The Effect of Expanded Glass and Expanded Clay Aggregate Additives on Water Vapor Diffusion Based on Wet Cup Method in Cementitious Lightweight Mortars for Sustainable Buildings

Year 2025, Volume: 29 Issue: 4, 482 - 497, 31.08.2025

Lütfullah Gündüz , Şevket Onur Kalkan

https://doi.org/10.16984/saufenbilder.1638835

Abstract

Water vapor permeability is the ability of a material to allow vapor (such as water vapor or any gas) to pass through it. Water vapor permeability also indicates the breathability of the material. Water vapor permeability in building materials is an important factor that ensures that moisture formed in the interior of a building section can pass to the outside and that no damage occurs inside due to moisture. Water vapor permeability in cement-based building materials varies as a function of the structural properties of the material, and depends on porosity, aggregate characteristics, density and thermal effects, especially in the matrix structure. It is known that lightweight mortar combinations obtained by using porous aggregates are more prone to water vapor transmission. However, the extent to which the type and general form of the aggregate used in mortar mix designs affect this property requires a detailed examination. In this context, a series of cement-based composite mortar designs were created with samples of expanded glass and expanded clay aggregates with two different characteristic properties and in addition to physical and mechanical analyses, water vapor permeability properties were also comparatively investigated with respect to the control mortar sample. In the mixture designs, 32% of expanded glass-expanded clay aggregates were used as lightweight aggregates. According to the study results, mixtures with expanded glass aggregates exhibited higher water vapor permeability properties than the test samples with expanded clay aggregates. Water vapor diffusion resistance coefficient values varied between 7.68 and 8.85 for the test samples with lightweight aggregates.

Keywords

Expanded Glass , Expanded Clay , Water Vapor , Diffusion , Lightweight Mortar

References

• E. S. Aydın, “Yapılarda su ve nem etkileri,” Uluslararası Hakemli Akademik Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 419-430, 2011.
• M. Eriç, “Yapı fiziği ve malzemesi 2,” Literatür Yayıncılık, 2nd ed., İstanbul, Türkiye, Ekim 2016 - s376.
• H. R. Trechsel, “Moisture control in buildings,” ASTM International, West Conshohocken, USA, 1994.
• L. Domagała, “The effect of lightweight aggregate water absorption on the reduction of water-cement ratio in fresh concrete,” Procedia Engineering, vol. 108, pp. 206-213, 2015.
• S. Roels, J. Carmeliet, H. Hens, O. Adan, H. Brocken, R. Cerny, Z. Pavlik, C. Hall, K. Kumaran, L. Pel, R. Plagge, “Interlaboratory comparison of hygric properties of porous building materials,” Journal of Building Physics, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 307-325, 2004.
• E. Kearsley, Wainwright, P, “Porosity and permeability of foamed concrete, “ Cement and Concrete Research, vol. 31, no. 5, pp. 805-812, 2001.
• M. J. Mosquera, B. Silva, B. Prieto, E. Ruiz-Herrera, “Addition of cement to lime-based mortars: Effect on pore structure and vapor transport,” Cement and Concrete Research, vol. 36, pp. 1635-1642, 2006.
• TS EN 1745, (2020), Masonry and masonry products - Methods for determining thermal properties, Ankara, Turkey, s59.
• TS EN ISO 12572, (2016), Hygrothermal performance of building materials and products - Determination of water vapour transmission properties - Cup method, Ankara, Turkey, p41.
• P. Narloch, W. Piątkiewicz, B. Pietruszka, “The effect of cement addition on water vapour resistance factor of rammed earth,” Materials, vol. 14, no. 9, 2249, 2021.
• L. Soudani, “Modelling and experimental validation of the hygrothermal performances of earth as a building material,” Ph.D. Thesis, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France, 2017.
• J. Pokorný, R. Ševčík, J. Šál, L. Zárybnická, J. Žák, “Lightweight concretes with improved water and water vapor transport for remediation of damp induced buildings,” Materials, vol. 2021, no. 14, 5902, 2021.
• C. Hall, G. J. Lo, A. Hamilton, “Water vapour permeability of inorganic construction materials,” Materials and Structures, vol. 57, no. 2, p. 39, 2024.
• M. Jerman, R. Černý, “Effect of moisture content on heat and moisture transport and storage properties of thermal insulation materials,” Energy and Buildings, vol. 53, pp. 39-46, 2012.
• H. M. Künzel, K. Kiessl, “Calculation of heat and moisture transfer in exposed building components,” International Journal of heat and mass transfer, vol. 40, no. 1, 159-167, 1996.
• R. K. Tuğla, O. E. Örgel, “Determination of thermal properties of autoclaved aerated concrete wall sections constructed with distinct mortars by the experimental and theoretical data,” Fırat Üniversitesi Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 935-944, 2024.
• J. Pourchez, B. Ruot, J. Debayle, E. Pourchez, P. Grosseau, “Some aspects of cellulose ethers influence on water transport and porous structure of cement-based materials,” Cement and Concrete Research, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 242-252, 2010.
• TS EN 998-1, Specification for mortar for masonry - Part 1: Rendering and plastering mortar, Ankara, 2017.
• Tesisat (2016). Buhar Difüzyonu Nedir ? [Online]. Available: https://www.tesisat.org/buhar-difuzyonu-nedir.html#google_vignette, (Erişim Tarihi: 08.02.2025)