Taye, Blen;
Viles, Heather;
Orr, Scott Allan;
(2022)
Seasonality in Moisture Dynamics in the Walls of the rock-cut Churches in Lalibela, Ethiopia: Implications for Weathering.
International Journal of Architectural Heritage
10.1080/15583058.2022.2142699.
(In press).
Preview |
Text
Seasonality in Moisture Dynamics in the Walls of the rock cut Churches in Lalibela Ethiopia Implications for Weathering.pdf - Published Version Download (15MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Moisture plays a key role in rock decay in the built and natural environments. Rock-cut sites are particularly vulnerable to moisture-related weathering as they are carved into rock outcrops and do not have impermeable foundations or roofs to retard the flow of moisture. To characterise the moisture dynamics and its influence on weathering of rock-cut sites, we undertook a moisture monitoring campaign using a non-destructive Microwave Moisture Measurement System (MMMS) at two monolithic rock-cut churches in Lalibela, Ethiopia. The results showed that the walls were more saturated at depth than on the surface during the wet season. This suggests that low surface temperature and higher moisture content at depth will lead to constant-rate drying and accumulation of salts on the surface of the walls during the wet season. In the dry season, there was higher saturation near the surface than at depth (falling-rate drying). High rock surface temperature during the dry season contributes to subsurface drying and accumulation of salts below the surface. This seasonally shifting moisture dynamics will lead to a complex and dynamic damage profile. This study highlights the significant wetting facilitated by a lack of impermeable roofs and foundations at rock-cut structures during rainy periods.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Seasonality in Moisture Dynamics in the Walls of the rock-cut Churches in Lalibela, Ethiopia: Implications for Weathering |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1080/15583058.2022.2142699 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1080/15583058.2022.2142699 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2022 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. |
| Keywords: | Constant-rate drying; fallingrate drying; gravimetric calibration; microwave moisture measurement technique; NDT; tropical climate |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > Bartlett School Env, Energy and Resources |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10160728 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
