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Stone Building Materials: Characterization, Decay, and Conservation (Second Edition)

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2025) | Viewed by 3554

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
CNR-SPIN (SuPerconducting and Other INnovative Materials and Devices Institute), 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
Interests: nanomaterials; multifunctional coatings; durability of polymers; construction materials; stone conservation; cultural heritage; eco-efficient materials for sustainable constructions
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The conservation and management of stone building materials are multifaceted processes requiring studies across many disciplines. Such materials, widely used in any civil construction and monument, are susceptible to decay under the influence of physical, chemical, or biological agents, often acting in synergism. The characterization of stone materials is not only essential for predicting their durability and behavior in service, but also helpful for selecting the most compatible and performing restoration strategy. Knowledge regarding the nature, properties, and decay of stone materials is a key step to identify the remedial needs and plan for appropriate conservation actions. Sensors, measurement systems, and image processing are increasingly used for decay mapping and monitoring of stone buildings to promptly recognize the degradation risks and plan the restoration works. On the other hand, several approaches and a wide range of products have been designed to avoid, or at least reduce, stone decay.

Within this context, this Special Issue aims to publish original research and review papers, from investigators, in both academia and industry, dealing with recent advances in the study of stone building materials, either natural or artificial. Research based on laboratory tests, field trials, and case studies is welcome.

The topics include but are not limited to new methods used to characterize stone materials, the study of mechanisms of decay and synergisms between them, assessment of decay patterns, design and synthesis of innovative protective systems, effectiveness of conservation treatments, and provenance and technology of ancient materials.

Dr. Mariateresa Lettieri
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • natural stone materials
  • mortars and plasters
  • concrete
  • mechanisms of decay
  • decay monitoring
  • conservation treatments
  • cleaning methods
  • protective coatings
  • consolidation
  • durability
  • weathering effects

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 4913 KiB  
Article
Salt Crystallization in Limestone: Materials Decay and Chemomechanical Approach
by Marta Cappai, Marta Casti and Giorgio Pia
Materials 2024, 17(16), 3986; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17163986 - 11 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1239
Abstract
Salt crystallization is a particularly relevant issue in the conservation of limestones used in Cultural Heritage sites. In this study, various facies of limestones were characterized through porosimetric and mechanical tests. The samples were subjected to experiments to determine their resistance to salt [...] Read more.
Salt crystallization is a particularly relevant issue in the conservation of limestones used in Cultural Heritage sites. In this study, various facies of limestones were characterized through porosimetric and mechanical tests. The samples were subjected to experiments to determine their resistance to salt crystallization by verifying the number of cycles at which 50% of them began to lose weight. This number of experimental cycles was compared with the result calculated by the analytical procedure of a chemomechanical model found in the literature. The comparison showed a significant capability of the model to predict the experimental data. Full article
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14 pages, 6345 KiB  
Article
Weathering Tests on Raw and Consolidated Vicenza Stone
by Ilaria Capasso, Abner Colella and Fabio Iucolano
Materials 2024, 17(14), 3541; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17143541 - 17 Jul 2024
Viewed by 847
Abstract
The preservation of cultural heritage, particularly historical stone structures, represents a very challenging matter due to several environmental and anthropogenic factors. Vicenza stone, a calcareous rock known for its historical significance and widespread use in architectural masterpieces, requires significant attention for conservation. In [...] Read more.
The preservation of cultural heritage, particularly historical stone structures, represents a very challenging matter due to several environmental and anthropogenic factors. Vicenza stone, a calcareous rock known for its historical significance and widespread use in architectural masterpieces, requires significant attention for conservation. In fact, as the demand for sustainable and effective preservation methods intensifies, the exploration of innovative consolidation strategies becomes essential. To this end, inorganic consolidants, based on alkaline silicate formulations and nano-silica, were explored for their promising performance in enhancing the surface properties and chemical stability of Vicenza stone. In particular, the durability of treated and untreated Vicenza stone samples was evaluated by means of accelerated weathering tests such as freeze–thaw cycles, salt crystallization and simulation of acid rain. The experimental results revealed that Vicenza stone is very resistant to the effects of freeze–thaw cycles and acid rain; both the accelerated weathering tests did not show significant differences between treated and untreated VS samples. A different behavior was detected for the test for resistance to salt crystallization, whose findings led us to deduce that, for this kind of degradation, it is possible to observe a more beneficial effect of the consolidation treatments on the stone durability. Full article
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19 pages, 8013 KiB  
Article
Influence of Immersion Time on the Frequency Domain Characteristics of Acoustic Emission Signals in Clayey Mineral Rocks
by Jiaju Yan, Zhuxi Li, Dong Xia, Yuxin Bai and Guoliang Shao
Materials 2024, 17(13), 3147; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17133147 - 27 Jun 2024
Viewed by 777
Abstract
The frequency domain characteristics of acoustic emission can reflect issues such as rock structure and stress conditions that are difficult to analyze in time domain parameters. Studying the influence of immersion time on the mechanical properties and acoustic emission frequency domain characteristics of [...] Read more.
The frequency domain characteristics of acoustic emission can reflect issues such as rock structure and stress conditions that are difficult to analyze in time domain parameters. Studying the influence of immersion time on the mechanical properties and acoustic emission frequency domain characteristics of muddy mineral rocks is of great significance for comprehensively analyzing rock changes under water–rock coupling conditions. In this study, uniaxial compression tests and acoustic emission tests were conducted on sandstones containing montmorillonite under dry, saturated, and different immersion time conditions, with a focus on analyzing the effect of immersion time on the dominant frequency of rock acoustic emission. The results indicated that immersion time had varying degrees of influence on compressive strength, the distribution characteristics of dominant acoustic emission frequencies, the frequency range of dominant frequencies, and precursor information of instability failure for sandstones. After initial saturation, the strength of the rock sample decreased from 53.52 MPa in the dry state to 49.51 MPa, and it stabilized after 30 days of immersion. Both dry and initially saturated rock samples exhibited three dominant frequency bands. After different immersion days, a dominant frequency band appeared between 95 kHz and 110 kHz. After 5 days of immersion, the dominant frequency band near 0 kHz gradually disappeared. After 60 days of immersion, the dominant frequency band between 35 kHz and 40 kHz gradually disappeared, and with increasing immersion time, the dominant frequency of the acoustic emission signals increased. During the loading process of dry rock samples, the dominant frequency of acoustic emission signals was mainly concentrated between 0 kHz and 310 kHz, while after saturation, the dominant frequencies were all below 180 kHz. The most significant feature before the rupture of dry rock samples was the frequent occurrence of high frequencies and sudden changes in dominant frequencies. Before rupture, the characteristics of precursor events for initially saturated and immersed samples for 5, 10, and 30 days were the appearance and rapid increase in sudden changes in dominant frequencies, as well as an enlargement of the frequency range of dominant frequencies. After 60 days of immersion, the precursor characteristics of rock sample rupture gradually disappeared, and sudden changes in dominant frequencies frequently occurred at various stages of sample loading, making it difficult to accurately predict the rupture of specimens based on these sudden changes. Full article
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