The aim of this study is to understand how the porous network of a stone is modified by the crystallization of sodium sulphate. Samples of five different stones have been experimentally weathered and evaluated thanks to mercury porosimetry in three different states: fresh, weathered by salt, and weathered cleaned from the salts. Optical and electronic microscopy observations have also been led to complete these measurements. The results show that porosity and the general aspect of the porous network remain quite similar after weathering. Nevertheless, crystals tend to grow on all the grains regardless of the size of the related voids (pores or cracks), and these crystallizations seem to be harmful for the stone: a lot of voids of different entry sizes (from 10nm to 20µm) have been affected during the accelerated ageing tests. This study confirms that generally stones with a high amount of small pores (up to several µm) are the most susceptible to suffer from salt damage. Nevertheless, the influence of a few other features (high porosity, pore shape, pre-existent intragranular cracks) on the long-term behaviour of the stones suffering from salt decay is discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.