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The R-value is the building industry term [3] for thermal resistance "per unit area." [4] It is sometimes denoted RSI-value if the SI units are used. [5] An R-value can be given for a material (e.g., for polyethylene foam), or for an assembly of materials (e.g., a wall or a window). In the case of materials, it is often expressed in terms of R ...
The Rankine scale is used in engineering systems where heat computations are done using degrees Fahrenheit. [3] The symbol for degrees Rankine is °R [2] (or °Ra if necessary to distinguish it from the Rømer and Réaumur scales). By analogy with the SI unit kelvin, some authors term the unit Rankine, omitting the degree symbol. [4] [5]
The effectiveness of bulk insulation is commonly evaluated by its R-value, of which there are two – metric (SI) (with unit K⋅W −1 ⋅m 2) and US customary (with unit °F⋅ft 2 ⋅h/BTU), the former being 0.176 times the latter numerically, or the reciprocal quantity the thermal conductivity or U-value W⋅K −1 ⋅m −2.
The construction industry makes use of measures such as the R-value (resistance) and the U-value (transmittance or conductance). Although related to the thermal conductivity of a material used in an insulation product or assembly, R- and U-values are measured per unit area, and depend on the specified thickness of the product or assembly. [note 2]
The SI unit of absolute thermal resistance is kelvins per watt (K/W) or the equivalent degrees Celsius per watt (°C/W) – the two are the same since the intervals are equal: ΔT = 1 K = 1 °C. The thermal resistance of materials is of great interest to electronic engineers because most electrical components generate heat and need to be cooled.
Although the concept of U-value (or U-factor) is universal, U-values can be expressed in different units. In most countries, U-value is expressed in SI units, as watts per square metre-kelvin: W/(m 2 ⋅K) In the United States, U-value is expressed as British thermal units (Btu) per hour-square feet-degrees Fahrenheit: Btu/(h⋅ft 2 ⋅°F)
Architects and engineers call the resulting values either the U-Value or the R-Value of a construction assembly like a wall. Each type of value (R or U) are related as the inverse of each other such that R-Value = 1/U-Value and both are more fully understood through the concept of an overall heat transfer coefficient described in lower section ...
R-value (soils) in geotechnical engineering, the stability of soils and aggregates for pavement construction; R-factor (crystallography), a measure of the agreement between the crystallographic model and the diffraction data; R 0 or R number, the basic reproduction number in epidemiology; In computer science, a pure value which cannot be ...