely used because of

economy. However, because of its newness, there is not a wide technical base for current design and construction

standards. Thus, the recent catastrophic collapse in

Fairfax County, Va. of a parking garage using this type of

construction has raised a fundamental question within the

engineering design profession, "Did the garage collapse occur simply because the structure was overloaded, or did

the collapse occur because of some unknown weakness in

design standards governing unbonded post-tensioned con- struction?" The answer to this question can have a significant impact on codes and standards.

An experimental investigation is being conducted using

direct structural model testing. The direct structural

model is essentially a true-to-scale analogue computer for

the direct solution of an actual structural system. This

type of model emphasizes agreement between prototype and

model physical characteristics and boundary conditions.

The model may be used to document elastic, inelastic, and

ultimate load behavior.

In FY75, a "calibration" model SS-1, consisting of an

isolated column with a surrounding slab sector and a "strip" model, SS-2, consisting of a one-panel by fourpanel section were fabricated and tested to failure. Data

reduction for the two models was started. Fabrication of a "segment" model, SS-3, tentatively consisting of a fourpanel by four-panel section, was begun.

For FY76, data reduction for models SS-1 and SS-2 will

be completed prior to a decision on the actual size of the

segment model. Analysis of the data will dictate the actual

size of model SS-3. Model SS-3 will be tested under

various elastic and inelastic loading conditions. The model

will be tested to destruction under a selected loading case.

AIR FORCE MOBILE SHELTERS

James Shaver

Structures, Materials and Safety Division

301-921-3475

Sponsor Department of the A ir Force

The acceptance of Air Force mobile shelters is based on

the results of structural tests that are believed to simulate

the transportation and operational loads that the shelters

experience during their service lives. This procedure can

lead to shelters that are over-designed with respect to certain service loads and is costly when the shelter fails to pass some of the required tests.

88
In this project, a study will be made to identify and

estimate the probable loads shelters will experience. Structural models will be developed to represent the basic

shelter types and shelter responses to probable loads.

Instrumentation to measure and record shelter responses

in actual load tests will be recommended and a field-test

program will be outlined to provide shelter responses for

comparison with the analytical results.

89
BUILDING STANDARDS,

IMPROVEMENT AND

IMPLEMENTATION

James Pielert

Office of Building Codes and Standards

Services - 301-921-3146

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

This multifaceted project involves the interaction of the

Bureau with the building regulatory sector, the model code

writing organizations, the building standards generating

groups and the building community as a whole. This will be

facilitated by the establishment of an Institute for Applied

Technology (lAT) Building Standards Council for identifying priority standards requiring the Center's expertise and

for developing input for these standards organizations. This

effort will coordinate the Center's mobile home research

activities to speed the transfer of results to users through

the standards generating process. Additionally, future

support will be provided to the National Institute of Building Science.

During FY75, the Standards Council identified four high

priority Standards; American National Standards Institute,

Inc. (ANSI) Committees A40, A56, A58, and A119. The concept of the Center providing administration assistance was

adopted by the Standards Council. ^A^5/ A119.1 - Mobile

Homes and Recreational Vehicles: the Center actively participated in the development of ANSI A119. 1-1975 which

was adopted by ANSI in February 1975. Coordination of

the Center for Building Technology mobile home activities

continued and a Federal Mobile Home Workshop was held

in March 1975. ANSI A40 - Minimum Requirements/

Plumbing: the Bureau has strongly encouraged the updating of the National Plumbing Code. Input to the committee was provided by presentations at three meetings by

the Center's staff mmbers. A complementary activity

based on the Center's presentations is the development of a plumbing performance standard.

During FY76, the lAT Building Standards Council became operational with maintenance support provided for

high priority standards. These include ANSI A40, A41,

A58, A119, Foundations and Excavations, the American

Society for Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning

Engineers 90-75 and Solar Standards. The Center also will,

among other activities, publish and maintain a listing of all standards referenced in State and model building-related

codes and the codes of 30 largest U.S. cities, identifying

the current standard and those sections in the codes where

they are referenced. This project will be coordinated with

the Standards Information Services Section of lAT. This

list will be annually appended and updated, then printed

and distributed to the National Conference of States on

Building Codes and Standards, the Council of American

Building Officials, and the Association of Major City

Building Officials. Likewise, a complete building code file containing copies of each of the building-related codes

adopted as statewide codes, those codes published by the

model code organizations, and those codes adopted by the

30 largest cities in the U.S. will be established and maintained. This file, probably the only one of its type and

completeness, will provide a ready reference source for

other Bureau activities.

90
NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATES

ON BUILDING CODES AND

STANDARDS

Sandra Berry

Office of Building Codes and Standards

Services - 301-921-3146

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The building regulatory system, increasingly a State

function, represents the public interest in the design, construction, and operation of the built environment. The

National Conference of States on Building Codes and

Standards (NCSBCS) is a means by which the Center's re- search can reach the regulatory agencies with little delay.

NCSBCS is a vehicle for helping the Center identify building research needs because State regulatory agencies are in

direct daily contact with building users and constructors.

This is an effective means for cooperative participation of

all levels of government in reaching decisions regarding

supportive technical assistance, research, and finance.

This year, the Center is providing NCSBCS with con- tinuing Secretariat assistance, as necessary; providing a senior technical advisor to its Board of Directors; providing technical assistance and support to participating

organizations of NCSBCS; and providing liaison between

the States and the codes and standards generating organizations and the Federal Government. The Center is also

giving direct technical input to NCSBCS standing committees.

LABORATORY EVALUATION AND

ACCREDITATION PROGRAM

Patrick Cooke

Office of Building Codes and Standards

Services - 301-921-3361

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

As requested by the National Conference of States on

Building Codes and Standards (NCSBCS), a Laboratory

Evaluation and Accreditation Program (LEAP) was established to develop criteria and a methodology to determine

the capabilities of laboratories and agencies to perform the

engineering analysis, testing, and inspection required by

building regulatory authorities. The LEAP project

developed specific criteria and methodology documents for

such agencies to perform regulatory functions dealing with

the construction of manufactured buildings. These documents have been reviewed by NCSBCS and have been processed by the American Society for Testing and Materials

as national consensus standards. Pilot projects with

individual States and with NCSBCS were underway to demonstrate the procedural mechanisms for laboratory

evaluation and accreditation based on the LEAP concepts.

COORDINATED EVALUATION SYSTEM

Patrick Cooke

Office of Building Codes and Standards

Services - 301-921-3447

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The operational concept of the Coordinated Evaluation

System (CES) has been adopted in several State agencies

involved in the regulation of mobile homes and manufactured buildings. Independent third-party evaluation

agencies and manufactured building producers have also

incorporated CES-developed model documents into their

activities relating to institutional evaluation and regulatory

compliance functions. Computer-based-information sys- tems to summarize and report on the status of State

building regulatory programs for mobile homes, manufactured buildings, and preemptive building codes and
standards for conventional construction have been

developed in conjunction with on-going data collection

activities. A study to determine the extent which the

American National Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI)

Mobile Home Construction Standard, ANSI A119.1, has

been modified by individual State amendments, was

completed.

In FY75, the information on mobile homes and manufactured building regulatory programs adopted by the

States was significantly expanded and resulted in the publication of two summary reports. A national survey on the

adoption of statewide building codes and building speciality

codes has provided the first reliable data on the number,

type, degree of preemption, and coverage of State building

regulatory programs, and the specific codes and standards

used. The CES final report on model documents for the

regulation of manufactured buildings completes this aspect

of project activity.

In FY76, this work was extended by a report on the

adoption of statewide building codes for conventional construction. The project will also report on the status and

extent to which individual States have adopted and/or

modified codes and standards dealing with the construction

of manufactured housing. The Center is developing a methodology to study the impact of statewide building

codes on costs and performance, inconsistent code provisions on costs and performance, and the extent of over- lapping regulatory jurisdictions and their impact on performance.

COORDINATED METRIC

DIMENSIONS FOR BUILDINGS

Charles Mahaffey

Office of Building Codes and Standards

Services 301-921-3146

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The Center for Building Technology (CBT) will provide

leadership to the building community in the investigation,

planning, and scheduling of a program guiding the effective

participation of all sectors of the community in a rationalized metric conversion of its measurement-sensitive design

concepts, building regulations, standards, and related codes

of practice.

During Fy76, CBT will maintain and expand its involvement in the activities of the American National Metric

Council (ANMC), and assist the ANMC Codes and Standards Sector and selected other sectors to develop: a U.S.

plan for the conversion of building standards and codes to coordinate metric dimensions intended for implementation

before start of the official U.S. metrication program; and a U.S. plan for the conversion of building standards and

codes to coordinate metric dimensions intended for

implementation after start of the official U.S. metrication

program.

CBT will publish a report on problems facing

various segments of the construction community to assist

in a program of metrication for the industry. The Center

92
will develop talks individually tailored to each of several

key groups, such as designers, contractors, product manufacturers, codes and standards organizations, public building agencies (Federal, state, and local), and labor, on their

involvement in coordinated metric dimensions for buildings.

METRICATION AND DIMENSIONAL

COORDINATION: A LITERATURE

SEARCH

Robert Wehrli

Technical Evaluation and Application Division

301-921-3595

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

There is a great deal of literature and some bibliographies on metrication and dimensional coordination.

However, much of the literature is obsolete (dating back to the 1940's), derivative (simply referencing other primary

sources), or trivial. The purpose of this project is to produce a report supplying a limited number of abstracts that

address crucial issues. Typical issues are: How can stocks

of building materials with old "customary" sizes be

coordinated with the new metric sizes? How can tradesmen

be taught the metric system? How can dimensions be

coordinated across types of products?

RESEARCH CONFERENCE ON THE

BUILDING REGULATORY PROCESS

James Gross

Office of Building Codes and Standards

Services - 301-921-3132

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

A series of biannual workshops on the many aspects of

the building regulatory process—each focused on a specified issue—provides a forum for researchers from industrial and academic organizations, as well as voluntary

associations and public interest groups. The workshops

enable them to consolidate what is known and to write a research agenda for what is not known. Findings will be

conveyed to the research community, to professionals in

practice, to concerned industries, and to government

agencies. The workshops and associated publications provide visibility to this important influence on the evolution

of building practice. The current lack of visibility has bred

widespread suspicion about its legitimacy and its efficacy.

TECHNOLOGY FOR BUILDING

STANDARDS AND REGULATIONS

Patrick Cooke

Office of Building Codes and Standards

Services - 301-921-3361

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

Building regulations (i.e., building codes and standards

and design specifications) are the communications and

control system for much of the building and construction

in this country. The development of a way to formulate

and express specification provisions that are clear, complete, and correct would have many benefits. In particular, it would be an aid to all building officials in developing

a better understanding of the building Regulatory and

standards-generating processes. Also, the formulation and

expression of specification, standard, and code provisions

is traditionally a major expense in the building and construction enterprise—an enterprise that must absorb substantial losses if errors due to ambiguity occur.

Initially, project efforts will focus on the development of

interim guides and computer aids for specifications, stand93
ards, and codes along with prototype application of the

technology. The approach to be used in this program will

include specific tasks to be carried out between various

universities, architectural and engineering firms, and model

code and standards organizations.

Last year, a contract "Technology for the Formulation

and Expression of Specification," was awarded to the University of Illinois. Four areas of work have been pursued:

(1) prototype algorithms for preparing outlines of specifications; (2) decision-table analysis and concepts for the logical formulation of specifications; (3) network representation; and (4) development of a user's manual for the

computer program.

APPLICATION OF DECISION TABLES

TO LIFE SAFETY CODE

James Gross

Office of Building Codes and Standards

Services - 301-921-3447

Sponsor Department of Health, Education and

Welfare

The need for clear, complete, and correct expression of

specifications is obvious. Some of the agencies involved in

the administration and enforcement of the Life Safety Code

have expressed interest in the development of improvements to the code. Accordingly, the objective of this re- search is to determine the applicability of decision-table

analysis to the decision activities of the Program for

Design Concept in the Center for Fire Research.

The test project will address section 10-23 of the code,

"Protection." The methodology employed will be the

decision-table format using the decision-table algorithms

and related procedures developed by the University of

Illinois.

94
Housing and

Building Technology

95
HOUSING TECHNOLOGY

Thomas Faison

Office of Housing and Building Technology

301-921-3231

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The housing technology effort is directed toward ex- ploring those areas most useful in meeting critical housing

needs. They include: (1) a need for the identification of

research projects of a high-priority nature; and (2) the

planning for research efforts to be undertaken in support

of a solar energy program. The FY75 activities concentrated on defining high-priority research projects for

housing, advancing mobile home research planning, and

continuing investigations and planning, and residential applications of solar energy. Continued liaison with the

Department of Housing and Urban Development and other

organizations is instrumental in developing new high

priority projects as part of a total research package for

housing technology.

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND

URBAN DEVELOPMENT LEAD PAINT

HAZARDS

Harvey Berger

Office of Housing and Building Technology - 301-921-3281

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

Approximately 500,000 children below the age of seven

years, have excessive levels of lead in their blood. Also,

some 30 million dwelling units, currently occupied, were

built before 1940 and probably contain some hazardous

lead-based paint. The cost of lead paint hazard abatement

may range from $200-12,000 per dwelling unit. Public

Law 91-695, The Lead-Based Poisoning Prevention Act, re- quires that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) carry out a research program to determine

the nature and extent of the lead-based paint poisoning

problem and means of its elimination. The Bureau is providing technical assistance to HUD in carrying out that

program.

The lead paint poisoning project was established within

the Center for Building Technology (CBT) to provide

management for the overall effort. Personnel from CBT

and the Bureau's Applied Mathematics Division are assigned to the project. The Bureau's Analytical Chemistry Division provides support in special areas. The wide

variety of technical activities requires a truly interdisciplinary team and the staff includes professions such as: chemistry, mathematics, operations research, architecture,

information science, engineering and others.

In FY75, the following major tasks were accomplished:

(1) monitored a survey in Pittsburgh of 3,600 dwellings

and 500 children living in those dwellings, for lead paint

hazards and carried out data reduction and preliminary

data analysis activities; (2) monitored HUD's field demonstration of lead hazard abatement methods in Washington,

D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia, and evaluated the performance

of\the methods; (3) developed methods of analysis for an

acerbic substance for use in paint as a deterent to ingestion; (4) carried out an information survey and developed

a library on lead paint poisoning technology; (5) contracted for the design of a survey for lead paint in HUD's

buildings; and (6) designed a field experiment to evaluate

96
alternative lead poisoning control strategies.

In FY76, the Bureau is: (1) evaluating a portable leaddetection instrument being developed under HUD contracts; (2) completing the analysis of the Pittsburgh survey

and preparing plans for additional surveys; (3) monitoring

and evaluating continuing field demonstrations of abatement methods and evaluating their cost-effectiveness; (4)

evaluating additional acerbic substances; (5) monitoring

CBT contracts for the preparation of survey and experiment designs and industry searchers for new abatement

methods; (6) carrying out physical tests of materials submitted as potential abatement methods; (7) providing technical monitoring of HUD development contracts; (8) pre- paring new information prototypes on various aspects of

lead paint poisoning for dissemination by HUD; and (9)

designing an overall Clearinghouse program for HUD.

COMPENDIUM OF TEST METHODS

USED IN OPERATION

BREAKTHROUGH

David Wahsman

Office of Housing and Building Technology - 301-921-3285

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

This project is identifying laboratory test methods used to evaluate the innovative housing systems proposed for

Operation Breakthrough and to prepare a document describing these test methods in such a manner that they

would be of use to the housing industry. Operation Breakthrough was established by the Department of Housing and

Urban Development to stimulate the development of

residential construction concepts that would increase the

housing production rate and thus assist in meeting the

Nation's housing needs. Since many of the systems proposed by industry were innovative, extensive laboratory

testing was required during the design and development

phase of the Breakthrough Program to judge whether innovative designs would provide satisfactory performance

during the Hfe of the structure. In many cases, existing

standard test methods could not be used and it was neces- sary to develop new laboratory procedures.

This project reviewed all test reports, and a compilation

of test methods was developed. Test methods were organized by function and discipline, and the testing philosophy

and rationale were included along with the specific test descriptions in the compendium.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS FOR

SPECIAL AND INNOVATIVE

CONSTRUCTION

Thomas Faison

Office of Housing and Building Technology - 301-921-3231

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

In support of the Department of Housing and Urban

Development's (HUD) mortgage insurance program, there

is a need for the development of performance-based standards to allow for the introduction of new materials and

innovative designs in the construction process. Specific areas of research were identified as a result of Operation

Breakthrough. Current HUD-sponsored research programs

are oriented toward development of performance criteria

and methods of evaluation. They are fed directly into

draft performance standards. The performance standards

97
are intended to be responsive to HUD's needs and to provide equivalent performance as would be expected from use

of the HUD Minimum Property Standards for conventional

construction.

A draft of the performance standards in the format

determined by HUD has been submitted for HUD's

approval.

METHODOLOGY HANDBOOK FOR

HOUSING SURVEYS

Stephen Margulis

Technical Evaluation and Application Division

301-921-3595

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

In conducting four surveys of the Department of

Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Operation

Breakthrough housing, the Center has developed a series of

questionnaires. The four surveys are (1) work orders, (2)

visitors, (3) "exit" (people moving away from Operation

Breakthrough homes), and (4) occupants. Since it is apparent that these surveys would be useful for many

other types of housing, this project will assemble these

materials into a methodology handbook for use by others

who may wish to conduct surveys. In some cases, the

surveys could be used for basic information, with new

sections added to give greater emphasis to a special topic

such as security, safety, or lead paint poisoning; in other

cases, the documents and methods could be adapted to other building types such as mobile homes, hospitals, or

offices.

FIRE COMPENDIUM FOR OPERATION

BREAKTHROUGH

David Waksman

Office of Housing and Building Technology - 301-921-3285

Sponsor - Department of Housing and Urban

Development

A compendium summarizing the fire testing performed

under the auspices of Operation Breakthrough was prepared for publication by the Department of Housing and

Urban Development. This document describes in detail,

the materials and system designs evaluated and the types of

tests performed. Since many of the systems evaluated and

tests performed were innovative, the compendium is of

value to both the home building industry and organizations

more directly concerned with fire hazards. The test descriptions were organized by type of test and housing

system component; test methods and results plus component descriptions were included in the compendium.

COORDINATING FIRE STANDARDS

RESEARCH -SUPPRESSION

Harry Thompson

Office of Housing and Building Technology - 301-921-3233

Sponsor Department oj Housing and Urban

Development

The Center for Building Technology is coordinating with

the Center for Fire Research a project of fire standards

research for suppression. This project is developing per- formance and engineering design data for automatic

sprinklers to produce more cost effective design approach

for non-commercial/industrial applications and to enhance

the attractiveness of an automatic sprinkler for life safety.

Automatic sprinkler systems are one of the best tools available for the protection of people from fire. Currently the

cost of sprinkler systems for life safety is excessive as a

98
result of the over design developed for commercial and

industrial applications.

The objectives of this project are: (1) develop design

criteria for corridor sprinkler systems for fire containment;

(2) examine existing performance specifications for

sprinkler systems and components for potential cost re- ductions; and (3) study effects of automatic sprinkler

operation on the physical and chemical (toxic) properties

of fire effluent.

Work has been completed on the distribution of

sprinkler water spray through door openings. A draft

report has been prepared. Full-scale fire exposure tests also have been completed and the results are being

analyzed for preparation of interim performance criteria

sprinkler systems. Groundwork has been laid for sprinkler

piping criteria by complete review of existing piping

standards.

BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

INFORMATION

Noel Raufaste

Center for Building Technology Headquarters

301-921-3106

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

Information is the Center's ultimate product. This project is aimed at effective product delivery through skillful dissemination techniques and an understanding of the

information needed by the building community. To this

end, the Center has established a multidimensional information program. It broadcasts research findings, accom- modates specific inquiries, and interacts with the building

community through liaison activities with building groups,

the hosting of tours and conferences at the Bureau, and

attendance at meetings and conventions of building organizations. All this permits a two-way information flow; feedback assists the information program in meeting the needs

of the building community's research, policy-making, application, and consuming sectors.

FEDERAL BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

Harry Thompson - 301-921-3233

Office of Housing and Building Technology - 301-921-3233

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

This project is designed to effectively disseminate

research to the Federal agencies, to coordinate Federal

activity in building research, and to provide technology to

assist Federal agencies. These objectives are met by

sponsoring monthly workshops on building technology for

Federal representatives, participating in the Federal Construction Council meetings; disseminating research results and reports; maintaining liaison with other Federal

agencies, developing new techniques for use by other

agencies, participating in committees, seminars, and workshops, maintaining a Federal building criteria reference

service.

99
BUILDING PROCUREMENT

WORKSHOPS

Harry Thompson - 301-921-3233

Sponsors - National Bureau of Standards;

Department of Health, Education, and

Welfare; General Services Administration;

Veterans Administration;

Department of the A rmy;

Office of Management and Budget;

National Aeronautics and Space

Administration; and

United States Postal Service

TECHNICAL AND SCIENTIFIC

SUPPORT TO THE OCCUPATIONAL

SAFETY AND HEALTH

ADMINISTRATION

Brian Pierman

Office of Housing and Building Technology - 301-921-3231

Sponsor - Occupational Safety and Health

A dministration

In the past ten years, the Federal design and construction agencies, as well as others in the building community,

have gone through a period of change that has seen new

disciplines and management processes enter into the

building community. Now that the building community

has been in this transition period for a few years, the

Federal agencies can evaluate the benefits of these activities and be ready to use and optimize them in making

future choices. The need for evaluation of old and new

methods has been expressed by Congress and the Comptroller General in some of their recent reports and legislation.

As a result, this project consisted of a jointly sponsored

series of workshops entitled, "Answers for the Building

Community." The specific workshops were: (1) The

New Connection: Owners & Manufacturers, University of

Wisconsin, Sept. 10-12, 1975; (2) Long Term Economy: A

Systematic Basis for the Construction, Operation and

Reuse of Buildings, Harvard University, Nov. 3-4, 1975;

(3) Alternative Processes in Building Procurement, University of Illinois, Nov. 16-19, 1975; (4) Optimizing the

Choices: A National Symposium, National Bureau of

Standards, Mar. 24-25, 1976.

It is important that the Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (OSHA) standards be based on data, observations, and research that technically substantiates a safe

working environment. When this technical substantiation

is not available, there are increased delays in issuing

OSHA standards.

The diverse expertise, equipment, and laboratories of the

Center for Building Technology (CBT) are thus being used

to develop performance criteria and supporting research to meet OSHA objectives. In many instances, the identification of problem areas will result from discussion, consulting, and advisory assistance with CBT. In addition,

CBT provides overall program management by providing a central focus between OSHA and the National Bureau of

Standards (NBS) research community as implied in the

interagency agreement between OSHA and NBS. CBT will,

through this central focus, provide liaison, communications, and dissemination of research information as a routine basis and will monitor the progress of the work.

TECHNICAL AND SCIENTIFIC

SUPPORT TO THE TRI -SERVICES

COMMITTEE

Brian Pierman

Office of Housing and Building Technology

301-921-3231

Sponsor - Tri-Services Committee

This project assists the Tri-Services Committee in their

research and development of criteria and specifications. It

also provides practical support to complete meaningful civil

engineering tasks.

During FY75, eight other building research tasks were

successfully completed for the Tri-Services Committee. In

FY76, the following research projects have been funded (1)

Earthquake-Resistant Design of Masonry Structures; (2)

Evaluation of Elastomeric Roofing; (3) Investigation of

100
Waterproofing practices; (4) Building Joint Sealants; (5)

Aluminum Wiring in Branch Circuits; (6) Underground

Chilled Water and Heat Distribution Systems; (7) Field

Testing of Reduced Size Venting; and (8) Consultative

Services. Each of these studies has been described else- where in this report.

The Center's professional staff daily receive telephone

calls from Tri-Services Committee personnel requesting

advice. Typical of such requests are calls about the

durability of calcium silicate and the heat transfer of

calcium silicate, suitability of using protexluates (insulation), underground pipe criteria, hydraulic criteria, paints,

coatings, adhesives and on structural related problems.

INTERNATIONAL BUILDING

RESEARCH

Noel Raufaste

Center for Building Technology Headquarters

301-921-3106

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

The International Building Research Projects respond

to foreign requests for technical literature on building re- search. The program supports complementary research

programs, and exchanges of technical staff, provides participation in international conferences, and provides technical assistance to developing countries.

Liaison with the following organizations continues (1)

U.S. /French Cooperative Program, Centre for Scientifique

et Technique du Batiment/Center for Building Technology;

(2) International Council for Building Research Studies

and Documentation (durability of materials, wind load, fire research, medical facilities) ; (3) cooperative program with

the Building Research Establishment, United Kingdom

(water supply and drainage, heat pumps, lighting standards

for office building, and wind loads) ; (4) Ministry of Construction, Japan (U.S. /Japan Panel on Wind and Seismic

Effects); and (5) Institute of Research Technology, Brazil

(training in building technology). The Center for Building

Technology (CBT) provided technical evaluation assistance

in an National Bureau of Standards/Agency for Inter- national Development survey of the state-of-the-art-of

Philippine building technology. CBT participated in international organizations such as the International Council

for Building Research Studies and Documentation, Inter- national Organization for Standards, the International

Union of Testing and Research Laboratories for Materials

and Structures, and the International Institute of Refrigeration.

CENTER FOR BUILDING

TECHNOLOGY/BRAZIL

COOPERATIVE TRAINING

PROGRAM

Harry Thompson

Office of Federal Building Technology

301-921-3233

Sponsor - State of Sao Paulo, Brazil

The Center for Building Technology is providing,

through a training program for a staff member of the

Institute of Research Technology (IPT), Brazil, advice and

assistance to increase his technical capability in building

technology. As a result of his two-year training program

through direct involvement in research at the Center—this

IPT staffer is expected to contribute to the improvement of

building technology in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

101
JOINT US/EGYPTIAN

COOPERATIVE PROGRAM

James Haecker

Office of Housing and Building Technology

301-921 -3126

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

This project is to assist the Joint U.S. /Egyptian Cooperative Commission by developing a cooperative program in

building materials and building technology. The U.S./

Egyptian Joint Study Group was formed and a meeting was

held in Cairo in January 1975. A report of the Working

Group on Technology, Research, and Development was

published containing 29 projects to be considered. An

Egyptian technical advisory committee was established and

an introductory meeting was held with the Joint Study

Group. The identification of U.S. and Egyptian professionals will continue for specific areas of technical ex- change. The first visit of Egyptian team members in

Building Materials and Technology was in May 1975. In

addition, a National Bureau of Standards special Foreign

Currency Program Grant was issued for a building information program.

PROGRAM EVALUATION

AND PLANNING

Noel Raufaste

Center for Building Technology Headquarters

301-921-3106

Sponsor - National Bureau of Standards

This project serves as a focal point for liaison and

planning coordination among the many Center for Building

Technology (CBT) and other National Bureau of Standards

(NBS) units involved in building research. This project

includes such components as: (1) direct assistance to CBT

and NBS on planning building technology activities; (2)

advisory and technical evaluation committee activities;

(3) project/program reviews to assess priority activities;

and (4) graphic assistance to better communicate technical

issues. It is expected to provide CBT and NBS with new

directions in building research activities by developing

improved research plans.

Also covered is industrial liaison with the building community. This includes the Center for Building Technology

Advisory Committee, the identification of industrial re- search that shapes and influences the building process, and

the development of an efficient and acceptable method for

continued liaison with industry research directors and the

management and technical staff of the Center for Building

Technology. As part of this Haison, CBT staffers participated in scientific and professional conferences and

seminars at NBS, National Academy of Sciences, National

Science Foundation, American Institute of Architects, and

various NBS information exchange seminars.

During FY76, an increased emphasis was placed on

developing a long range plan and on liaison and research

coordination between CBT and other NBS organizations

concerned with buildings (Center for Fire Research, Center

for Consumer Product Technology, Standards Analysis

and Applications Division, Office of International Relations, Office of Information Activities, and others).

102

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1976 0-2U-434

Center for Building Technology

Institute for Applied Technology

U.S. Department of Commerce

Elliot L. Richardson, Secretary

James A. Baker, III, Under Secretary

Betsy Ancker-Johnson, Ph.D., Assistant

Secretary for Science and Technology

National Bureau of Standards

Ernest Ambler, Acting Director

Natl. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), Spec. Publ. 446, 108 pages

(May, 1976)

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing

Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 (Order by SD Catalog No, 013,10:446). D,:~. <ti nc Stock No. 003-003-01641-1