Analysis of the moisture content of masonry walls in historical buildings using the basement of a medieval town hall as an example

Abstract

The paper concerns the issue of analysing the moisture content of thick masonry walls in historical buildings. The research methods, including non-destructive methods, which are useful in the assessment of such objects, were first indicated. Then, the exemplary results of tests conducted in the basement of a medieval town hall with the use of some of the previously mentioned methods were presented. Based on the authors' own research, the developed correlative relation between the mass moisture of brick walls in the analysed building and the dimensionless parameter which was measured using the non-destructive dielectric method was also presented. This relation was used to assess the mass moisture of brick walls in this building. It can also be successfully used for non-destructive testing of the moisture content in walls of other buildings dating back to the turn of the XIV/XV century.