Abstract
The thermal conductivity of many closed-cell foam insulation products changes over time as production gases diffuse out of the cell matrix and atmospheric gases diffuse into the cells. Thin slicing has been shown to be an effective means of accelerating this process in such a way as to produce meaningful results. Recent efforts to produce a more prescriptive version of the ASTM standard test method have led to the initiation of a broad ruggedness test. This test includes the aging of full size insulation specimens for time periods up to five years for later comparison to the predicted results. Experimental parameters under investigation include: slice thickness, slice origin (at the surface or from the core of the slab), thin slice stack composition, product facings, original product thickness, product density, and product type. This paper will cover the structure of the ruggedness test and provide a glimpse of some early trends