Author(s)

A. J. Klemm, P. Klemm & I. Ibrahim

Abstract

This paper presents part of a larger study on water vapour condensation processes on solid surfaces. The strong relationship between the rapid growth of water vapour condensate and the roughness of the surface was the inspiration to undertake this study. A clear need was perceived to address the problem of assessment of the surface properties, selection of parameters for the analysis and the most appropriate experimental methods. An attempt was made here to review the existing methods of analysis of the geometrical microstructure of surfaces. The paper presents experimental results obtained for glass surfaces. Keywords: cementitious materials, measurements of surface roughness, condensation process. 1 Introduction Moisture performance within buildings and their components is a research area of growing international importance due to the devastating effects which moisture can inflict on building envelopes. Interstitial condensation, high moisture contents and the consequent accumulation of water within a structure can cause a dramatic deterioration in the performance and integrity of building materials [1]. The external surfaces of engineering structures often have lower temperatures than the surrounding environment and in the case of occurrence of high relative humidity of air they are often subjected to water vapour condensation and consequently wetting. Both processes – water vapour condensation and water sorption – are very complex and depend on a number of

Keywords

cementitious materials, measurements of surface roughness, condensation process.