The influence of the bricks and mortar characteristics, paint, and salts on the rising damp of historic masonries through hygrothermal simulation

Rising damp is a complex phenomenon influenced by heat and moisture transfers and building characteristics. Essentially, rising damp is one of the main mechanisms of the degradation of masonry structures. In general, masonries are affected by the humidity presence due to their materials and local construction techniques. In the case of ancient Brazilian constructions, the high porosity of mortars and bricks, waterproofing lack, and the presence of salts can intensify the degradation mechanism. Thus, this paper has as the main aim to assess the influence of several factors on the rising damp in heritage masonry, such as the thickness of the bricks, the thickness and mortar composition, the type of paint, and the presence of salts. Long-term numerical analyses were performed using computational simulation in the WUFI 2D software, taking as reference the materials properties of the Luso-Brazilian of the Nosso Senhor do Bonfim Church, dating from the 18th century, located in Aracati, in the State of Ceará, Brazil. The results showed that the variation of the factors considered in this study directly influences the rising damp, except for the thickness of the mortar. This study contributes to the understanding of the factors that influence the rising damp mechanism while being helpful to support strategies for rising damp treatment on ancient buildings.