Hygrothermal investigation of lightweight steel-framed wall assemblies in hot-humid climates: Measurement and simulation validation

In recent years, lightweight steel-framed (LSF) constructions are considered sustainable and widely used worldwide. However, the LSF wall assemblies have the risk of durability failure in hot-humid climates. This study conducted fundamental research on the hygrothermal performance of LSF wall assemblies by characterizing the hygrothermal responses, modelling and validating the simulation models under hot-humid climatic conditions. Through measuring the relative humidity and temperature of various positions inside, four typical and full-scale LSF wall assemblies were tested thoroughly and comparatively on two room-like test cubes in Guangzhou, a hothumid city in China.