Performance analysis of gravity chemical blockers in the treatment of rising damp in masonry walls

R. Malaquias, G. Bruschi, D. Brisotto
2021 CONGRESO LATINO-AMERICANO DE PATOLOGÍA DE CONSTRUCCIÓN   unpublished
The presence of moisture in buildings is a trigger for several pathological manifestations. Among these, the rising damp, caused by the moisture of the soil, that ascends on walls due to the poor execution or lack of watertight barriers and by the characteristics of the utilized materials, constitutes one of the main causes of the degradation of the constructions, especially the oldest ones. Among the various treatment approaches, the use of chemical barriers has been shown to be more effective
more » ... compared to older techniques, as well as having inferior aesthetic impact on the building and being more versatile during execution. The objective of this work is the performance analysis of the rising damp treatment in walls, through the use of chemical blockers (i.e. crystallizing and water repellant) available in the Brazilian market, with the introduction by gravity. As there are no standardized tests for such a study, experiments conducted by other researchers were used as a reference. The evaluation of the rising damp was achieved by the calculation of the water absorption rate in the specimens, allied with the images obtained by the thermographic camera. From the results, it was concluded that the treatment did not completely reduce the pathology in the walls, but both products performed well and managed to reduce the water absorption rate considerably.
doi:10.4322/conpat2021.597 fatcat:wpeaby6xvfhlfcs6pcu5wduase