The role of the pointing mortar in the damage due to salt crystallisation B. ~ubelli', R.P.J. Van ~ees' & L. pe12 I TNO Building and Construction Research, The Netherlarzds '~e~artment of Applied Physics, Eindhoven Universit~. of Technologv, The Netherlands Abstract An accurate choice of a re-pointing mortar is fundamental for successful restoration work. Nevertheless many cases of failure show that the choice is not always sensible and that there is still a lack of knowledge on the compatibility of repair mortar for historic masonry. The new re-pointing mortar should be as durable as possible and possess physical, chemical and mechanical characteristics which are compatible with the ones of the existing masonry components. The use of an incompatible mortar can affect the moisture transport inside the masonry and consequently lead to a different drying behaviour of the various material: this can cause damage or speed up the decay process already present in the wall. The object of this paper is an experimental study carried out on two types of re-pointing mortar (cement and putty lime) applied to wallettes built with different combinations of bricks and bedding mortars. The specimens were subjected to a crystallisation test and the damage was surveyed. The drying behaviour was studied by NMR on little bricWmortar specimens to understand the moisture transport mechanism between the three components: brickibedding mortaripointing mortar. The aim was to find a relation benveen the drying behaviour and the damage due to salt crystallisation. From this research it results that damage is generally located where the evaporation is stronger. The influence of pointing mortar in the damage process due to salt crystallisation is verified: a coarse lime pointing allows evaporation so the damage consists in a superficial loss of cohesion of the material; a dense pointing slows down the evaporation and creates a discontinuity at the interface bedding mortarlpointing mortar resulting in the end in a loss of bond between the components of the wall. Transactions on the Built Environment vol 55, © 2001 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3509
The role of the pointing mortar in the damage due to salt crystallisation
May 01, 2023
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