MOISTURE TRANSPORT ACROSS PERFECT CONTACT INTERFACE OF CERAMIC BLOCKS

摘要

The study of moisture transport in multilayer building materials is relevant in building construction to avoid damage; for example, the drying process plays an important role in the available moisture both inside the material and at its surface. Drying can be defined as the process by which water leaves a porous building material. Understanding and knowledge of the process necessary to predict the performance of those materials in service. This experimental study analyzed the interface influence on the drying and wetting processes of ceramic blocks with perfect contact interface at different interface highs. The results showed an increase in the dry time constant for the materials with perfect contact interface compared to the monolithic materials, and the study found that the farther away from the base the interface is located, the greater is the drying time constant. The interface could significantly retard the moisture transport, i.e., the discontinuity of moisture content across the interface indicated that there was a difference in capillary pressure across the interface. Finally, the hydric resistance (HR) values, in multilayer building components, with perfect contact interface, are calculated using a new methodology proposed. This methodology is based on knee point detection and allows determining more correctly the HR values.