PREVENTIVE WATERPROOFING SYSTEM FOR SHALLOW FOUNDATIONS AND GROUND FLOORS USING INTEGRAL CRYSTALLIZING CONCRETE, A SOIL-CONCRETE SEPARATION BARRIER, AND INTERFACE CONTROL
Rising damp in single-story buildings is one of the most common pathological issues in small and medium-sized residential and commercial construction projects, particularly in ground-floor walls, baseboards, subfloors, floors, and interior finishes. Although it is often perceived as a finishing issue, its origin is usually related to the interaction between soil, foundation, concrete, masonry, floors, drainage, and the quality of construction. In many cases, the failure does not stem exclusively from the absence of a waterproofing product, but from the lack of a systematic moisture control strategy from the earliest stages of construction. This article presents a technical proposal for a preventive system applied to foundation beams, raft foundations, and floor slabs on ground, utilizing a combination of concrete with integral crystallizing admixture, a separation barrier between soil and concrete, curing control, treatment of critical interfaces, a horizontal barrier beneath masonry, and drainage where necessary. The central hypothesis is that the performance of concrete with integral crystallizing agents can be enhanced when the concrete-soil interface is treated as a critical performance zone, preventing initial water loss to the subgrade, contamination by soil particles, localized increases in porosity, and preferential moisture pathways. The proposal is based on principles recognized in the technical literature, including permeability reduction through crystallizing admixtures, the influence of the water-to-cement ratio, the importance of curing, the use of vapor barriers in slabs on ground, and the need for compatibility between waterproofing, drainage, and construction. It also presents a report on practical application in residential, commercial, and sports facilities, with post-delivery monitoring of up to five years and no relevant complaints of leaks related to the implemented system.
PREVENTIVE WATERPROOFING SYSTEM FOR SHALLOW FOUNDATIONS AND GROUND FLOORS USING INTEGRAL CRYSTALLIZING CONCRETE, A SOIL-CONCRETE SEPARATION BARRIER, AND INTERFACE CONTROL
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.1317662604069
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Palavras-chave: waterproofing; foundations; rising damp; integral crystallizer; raft foundation; footing beam; vapor barrier; concrete; durability.
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Keywords: waterproofing; foundations; rising damp; integral crystallizer; raft foundation; footing beam; vapor barrier; concrete; durability.
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Abstract:
Rising damp in single-story buildings is one of the most common pathological issues in small and medium-sized residential and commercial construction projects, particularly in ground-floor walls, baseboards, subfloors, floors, and interior finishes. Although it is often perceived as a finishing issue, its origin is usually related to the interaction between soil, foundation, concrete, masonry, floors, drainage, and the quality of construction. In many cases, the failure does not stem exclusively from the absence of a waterproofing product, but from the lack of a systematic moisture control strategy from the earliest stages of construction. This article presents a technical proposal for a preventive system applied to foundation beams, raft foundations, and floor slabs on ground, utilizing a combination of concrete with integral crystallizing admixture, a separation barrier between soil and concrete, curing control, treatment of critical interfaces, a horizontal barrier beneath masonry, and drainage where necessary. The central hypothesis is that the performance of concrete with integral crystallizing agents can be enhanced when the concrete-soil interface is treated as a critical performance zone, preventing initial water loss to the subgrade, contamination by soil particles, localized increases in porosity, and preferential moisture pathways. The proposal is based on principles recognized in the technical literature, including permeability reduction through crystallizing admixtures, the influence of the water-to-cement ratio, the importance of curing, the use of vapor barriers in slabs on ground, and the need for compatibility between waterproofing, drainage, and construction. It also presents a report on practical application in residential, commercial, and sports facilities, with post-delivery monitoring of up to five years and no relevant complaints of leaks related to the implemented system.
- Fernando Nunes Camilo
