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Timber Frame Walls with Brick Veneer Cladding: Reliability to Fungal Decay

Boek - Dissertatie

To meet the increasingly stringent energy efficiency requirements, the market share of timber frame houses is steadily growing across Europe. In Belgium, timber frame walls are typically combined with a brick veneer cladding, a cladding type with a high moisture buffer capacity and low cavity ventilation rates, which might lead to an increased risk of moisture related damage inside the wooden construction. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to assess the risk of fungal growth in timber frame walls with brick veneer cladding. Three main parts are considered in this thesis. In Part A, the hygrothermal behaviour of timber frame walls with brick veneer cladding is studied. First, the focus is on cavity ventilation as a moisture control strategy. Based on a field study, the drying potential of cavity ventilation behind brick veneer cladding and its impact on the moisture conditions inside the cavity are investigated. With these data at hand, the common assumptions in numerical models to incorporate cavity ventilation behind a brick veneer cladding are verified. Thereafter, based on a second field study, the hygrothermal behaviour of a timber frame wall with brick veneer cladding and the impact of the vapour diffusion resistance of the wind barrier, as a second moisture control strategy, is investigated. Part B of the thesis focusses on the performance of wood and wood-based building materials regarding fungal growth. Therefore, new test methods are elaborated in order to contribute to a better understanding of the onset and progress of fungal growth. Based on the outcomes of the experimental work, the applicability of current limit state prediction models for timber frame walls is verified. Finally, based on the insights from the first two parts, in Part C a parameter analysis is conducted to come to a general assessment of the risk of fungal growth in timber frame walls with brick veneer cladding.
Jaar van publicatie:2019
Toegankelijkheid:Open