Poster Paper: Assessing building wall system failures

Failure of building wall systems can result from numerous causes. Uncontrolled water penetration, restrained differential movement, deterioration, or other influences can lead to unacceptable function of the building wall. Failure symptoms often include instability or collapse of walls or wall components or unacceptable serviceability, such as water leakage, cracking, or aesthetic problems. Underlying failure causes may be traced to deficiencies in design or construction, or a combination of the two. Clay masonry, natural stone, or other traditional wall materials may fail due to improper original workmanship or neglect of maintenance while in service. Contemporary wall systems with complex combinations of materials or configurations may fail due to material incompatibility or unforeseen loading or structural behavior. This paper will present a variety of wall system failures encountered by the authors and assessment methods used to investigate common failures. Well established investigation tools and techniques, as well as state-of-the art non-destructive testing, will be addressed. Conceptual repair methods for stabilization and repair of failed wall systems will also be included.

Over the past few decades, building walls have evolved from massive masonry building support elements to a much less substantial protective “skin” intended simply to keep the weather out and occupants in. Since these newer walls are usually subject to complex physical interactions with building components, and since there are narrower tolerances and greater performance expectations, the potential for failure is greatly increased.

Recent tools and techniques have been developed to investigate and resolve wall failure causes and to test and evaluate repair options.

• WALL SYSTEM CATEGORIES

• WALL FAILURE CATEGORIES

• WALL FAILURE INVESTIGATION SCOPE

• WALL FAILURE INVESTIGATION METHODOLOGY

• WALL FAILURE INVESTIGATION TOOLS, NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING

• LABORATORY ANALYSES

• REPAIR CONCEPTS

• CONCLUSIONS

• REFERENCES