Re: [EnergyPlus_Support] material thickness - why not specify as surface prop?

["Michael J. Witte" <mjwitte@xxxxxxxx>]

Thank you for your input, however, I must acknowledge that this is 
not likely to be changed.  

Surfaces reference constructions not materials.  Constructions are a 
collection of materials.  It is true that the input could have been 
structured to specify material thicknesses in the construction 
definition, but it is not clear whether this would be any easier than 
the current method.  For example, the interior material layer in most 
buildings is a given thickness of drywall which is used throught the 
structure.  The same thickness of drywall may appear as part of 
several different constructions (exterior wall, interior wall, 
floor/ceiling, roof), so using the generic material approach in this 
case would require repeating the drywall thickness four times instead 
of just stating it once.  

Also, many of the materials in the pre-defined material dataset are 
referred to by dimensions which are not exact (such as a "2x4" piece 
of lumber which is not a full 2 inches by 4 inches).  It is easier to 
refer to this simple material name rather than remember what the 
actual thickness is every time it is used.


On 21 Jun 2002, at 21:46, sephir01 wrote:

> As a new casual user, please excuse me if I am wrong: 
> 
> Suggestion: instead of specifying material thickness as a subset of 
> the "Material" group, why not specify it as part of each "Surface?" 
> That way we could specify the properties of generic materials 
> (sheetrock, concrete, etc.) and then specify different thicknesses 
> for different surfaces (1/2" or 3/4" plywood for example).
> 
> Thanks for your insight!
> 
> -SEPHIR
> 
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