The Effect of Radiant Heat on Polystyrene Thermal Insulation Materials

Abstract

As a result of the increasingly stringent energy requirements of recent years, the issue of façade thermal insulation is gaining more and more prominence. Due to these requirements, layer thickness of insulation increases, or the use of materials with a better coefficient of thermal conductivity is preferred. These requirements are met by polystyrene insulation materials. Therefore, it is extremely important to know as much as possible the behaviour of polystyrene thermal insulation under the influence of fire and radiant heat. Its regulation is not coordinated in Europe, and the effect of radiant heat is not addressed by any country’s standard. In this paper, the behaviour of polystyrene thermal insulations, which are densely used in Hungary is examined, under the influence of radiant heat.