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Global Heritage and Sustainability: Geological, Cultural and Historical

Analytical techniques to diagnose the damage of the building stone “in situ”

Sintra, Portugal (FPedro)

water tunnel, Coimbra, Portugal (FPedro)

Lídia Catarino (University of Coimbra)lidiagil@dct.uc.pt

“In situ measurements provide important complementary quantitativeinformation on stone materials and weathering characteristics. Theyenable examination of stone structures in their current condition withoutany changes due to sampling or removal.”

B. Fritzner, 2002

B. Fritzner, 2002

“Non-destructive testing (NDT) is also referred to as nondestructive

investigation and involves the use of technology to diagnose and verify

the extent of defects where decay or other problems are suspected but

hidden by decorative finishes or buried within structural elements.

www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/31C135CC-C8E5-416A-A08B-B4F26ACC4923/0/1101.pdfDefence Estate Organisation Design and Maintenance Guide non destructive tests

Visual inspections Visual inspections

missing part crack Fracture Plant

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crack test (fissurometer)

ball deformeter

GINGER CEBTP Gauge

http://www.ginger-cebtp.com/vente/equipements_mesure_ouverture_fissure_uk.php7/7/2011

http://www.sisgeo.com/en/product/deformometer-and-mechanical-jointmeters/7/7/2011

Measurement of cracks

EndoscopyAdvantages• Specialised systems require access holes less than 2.00mm and therefore cause

minimal disturbance.• It is possible to attach a video camera to

the eye piece in order to record findings.Disadvantages• It is often difficult to retain a sense of scale of the image observed.

• It is generally difficult to track the location and orientation of the probe.

• The focal range and depth of field is greatly reduced in the smaller diameter systems

making interpretation more difficult.• Experience is required to accurately assess

the images obtained.

http://www.protectionhydrofuge.com/index.php?section=application&ss=1&langue=en7/7/2011

Porosity and water absorption

The measurement of water absorptionunder low pressure is a test that may be

useful when it comes to:

- Assessing the range of certain types ofdegradation of stone in situ.

- Determining the importance of the pores filled by an impregnation treatment.

Non-Destructive Field Tests in Stone Conservation Field and Laboratory TestsRapport från Riksantikvarieämbetet 2006:4

measurements of moisture content

Geoelectric measurements (geophysical prospection)

ABEM SAS 300B

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resistivity(ohm.m)

resistivity(ohm.m)

Geoelectric measurements (geophysical prospection)Infrared image

FLIR Building Diagnostics and Inspection Catalog 2008

Infrared Physics & Technology 44 (2003) 183–190Detection of water deposits and movement inporousmaterials by infrared imagingN.P. Avdelidis a,*, A. Moropoulou b, P. Theoulakis b

Journal of Cultural Heritage 5 (2004) 119–127Applications of infrared thermography for the investigationof historic structuresN.P.Avdelidis a,*, A. Moropoulou b

Infrared image

Infrared thermography

Advantages• The assessment is usually

quick to obtain.• There is no requirement for

access scaffolding.Disadvantages• The system is sensitive to weather.

• Surveys are often required to be undertaken at night in order

to avoid the effects of solar gain.

http://www.vertical-access.com/newsletter/201004/thermography.html7/7/2011

http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/heritage/conservation/conservationgroupnewsletter/rosslynchapelthermalsurvey.htm7/7/2011

Rosslyn Chapel, Edinburgh, Scotland

http://www.labsafety.com/WeatherHawk-Weather-Stations_31250675/7/7/2011

http://www.schumacher-fanclub.com/oregon-scientific-ferrari/faw101a-k-oregon-scientific-ferrari-monza-weather-station-black.php7/7/2011

Ultrasonic measurementsAdvantages• The equipment is more easily portable than other NDT systems.

Disadvantages• An agent coupling gel is required

to ensure direct contact between the building element and the transducer.

This gel is often inappropriate for historic building surfaces. An

alternative nondamaging foam is

available, but this reduces the thickness of the material that can be

tested. Access is required both sides of the

material.Multiple readings are required in

order to build up an accurate picture and the system therefore tends to

be slow.B. Fritzner, 2002

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Structural Studies, Repairs and Maintenance of Heritage Architecture XI 349-358Non-destructive methods as a tool in theassessment of monumental buildings conditionG. Concu & B. De Nicolo

Engineering Geology 115 (2010) 149–157Characterisation of monzogranitic batholiths as a supply source for heritageconstruction in the northwest of MadridRafael Fort, Monica Alvarez de Buergo, Elena Perez-Monserrat, Maria Jose Varas

Drilling resistance measurement

Schmidt hammer

http://www.ndt.net/ndtaz/content.php?id=6416/7/2011

Digital image processing

Digital image and histogram.Unweathered beige limestones,

without efflorescences

Selected areas with efflorescence

Construction and Building Materials 25 (2011) 1603–1611Digital image processing of weathered stone caused by efflorescences: A toolfor mapping and evaluation of stone decayMaría Auxiliadora Vázquez a,⇑, Emilio Galán a, María Angeles Guerrero a, Pilar Ortiz

Binary and quantified images.

Classified images in six populations.

Construction and Building Materials 25 (2011) 1603–1611Digital image processing of weathered stone caused by efflorescences: A toolfor mapping and evaluation of stone decayMaría Auxiliadora Vázquez a,⇑, Emilio Galán a, María Angeles Guerrero a, Pilar Ortiz

(a) General image, (b) general

binary image and (c) classifiedimage in six populations.

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FRX

On-site Elemental Analysis of Art and Artifacts, Thermo Fisher

Scientific 2008Anal Bioanal Chem (2004) 379 : 42–50M. P駻駻駻駻ez-Alonso � K. Castro � I. Martinez-Arkarazo �M. Angulo � M. A. Olazabal � J. M. MadariagaAnalysis of bulk and inorganic degradation products of stones,mortars and wall paintings by portable Raman microprobe spectroscopy

Portable micro-Raman

GPR Radar

http://www.idsaustralasia.com/Georadar/GPR-Products/Archaeology-Heritage7/7/2011

GPR Radar

Conimbriga, Portugal (FPedro)

GPR Radar

J. Geophys. Eng. 8 (2011) 351–365 doi:10.1088/1742-2132/8/2/020A multi-method high-resolutiongeophysical survey in the Machado deCastro museum, central PortugalCarlos Grangeia1, Manuel Matias1, Fernando Figueiredo2,H´elder Hermozilha1, Pedro Carvalho3 and Ricardo Silva4

GPR RadarAdvantages• The antennae do not need to be in contact with the surfaces of the

materials under test.• No surface preparation is necessary.

• The equipment may be moved across the surface of the material to build up a

complete picture in a short time.

Disadvantages• The system is generally suitable for

homogenous materials such as concrete, and complex materials such

as timber framing cannot be readily interpreted.

• Microwave energy can be harmful due to its heating properties and a detailed

risk assessment is required.• Adjacent areas of the building may

need to be vacated to minimise the health risks associated with microwave

energy.

http://www.scantec.co.nz/archaeo.htm7/7/2011

St Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland, New Zealand

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Radiography

Advantages• Metal appears on the x-ray image as a very clear, sharp profile thus enabling a detailed assessment ofits condition.

Disadvantages• Notices need to be submitted to the factory

inspectorate.• Shielding is necessary to prevent radiation

leakage.• Access is required to both sides of the material.• Setting up is time consuming as great accuracy is

required to prevent distorted images.• Adjacent areas of the building may need to be

vacated.• A mains power source is required as batterysupply is generally inadequate.

• A risk assessment is required for works of art andfine finishes.

http://industry.rfsystemlab.com/e/product/xray/sample/index.html7/7/2011

Slightly destructive tests

Drilling resistance measurement

B. Fritzner, 2002

Flat-jacks Flat-jacks

IN SITU TESTING AND STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT OF AN HISTORIC MASONRY DOMEGianni Bartoli ,Michele Betti, Maurizio Orlando, Paolo Spinelliwww.dicea.unifi.it/~mbetti/MS-BETT.pdf

Flat-jacks

Sampling

I. Lombillo, L. Villegas, J. Elices, (2010) "Minor destructive techniques applied to the mechanicalcharacterization of historical rubble stone masonry structures", Structural Survey, Vol. 28 Iss: 1, pp.53 - 70

B. Fritzner, 2002