Effects of different adhesions and solar radiation shieldings on surface temperature sensors measurements for low-budget applications

In the field of architectural engineering, it is often needed to perform building envelope monitoring campaign which may also involve reading temperatures of external surfaces, possibly exposed to solar radiation. Also, it is often necessary to develop cheap setups due to budget issues. Therefore, small size low-cost temperature probes are usually preferred. The present study aims to better investigate low-cost temperature sensors response and transient behaviour for surface temperature measuring by using different types of adhesion and/or gluing and different means of shielding against solar (IR) radiation, among those suitable to be used in building thermal monitoring considering issues like quick installation, low profile, etc. In this respect, two different tests were performed using DS18B20, common digital IC thermometers, to read the surface temperature of a 0.5 mm aluminium-magnesium alloy sheet heated up by IR emitters. For what concerns contact thermal effectiveness, results show that the epoxy resin is the adhesion type that performs best, likely due to a better thermal conductivity and an optimum bonding between the sensor and the support compared to alternative glues. The second test case showed a strong influence of the surface emissivity in the temperature results. Based on the evidences collected, the best option results to be providing probes with shields that have emissivity similar to the surface of the material tested.