Exterior insulation is not often a practical option for historically protected structures. Interior insulation, however, requires knowledge about the condition of the exterior facade. The goal of the project carried out by the Chemistry Department of the University of Hamburg in cooperation with the Consulting and Expert Firm Dr. Neumann, also of Hamburg, was therefore: the development of non-destructive methods for the determination of capillary water uptake during exposure to water and associated drying behavior, methods which are also appropriate for brick masonry with a large amount of surface, and the application of these methods in a model procedure. For determination of the water uptake in exterior facades, it was decided to use the original round-shaped Franke test plate. An equally simple and standardized measurement procedure for testing the drying behavior was not available, and was thus developed as part of the project. The measurement procedures were combined and used in the model  testing of two brick buildings: first, a strongly absorbent brick material in an elementary school on the island of Norderney, then hard-baked brick with very different qualities in a water tower, also on Norderney. The  combined method which was developed has proven viable in principle. However, the measuring effort  involved in the drying measurement process is not inconsiderable.

Project implementation:
Universität Hamburg, Fachbereich Chemie –
Anorganische und Angewandte Chemie
Prof. Dr. Michael Steiger
www.chemie.uni-hamburg.de/ac/steiger/

Cooperation partner:
Sachverständigenbüro Dr. Neumann
(Dr. Hans-Hermann Neumann, öbuv Sachverständiger für Schadensanalytik von Anstrichen, Mörteln, Putzen und Naturwerkstein)
 

AZ 28751