Experimental investigation of moisture transfer between concrete foundation and sill plate

Tariku, Fitsum (Fitsum Tariku (Fitsum_Tariku)) (author)
Kwok, Herman (author)
Simpson, Ying (author)
(editor)
(translator)

© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers

Precipitation is one of the most common moisture sources on which building designers focus. Water comes from both top down and bottom up. Although foundations are sometimes constructed out of pressure-treated lumber, generally they are constructed from poured concrete. In a wet climate zone, the foundation of a house is often under continuous contact with moisture, which is mainly caused by rundown rainwater, wet soil, a high water table, or a combination of all these factors. This causes rot growth and decay of the wood-frame structure as it sits constantly on the damp foundation concrete. In this research, moisture transfer between concrete and wood is investigated under three different scenarios: a case with direct wood and concrete contact and two cases with different moisture barriers between the two materials. The moisture barrier materials considered in this study are the damp-proofing layer and sill plate gasket. The moisture transfer processes in these three cases are investigated in a field experimental setting using a customized experimental setup for 1 year. The experimental data suggest that using damp proofing and a sill gasket helps restrict moisture transfer.

https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/%28ASCE%29AE.1943-5568.0000208