Carll, C.
2000 Proceedings of 2nd annual conference on Durability and Disaster Mitigation in Wood-Frame Housing, Madison, Wisconsin, Nov 6-8, pp. 33-40
Carll, C., (2000), "Rainwater intrusion in light-frame building walls", Proceedings of 2nd annual conference on Durability and Disaster Mitigation in Wood-Frame Housing, Madison, Wisconsin, Nov 6-8, pp. 33-40.
Abstract The design of light-frame buildings to resist damage from rainwater intrusion is an art guided by the knowledge, experience, and opinions of practitioners. Confusion encountered by designers could be reduced by developing a consensus on the terms relating to rainwater management in building walls and by developing an engineering approach to the design of light-frame buildings with respect to preventing leakage-induced damage. Development of an engineering approach will require consensus on 1) means to characterize rain/ wind exposure for design purposes, 2) means to evaluate the leak resistance, moisture tolerance, and moisture dissipation potential of constructions, 3) ways to determine or estimate reasonable limit states, and 4) identification of a desirable level of "robustness" for light-frame buildings with regard to their ability to resist water-induced damage.
"In North America, there is no established methodology for designing light-frame buildings so that they resist damage from rainwater intrusion. Part of this report explores the possibility of developing an established methodology based in the engineering sciences and discusses why such a methodology has not yet been developed. This report also addresses sources of confusion for design professionals, given that the current practice is based on experience, expert opinion, and qualitative jud gment."
