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Characterisation of the progression of salts in walls of earthen architecture heritage

Part of: Minerals, crystal structures and geochemistry - Peter Williams special issue

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2022

Alice Tavares Open the ORCID record for Alice Tavares [Opens in a new window] ,
M. Clara F. Magalhães Open the ORCID record for M. Clara F. Magalhães [Opens in a new window] ,
Rosário Soares Open the ORCID record for Rosário Soares [Opens in a new window]  and
Aníbal Costa Open the ORCID record for Aníbal Costa [Opens in a new window]
Alice Tavares*
Affiliation:
CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
M. Clara F. Magalhães
Affiliation:
School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food Research Centre (LEAF), Associated Laboratory, Laboratory for Sustainable Land Use and Ecosystem Services (TERRA), University of Lisbon, Portugal
Rosário Soares
Affiliation:
CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
Aníbal Costa
Affiliation:
RISCO-Department of Civil Engineering, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
*
*Author for correspondence: Alice Tavares, Email: tavares.c.alice@ua.pt
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Abstract

Two hundred years (1750–1950) of earthen architecture represents an important period of construction in the central region of Portugal. Earthen architecture is usually built close to the coast or to rivers and placed in sandy ground. The impact of rising damp is a general problem and efflorescences are a common cause of damage decay. This problem was studied in a building with two types of earthen construction, adobe masonry walls and formed masonry walls. The aim of this research was to characterise the conditions for the appearance and phase transitions of thénardite and mirabilite, and determine how to prevent progression of salt effects in the two types of wall to support future conservation measures. Laboratory capillarity and porosimetry tests with dolomitic air lime mortar and hygrothermal monitoring were pursued along with in situ tests. Visual assessment showed that the progression of salts depends on the composition of the earthen materials. To understand these differences, all crystalline solid phases were analysed by powder X-ray diffraction, and building interior hygrothermal conditions were monitored. An investigation into the influence of surface lime water painting and sacrificial mortar application on the crystallisation of sodium sulfates concluded that these also depend on the wall's composition. Data allowed us to conclude that inside the building the temperature and humidity [relative humidity (RH = 100 pw/p°w > 70)] conditions led to the adobe breakdown by the fast conversion from thénardite to mirabilite. Therefore, contact with wet atmospheres should be avoided and interior hygrothermal conditions should be controlled. Laboratory and in situ tests showed that the environmental conditions of the spaces had effects on the results. The results contribute to understanding of the salt progression and pattern of decay, as well as supporting future recommendations for building conservation, based on the identification of environmental conditions proper to their occurrence.

Keywords

earthen architectureadobe masonrymirabilitethénarditesodium sulfate
Type
Article
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 86 , Issue 4 , August 2022 , pp. 701 - 714
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland

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Footnotes

This paper is part of a thematic set that honours the contributions of Peter Williams

Associate Editor: Peter Leverett

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