Deterioration mechanisms of building materials of Jiaohe ruins in China

Almost all defects of earthen buildings such as roughening, erosion, volume reduction, cracking as well as crazing, etc., have been witnessed in the ancient city of Jiaohe, an earthen architectural heritage in northwest China. In this paper, their long-term durability and deterioration due to prolonged exposure to environmental factors were studied, based on the basis of field investigation and laboratory analysis. The results indicated that the deterioration of building materials should be attributed to their basic properties, including density, particle size distribution, soluble salts, mineral, mechanical strength, etc., and interaction with environmental factors. And then, four main deterioration modes can be identified, namely: wind-related deterioration, water-related deterioration, temperature-related deterioration and chemical related deterioration. It can be concluded that the greatest deterioration was wind-related deterioration on west-north facing façades, and chemical related deterioration on the surface of building materials.     

A portable NMR device for the evaluation of water presence in building materials

The direct recording of the water presence in stone materials or in masonry provides information about their state of conservation and it can also indirectly reveal the effectiveness and durability of protection treatments or chemical interventions for rising damp reduction. Evaluating the humidity, i.e. the water content, of a building material is a problematic issue because the water is distributed in a large volume in different amounts. Usually these kinds of measures have been carried out with resistance/conductivity and thermographic systems, which are all affected by weaknesses and intrinsic restrictions. Thermographic investigations are affected by temperature differences and the evaporation–cooling effect. In the case of electric measures, the signal does not originate from the water present, but from the conductivity of the water itself, which is strictly connected to the presence of ion species that can modify it significantly. Moreover, interruptions, like air gaps or fractures, cancel the signal. For both methodologies the quantitative water evaluation is difficult. Although some minerals, like iron-based ones, could disturb the NMR measure, the signal is not influenced by the presence of most common soluble salts or pollutants in the solution (such as nitrates, chlorides or sulphates) and it is only generated by the number of water molecules present in the sensitive volume. In this paper the results, obtained in the laboratory with a portable NMR device, developed within the framework of the Eureka Project E!2214-MOUSE, are shown. The encouraging results obtained in this preliminary experiment, concern mainly the investigation of stone materials that have different porosimetric features and the calibration of the instrument under different working conditions. The experiments focused on the correlation between the content of water absorbed by capillarity and the NMR signal intensity obtained by this device. Different materials have been investigated, such as calcarenite and bricks. The experimental work will define a starting platform to successfully transfer the analytical procedure from the laboratory to in situ measurements.     

Silicatescape – preserving building materials in the old urban center landscape: The case of the silicate brick and urban planning in Tel Aviv-Jaffa

In November 20th 2007 Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality confirmed its list of buildings earmarked for conservation. The confirmation was related only to Tel Aviv cultural heritage, the city that was founded in 1909, along the Mediterranean seashore, next to old Jaffa. The list was published 4 years after part of the old urban center of Tel Aviv was nominated as World Heritage Site for its architectural uniqueness (Tel Aviv the White City). The list and the nomination were focused on architectural styles, which are based on building material, the silicate brick, used in Israel throughout the years 1918–1948. This building material and technology left its imprint on Tel Aviv's landscape and is also a part of Tel Aviv's history and development. In spite of its importance, all concerned in Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality and urban planning, have totally ignored this phenomenon.The thrust of this discussion is that the silicate bricks phenomenon, a building material and technology, due to its importance to Tel Aviv heritage and its vast distribution in Tel Aviv landscape, should be integrated into the current urban renewal development process in the old city of Tel Aviv. The discovery of its history and its role in Tel Aviv cultural heritage will change the attitudes of Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality to this building material; instead of a vernacular phenomena, a common brick or a frequent building technology, it will get a better appreciation. Urban landscapes of many cities around the world are based on vernacular phenomena, which are ignored by the urban municipalities. The silicate case should serve as an example of the role of a vernacular heritage, and in this case a common building material, in the urban renewal and conservation process.     

Identification of the materials used in an Eastern Jin Chinese ink stick

Chinese ink stick has a long history and a special importance in the Chinese culture. For the first time, Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) was used to identify the materials in an ancient Chinese ink stick. Four types of constituents could be detected in the archaeological ink stick of the Eastern Jin period (317–420 AD): (1) borneol (Chinese name bing piàn); (2) compounds related to essential oil or tar of conifer wood: cedrene, aromadendrane, cedrane, cuparene, cedrol, retene, methyl dehydroabietate and 9-methyl retene; (3) marker compounds from animal glue; (4) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from soot. The information obtained through this study provides conclusive evidence for use of additives of borneol and cedar oil, binding media of animal glue and pine wood soot in the ancient ink stick.     

Swelling damage in clay-rich sandstones used in the church of San Mateo in Tarifa (Spain)

This study shows that the sandstone used in the construction of the Church of San Mateo in Tarifa (Cádiz, Spain) is highly sensitive to processes of decay because of a combination of factors that are intrinsic and extrinsic to the material. The mineralogy, texture and porous system of the sandstone and the proximity of the church to the sea all play a part in these processes. X-ray diffraction reveals that there are interstratified chlorite/smectite clays among the minerals that make up the rock. These mixed layer clays have been shown to undergo hydric expansion. This phenomenon may be accompanied and augmented by the presence of NaCl which acts as an electrolyte in osmotic swelling processes. Two varieties of sandstone were used in the construction of the church, namely grey sandstone and brown sandstone. The latter is more porous and undergoes greater hydric expansion, showing a higher degree of deterioration. Ultrasound analysis has demonstrated that both varieties are anisotropic because they contain bedding planes and are affected by the preferred orientation of the phyllosilicates in the rock. The anisotropic nature of these stones was confirmed by capillary suction tests. The capillary front reaches a relatively low height which means that when water is absorbed, the anisotropic textural properties combined with the presence of chlorite–smectite mixed layers in the sandstone result in mechanical (shear) stress between the first few centimetres of the wet stone and the dry area behind. The latter effect favours the development of flakes, so causing the decay of the ornamental stone and the church façade.     

Non-destructive monitoring methods as indicators of damage cause on Cathedral of St. Lawrence in Trogir,Croatia

Durability is one of the most important engineering properties of cultural heritage monuments. For the purpose of the preservation of structures for future generations, the causes of damage should be determined for the proper choice of type and location of strengthening. The condition of the foundation is difficult to determine without an extensive investigation which is critical because most often the cause of damage is found in such foundations. Geotechnical investigation techniques require the damage and destruction of a building's surroundings or the damage of a foundation with a boring device. Non-destructive methods, such as geophysical methods, are less reliable and the results of such investigations must be combined with the results of subsurface exploration. This paper is a presentation of results achieved through the monitoring of the activity of a number of joints on the Cathedral of St. Lawrence in Trogir, Croatia, which is a cultural heritage monument protected by UNESCO. Excavations for the purpose of flagging replacement in the zone around the east frontage were made in 1979. A probe beneath the main apse uncovered a water cistern where the connection between the mid and north apses is located, and instead of a staggered foundation, a wall with a depth of more than 2.2 m beneath the flagging was discovered. With respect to the given that churches were built on existing ones, it is possible to assume that this is a wall of the late-antiquity church described by Constantin Porfirogenet in the 10th century, built on and later adapted to the foundation for the new structure. The displacement in time of the construction elements of the cathedral were measured and recorded using non-destructive methods. Fissure displacement behaviour, air temperature and air humidity were monitored. The monitoring of the air humidity did not lead to any useful conclusion, so it was quickly dismissed. Observations of data were performed during two periods with an interruption between the two caused by insufficient monetary resources. Data from almost 8 years of continuous measuring are available. The aim of this paper is to present the data of the measured fissure displacements which were correlated with air temperature changes and mathematical models which were based on statistical analysis. Correlation coefficients show that the analysed fissures react to the air temperature changes with different intensities. The obtained data lead to the conclusion that the causes of the structural damage are not found within a displacement or failure of the foundations. Instead, the causes of the damage were found in other parts of the structure.     

Validating chemical and structural changes in painting materials by principal component analysis of spectroscopic data using internal mineral standards

This work shows the capability of principal component analysis (PCA) to detect molecular, chemical and mineralogical changes in historic painting materials subjected to a thermal ageing test (< 250 °C). To simulate the heat-induced alterations an ageing accelerated process was performed on two sets of samples containing two mineral phases (hydroxyapatite and quartz) and two organic compounds (collagen and albumin). The chosen minerals behaved as internal standards during the tests since they are stable and chemically inert at the tested temperatures. Raman microscopy (RM) was applied to characterise one set of samples made of bone, containing ca. 70% hydroxyapatite and 30% collagen. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy was used to study the other set of samples made of four different quartz/albumin mixtures with quartz contents of 30%, 50%, 70% and 90% (w/w). The aim was to identify the ideal proportion of internal standard to be validated by ATR-FTIR and PCA, determined to be 70%. PCA analyses detected changes in the molecular structures of the organic components while the internal mineral standard remained stable. Moreover, the internal standard IR/Raman bands were constant during the tests and confirmed that the results of PCA analyses were independent of instrumental and technical factors, as well as sample collecting and handling. This demonstrates the potential benefits of our approach to study historical painting materials, which have suffered any type of heat-induced alteration.     

Characterization of the organic materials used in the painting of the vaulted ceiling at the Saadian Tomb of Mulay Ahmed Al-Mansour (Marrakech)

The Saadian tombs from the era of sultan Ahmed al-Mansour (1574–1603) are beautifully decorated and have always been a major attraction for visitors to Marrakesh. The central mausoleum, named the Hall of Twelve Columns, encloses the tombs of Ahmed al-Mansour and his family. The hall has a huge vaulted ceiling, carved cedar doors, opening windows with wooden marquetry screen (Mashrabiya), and grey Italian marble columns. This paper presents the first attempt to identify the organic materials used by the Moroccan artisans. A GC/MS analytical procedure was used for the characterization of lipids, waxes, resins, pitch, tar, proteinaceous and saccharide materials in the same paint micro-sample. The analytical study identified the organic materials used in the polychrome and gilded decorations of the walls, ceiling and dome of the hall. Data showed that the polychrome decorations were painted using animal glue as a binder, and highlighted the treatment of the wall surface with linseed oil and the retouching of the paintings based on a saccharide binder. The use of a proteinaceous-resinous-oil mixture, applied on a proteinaceous preparation layer, for the gilded decorations revealed a very similar technique to that used at the time in Europe for mural paintings.