Rehabilitation of Concrete Walls Using Additional Thermal Insulation ✓ Most Recent

Exterior walls of concrete buildings frequently exhibit surface deterioration due to corroding reinforcement. The usual method of concrete repair of these walls is expensive, and the results may be less than perfect. Diffusion calculations demonstrate that it is possible to dry the exterior walls of concrete buildings in a Central European climate by attaching additional thermal insulation to the outside of these walls. Laboratory and field tests confirm that it is possible to actually arrest the rebar corrosion.

Calculations using the WUFI-IBP/ORNL hygrothermal computer model show that exterior walls of concrete buildings will dry by means of additional thermal insulation in some North American climates too. This method makes it possible to arrest the rebar corrosion without the usual concrete repair and, at the same time, save heating or cooling energy.