Deposition of modified nanolimes within calcareous substrates

Nanostructured lime-base materials for the conservation and restoration of historical renders: Advantages, limitations, progresses

Nanolime deposition in Maastricht limestone: Back-migration or accumulation at the absorption surface?

The development of nanomaterials is growing exponentially in the last decade. New discoveries and their applications have taken place in different fields, such as electronics, chemistry, biology and physics. Some innovative nanoproducts have become available also for the conservation of cultural heritage (e.g. nano-Ca(OH)2, nano-SiO2, nano-TiO2,...

Study on effective modifiers for damaging salts in mortar

The use of crystallization modifiers for the prevention or mitigation of salt crystallization damage has recently received a lot of research interest in the field of building conservation. However, the use of crystallization modifiers mixed in a lime-based mortar, is still a very new field of research. This paper summarizes the literature study...

Salt crystallization damage: How realistic are existing ageing tests?

Salt crystallization is a major cause of damage in porous building materials. Notwithstanding the extensive research in this field, the complexity of the problem has hindered the use of mathematical models for forecasting ageing and damage due to salt crystallization. Nowadays, the durability of materials with respect to salt crystallization is...

Enhancing self-healing of lime mortars by built-in crystallization inhibitors

The weathering of porous materials due to the presence of salts has been known since antiquity. However, serious studies and investigations were not conducted until the 19th century. One of the fi elds of interest includes historic masonry, where salt damage can affect natural stone, brick and mortar (see Figure 1). Mortars are building...

Evaluation of Spreading and Effectiveness of Injection Products against Rising Damp in Mortar/Brick Combinations

Rising damp is one of the most recurrent and well-known hazards to existing buildings and monuments. Several types of intervention exist to tackle the problem. Among these, the creation of a damp-proof course against capillary rise by means of injection of chemical products is one of the most diffused methods, thanks to the relatively easy and...

Confusing cracks and difficult deformations: Interpreting structural damage in masonry

Cracks and deformatiçns in masonry are common phenomena in historical buildings. If they are interpreted correctly, they can be an extremely valuable source çf informatiçn on the load history of the premises. Nevertheless, this interpretation is not always as obvious as one may think. In the framework of a Phd research project, an extensive...

Effect of climate change on built heritage: Preface