-
Essay / An assessment of dampness in masonry walls of old buildings and methods of repair
Rising damp in masonry walls causes serious problems for buildings, especially historic buildings. The upward movement of water by capillary action is called rising humidity. This is one of the major problems affecting historic structures all over the world. This creates a problem for the structural stability as well as the aesthetics of the building. Aesthetic deterioration and structural damage to the exterior part of the building constitute serious problems due to rising damp. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Moisture penetration into the walls of old buildings that are in direct contact with the ground leads to migration of soluble salts responsible for many problems in the building. Even though the field of construction and research has developed enormously in recent decades, we still lack suitable solutions against rising damp. A lot of research has been carried out in recent years and found solutions, but their solutions do not seem to be effective, especially in the case of old historical buildings where renovations need to be carried out in a special and more careful way. These techniques are not effective when dealing with walls of considerable thickness and heterogeneous materials. The scarcity of effective and appropriate rectification measures creates the need for an effective and efficient technique. In this article, we discuss the research and experiments carried out in the past and the effectiveness of the techniques they proposed. We believe that many of the techniques currently used to minimize rising damp are not effective. It is therefore essential to find a better solution. A better solution must be proposed. Increasing moisture in masonry walls causes frustrating problems for older buildings, especially historic buildings. The upward movement of moisture through walls by capillary action is called rising damp. The rise of soluble salts due to humidity can cause numerous pathologies. Aesthetic degradation and structural damage to the exterior of buildings are serious consequences due to this problem. This creates an unpleasant environment for the people living there. Rising damp is a serious problem, particularly in historic buildings. Even though the construction field has grown tremendously over the past decades, this problem still remains present in newly constructed buildings. It is therefore necessary to have an appropriate method for rectifying rising damp. Dampness in buildings can be due to various causes such as infiltration from roofs, leaking pipes, condensation and capillary rise from the ground, flooding and poor drainage. Rising damp is one of the most widespread phenomena responsible for the presence of humidity in buildings. This is one of the persistent problems that requires a lot of effort and financial resources to resolve. Removing rising damp in historically significant buildings and ancient structures is extremely difficult and undeniably a daunting task due to historic building restrictions, masonry characteristics and aesthetic constraints. Eliminating rising damp from historic buildings still remains a difficult task and the authorities concerned with this