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The chemomechanics of crystallization during rewetting of limestone impregnated with sodium sulfate

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 June 2011

Rosa M. Espinosa-Marzal ,
Andrea Hamilton ,
Megan McNall ,
Kathryn Whitaker  and
George W. Scherer
Rosa M. Espinosa-Marzal*
Affiliation:
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544; and Laboratory of Surface Science and Technology, Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
Andrea Hamilton
Affiliation:
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544; and School of Engineering, Institute for Materials and Processes, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JL, United Kingdom
Megan McNall
Affiliation:
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544
Kathryn Whitaker
Affiliation:
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544
George W. Scherer
Affiliation:
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: rosa.espinosa@mat.ethz.ch
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Abstract

Breakdown of porous materials by salts occurs when growing crystals exert pressure on the pore walls, inducing stress in the material that exceeds its tensile strength. In this work, we quantify the mechanical stresses caused by a particularly destructive mechanism: the dissolution of an anhydrate (thenardite, Na2SO4) followed by precipitation of a hydrated salt (mirabilite, Na2SO4·10H2O). Stresses are measured using a composite specimen consisting of a plate of glass bonded to a plate of limestone (CaCO3) whose pores are impregnated with thenardite. As water wicks into the limestone, thenardite dissolves and mirabilite precipitates. The limestone expands from the pressure exerted by the salt resulting in deflection of the composite, and the stresses can be obtained from an elastic analysis. Synchrotron x-ray diffraction reveals the dissolution–crystallization rate. Numerical modeling shows that the stresses are affected by the kinetics of crystallization and dissolution, permeability, and mechanical properties of the stone, allowing us to determine the amount of salt that causes material fracture.

Keywords

Crystal growthPorosityPhase transformation
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 26 , Issue 12 , 28 June 2011 , pp. 1472 - 1481
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2011

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