Find out more
Guarded hot box for thermal analysis of envelopes
Operational since 2017, the guarded hot box at the CSTB tests the walls of building envelopes to assess their thermal performance. Complementing traditional test methods and digital simulation, this equipment enables full-scale tests of large walls, as well as those with complex shapes and composition. It has the advantage of taking into account adaptations according to the system’s installation conditions, which makes it possible to obtain results closer to the real world. A technical seminar organized by the CSTB in May 2017 at the Marne-la-Vallée facility helped 50 industrial companies and consulting firms learn about the uses and characteristics of the guarded hot box. The first tests performed at the request of industrial companies focused on door and window frame profile laminates and reflective or biosourced thermal insulation materials for which traditional test methods are unsuitable. In 2018, the CSTB is planning to launch a test campaign on common construction systems to compare actual measurements with those obtained through digital simulation and to assess more precisely the impact of the use of insulation.
