Cumulative climate-induced fatigue damage in wooden painted surfaces: The case of wooden churches in Sweden

Abstract

Environmental variations of Temperature (T) and Relative Humidity (RH) in air cause a superficial and/or sub-surface deformation (shrinkage/swelling) of organic hygroscopic objects, as for example wood. These environmental variations may be due to the natural variability of climate, to the use of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems and to the presence of people. This contribution focuses on a group of wooden rural churches located in harsh climates in Sweden. The churches, which are still in use for the local communities, are heated during wintertime to reach acceptable indoor comfort levels causing potentially risky T and RH fluctuations for hygroscopic objects. In this framework, the main goal is assessing the risk of fracture on wooden structural elements caused by hygrothermal fluctuations. The method is based on a preliminary approach for reconstructing the climate history experienced by a typical wooden structural element of these churches and that, over time, results in a cyclic fatigue loading, naturally induced by the outdoor climate. Then, the effect of the artificial heating on the indoor microclimate and, therefore, on the reconstructed fatigue curve is assessed. Main outcomes were obtained by using a methodology that is preliminary based on simplifying assumptions, due to a severe lack of knowledge, in literature, about the fatigue behavior of wood. Finally, main considerations on the fatigue behavior of exposed wooden elements are drawn up, namely the estimation of their residual life (or “life-to-damage”), which may support conservators or church managers in better managing the microclimate to reduce the risk of fracture on valuable objects.