Investigation of Distressed Composite Walls, U. S. Army Reserve Armory, Greenwood, Mississippi

The distressed condition of the composite walls was characterized by saturated interior wall portions and water ponding on floors. The walls were of composite design involving brick, parged bedding, and concrete masonry units, with gypsum board as a final interior covering in certain areas. Two composite and two cavity wall models were built on concrete pedestals which represented floor slabs. The models were subjected to static heads of water and water spray applications simulating rain to determine the effectiveness of each type of wall to resist water movement through the wall from the exterior to the interior. Volumes of moisture and times of migration were measured and recorded. No water migrated through the composite-wall model during the spray and static head tests. Water migrated through the veneer of the cavity wall into the cavity and drained out through a weep hole. Based on these tests, properly constructed composite walls should effectively protect against intrusion of rain. (Author)