0000000000703896
AUTHOR
N. Rovella
Study of the effects of salt crystallisation on degradation of limestone rocks
Salt crystallization is widely recognized as a cause of deterioration of porous building materials. In particular, the crystallization pressure of salt crystals growing in confined pores is found to be the main cause for damage. The aim of this study is to better understand the degradation of porous rocks induced by salt crystallisation and correlate such processes with the intrinsic characteristics of materials. With this intend, an experimental salt weathering simulation has been carried out on two limestones widely used in the Baroque architecture of eastern Sicily. A systematic approach including petrographic, porosimetric and colorimetric analyses, was used to evaluate the correlation …
Pore structure and water transfer in Pietra d’Aspra limestone: A neutronographic study
Neutron radiography (NR) was here applied to study the effects of two different commercially available consolidants on the water absorption properties in a particular type of limestone (biocalcarenite), known as Pietra d’Aspra stone, which is one of the most extensively used lithotypes in Sicilian Baroque buildings. Our attention was mainly focused on the evaluation, using a fast and nondestructive visualization of water motion through capillarity, of the effectiveness of such layers as consolidating agents in view of preserving and maintaining both old and modern structures. The biocalcarenite was treated with nanosilica (Nano Estel®) and nanolime (CaLoSil®) by brushing it until full satur…