Erosive wear of different facade finishing materials

Abstract

Manmade objects such as buildings, statues and other materials made from cement, brick and stone are subject to mechanical weathering. Windblown sand wears down sharp edges, causing loss of style, features and details. Heat and cold cause expansion cracks that permit water to enter, freeze and or expand, causing more damage.The aggressive environment of the North West coast of Egypt, including sea storms, streams sand to impingement the facades of the summer houses and causes severe staining, peeling and damage to the paints and finishes of the exterior. High maintenance cost of such houses may eventually discourage owners to maintain the style and the architectural integrity of the compounds and villages. Architectural designs utilizing appropriate building and finishing materials which resist the wear and erosion, caused by high speed sand and salt laden air carrying sand particles and sea water droplets, are of vital importance to reduce maintenance cost.This paper investigates the wear rates and erosion mechanism for different finishing materials such as plastic paints (Complico), artificial stone tiles, Pharos stones, Calcium Carbonate natural stones, and fired brick tiles. Tests showed considerable wear rates when the facades are oriented about 60 degrees from the local wind directions. The results indicate a superior performance for the fired brick tiles. Other materials may be used on facades with somewhat different orientations ranging between 45 and 70 degrees from the wind direction.