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Novel water penetration criterion for clay brick masonry claddings

Kahangi Shahreza, Seyedmohammad LU ; Niklewski, Jonas LU and Molnár, Miklós LU (2022) In Construction and Building Materials 353.
Abstract

Despite the impact of water penetration on the performance of building envelopes, no general agreement is available on implementing water penetration due to wind-driven rain (WDR) in hygrothermal and moisture safety analyses. This study proposes a novel criterion for water penetration in clay brick masonry that depends on the water content level of masonry. An experimental campaign investigating water penetration in clay brick masonry exposed to uniform water spray is conducted on masonry triplets prepared from bricks with different water absorption properties and three mortar joint profiles. During each test, water absorption and water penetration are registered continuously. The results show that no water penetration occurs unless the... (More)

Despite the impact of water penetration on the performance of building envelopes, no general agreement is available on implementing water penetration due to wind-driven rain (WDR) in hygrothermal and moisture safety analyses. This study proposes a novel criterion for water penetration in clay brick masonry that depends on the water content level of masonry. An experimental campaign investigating water penetration in clay brick masonry exposed to uniform water spray is conducted on masonry triplets prepared from bricks with different water absorption properties and three mortar joint profiles. During each test, water absorption and water penetration are registered continuously. The results show that no water penetration occurs unless the water content of the specimens is above 90% of their saturation capacity. The saturation level at which penetration starts is consistent across all joint profiles and brick types. Accordingly, exposure to driving rain at levels below the threshold may not lead to water penetration. The utility and implications of the proposed criterion are briefly demonstrated by analyzing water content and water penetration in a clay brick masonry façade. The resulting water penetration is compared with the results obtained using a commonly accepted reference model that assumes one percent of all wind-driven rain deposited on the façade to penetrate the clay brick cladding. By linking water penetration in clay brick masonry to the water content, the proposed criterion is an attempt to logically explain a phenomenon of high scientific and practical relevance for moisture analyses of a frequently used type of building envelope.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Brick absorption properties, Clay brick masonry, Damp patches, Mortar joint profile, Water absorption, Water penetration
in
Construction and Building Materials
volume
353
article number
129109
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85138046237
ISSN
0950-0618
DOI
10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.129109
project
Rational and Relevant Repointing of Clay Brick Facades - Technology, Conservation, and Economics
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s)
id
7358340c-1a2f-45cb-b1e7-5deaaffdd836
date added to LUP
2022-10-13 20:21:10
date last changed
2024-04-19 11:12:32
@article{7358340c-1a2f-45cb-b1e7-5deaaffdd836,
  abstract     = {{<p>Despite the impact of water penetration on the performance of building envelopes, no general agreement is available on implementing water penetration due to wind-driven rain (WDR) in hygrothermal and moisture safety analyses. This study proposes a novel criterion for water penetration in clay brick masonry that depends on the water content level of masonry. An experimental campaign investigating water penetration in clay brick masonry exposed to uniform water spray is conducted on masonry triplets prepared from bricks with different water absorption properties and three mortar joint profiles. During each test, water absorption and water penetration are registered continuously. The results show that no water penetration occurs unless the water content of the specimens is above 90% of their saturation capacity. The saturation level at which penetration starts is consistent across all joint profiles and brick types. Accordingly, exposure to driving rain at levels below the threshold may not lead to water penetration. The utility and implications of the proposed criterion are briefly demonstrated by analyzing water content and water penetration in a clay brick masonry façade. The resulting water penetration is compared with the results obtained using a commonly accepted reference model that assumes one percent of all wind-driven rain deposited on the façade to penetrate the clay brick cladding. By linking water penetration in clay brick masonry to the water content, the proposed criterion is an attempt to logically explain a phenomenon of high scientific and practical relevance for moisture analyses of a frequently used type of building envelope.</p>}},
  author       = {{Kahangi Shahreza, Seyedmohammad and Niklewski, Jonas and Molnár, Miklós}},
  issn         = {{0950-0618}},
  keywords     = {{Brick absorption properties; Clay brick masonry; Damp patches; Mortar joint profile; Water absorption; Water penetration}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Construction and Building Materials}},
  title        = {{Novel water penetration criterion for clay brick masonry claddings}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.129109}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.129109}},
  volume       = {{353}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}