Diagnosis of Rising Damp and other Kinds of Moisture in Building Components Using Non-Destructive Techniques

Abstract:

Moisture is one of the most deteriorating factors of building components. Moisture may have different sources: it can result from wind-driven rain infiltrations through cracks in the building envelope, it can be due to rising damp from the ground, it may be caused by surface condensations, etc. To avoid severe degradation, it is very important to detect moisture in an earlier stage, i.e., before significant visible signs occur, and to trace the leak through the building elements. Using non-destructive technics is very important, especially when the building is occupied, as further work is avoid during the assessment. In this work, firstly, it was analysed the applicability of infrared thermography, a non-destructive technique (NDT), to assess moisture in building components. Thermograms were obtained from moist areas, caused by different sources (infiltrations and rising damp), existing in occupied buildings. Simultaneously, a moisture detector was also used in the same areas to evaluate, qualitatively, the moisture content of the components under study. The comparison between the two methods showed a good accordance of the results and proved that infrared thermography it is a very useful NDT to detect moisture in an earlier stage. However, some cautions must be taken into account when analysing the results, as thermography also detects other kind of defects that cause temperature differences in the surface of the component. Secondly, In this work it was analysed the applicability of infrared thermography, a NDT, to assess moisture in building walls caused by rising damp. Laboratory tests were carried out on a full-scale model, consisting on a limestone wall with about 2.00 x 1.80 x 0.20 m3, which was partially immersed in water. Thermograms were taken before the immersion started and during the absorption period of about 3 weeks. Simultaneously, a moisture detector was also used to evaluate qualitatively the moisture content of the wall. The comparison between the two testing methods showed a good agreement in the results and proved that infrared thermography can be very useful to detect moisture caused by rising damp in an earlier stage.

• Periodical: Diffusion Foundations (Volume 10)
• Pages: 120-131
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/DF.10.120
• Online since: June 2017
• Authors: E. Barreira*, João M.P.Q. Delgado
• Keywords: Building Components, Building Diagnosis, Moisture, Non-Destructive Techniques, Rising Damp

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