Abstract
For a better understanding of the behaviour of old brick masonry in facing the rising damp problem, multiple tests were made in the laboratory: water absorption, moisture content, apparent porosity, temperature and thermal camera imaging on brick masonry and its components: brick and mortar. This has allowed us to determine which of the previous tests is the best in predicting the behaviour of a real wall. In addition, the tests have also helped in defining a process to evaluate the moisture content of walls in a buildings, which is important for heritage restoration projects.
Highlights
With the microscope MOTIC SM2-168 500 × magnification and 2300 MOTICAM camera photographs have been made of the two blocks in which it can be seen that in the brick tiles the pores are larger than the modern brick (Figure 2)
- It has been shown that tests on bricks made according to the standard “UNE-EN 15801 Conservation of cultural property - Test methods - Determination of water absorption by capillarity” can obtain information representing the behavior of the brick walls against the rise of capillary water
- The tests on materials according to UNE EN 15801, UNE EN 772-11 and tests done using moisture probes for the process of capillary rise of water in walls indicate that the modern brick absorbs more water than the brick tile and mortar at the end of the process, but water absorption in brick tiles is faster at the beginning
Summary
The research on the behavior of old brick masonry against capillary rise of moisture, brings about the need to know the exact behavior of each components that make up these walls: ceramic bricks and air-entrained hydrated lime mortar. More recently Peixoto (4) notes that due to the complexity of the problem it is extremely difficult to present scientific explanations for various forms of capillary rise and together with theoretical studies that he carried out with various tests mainly on stone walls with different concrete facing reached a conclusion on the absorption process and drying process of the masonry He establishes the factors that influence rising damp: environmental weather conditions, sunlight, presence of sulfates, porosity and porometry of the material, wall thickness and facing material, and he defines a technique for when intervening in the rehabilitation of historic buildings which is already used in various restoration work. Another objective is to find a procedure that allows to assess the moisture content and the process of capillary rise of water in old brick walls by conducting tests of the individual materials of the walls and measurements “on site” of the temperature and humidity, with probes and thermal imaging camera; all as previous steps to the decision-making in a restoration project
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