Assessment of temperature and relative humidity conditioning behavior of interior decorative materials in container under ventilation condition

The purpose of this study was to examine how temperature and relative humidity (RH) were affected by wood panels used as interior decorative materials in a container simulation under ventilation conditions. Hourly temperature and RH values were recorded in a residence and cross checked against data of average values from 1974 to 1990 for the Taipei area. Samples of 36 interior finishing materials were attached to one inside surface of a 35-cm3 simulation aluminum container with a controllable ventilation opening (10.5 x 8.5 cm). During the daily experimental period, programmable ventilation was performed from the 5th to 8th hour for exposure to a high humidity. The results revealed that a significantly lower average RH (when compared to a control chamber under the same climate conditions) occurred in the container lined with various wood species and some wood-based materials, while a significantly higher average RH was observed when the container was lined with inorganic materials after ventilation under humid conditions. The hygroscopic nature of the decorative materials could be classified into three types, in accordance with b values (humidity conditioning behavior index). The RH decreased curvilinearly with increasing panel thickness and A/V values (surface area of interior decorative materials attached to container/inside air volume of container), whereas b values increased with increasing panel thickness and A/V values. © SAGE Publications 2008.