Moisture effect on selected polymer‐based membranes used for waterproofing building basements

As part of a comprehensive study to develop national guidelines for waterproofing building basements in Kuwait, physical properties of locally available waterproofing materials were examined and the performance of selected polymer‐based membranes under continuous exposure to moisture, as in actual service conditions, were evaluated. Five categories of waterproofing materials, consisting of bitumen membranes, plastic membranes, rubber membranes, fluid‐applied materials, and cementitous materials were tested in accordance with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard test methods. Sulphate and chloride concentrations in soil and groundwater in Kuwait are generally high. The rise in groundwater level in Kuwait is a predominant cause of water leakage into building basements in residential areas. The effect of moisture on the performance of waterproofing materials was evaluated under simulated conditions of continuous exposure to groundwater. The test results indicated that under continuous exposure to salty water, the moisture rather than the salts seems to have a detrimental effect on the physical properties of some of the waterproofing materials. The results also indicated that oxidized bitumen membranes are not suitable for waterproofing building basements. The performance of the two polymer modified bituminous membranes evaluated in the study indicates that waterproofing materials belonging to the same category may have significant differences in specific properties. POLYM. COMPOS., 26:276–286, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers