Evaluation of moisture buffering capacity of interior surface materials and furniture in a full-scale experimental investigation

Abstract

Moisture buffering (MB) phenomena exhibited by hygroscopic materials, such as interior finishing or furnishing, can reduce indoor humidity variation, thus improving indoor conditions and save energy consumed by the mechanical system for humidification or dehumidification. In full-scale experiments, the moisture buffering effect for an entire room is typically evaluated by the reduction of indoor relative humidity (RH) variation. In this study, a new approach to quantitatively evaluate the moisture buffering capacity of hygroscopic materials, namely the maximum accumulated moisture buffering value (MAMBV), is developed based on the moisture balance established in a full-scale experimental investigation. This value represents the maximum amount of moisture buffered by the hygroscopic materials. The impact of ventilation rate, moisture generation protocol, and addition of furniture on two types of interior surface materials, i.e. uncoated gypsum board and wood paneling, are evaluated using the MAMBV index.