Differentiation of the evolutive behavior of facades degradation in ceramic cladding

• Published in: Construction & building materials Vol. 489; p. 142317
• Main Authors: Rocha de Souza, Ana Luiza, Bauer, Elton
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 29.08.2025
• Subjects: Anomalies; Ceramic cladding; Degradation; Facades; Service life; Velocity of degradation; Degradation; Velocity of degradation; Service life; Facades; Ceramic cladding; Anomalies
• ISSN: 0950-0618
• DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2025.142317

The facades have important functions in a building that go beyond aesthetics, such as ensuring performance and durability. Directly influenced by the incidence of agents, the process of facade degradation occurs in an evolutionary way being able to cause a reduction in service life, emergence and evolution of anomalies, and performance drop. Being influenced by the action of mechanisms, degradation in the systems that make up the facade depends on the degree of exposure to agents, and how the degradation mechanisms act in different conditions and typologies of materials. It is also influenced by local conditions of exposure of the building, such as orientation, age, and characteristics inherent to the constitution of the material itself. Given the importance of the subject and the need for more detailed and accurate information on the degradation process, this research aims to evaluate how the degradation behaves with the evolution of time in ceramic cladding facades, being attentive to the occurrences that make the process distinct and heterogeneous in its various phases. Data is obtained through inspection of facades, which are divided into samples. The quantification of samples is done through the DMM, Degradation Measurement Method, and its main degradation indicator is the General Degradation Factor (FGD). The degradation differentiation is monitored in samples of facades with ceramic cladding in Brasilia, by dividing into 12 ranges based on the FGD values of the analyzed samples. The sample classified in the 12 degradation ranges includes differentiation in age, orientation, degree of exposure, and velocity of degradation, which are the main variables when studying the degradation of elements and facade systems. When the degradation is quantified using indicators adopted in the study, it is possible to observe different behaviors showing that the evolution of the degradation is not a homogeneous and uniform occurrence. The study identifies that, influenced by several factors and variables, degradation results in distinct phases that can be understood by analyzing age, orientation, degree of exposure, velocity, and anomalies. In more advanced stages of degradation, it is common for several anomalies to manifest themselves because of interaction and synergy between agents and mechanisms. There is a clear differentiation in the degradation process over time when variables such as the agents and mechanisms involved, age, degree of exposure, and velocity of degradation are analyzed. The agents act more intensively activating degradation mechanisms the higher the exposure degree of the sample. With the high degradation, in addition to a greater number of anomalies, the damage to the elements is more severe and difficult to repair. It is observed that there is greater criticality of degradation due to the exposure conditions, there are noticeable differences in behavior between the orientations North, South, East, and West. The detailed view of the degradation process in ceramic cladding facades allows more assertive maintenance and repair actions, which can result in increased service life and guarantee its functionality. •Degradation is not constant throughout the servicelife and its behavior can be divided into initiation, propagation and acceleration phases.•The degradation velocity rate has valuable application because it allows for more accurate studies and an association with the service life limit.•Degradation behavior differs depending on variables other than age, such as exposure and degradation velocity rate.•In advanced stages of degradation there is an increase and synergy between anomalies, enhancing the degradation process.