- Author
- Zarr, R. R.
- Title
- Testing of Thermal Insulators.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
- NIST SP 958, January 2001,
- Distribution
- AVAILABLE FROM National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Technology Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161. Telephone: 1-800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000; Fax: 703-605-6900; Rush Service (Telephone Orders Only) 800-553-6847; Website: http://www.ntis.gov AVAILABLE FROM Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20401-0003. Telephone: 202-512-1800. Website: http://www.gpo.gov
- Book or Conf
- Century of Excellence in Measurements, Standards, and Technology; A Chronicle of Selected Publications of NBS/NIST, 1901-2000. NIST SP 958, Lide, D. R., Editors, 10-13 p., 2001
- Keywords
- thermal insulators | tests
- Abstract
- At the turn of the 20th century the refrigeration industry in the United States was becoming a commercial reality. Mechanical refrigeration technology had achieved economic viability as a means of producing ice for cooling and was on the threshold of moving into households as an everyday appliance. Advances were underway to provide mechanical "air conditioning" for public buildings, such as, theaters, department stores, and skyscrapers. In general, the early 1900s saw the evolution of a scientific approach to refrigeration through company sponsored research and development. It was the technical progress in the area of cooling and heating for industrial progress and thermal comfort that stimulated the development of thermal insulation standards at NIST. As described in "Measures for Progress: A History of the National Bureau of Standards" Congress, at the request of the refrigeration industry, appropriated funding in 1913 for investigation of physical constants involved in the construction and operation of large-scale refrigeration machinery.