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Status of NIST Thermal Insulation Reference Materials
Published
Author(s)
Robert R. Zarr
Abstract
The current status of thermal insulation reference materials at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is presented. This paper describes an ongoing thermal insulation measurement program that provides the public with Calibrated Transfer Specimens (CTS) and Standard Reference Materials (SRMs). The main distinction between these two types of reference materials is that a transfer specimen is measured individually in a guarded-hot-plate apparatus. Consequently, the value assignment and uncertainty is based on the individual measurement data for each material specimen. In contrast, a thermal insulation SRM is a batch of homogeneous material. The value assignment and uncertainty are based on the statistical characterization of a homogeneous lot of material as represented by selected samples from the lot. The paper summarizes a brief history of the thermal insulation measurement program and describes both reference materials, their current status, as well as the future outlook of the program