Nathalie Van Roy¹, Els Verstrynge¹, Hans Janssen², Evy Vereecken², and Koen Van Balen³
1) Department of Civil Engineering, Building Materials and Technology Section, KU Leuven
Kasteelpark Arenberg 40, box 2448, 3001 Heverlee (Belgium)
e-mail: nathalie.vanroy@kuleuven.be, els.verstrynge@kuleuven.be
2)  Department of Civil Engineering, Building Physics Section, KU Leuven
Kasteelpark Arenberg 40, box 2447, 3001 Heverlee (Belgium)
e-mail: hans.janssen@kuleuven.be, evy.vereecken@kuleuven.be
3)  Department of Civil Engineering, Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation and
Building Materials and Technology Section, KU Leuven
Kasteelpark Arenberg 40, box 2448, 3001 Heverlee (Belgium)
e-mail: koenraad.vanbalen@kuleuven.be

Keywords: joint repair, simulation, frost damage, feasibility analysis, assessment of repair interventions.

Abstract. Mortar joints play an important role in the technical performance of historical masonry facades. Research has demonstrated the importance of physical compatibility, but it remains challenging to understand the physical compatibility of a hardened repair mortar with a complex existing structure before the execution of the intervention. This contribution investigates the application of a simulation software in order to assess the impact of the design choices for the repair mortar on the physical behavior of the brick masonry. The applied software is Delphin, a simulation program for coupled heat and moisture transport in porous building materials. The simulations were found to be a promising tool for risk assessment of frost damage in porous building materials. The main restrictions are the lack of clear frost damage criteria and the missing link with actual damages.