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Minerals
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Moisture Issue in Historical Masonry
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Moisture Issue in Historical Masonry

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 June 2021) | Viewed by 8517

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Antonio Sansonetti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Heritage Science (ISPC), National Research Council (CNR), Via Roberto Cozzi 53, Milan, Italy
Interests: cleaning; moisture; mortars; decay; building materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Elisabetta Rosina

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
Interests: diagnostics in historical buildings, especially focusing on moisture diagnostics and repair project; microclimate monitoring and management; historical industrial sites and their study/valorization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Barbara Lubelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, QLD 4059 Delft, The Netherlands
Interests: durability of building materials; moisture-related degradation processes; conservation techniques

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to participate in a Special Issue of Minerals focused on the Moisture Issue in Historical Masonry.

The topic is of crucial importance given the growing attention to Cultural Heritage reserved in most of the national and international research policy; it involves those research fields focused on building materials, architectural conservation, and moisture transport phenomena. Therefore the approach ought to be strongly interdisciplinary and contributes by conservation scientist, geologist, chemist, conservators are particularly welcome.

Moisture presence and historical masonry constitute a challenge, which any conservator faced in her/his personal career. The task is in promoting new ideas and discussion on a broad topic: from the causes which generate the presence of moisture into masonries, to the decay mechanisms with special regard to soluble salt transport, to the design of methods and monitoring used in limiting the moisture content inside the microstructure of the masonry materials.

Traditional methods for the detection of moisture in masonry are often micro-destructive or not reliable in the presence of soluble salts, as usual in historic masonry. In recent years several Non Destructive Techniques (NDT) for moisture detection have been developed and successfully tested for this application. Sharing novel findings in this field contributes to advance the conservation practice.

Even when a sound diagnosis is made, tackling moisture related problems in historic buildings is a complex task. The effectiveness of the used methods is often unclear and influenced by several factors (such as properties of the product, masonry characterisics and conditions, quality of the execution, etc.). In this case, the assessment and the monitoring of the moisture content in masonry can support the conservation practice by providing a sound evaluation of the effectveness of an intervention.

The Minerals Special Issue will cover novel research studies that can put new light on a broad range of relevant topics. Some suggestions are provided on the following topics:

  • Damage mechanisms due to moisture presence into masonry microstructure
  • Susceptibility of building materials to moisture induced decay pattern
  • Water transport phenomena into masonry materials
  • Impact of climate change to moisture presence into masonry
  • Assessment and monitoring of moisture presence into historical masonry
  • Methods to mitigate the moisture-related decay into historical masonry
Dr. Antonio Sansonetti
Prof. Dr. Elisabetta Rosina
Dr. Barbara Lubelli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • moisture transport
  • NDT
  • moisture related decay
  • building materials
  • de-humidification methods
  • monitoring; masonry

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 6655 KiB  
Article
Moisture Damage in Ancient Masonry: A Multidisciplinary Approach for In Situ Diagnostics
by Noemi Proietti, Paola Calicchia, Francesco Colao, Sara De Simone, Valeria Di Tullio, Loredana Luvidi, Fernanda Prestileo, Martina Romani and Angelo Tatì
Minerals 2021, 11(4), 406; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11040406 - 13 Apr 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2237
Abstract
San Nicola in Carcere, one of the minor basilicas in the historical center of Rome, was the location of a wide investigation campaign of the water-related deterioration causes, present in the lower sector of the apse and adjacent pillars, affected by water infiltrations, [...] Read more.
San Nicola in Carcere, one of the minor basilicas in the historical center of Rome, was the location of a wide investigation campaign of the water-related deterioration causes, present in the lower sector of the apse and adjacent pillars, affected by water infiltrations, mould and salt efflorescence. The results obtained identify the presence of water content and related effects mainly on the sides of the apsidal wall. This work focuses on the use of five Non-Destructive Techniques (NDT) and intends to show the gains obtained by integrating widely interdisciplinary methods, namely the Infrared Thermography (IRT), the Unilateral Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (Unilateral NMR), the Acoustic Tomography (AT), the Acoustic Imaging (AI) and the Laser-Induced Fluorescence (LIF). All the techniques contribute to the rapid, non-invasive and early identification of the moisture distribution, while some of them (LIF and AI) also address the determination of some moisture effects. The integrated use of different techniques helps to take the multidisciplinary point of view necessary to formulate an effective restoration intervention based on a sound scientific rationale; nonetheless, it allows to experiment a holistic approach, verifying the potential of a wide range of NDTs available within the context of a restoration yard. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Moisture Issue in Historical Masonry)
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26 pages, 7036 KiB  
Article
In Situ, Non-Destructive Testing for Evaluating the Role of Pointing Mortar in Preventive Conservation Strategies. A Case-Study on Reigate Stone at the Wardrobe Tower, Tower of London
by Martin Michette, Heather Viles, Constantina Vlachou and Ian Angus
Minerals 2021, 11(4), 345; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11040345 - 26 Mar 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2561
Abstract
The correct choice of pointing mortar is considered crucial to the conservation of historic masonry. A proliferation of cement and eminently hydraulic lime mortars since the late 19th century has accelerated the deterioration of built cultural heritage in many parts of the world. [...] Read more.
The correct choice of pointing mortar is considered crucial to the conservation of historic masonry. A proliferation of cement and eminently hydraulic lime mortars since the late 19th century has accelerated the deterioration of built cultural heritage in many parts of the world. Whilst the use of softer, lime-based mortars in stone conservation is now common practice, their role in the overall conservation strategy of highly vulnerable building stones such as Reigate Stone requires assessment. In this paper non-destructive testing (NDT) is used across a two-year period to investigate the impact of different pointing mortar types in situ. NDT data on surface hardness and moisture are interpreted at different scales to assess moisture regulation of Reigate Stone masonry at the Wardrobe Tower, a ruined structure at the Tower of London, following repointing carried out in Spring 2017. Joints repointed using a hydraulic lime mortar (NHL3.5) are shown to regulate moisture in adjacent Reigate Stone blocks less well than those repointed using a lime putty mortar. However, despite an initially inappropriate recipe, older hydraulic lime mortars are in some instances shown to perform similarly to the lime putty mortar, suggesting that NHL can weather sympathetically. The results also indicate that, whilst pointing mortar type does play a role in the moisture regulation of individual stones, its effect is outweighed by both properties of the stone itself, such as strength and past decay, and by wider micro-contextual factors, such as exposure or adjacent topography. Findings from the Wardrobe Tower indicate that pointing mortar only plays a part in overall moisture regulation; to enable its effective functioning and minimise the need for repeated interventions, it may be necessary to take additional protective measures to mitigate moisture ingress, such as water run-off and channelling following heavy rainfall. The overall implication is that in vulnerable historic masonry such as Reigate Stone, sustainable conservation strategies must incorporate a broad appraisal of, and tailored response to, specific decay mechanisms. With careful calibration across repeated survey campaigns, data collected in situ using NDT can inform the role of pointing mortar within such strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Moisture Issue in Historical Masonry)
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14 pages, 4449 KiB  
Article
Climate Resilience of Internally-Insulated Historic Masonry Assemblies: Comparison of Moisture Risk under Current and Future Climate Scenarios
by Jacqueline Lu, Valentina Marincioni, Scott Allan Orr and Hector Altamirano-Medina
Minerals 2021, 11(3), 271; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11030271 - 6 Mar 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3108
Abstract
The conservation of cultural heritage built of historical brick masonry alongside meeting targets in energy reduction will most likely require widespread installation of internal wall insulation (IWI). In London, traditional buildings (pre-1919) make up 40% of the existing stock and insulating from the [...] Read more.
The conservation of cultural heritage built of historical brick masonry alongside meeting targets in energy reduction will most likely require widespread installation of internal wall insulation (IWI). In London, traditional buildings (pre-1919) make up 40% of the existing stock and insulating from the interior is a likely retrofit solution for solid brick walls. Adding insulation may introduce a higher risk to moisture accumulation and consequences such as mould growth and material decay. To investigate resilience to future moisture loads, three interior insulation assemblies (conforming to two U-value guidelines) were simulated in DELPHIN under reference, near-future (2040), and far-future climate (2080) scenarios. Calcium silicate, phenolic foam, and wood fibre assemblies were simulated. The reference year climate file was compiled from observed data and future files developed using the UK Climate Projections 2018 (UKCP18). Assemblies were evaluated for moisture accumulation, mould growth risk, and freeze-thaw (FT) risk. Results show low-to-medium risks in 2040 and high risks in 2080, assemblies of higher absorptivity and thinner insulation comparatively performing best. The calcium silicate assembly fared best for moisture performance; however, all assemblies will be subject to high moisture risk levels in the far future and responsible retrofits must take this and alternative design solutions into account. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Moisture Issue in Historical Masonry)
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