Figure 1 - uploaded by Fabrice Dagrain
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Helium pycnometer for the structural volume measurement on the left. Volumeter for the envelope volume measurement on the right.
Source publication
The purpose of this program is to get a better understanding of the behaviour of historical and contemporary mortars. The objective is the improvement of the restoration habits, which could be usefully re-oriented in order to upgrade practices on the restoration sites and to ensure the permanence of heritage monuments. Mortar samples from buildings...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... very specific devices are used to determine those two physical properties: a helium pycnometer (Micromeritics AccuPyc TM II 1340 - Figure 1-left) and a volumeter (Micromeritics GeoPyc ® 1360 - Figure 1-right). The pycnometer does a measurement of the structural volume V s of the tested sample through a gas displacement technique. ...
Context 2
... very specific devices are used to determine those two physical properties: a helium pycnometer (Micromeritics AccuPyc TM II 1340 - Figure 1-left) and a volumeter (Micromeritics GeoPyc ® 1360 - Figure 1-right). The pycnometer does a measurement of the structural volume V s of the tested sample through a gas displacement technique. ...
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Asensor is a device which detects or measures a physical property and records, indicates or otherwise responds to it. Civionics is a special field of study which is a combination of Civil and Electronics. Hard Infrastructures corresponds to all types of infrastructures like- Buildings, Bridges, Industries, and Heritage Infrastructure etc. Some abso...
Citations
... The micro-destructive scratch tool, originally developed for use in petroleum engineering, has also been employed by several researchers to investigate various stone properties [24][25][26] . At the same time, there is evidence in the literature, albeit limited, that this tool may also be used for the evaluation of the mechanical properties (mainly the compressive strength) of historic mortars [27][28][29] . ...
In every restoration project, knowledge of the mechanical properties of the original materials is considered essential for engineers, not only for the structural assessment of the monument, but also for the selection of compatible restoration materials. In the case of mortars, however, direct or indirect determination of their mechanical properties is usually challenging, due to the limited size and number of available samples. Hence, alternative non- or micro-destructive techniques need to be exploited for the evaluation of the compressive and flexural strength of historic mortars. In this study, the micro-destructive scratching resistance test is used to assess the compressive and flexural strength of a variety of lime-based mortars, that were either designed and produced in the laboratory using different binders, aggregates and admixtures, or sampled in-situ. Sound linear correlations observed between the intrinsic specific energy, resulting from the scratching resistance test, and the compressive and flexural strength of the laboratory designed and produced mortars validate the potential of the scratch tool in assessing the aforementioned mechanical properties of lime-based mortars. This is further confirmed by results on historic mortar fragments. Therefore, the use of the novel micro-destructive scratch tool is recommended in cases where lime mortar sampling is limited, in order to provide reliable estimates for the mechanical properties of historic mortars.
... A number of researchers have used the aforementioned techniques in order to investigate various stone properties [2,3,4]. However, only limited work has been published on historical mortars, mainly for conservation purposes [5,6,7,8]. ...
The ongoing research community interest in the assessment of lime mortars renders the need for further study on their physico-mechanical characteristics timely. Relevant standardized experimental methods are predominantly destructive and demand extensive sampling and controlled laboratory conditions. In contrast, novel micro-destructive techniques may be used in either the laboratory or in-situ, with minimal intervention to the original structure. In this study, two micro-destructive techniques, based on the measurement of either the scratching or drilling resistance force, were used to assess the mechanical properties of a range of laboratory designed and produced lime mortars. Data was collected on various hydrated and hydraulic lime mortar samples optimized with the addition of nanosilica and nanotitania. A statistical approach was used to correlate the results of the micro-destructive testing methods with the results of standardized tests implemented to assess the uniaxial compressive strength, flexural strength and dynamic Young's modulus of elasticity of the mortars under study. The results confirm the potential of the two aforementioned micro-destructive techniques in assessing the mechanical properties of lime mortars. Therefore, the use of either the scratching or drilling resistance measurement is recommended in cases where sampling is limited due to the importance of a historic structure.
... Originally developed for use in petroleum engineering, the latter device has also recently been used (e.g. Theodoridou et al., 2015; Richard et al., 2012; Dagrain and Germay, 2006) to investigate material properties for various purposes, including conservation (e.g., Campbell et al., 2011; Dagrain et al., 2010b). Its mode of operation relies on the incremental formation of a groove on the surface of the test sample using a diamond cutter. ...
Salt crystallization is widely recognized as one of the most damaging factors affecting stone monuments and buildings. Conservation of structures suffering from weathering due to salt crystallization can be immensely expensive and time-consuming. The assessment of salt-laden buildings alone is often challenging and costly in its own right. In this paper, the Drilling Resistance Measurement System (DRMS) and the scratch tool are evaluated for their ability to map salt crystallization in natural building stone. The laboratory results indicate that the two aforementioned micro-destructive techniques are indeed capable of detecting the location of the salt crystallization front in limestone impregnated with sodium sulfate. This is facilitated due to the increased resistances recorded during drilling and scratching in areas where pore clogging due to salt crystallization exists. The DRMS was further successfully employed in-situ on masonry exhibiting the effects of salt decay. The successful application of both micro-destructive techniques in the laboratory, and of the DRMS alone in-situ, suggests that these may potentially be used to detect subflorescence before it becomes damaging.
... Les procédures de tests sont reprises succinctement ciaprès dans l'ordre chronologique où ceux-ci sont réalisés. Le lecteur intéressé par plus de détails sur chacune des procédures de tests est invité à se référer à Dagrain et al. (2010a). ...
The determination of the physico-mechanical properties of building materials is usually done by the use of characterization techniques which are standardized and which require to prepare samples of standardized geometries and sizes. This type of tests cannot unfortunately be applied to materials of which it is not possible to obtain samples in sufficient quantity and size. It is particularly the case in the field of the conservation and the restoration of the Inheritance. However, in this particular field, the knowledge of the state of conservation or deterioration of materials is crucial to decide treatments to apply in order to perennialize the historical works. Many researchers have consequently tested and developed number of methods to characterize, in alternative ways, the building materials on the basis of sample of very small size. A methodology has been developed in the Department of Civil Engineering and Structural Mechanics of the University of Mons. Some case studies on historical materials are treated to illustrate the potentialities of the methodology to assess information on materials which can be found in the built inheritance, or which can be discovered during archaeological excavations. The use of this methodology should make it possible to supplement the archaeological studies of historic sites by providing useful information to the archaeologists, to the architects and to other contractors and engineers who will have to preserve and perennialize our historical heritage.
... These are mainly applied for the determination of the mechanical properties of materials. The general concept of both methods lies within the forces needed to destroy material by cutting or drilling mechanisms; these are related to the mechanical properties of the material and the technological parameters applied on the tool (Dagrain et al 2010). Therefore, for given testing configuration, the only parameter influencing the forces applied is the strength of the material. ...
... It has been applied for the detection of faults and damage in refractory bricks and for the localized investigation of the properties along the matrix of concrete materials (Dagrain and Germay 2006). In addition, continuous scratch measurements have been used in the quantitative evaluation of rock heterogeneity (Dagrain and Germay 2006) and the characterization of historic mortars (Dagrain et al 2010). One of the latest applications of the scratching test is described by Modestou et al (2012) and refers to the ability of the technique to detect crystallised salts within porous materials. ...
... Furthermore, the drilling test has been applied for the evaluation of consolidating treatments in monuments (Tiano et al 2000) and for monitoring damage within the body of materials (Felicetti 2006). Drilling tests have also been used for the characterization of mortars (Dagrain et al 2010), the evaluation of the compressive strength of ancient clay bricks (Fernandes and Lourenço 2007) and the micro-destructive mapping of salt crystallisation in stone (Modestou et al 2012). ...
The characterization of masonry heritage materials is of utmost importance in the diagnosis of their pathology and state of conservation. Standardised experimental methods which demand controlled laboratory conditions are limited in their applications by the size of test specimens. This limitation is even tighter when experimentalists deal with heritage materials. Therefore, alternative techniques have recently been developed for the micro-destructive evaluation of certain stone properties, either in-situ or in the laboratory. In this study, the drilling and scratching micro-destructive tests have been used alongside a series of standardised laboratory tests aiming at the correlation of various stone properties (density, porosity, dynamic elastic modulus and uniaxial compressive strength). The results prove the potential of the two techniques to assess the uniaxial compressive strength of the materials based on their intrinsic specific energy and drilling resistance. Furthermore, sound correlations are established between the mechanical properties of the test specimens and their respective densities and porosities. Thus, the two novel micro-destructive techniques are shown to be efficient in the physico-mechanical characterization of materials. As such, their use is strongly recommended for standardization and/or the evaluation of the characteristics of heritage masonry materials, which demand in-situ measurements or allow very limited sampling.
