Sensitivity Analysis of Traditional Solid Masonry Wall to Frost Damage in North China

Abstract

Abstract The historic façades are significant to building heritage, but they are also extremely vulnerable to changing environmental conditions. Water is well studied as the primary agent that causes the deterioration of porous materials, but the impact of variations in moisture storage, moisture transport, and thermal properties of the materials in solid masonry wall construction remains uncertain and requires quantitative analysis. Sensitivity analysis of solid wall construction can be beneficial in understanding the correlation between material properties and risk in proposing rational preservation strategies. This paper aims to investigate the predominant parameters for frost damage criteria in traditional Chinese masonry construction in North China. Under typical outdoor climate conditions in North China and a constant indoor climate, a 2D Heat, Air Moisture (HAM) model is applied to 240mm and 370 mm thick walls. The sensitivity analysis is quantified with three frost-related criteria. The hygrothermal simulation validates that the main dominant factor varies with different criteria and that the properties of adjacent materials dominate the frost damage risk at certain locations. The results could contribute to the expansion of the international material database and the conservation of masonry heritage from the risk of the freeze-thaw cycle.