Damage functions for the cold regions and their applications in hygrothermal simulations of different types of building structures

Several damage functions for the relative assessment of severity of environmental loads in cold regions based on the results of hygrothermal simulations are proposed. Considering their supposed use in the weather conditions involving freezing temperatures, the main attention is paid to the frost-induced damage. The designed functions are tested in a series of computational simulations carried out for several building envelopes composed of both contemporary and historical materials. The analyzed structures are exposed to three different weather data sets representing the average, critical and favorable conditions, and their hygrothermal response is utilized for the assessment of the damage functions under investigation. Recommendations for the practical application of the particular functions are given based on their sensitivity to the character of environmental load and the material composition and orientation of the envelope.