Experimental Study of Moisture Buffering with Simultaneous Indoor RH and Temperature Variation

Hygroscopic materials have the potential to adsorb and release moisture from the environment; effectively buffering the humidity on an indoor environment. This study explores a method to obtain a moisture buffering value of common building materials by developing experimental methods with conditions closer to reality, as opposed to previous step response of humidity variation. Comparing a sinusoidal response with step-response profile modified from the NORD Test for simultaneous temperature and humidity variation, allowed for the variations to be ranked according to their predicted performance over time. This outcome could potentially aid designers in the practical application of hygroscopic non-structural elements where the consideration of moisture buffering can be included in their design; with a more plausible estimation of how hygroscopic materials would respond to environmental condition variations.