A new method for determining the water tightness of building facades

Pérez-Bella, J. M. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Domínguez-Hernández, J. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Rodríguez-Soria, B. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Del Coz-Díaz, J. J. ; Cano-Suñén, E. (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: Wind-driven rain and wind pressure are two fundamental climatic parameters affecting the penetration of water through building facades. Water tightness tests attempt to reproduce exposure extremes in order to evaluate the resistance to the passage of water through a facade. However, the exposure conditions for a given return period in a real situation can vary with each location and operating condition. Therefore, standardized test conditions may not be representative of all actual exposure conditions, which prevent a precise evaluation of the facade's performance under operating conditions that differ from test settings. A key challenge for water tightness tests is creating a correlation between standard exposure parameters used in testing and any actual exposure conditions. To address this concern, a new method is proposed that determines the return period associated with the tested exposure for the operating conditions of each facade. The new method is used to assess the adequacy of standardized test exposures (specified by EN 12865:2001 for European localities) on a specific facade at a site in Spain. The method estimates more rigorously the design return period related to water tightness performance of any facade and allows for an improvement of its design using the standardized test results.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1080/09613218.2013.774936

Año: 2013

Publicado en: BUILDING RESEARCH AND INFORMATION 41, 4 (2013), 401-414
ISSN: 0961-3218

Factor impacto JCR: 1.319 (2013)

Categ. JCR: CONSTRUCTION & BUILDING TECHNOLOGY rank: 19 / 58 = 0.328 (2013) - Q2 - T1

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO-FEDER/BIA2012-31609

Tipo y forma: Article (PostPrint)

Área (Departamento): Area Ingeniería Construcción (Dpto. Ingeniería Mecánica)