Content and topography of salts in historic mortars

Abstract eng:
Salt crystallization induces deterioration phenomena to masonry materials especially under favorable conditions which depend on a triple-fold system of factors: the salts’ nature, the materials’ type and structure and finally the environmental aspects. Among the oldest building materials, the lime-based mortars have been used for different construction purposes and exhibited admirable durability. The present paper presents the results of a statistical process of more than 1000 mortars from different monuments and historic periods in an effort to correlate salt formation with macroscopic and microscopic properties. Instrumental analysis of liquid ion chromatography has been applied for recording the type of soluble salts found into the mortar’s structure, the location and the form of crystalization as well as the mechanical and physical properties that these mortars present. The evaluation of the combined analysis shows that lime-based mortars sustained a significant load of salts without being destroyed .

• Export as: BibTeX | MARC | MARCXML | DC | EndNote | NLM | RefWorks
• Add to your basket