Characterization of the hygric properties of building materials via dynamic methods and inverse modelling.

Moisture transfer in building materials is a major determinant for the durability and sustainability of built structures and for the achievement of a healthy and comfortable indoor environment. To reliable quantify moisture transfer via numerical simulation, the moisture storage and moisture transport properties of building materials are required. Currently, these properties are, however, not defined for the full moisture range. In the mid-saturation range, knowledge on the hygric properties is lacking. In addition, ad- and desorption measurements are commonly merged. Furthermore, the current measurement techniques require weeks till months of experiments. In this project a complete and efficient measurement strategy based on dynamic experiments in combination with inverse modelling will be developed. To this aim, the feasibility of replacing static measurements by innovative dynamic measurements, which demand a shorter experimental time and which are promising measurements to achieve information for the full moisture range and for ad- and desorption, is studied. In order to compile the dynamic measurements, a robust inverse identification algorithm will be developed. The hygric characterization strategy will be validated based on real building materials. To end, the strategy will be optimized on experimental time and cost by selecting the minimum and most efficient experiments, which makes the strategy of huge importance for material developers, future research projects, etc.

Keywords:Hygric properties, Inverse modelling, dynamic methods, Building materials, Moisture transfer, Ad- and desorption

Disciplines:Construction engineering, Earthquake engineering, Geotechnical and environmental engineering, Water engineering, Wind engineering