FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Results Are In.
March, 2003 --

SUPER THERM - Test results to determine “K” value and Lambda value
TEST #1  l  TEST #2  l  COMPARISON  l  CHARTS/STANDARDS   l   "R" VALUE

TEST #1

for BTU and K value of heat flow through a wall unit:
“ASTM C-236 Guarded Hot Box Test”

Test requested by Bombardier Transportation and Engineering Group.
Testing performed by VTEC Laboratory, Inc. and National Certified Testing Laboratories.
This test is used to establish R value for fiberglass and other batt materials as determined from these results. 
Control is the fiberglass test density board of 3 inch thickness. 
Result of applying SUPER THERM over the standard fiberglass test density board.

3 inch high-density fiberglass board tested: K = 0.52

10 mils SUPER THERM tested: K = 0.31 One coat facing heat source.
68% improvement based on the 0.21 improvement against the fiberglass control board compared to the one coated side control board (0.31) (.21 divided by .31). Based against the .52 fiberglass is 40% improvement.

20 mils SUPER THERM tested: K = 0.21 One coat on each side of board (heat source and cold side) total of 2 coats or 20 mils
Conductance value of 0.21 (K-value)(BTU/in/sq.ft./hour/ F) 
148% improvement based on the 0.31 improvement against the fiberglass control board.

Also noted: The testing for fiberglass is conducted at 75 degrees F (24 C) to achieve the best results for the fiberglass materials. SUPER THERM is designed to work more efficient the higher the temperature and differences of temperatures between substrates by using reflection in conjunction with conduction which the fiberglass is not designed to do.

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TEST #2

BTU conduction test to determine the BTU conduction block performance for SUPER THERM.
ASTM E-1461-92 Thermal Diffusivity
ASTM E-1269 Specific Heat 

BTU value measurement testing of SUPER THERM alone as a single coating film at 
100 C or 212 F.
Metal Plate was tested without the coating to allow 367.20 BTU/sq.ft./hour/F to pass through.
SUPER THERM was tested in one coat at 14.9 mils over the metal plate and allowed 3.99 BTU/sq.ft./hour/F to pass through.
ASTM E 1269 Specific Heat and ASTM E-1461-92 Thermal Diffusivity used to find these results.

NOTE: The metal plate was deducted from of the results for the SUPER THERM to allow the value for SUPER THERM to be based strictly on the coating film alone.

SUPER THERM K = 0.102 at 212 degrees F

Explanation of usage of terms and application:
K value indicates the amount of heat (in BTUs) that will flow in one hour through a substrate surface in one sq.ft.of a uniform material for one inch thickness (2.5 cm) for one hour and each degree F of temperature difference from one side (heat side) of the material to the other side (cold side).
.
Batt insulation material testing and K value determinations.
The assumption is made that if the batt (glasswool or rockwool) is increased in thickness, the K value would remain the same as to the original thickness meaning that as the thickness increases the R rating would automatically increase in effectiveness. The lower the K value, the more effective the insulation material is in resisting the heat flow.
In reality, the only way this could possibly work would be to have the insulation material in a controlled environment without the influence of humidity, air pressures and weather changes. All of the weathering factors load moisture into the batt type insulation materials to immediately reduce the K value by large percentages. K value can reduce in batt type insulation materials by 35% with only 1.5% moisture entering into the material.

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Comparison

K-value, Lambda value and BTU value
Super Therm vs. Fiberglass at 200 F and 75 F

Owens Corning states in their insulation manuals that their best high density Fiberglass insulation for hot pipes has a:

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From Belgium Chart of Standards

European Lambda statistics on standard insulation materials as tested for 1” (2.5cm) minimum thickness:.

Polyurethane Foam = 0.028 W/mK
Polystyrene board = 0.035 W/mK
Polystyrene expanded = 0.040 W/mK
Minerale Wool/ Fiberglass = 0.040 W/mK
Perlite = 0.055 W/mK
SUPER THERM = 0.012 W/mK per 0.025 cm (or 10/1000 inch)

Additional Charts and References

The European R rating chart is a different expression of R value than calculated for the US.
Examples:
Above from the listing of lambda values-
    Polyurethane foam is 0.028
    For any material having 0.028 lambda value 
        1 inch (2.5cm) R = 0.89
        9.6 inch (24cm) R = 8.57
    Minerale Wool is 0.040 
    For any material having 0.040 lambda value
        1 inch (2.5cm) R = 0.63
        9.6 inch (24cm) R = 6.00 

Since the chart does not give below 0.020 W/mK to the SUPER THERM value of .015 W/mK, and the chart is based on one inch (25mm or 2.5cm) thickness, a calculation can be made to determine the European R value as performed by the guidelines followed above for the U.S. “R” value by reducing the tested thickness of the SUPER THERM and find the corresponding European R value.

Below is a reprint of a Comparison Chart for Transmission of heat (Conduction, Convection and Radiation) developed by Glacier Bay heat properties: Per inch (25mm or 2.5cm) thickness and one foot square for certain insulative materials. SUPER THERM was not part of this chart but was added by Superior for comparison based on the comparative tested numbers from laboratory results.

                                                                                                                                    (1inch)
Material                                 Conductivity (“K”)                 Insulative (“R”)Per  2.5cm
Copper                                                2712.00                                   .00037                         “
Aluminum (6061)                                  1160.00                                   .00086                         “
Aluminum (5052)                                    960.00                                   .00104                         “
Lead                                                      245.00                                   .004                             “
Stainless Steel (316)                               113.00                                   .00885                         “
Glass                                                          5.00                                   .20                               “
Polyester FRP (hand laid)                             .48                                   2.08                             “
Polyethylene Foam                                       .43                                   2.33                             “
Wood (dry)                                                  .33                                   3.03                             “
Polyester FRP (pultruded)                            .31                                   3.26                             “
Glass Wool                                                  .29                                   3.45                             “
Polystyrene (expanded)                                .28                                   3.57                             “
Cork Board                                                  .27                                   3.70                             “
Polystyrene (extruded)                                  .21                                   4.80                             “
PVC (Klegecell)                                           .21                                   4.80                             “
Polyurethane Foam                                       .17                                   5.88                             “
Air                                                               .16                                   6.25                             “
SUPER THERM                                       .10                                   10.00  (per .025cm) 10mils*
Barrier Ultra-R                                             .02                                   50.35                           “
Total Vacuum                                            .004                                 250.00                           “

Using the standard R=1/K for standard calculation of the “R” does not apply.
SUPER THERM is applied by 1/1000 inch measurements.

Foil Barriers and their use as a sandwich to try and increase the insulation ability of another insulation materials such as foam, bubble packs or boards. Because the foils do have density as per their metallic construction, they will absorb heat. The more density a material has the more heat it can absorb and hold. Metal versus paper. The metal in the sun will absorb and hold heat. A piece of paper will absorb some heat but hardly be noticed.

A metallic material must be bright and polished to effectively continue to reflect heat radiations and Infrared. As a reprint of this chart shows, the materials lose their ability to reflect after only 6 months and in other cases a year. As the metal oxidizes, it loses all its ability to reflect effectively.**
** glacierbay.com/ Heat Properties report.

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Comment about the American “R” value Status

The most important number for insulation measurement is the “K” factor to determine heat flow and insulation effectiveness. The “R” rating is based on this number. The “K” number is the number requested by Architects and their insulation requirements.
When we say that 10 mils (10/1000 inch) of SUPER THERM gives a K value of 0.10 and this relates to a R value of 10 for this one coat, then you must realize that this R factor does not consider the “reflectivity” factor of the SUPER THERM (92% of sunlight and 99.5% of Infrared radiation). All testing for insulation materials does not have reflectivity in the formula of the test procedure because none of the other insulation materials such as fiberglass, rockwool, foam and others of the same type do not and cannot reflect heat therefore are not in the test procedure.

Can we say that the additional R 9 would come from reflectivity? I think Yes. Reflectivity would stop the surface from heating up and therefore reduce the surface heat build up and reduce the conduction rate.
We could say that another coat of 10 mils would give an R 20 by the normal progression established by the current insulation formula of increased thickness.

Fiberglass and other thick materials are evaluated on an inch basis and you must add inches to attain any R 19 value such as 8 – 10 inches to gain this level of insulation R 19 value. 

In the basic testing for the fiberglass in the C236 (Guarded Hot Box) test, the K value is .52 per inch, which calculates to an R-value of 1.92. This would take 9.9 inches to make R 19. How can they claim 6-8 inches to be R 19 when the testing does not support this?

In their best hot pipe fiberglass product information from their manual, the K value is 0.23. This would calculate to an R 4.34 per inch. This would mean 4.38 inches would give you an R 19 value. Of course, this is the hot pipe density material, which is not used for construction. This K value of 0.23 is the best they have.

It is understood that all the testing used for batt insulation materials does not have reflection as one of the factors in the numbers. Why, because reflection was never considered in the test establishment because batt materials cannot reflect.

When reflection (one of the main three types of heat gain) is added into the mix to determine insulation effectiveness, SUPER THERM can achieve the R 19 easily.

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For More Information Contact:

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33717 Highway 23, Collins, GA 30421
Tel: 912-684-2283
Tel: 888-507-8762
FAX: 630-604-7984
Internet: info@rustgrip.com

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Last modified:  September 16, 2003