Changes in the pore structure of marble after salt decay tests
Editorial: Centro Internacional para la Conservación del Patrimonio (Fundación CICOP)
ISBN: 978846123459z
Año de publicación: 2008
Volumen: 1
Páginas: 147-152
Congreso: Congreso Internacional de Rehabilitación del Patrimonio Arquitectónico y Edificación (9. 2008. Sevilla)
Tipo: Aportación congreso
Resumen
The pore structure of a stone is an indicative (along with other physical-mechanical properties) of the material resistance towards weathering processes, in particular salt decay. It changes during weathering and thus can give information regarding the decay process itself and its evolution, as well as about the degradation state of the material. Here, we present a comprehensive study using gas adsorption of the pore structure (porosity, pore size distribution, micropore volume, surface area and fractal dimension) of a series of Spanish calcitic and dolomitic fresh and weathered (after salt decay tests) marble stones profusely used for sculptural and building purposes. These data can be used as descriptors of the conservation state of the stone. SEM observations of the marble surface complemented the pore system study. Finally, the results of the analysis of artificially weathered samples (subjected to salt crystallization tests) were compared with those of a naturally weathered Macael marble sample from the columns of the Hospital Real (Granada, Spain), in order to asses its degree of damage and to validate the analytical methodology used here.