Concepts for development of a service life prediction methodology for sealed building and construction joints - Review and roadmap for future research

Despite extensive research on durability of building materials and components performed over the past two decades, no reliable quantitative method of service life prediction (SLP) has gained wide acceptance. Generic guidance is provided in documents published by ASTM, RILEM, EOTA and ISO. Although the methodology is logical and easy to understand, its application is not simple, since much judgement is required in the interpretation of the results. Recently, a more specific method of estimating the service life of sealed joints has been proposed. The paper discusses the key requirements relevant to any service-life-prediction methodology, critiques the preliminary method proposed in the literature, and proposes a possible extension of this method.