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Influence of cracks on moisture conditions in façades with water-repellent treatments

På svenska

Author

  • Kenneth Sandin

Summary, in English

A water-repellent treatment normally works well if there are no cracks in the façade. The occurrence of cracks, however, may allow water to penetrate, resulting in significant moisture. How wide a crack may be tolerated is not known. A limit of 0,3 mm is often allowed. To illuminate this question and create a better basis for evaluating an acceptable width for a crack, this paper will present both a theoretical review and laboratory studies. A simple method for testing the effectiveness of the various treatments will be reviewed. Results from laboratory studies indicate that the practical contact angle is less than has usually been assumed. For most treaments this angle was 110 degrees - 120 degrees. In practical terms the acceptable width of a crack will be dependent upon exposure to wind and driving rain as well as wall construction. In areas of heavy wind and rain exposure, 0,1 mm would seem to be the maximum acceptable width for most treatment compounds. In less exposed locations, however, a crack witdh of 0,3mm is often acceptable.

Publishing year

1999

Language

English

Pages

499-521

Publication/Series

International Journal for Restoration

Volume

5

Issue

5

Document type

Journal article

Topic

  • Materials Engineering

Keywords

  • Building
  • Façade
  • Exterior
  • Crack
  • Humidity
  • Insulation
  • Hydrophobization
  • Test
  • Analysis

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0947-4498