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The weathering and performance of building materials
Build. Sci. Vol. 6, p. 161. Pergamon Press 1971. Printed in Great Britain.
BOOK REVIEW
The Weathering and Performance of Building Materials J O H N W. SIMPSON and PETER J. H O R R O B I N (Editors) 286 and ix pp., £3.75, Medical and Technical Publishing Co. Ltd., Aylesbury, 1970
weathering characteristics but in Chapter 4, Gavin S. Hall suggests that if the correct timber protective coating system is used few problems will arise. Chapter 5, on Metals, by W. D. Hoff, restates the basic mechanisms of metallic corrosion and discusses the use of aluminium, zinc, copper, lead, plain steel and stainless steel in the exposed surfaces of buildings, emphasising their reactions to atmospheric exposure. The final chapter on Plastics, by Kenneth A. Scott, deals, in separate sections, with five of the common groups of plastics. The importance of a compatible choice of reinforcement, resin and fabrication technique is mentioned for glass-fibre reinforced polyester resin products and the use of polymer films is discussed as a protective coating to other plastics which have poor exposure resistance and to other more conventional constructional materials. At the end of each section a number of case studies is included and an observation is made on the very little data available on the performance of plastics in temperate climates over periods significant to the building industry. Finally, a great deal of interesting information is contained in this book and it could be regarded as a contribution towards a better understanding of the visual and functional decay of the built environment.
T H E P E R F O R M A N C E of building materials in use is becoming an increasingly important aspect of constructional design as more interest is shown in the use of performance specifications in the precontract phase of building production. The long term decay characteristics of present day materials are being accepted as important design factors which contribute to the aesthetic qualities of a building and to the costs involved in maintenance work required to retain the functional performance of the building. In this book the editors have presented a collection of papers which describe the use of materials in the external surfaces of buildings with a special emphasis on their degradation characteristics. Chapter 1, by Brian Atkinson, considers the interaction of weather and the whole building, pointing out many areas where little definitive knowledge exists especially on the real relationship of the causal factors and the decay of constructional materials. A chapter on Concrete, by J. Gilchrist Wilson, gives a lengthy description of concrete surface finishes, including a number of design details and a specification for appropriate concretes. A general conclusion may be: smooth concrete weathers badly--rough (high relief) concrete weathers well. Brickwork is an old, friendly material which is maltreated too often. Chapter 3, by H. W. H. West, discusses many of the all too common defects in brickwork and gives suggestions for improving the quality of brickwork. The use of timber as an external surface material may have been retarded because of its unpredictable
E.W. MARCHANT
Dept. of Civil Engineering and Building Science, Kings Buildings, Mayfield Rd., Edinburgh, 9.
161
BOOK REVIEW
The Weathering and Performance of Building Materials J O H N W. SIMPSON and PETER J. H O R R O B I N (Editors) 286 and ix pp., £3.75, Medical and Technical Publishing Co. Ltd., Aylesbury, 1970
weathering characteristics but in Chapter 4, Gavin S. Hall suggests that if the correct timber protective coating system is used few problems will arise. Chapter 5, on Metals, by W. D. Hoff, restates the basic mechanisms of metallic corrosion and discusses the use of aluminium, zinc, copper, lead, plain steel and stainless steel in the exposed surfaces of buildings, emphasising their reactions to atmospheric exposure. The final chapter on Plastics, by Kenneth A. Scott, deals, in separate sections, with five of the common groups of plastics. The importance of a compatible choice of reinforcement, resin and fabrication technique is mentioned for glass-fibre reinforced polyester resin products and the use of polymer films is discussed as a protective coating to other plastics which have poor exposure resistance and to other more conventional constructional materials. At the end of each section a number of case studies is included and an observation is made on the very little data available on the performance of plastics in temperate climates over periods significant to the building industry. Finally, a great deal of interesting information is contained in this book and it could be regarded as a contribution towards a better understanding of the visual and functional decay of the built environment.
T H E P E R F O R M A N C E of building materials in use is becoming an increasingly important aspect of constructional design as more interest is shown in the use of performance specifications in the precontract phase of building production. The long term decay characteristics of present day materials are being accepted as important design factors which contribute to the aesthetic qualities of a building and to the costs involved in maintenance work required to retain the functional performance of the building. In this book the editors have presented a collection of papers which describe the use of materials in the external surfaces of buildings with a special emphasis on their degradation characteristics. Chapter 1, by Brian Atkinson, considers the interaction of weather and the whole building, pointing out many areas where little definitive knowledge exists especially on the real relationship of the causal factors and the decay of constructional materials. A chapter on Concrete, by J. Gilchrist Wilson, gives a lengthy description of concrete surface finishes, including a number of design details and a specification for appropriate concretes. A general conclusion may be: smooth concrete weathers badly--rough (high relief) concrete weathers well. Brickwork is an old, friendly material which is maltreated too often. Chapter 3, by H. W. H. West, discusses many of the all too common defects in brickwork and gives suggestions for improving the quality of brickwork. The use of timber as an external surface material may have been retarded because of its unpredictable
E.W. MARCHANT
Dept. of Civil Engineering and Building Science, Kings Buildings, Mayfield Rd., Edinburgh, 9.
161