SEDL / STP / STP385-EB / STP48424S

Moisture Equilibrium and Migration in Building Materials

Sereda, P. J.
Headassistant director, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ont.

Hutcheon, N. B.
Headassistant director, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ont.

Pages: 16    Published: Jan 1965

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Abstract

Factors influencing the moisture content of a variety of building materials in equilibrium with their thermal and moisture environments are discussed. Reference is made to forces, potentials, energies, pore structure, surface area, and hysteresis. The usefulness of the suction concept in dealing with moisture at conditions close to saturation and of the relationship of the suction scale to relative humidity is discussed. The second part of the paper introduces a discussion of moisture migration under isothermal steady-state conditions, and indicates the complications inherent in the nonisothermal case. We refer to some significant work by others in fields where combined heat and moisture flow is of concern.