Assessment of enclosing structure moisture regime using moisture potential theory

Abstract

The paper describes principal development directions of mathematical models of enclosing structure moisture regime. Benefits of mathematical models based on moisture potential theory are demonstrated. Moisture regime calculation by means of moisture potential, taking liquid and vapor moisture transfer into consideration, and using discrete-continual approach is proposed. New formulas for single-layer and multi-layer enclosing structures allowing for numerical analytic determination of moisture potential value in any enclosing structure section, at any moment of time, under continuous control of temperature distribution, have been derived. Moisture distribution has been studied for a number of enclosing structures using different methods of moisture potential theory: unsteady-state method, quasi-stationary method, the proposed discrete-continual method. Moisture regime has been determined for single-layer enclosing structure with ceramic brick basement and lime brick cladding in Moscow. It is shown that the greatest moisture value is achieved in enclosing structure calculation by means of steady-state method. Unsteady-state method gives more accurate moisture distribution. The proposed discrete-continual method gives quantitative and qualitative result of moisture distribution similar to results obtained by unsteady-state method. The benefit of discrete-continual method is a distribution obtained analytically, which allows to use solution results without numerical method application.