Material characterization models and test methods for historic building materials

Predictions of long term hygrothermal performance can be assessed by dynamic hygrothermal simulations, in which material parameters are crucial input. Material parameters for especially historic materials are often unknown; therefore, there is a need to determine important parameters, and simple ways for estimation of these. A case study of a brick wall was used to create and validate a hygrothermal simulation model; a parameter study with five different parameters was performed on this model to determine decisive parameters. Furthermore, a clustering technique has been proposed to estimate decisive parameters through simple testing of interrelated parameters that are easier to determine.