Conservar Património (Jan 2008)
Evaluation of compatible mortars to repair 19th century natural cement cast stone from the French Rhône-Alpes region
Abstract
In France, natural cements were extensively produced in the middle of the 19th century. In the French Alps, due to their ochre color, these cements were massively used, notably to produce cast stone, to simulate natural freestone. A preliminary survey revealed an overall good state of preservation of the buildings of this period. Two kinds of decays mechanisms were however identified : erosion affecting the surface of the majority of the buildings, inducing a gradual disappearance of the initial "fake-stone aspect", and a spalling phenomenon often combined with salts crystallization, observed only on a few buildings. Today, due to a lack of appropriate repair materials, the rehabilitation of these buildings mainly consists in the use of gray Portland-cement-based-mortars combined with a painting finishing, which is not satisfactory considering the conservation deontology, as the original appearance is lost. Therefore, the aim of this project was to develop and to test compatible repair materials to restore the culture heritage of this region. Based on the preliminary characterization of a set of representative ancient buildings, combined to a literature review, specifications concerning the composition and the main properties of repair materials, which could assure a compatibility with the ancient concrete of the region were established. Then, three Prompt-cement and one Portland-cement based mortars were selected, two of them being specifically formulated. Firstly, the appearance, the workability and the mechanical and physical properties of those mortars were characterized. Secondly, to evaluate the compatibility of the selected mortars with ancient concrete, Prompt-cement-based slabs were cast using a 19th century concrete formula, and were artificially eroded. After applying the 4 mortars on the slabs, visual observations and pull-out tests will be carried out before and after artificial aging. Finally, the repair mortar presenting the best performances will be tested on site in a monument of Grenoble.
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