Effects of mold growth on building materials by different environments in Taiwan

The main of study is to investigate the effect of moisture variation and micro-structure on the growth mold at surface of building materials. The two different water-cement ratio of mortars (w/c = 0.4, 0.6), brick and tiles were used in this study. The mercury Intrusion Porosity-Meter (MIP) was used to determine the pore distribution of building materials. The moisture variation of materials was recorded in constant climate chamber (25oC, relative humidity 80%), general indoor environment (28°C, relative humidity 55%) and water damage simulation environment. The results indicated that the pore size and distribution will affect the surface water ratio and moisture content of materials. The surface water ratio of specimen was affected by different environment seriously. The surface water ratio was an important factor in mold growth.