Hygrothermal Simulation Applied to Degradation Modeling of Ceramic Facades
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 37, Issue 1
Abstract
Facades are exposed daily to the incidence of degradation agents such as driving rain and solar radiation. Degradation mechanisms that alter the chemical or physical structure of the material are affected according to the level of incidence of such agents, thus leading to the rise of anomalies such as ceramic tile detachment and cracks. Currently, computer simulations are used to model the action of the climate agents, however, it is not always possible to estimate all agents and factors influencing the degradation process. The combined analysis of the results of the hygrothermal simulation and the degradation indicators of the ceramic facades allows a better understanding of the degradation process and mechanisms. The objective of this research is to simulate the degradation caused by the main climate agents and obtain a statistical model able to describe degradation in ceramic facades. The degradation measurement method (DMM) quantifies the degradation of facades as a function of the affected area. The degradation trend is expressed by indicators that consider the severity of different anomalies according to the affected area. The multiple linear regression model age-weighted indicated the total radiation and thermal stress and humidifying and drying cycles as the most representative variables in degradation modeling. Ceramic facades show slight degradation up to 17 years old, and the end of service life after 25 years. From 45 years of age onwards, facades tend to be in a state of severe degradation, impairing the building performance and safety of users.
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Data Availability Statement
The database used during the study were provided by of the University of Brasília. Direct requests for these materials were made to the provider as indicated in the Acknowledgements. All other data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the submitted article.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to the PECC (Postgraduate program in structures and civil construction)- University of Brasília, and the (Degradation: Measurement and Modelling) which allowed the use of the database in this research. This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001, by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), and by Academic Dean Graduate Studies (DPG) of the University of Brasilia (UnB).
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 37 • Issue 1 • February 2023
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 8, 2022
Accepted: Oct 10, 2022
Published online: Dec 15, 2022
Published in print: Feb 1, 2023
Discussion open until: May 15, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Aging (material)
- Building design
- Building facades
- Building materials
- Ceramics
- Chemical degradation
- Chemical processes
- Chemistry
- Climates
- Computer models
- Design (by type)
- Deterioration
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering materials (by type)
- Engineering mechanics
- Environmental engineering
- Materials characterization
- Materials engineering
- Models (by type)
- Simulation models
- Thermal analysis
- Thermodynamics
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