Minero-Petrographic Characterization of Chianocco Marble Employed for Palazzo Madama Façade in Turin (Northwest Italy)

The study of ancient marble plays an important role in the interpretation of historical and archaeological sites and gives interesting information about building materials used in ancient times and their trade routes. The present work focuses on Chianocco marble that represents one of the most important ancient white marbles for cultural heritage exploited in the Piedmont region (Northwest Italy) and employed for the Palazzo Madama façade. A multi-analytical study based on petrographic (optical and scanning electron microscopy), electron microprobe, cathodoluminescence and stable isotope analyses was carried out on these marbles in order to perform an archaeometric study. Chianocco marble was used in Turin during the baroque era by the Savoy architect Filippo Juvarra (1678–1736) in historical buildings, such as the façade of the Palazzo Madama, the plinth of the façade of the town Cathedral and the columns (now plastered) of the portico of Piazza San Carlo. This stone is a dolomitic rock belonging to the Mesozoic cover of the Dora Maira Massif (Pennidic Unit). It shows a vuggy fabric characterized by a vacuolar texture due to tectonic brecciation and subsequent selective dissolution during subaerial exposure. This kind of research is useful to highlight the importance of the use of local stones as building materials and to investigate stone materials for the restoration and maintenance of historical buildings.

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The building materials of “Colle del Melogno” Central Fort (Liguria, Italy)

X ◽

10.4995/fortmed2020.2020.11544 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Fabio Fratini ◽

Manuela Mattone ◽

Silvia Rescic

Keyword(s):

Building Materials ◽

Point Of View ◽

Petrographic Analysis ◽

Stone Materials ◽

Ligurian Alps ◽

Local Supply ◽

The Government ◽

Materials Used ◽

Artificial Stone ◽

The Military

The Melogno pass (Colle del Melogno) is located at 1026 m above sea level, between the high Val Bormida and the hinterland of the Finalese (province of Savona) and is one of the highest mountain passes in the Ligurian Alps. In ancient times, this zone was considered strategically important from the military point of view since it is located at the crossroads of many communication routes. In these areas, in November 1795, during the “Battle of Loano”, the French army, commanded by Andrea Massena and the allied army of Austria, prevailed over the Kingdom of Sardinia, led by Oliver Remigius von Wallis. However, the territory remained possession of the Kingdom of Sardinia and, between 1883 and 1895, the worsening of relations with France induced the government to erect, near the pass, three imposing fortifications (Tortagna, Settepani and Centrale) to prevent an entry into Piedmont by armies coming from the coast. For the same purpose other fortifications were erected near the passes of Tenda, Nava, Turchino and near the villages of Zuccarello, Altare and Vado. The most impressive among the three fortifications of Melogno pass is the Central Fort. It occupies all the saddle of the pass and it is crossed by the provincial road 490 connecting the coast of Finale Ligure to Piedmont. The fort, still of military property, is a listed historical artefact. It has a polygonal shape, with a main barrack developed on two floors. Four defensive and attacking emplacements were located outside the main complex, along a detached hill, with heavy artillery pointed towards the coast. The study will examine the natural and artificial stone materials used for the building through mineralogical and petrographic analysis and will verify both the variations occurred during the construction phases and the relations with the local supply sources.

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Anti-Graffiti Behavior of Oleo/Hydrophobic Nano-Filled Coatings Applied on Natural Stone Materials

Coatings ◽

10.3390/coatings9110740 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 740 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mariateresa Lettieri ◽

Maurizio Masieri ◽

Mariachiara Pipoli ◽

Alessandra Morelli ◽

Mariaenrica Frigione

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Basin ◽

Building Materials ◽

Protective Coatings ◽

Nano Particles ◽

Angle Measurements ◽

Stone Materials ◽

Contact Angle Measurements ◽

Materials Used ◽

Paint Removal ◽

The Mediterranean Basin

In recent years, graffiti writings are increasingly regarded as a form of art. However, their presence on historic building remains a vandalism and different strategies have been developed to clean or, preferably, protect the surfaces. In this study, an experimental nano-filled coating, based on fluorine resin containing SiO2 nano-particles, and two commercial products have been applied on compact and porous calcareous stones, representative of building materials used in the Mediterranean basin, and their anti-graffiti ability has been analyzed. All the tested experimental and commercial coatings exhibited high hydrophobicity and oleophobicity, thus meeting one of the basic requirements for anti-graffiti systems. The effects of staining by acrylic blu-colored spray paint and felt-tip marker were, then, assessed; the properties of the treated stone surfaces after cleaning by acetone were also investigated. Visual observations, contact angle measurements and color evaluations were performed to this aim. It was found that the protective coatings facilitated the spray paint removal; however high oleophobicity or paint repellence did not guarantee a complete cleaning. The stain from the felt-tip marker was confirmed to be extremely difficult to remove. The cleaning with a neat unconfined solvent promoted the movement of the applied polymers (and likely of the paint, as well) in the porous structure of the stone substrate.

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Evaluation of Salt-Induced Damage to Aged Wood of Historical Wooden Buildings

International Journal of Analytical Chemistry ◽

10.1155/2020/8873713 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Xiaochen Mi ◽

Tieying Li ◽

Jinping Wang ◽

Yongfeng Hu

Keyword(s):

Building Materials ◽

Mechanical Damage ◽

Damage Mechanism ◽

Historical Buildings ◽

Atmospheric Pollutant ◽

Edge Structure ◽

X Ray ◽

Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Materials Used ◽

Interdisciplinary Study

Salt is a common cause of damage to building materials used in cultural and historical buildings. The damage to aged wood in historical wooden buildings has not been extensively studied, resulting in the need for a more detailed analysis. In this work, Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, a typical historical wooden structure, was taken as the research object. Multichemical analyses were conducted to evaluate and understand the salt-induced damage to the aged wood using a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer, sulphur K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and attenuated total reflectance fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. The results showed the presence of invasive salt crystallisations and ions in the aged samples. The source of these invasive elements was deduced by identifying the type, amount, and valency of the elements; they were found to be derived from environmental factors such as acid rain and atmospheric pollutant. The unique damage mechanism and route induced by salt in historical buildings made of wood were summarised; the damage was attributed to the accumulation of sulphate salt causing hydrolysis of the carbohydrates and salt crystallisation resulting in mechanical damage. This interdisciplinary study is significant for decision making in studies related to the preservation and evaluation of historical wooden buildings.

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Rare earth elements as tracers for provenancing ancient ceramics

Estudos do Quaternário / Quaternary Studies ◽

10.30893/eq.v0i8.67 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 6-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

M. Isabel Prudêncio ◽

M. Isabel Dias ◽

M. José Trindade ◽

M. Amália Sequeira Braga

Keyword(s):

Raw Materials ◽

Geographic Area ◽

Interaction Patterns ◽

Resource Exploitation ◽

Ancient Ceramics ◽

Trade Routes ◽

Interregional Interaction ◽

Production Technologies ◽

Ancient Times ◽

Materials Used

Clay analysis plays a crucial role in studies of ancient ceramics, contributing with answers to better understanding resource exploitation strategies, production technologies, and regional and interregional interaction patterns. The vessels are made essentially by clays, the composition of the ceramics reflectingthe origin of the clay materials used and conclusions may be inferred concerning the type of raw materials and the establishment of the geographic area of production. Different geochemical patterns found in clays from different geological contexts, consist on an important basis for the comparison with ceramics since the identification of the clays used for productions can contribute to delimit a potential area of clay resources and thus establishing provenance. This is particularly useful when no archaeological evidence of production exists. REE patterns are very important for the characterization of ceramic productions and their relation with raw materials, as subtle variations between them reflect differences in their relative behaviour in response to the chemical environment, making this group particularly useful in geochemistry studies. So, REE are crucial trace elements to pursue studies of raw materials and provenance establishment and trade routes reconstruction in ancient times. As terras raras como indicadores geoquímicos na proveniência de cerâmica antiga - O estudo das argilas assume um papel crucial na investigação de cerâmicas antigas, contribuindo para o esclarecimento e melhor compreensão de estratégias de exploração de recursos de matérias-primas, tecnologias de produção e padrões de interacção regional e inter-regional. Os recipientes cerâmicos são essencialmente constituídos por argilas, reflectindo a sua composição a origem dos materiais argilosos usados, podendo ser retiradas conclusões relativamente ao tipo de matérias-primas, bem como ao estabelecimento de áreas geográficas de produção. Os diversos padrões geoquímicos encontrados nas argilas provenientes de diferentes contextos geológicos, constituem uma importante base para a comparação com as cerâmicas, uma vez que a identificação das argilas usadas em certas produções, pode contribuir para a delimitação da potencial área fonte de argilas, estabelecendo-se assim a sua proveniência. Este facto é particularmente relevante quando não existe evidência arqueológica de produção. Os padrões de terras raras são muito importantes para a caracterização das produções cerâmicas e sua relação com as matérias-primas, uma vez que as variaçõessubtis que apresentam reflectem diferenças no seu comportamento em resposta ao sistema químico que as rodeiam, tornando este grupo particularmente útil em estudos de geoquímica. Deste modo, as terras raras são elementos traço cruciais em estudos de matérias-primas e no estabelecimento de proveniência de cerâmicas, contribuindo para a reconstrução de rotas comerciais em tempos antigos.

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Mathematical modeling of the effective composition of asphalt concrete with the use of waste steel production

Russian journal of transport engineering ◽

10.15862/12sats318 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Kirill Tyuryukhanov ◽

Konstantin Pugin ◽

Olga Fedoseeva ◽

Denis Agapitov

Keyword(s):

Mathematical Modeling ◽

Asphalt Concrete ◽

Building Materials ◽

Steel Production ◽

Strength Characteristics ◽

Concrete Mixture ◽

Fine Aggregate ◽

Molding Mixture ◽

Stone Materials ◽

Materials Used

The article presents a part of the dissertation research by Tyuryukhanova K.Yu., the results of mathematical modeling of the effective composition of asphalt-concrete mixture of type B of brand I. At present, a network of highways is developing very quickly, where asphalt is the main material of the upper layers of the pavement construction. Every year, there is a tightening of requirements for asphalt concrete mixtures, and in particular for the stone materials used. That in turn leads to a rise in price of certain inert materials, and as a result of all construction in general. One of the ways to reduce costs in the repair, reconstruction, new construction is the use of industrial waste, which in its strength characteristics are not inferior to traditional building materials. The article deals with mathematical modeling of hot dense fine-grained asphalt-concrete mixture, which includes the departure of steelmaking production, in particular spent molding mixture. At the heart of mathematical models, physico-mechanical indicators are obtained as a result of testing of asphalt concrete samples made in laboratory conditions. As changing factors, two indicators were selected, the bitumen content and the amount of fine aggregate, namely the waste of steelmaking production of the spent molding mixture, in the composition of asphalt concrete. Mathematical modeling makes it possible to more accurately design the grain composition, to identify certain dependencies on changing factors, and also to predict the strength characteristics of asphalt concrete, which consists of mineral materials of different origin and astringent, which will in turn meet all the requirements of state standards of the Russian Federation.

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TRADITIONAL OUTBUILDINGS OF THE MORDOVIANS

Economic History ◽

10.15507/2409-630x.045.015.201902.154-165 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 154-165 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Elena N. Mokshina ◽

Mihail I. Svyatkin

Keyword(s):

Ethnic Group ◽

Economic Activity ◽

Building Materials ◽

Animal Feed ◽

Economic Activities ◽

Important Place ◽

Main Building ◽

Genetic Problem ◽

Materials Used ◽

Functional Purpose

Introduction. The article deals with the main traditional outbuildings of the Mordvinians, reported on their functional purpose in economic activity. The forms and types of outbuildings, as well as the main building materials used by Mordvinians are described in details. Their significance in the religious and ceremonial life of the ethnic group is shown. Materials and Methods. The research is based on traditional methods of ethnographic science, such as field observation, survey and interviews, and a comprehensive approach. Among the methods of historical science comparative-historical, historical-genetic, problem-chronological, structural-system were used. Among the general scientific methods of research logical, descriptive, narrative, generalization, classification and systematization were involved. To achieve the results of the study, the materials collected by the authors in the course of field surveys conducted in the Mordovian villages were mainly used. Results and Discussion. Traditional outbuildings were of great importance in the economic activity of the Mordovian ethnic group. According to their functional purpose, they can be divided into the following groups: for livestock and poultry (stable, chicken coop, stable, kalda), sanitary and hygienic (bath), warehouse buildings for storage of food, utensils, firewood, animal feed (barn, cellar, woodshed, hayloft), for processing of grain (sheep, riga, mill). Depending on the welfare and financial capacity of the family, the number of outbuildings was different. As a rule, the wealthier families had more outbuildings than the less wealthier ones. The main building material for the construction of these buildings was wood. Conclusion. Thus, the traditional outbuildings of the Mordvinians occupied an important place in its economic activities. At the same time, each of them had its own purpose and performed certain functions. Some buildings, such as a bath and a barn, had not only economic purpose, but also were the venue for a number of prayers and ceremonies. It is now ordinarily they have banya (bath-house), outdoor courtyard with standing in different places sheds, barn and cellar.

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Architectural ruins: geoculture of the anatomy of buildings as illustrated by Casa Ippolito, Malta

Heritage Science ◽

10.1186/s40494-021-00500-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lino Bianco

Keyword(s):

Material Culture ◽

Building Materials ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Primary Source ◽

Secondary Sources ◽

Non Invasive ◽

History Of ◽

Aerial Vehicle ◽

Materials Used ◽

Building Physics

AbstractRuins are a statement on the building materials used and the construction method employed. Casa Ippolito, now in ruins, is typical of 17th-century Maltese aristocratic country residences. It represents an illustration of secondary or anthropogenic geodiversity. This paper scrutinises these ruins as a primary source in reconstructing the building’s architecture. The methodology involved on-site geographical surveying, including visual inspection and non-invasive tests, a geological survey of the local lithostratigraphy, and examination of notarial deeds and secondary sources to support findings about the building’s history as read from its ruins. An unmanned aerial vehicle was used to digitally record the parlous state of the architectural structure and karsten tubes were used to quantify the surface porosity of the limestone. The results are expressed from four perspectives. The anatomy of Casa Ippolito, as revealed in its ruins, provides a cross-section of its building history and shows two distinct phases in its construction. The tissue of Casa Ippolito—the building elements and materials—speaks of the knowledge of raw materials and their properties among the builders who worked on both phases. The architectural history of Casa Ippolito reveals how it supported its inhabitants’ wellbeing in terms of shelter, water and food. Finally, the ruins in their present state bring to the fore the site’s potential for cultural tourism. This case study aims to show that such ruins are not just geocultural remains of historical built fabric. They are open wounds in the built structure; they underpin the anatomy of the building and support insights into its former dynamics. Ruins offer an essay in material culture and building physics. Architectural ruins of masonry structures are anthropogenic discourse rendered in stone which facilitate not only the reconstruction of spaces but also places for human users; they are a statement on the wellbeing of humanity throughout history.

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On the Thermal Stresses Due to Weathering in Natural Stones

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11031188 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 1188

Author(s):

William Hideki Ito ◽

Talita Scussiato ◽

Federico Vagnon ◽

Anna Maria Ferrero ◽

Maria Rita Migliazza ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Building Materials ◽

Thermal Stresses ◽

Central Italy ◽

Theory Of Elasticity ◽

International Standards ◽

Natural Material ◽

Physical Weathering ◽

Mechanism Of Degradation ◽

Ancient Times ◽

Natural Stones

Natural weathering is known as one of the key mechanisms causing degradation in building materials. Great efforts have been made to develop new materials and new processes for protecting those that already exist. Natural stones are an example of a natural material that has been extensively used for building construction since ancient times. In addition, they fit durability, aesthetic, and mechanical requirements. Thus, they still have great importance in the construction business nowadays. Though chemical interactions in natural stones, such as oxidation or hydrolyses, have been widely studied, in the last few decades, the physical weathering due to daily temperature variations has begun to be considered as a key mechanism of degradation and has been incorporated in international standards. This process is particularly important in calcitic marble slabs, where it can cause extensive damages to facades. Consequently, there are restrictive rules for the use of marble as an external coating material in many countries. In this paper, the thermal stresses induced by daily variations in temperature are calculated using geographic and meteorological information. The concept of sol-air temperature is used to estimate the temperatures of the hidden and exposed surfaces of a slab, and Fourier’s law and the theory of elasticity are used to calculate the temperature and stress distribution, respectively. The proposed methodology allows for a detailed reconstruction of the stress induced inside marble slabs using parameters commonly acquired in meteorological stations as input data. The developed methodology was validated by comparing in-situ measurements of the temperature of a building in Pescara (Central Italy). A good correlation between the theoretical and real temperatures was found; in particular, the peak tensile stresses inside the slabs were estimated at 75 kPa.

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