Moisture buffering performance of a new pozolanic ceramic material: Influence of the film layer resistance

One of the variables that have a greater influence on the determination of the moisture buffering capacity of a material to be used as inner surface layer of an enclosure is the value of the vapour resistance of the surface film layer. In this paper, the influence of such a surface resistance on the moisture buffering value (MBV) is studied by means of a small experimental equipment where the tests were developed according to the NordTest protocol, but modifying the air speed over the samples, in order to take in count its influence.The tested material is an autoclaved ceramic made from the shells of the molluscs grown in Brazil, with the aim of using it as indoor surface layer of the enclosures in museums and buildings used to keep archives and documents, and where it is required to control the conditions of the indoor air by means of passive systems based on the moisture buffering capacity of the materials. The theoretical MBV is determined too based on the effusivity of the material which is obtained from its basic hygroscopic characterization.