Methodology for the in situ testing of the moisture content of brick walls: an example of application
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(2020) 20:114
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Methodology for the in situ testing of the moisture content of brick walls: an example of application Anna Hoła1 Received: 21 February 2020 / Revised: 5 September 2020 / Accepted: 15 September 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract The article presents original methodology of testing the moisture content of brick walls in buildings. It was developed on the basis of own experience acquired during testing the moisture content in many excessively wet buildings erected in various historical periods. The tests were conducted using different methods, including non-destructive methods. To emphasize the importance of the problem, an overview of the methodology was preceded by a brief presentation of the causes and negative effects of excessive moisture and salinity in brick walls. In addition, the article is illustrated with an example of the effects of moisture content tests carried out according to the developed methodology on a facility from the fourteenth century. According to the author, knowledge of the presented methodology, and its application, should contribute to both the improvement of the quality of conducted research and the credibility of the obtained results. Keywords Brick walls · Moisture content · Research methodology · Non-destructive methods
1 Introduction A lot of masonry buildings, the preservation of which in good technical condition is in the public interest due to their historical value, as well as some buildings erected relatively recently have excessively damp and saline walls. The universality of the issue is demonstrated by the fact that the subject of numerous publications are case studies of often very valuable historically buildings that are excessively moist and located in various places all around the world [e.g. [1–5]. This problem not only refers to the brick walls of underground, ground floor, and above ground walls, but also often to the vaults above basements. The walls in question may be made of homogeneous material or have a core made of brick debris and lime mortar, which in the latter case means that they are characterized by a very high active porosity [6]. Excessive moisture is a result of the direct and long-term contact of a wall with soil—due to the lack of horizontal and vertical damp-proof insulation, which was previously not made, or in the case of newer buildings was incorrectly * Anna Hoła [email protected] 1
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeze Wyspianskiego 27, 50‑370 Wrocław, Poland
executed. The water contained in the ground, together with the salts dissolved in it, gradually penetrates a wall due to capillary rising, and then moves into its higher parts, causing the wall to be damp and saline. The consequences of this process include, among others, the progressive destruction of plaster, bricks and mortar, the deterioration of the thermal properties of the partition, and therefore the deterioration of the operating conditions in rooms, etc. (Fig. 1). Excessive moisture and salin
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