ASTM_E_1677_-_11.pdf

Designation:E167711Standard Specification forAir Barrier(AB)Material or System for Low-Rise FramedBuilding Walls1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E1677;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This specification covers minimum performances andspecification criteria for an air barrier(AB)material or systemfor framed walls of low-rise buildings.The intended users arepurchasers of the AB,specifiers of the AB and regulatorygroups.The provisions contained in this specification areintended to allow the user to design the wall performancecriteria and increase AB specifications to accommodate aparticular climate location,function,or design of the intendedbuilding.Air barrier performance and specification minimumswere selected with the service life of the building wall in mind.1.2 This specification focuses on ABs for opaque walls.Other areas of the exterior envelope,such as roofs,floors,andinterfaces between these areas are not included in this specifi-cation.1.3 This specification does not address air leakage into thewall cavity,that is,windwashing.No standardized test hasbeen developed that adequately identifies all of the influencingfactors and measures the impact of this effect on the wallsthermal performance.1.4 The specifications in this standard are not intended to beutilized for energy load calculations and are not based on anexpected level of energy consumption.1.5 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regardedas standard.The values given in parentheses are mathematicalconversions to SI units that are provided for information onlyand are not considered standard.1.6 The following safety hazards caveat pertains only to thetest method portion,Annex A1,of this specification.Thisstandard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is the responsibility of the userof this standard to establish appropriate safety and healthpractices and determine the applicability of regulatory limita-tions prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2C755 Practice for Selection of Water Vapor Retarders forThermal InsulationE96/E96M Test Methods for Water Vapor Transmission ofMaterialsE241 Guide for Limiting Water-Induced Damage to Build-ingsE283 Test Method for Determining Rate of Air LeakageThrough Exterior Windows,Curtain Walls,and DoorsUnder Specified Pressure Differences Across the Speci-menE330 Test Method for Structural Performance of ExteriorWindows,Doors,Skylights and Curtain Walls by UniformStatic Air Pressure DifferenceE331 Test Method for Water Penetration of ExteriorWindows,Skylights,Doors,and Curtain Walls by Uni-form Static Air Pressure DifferenceE631 Terminology of Building ConstructionsE1424 Test Method for Determining the Rate ofAir LeakageThrough Exterior Windows,Curtain Walls,and DoorsUnder Specified Pressure and Temperature DifferencesAcross the Specimen2.2 ASHRAE Standards:3ASHRAE 62 Acceptable Indoor Air Quality2.3 ASCE Standards:4ASCE 7-88 1990,Minimum Design Loads for Buildings andOther Structure,Fig.1,Basic Wind Speed(mph)2.4 CSA Standards:5Air Barrier System For Walls of Low-Rise BuildingsPerformance and Assessment1This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E06 onPerformance of Buildings and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E06.41on Air Leakage and Ventilation Performance.Current edition approved Sept.1,2011.Published September 2011.Originallyapproved in 1995.Last previous edition approved in 2005 as E1677 05.DOI:10.1520/E1677-11.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3Available from American Society of Heating,Refrigerating,and Air-Conditioning Engineers,Inc.(ASHRAE),1791 Tullie Circle,NE,Atlanta,GA30329,http:/www.ashrae.org.4Available from American Society of Civil Engineers(ASCE),1801 AlexanderBell Dr.,Reston,VA 20191,http:/www.asce.org.5Available from Canadian Standards Association(CSA),5060 Spectrum Way,Mississauga,ON L4W 5N6,Canada,http:/www.csa.ca.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 3.Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 For definitions of general terms related to buildingconstruction used in this specification,refer to TerminologyE631.3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:3.2.1 air exfiltrationair leakage out of the building drivenby negative pressure.3.2.1.1 negative pressureair pressure on the outdoor sideof a building envelope lower than on the indoor side.3.2.2 air infiltrationair leakage into the building driven bypositive pressure.3.2.2.1 positi