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Cultural Heritage objects are in many cases invaluable and irrecoverable, therefore their protection is a prior goal. One threat arises by intentionally defacing such objects with graffiti. One possibility to face the imminent threat is the application of a surface protection in form of anti-graffiti systems (AGS). However, the knowledge about the performance and durability of AGS on substrates used for historical buildings is still fragmented. The goal of the presented study was to investigate the performance of a newly developed agent in comparison to a selection of commercial anti-graffiti agents on different substrates, which were used for historical buildings. Four commercial anti-graffiti agents with different chemical formulations were selected and tested with the new agent on different stone and brick substrates. The results showed clearly that AGS based on dense, water vapour impermeable coatings are not suitable to porous substrates such as sandstone, brick or porous limestone due to their impair of the hygric properties and the visual appearance of a substrate. The new agent could not completely reach the cleaning efficacy of the dense coatings but exhibited a much lower impact on the properties of the substrate and was therefore better compatible to historical surfaces.
Setting cement: Highly dynamic hydration processes that occur during the first seconds of cement hydration were studied by time-resolved synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Polycarboxylate ether additives were found to influence the formation of the initial crystalline hydration products on a molecular level.
The interaction of municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ash (MSWI bottom ash), when utilized as an aggregate in concrete, with the cement matrix was investigated. The most prominent reaction observed in lab and field concrete was the formation of aluminium hydroxide and the release of hydrogen gas from aluminium grains reacting in the alkaline environment. The expansive aluminium reaction was identified as a main cause of extensive spalling on the concrete surface. Due to the higher content of bottle glass as part of the ash, in all samples, reaction products of an alkali-silica reaction (ASR) could be observed as well. However, damage due to ASR were less severe than those caused by the aluminium reaction. The expansion rates were low and only a few of the lab samples showed cracking. Microstructural analysis of the samples indicated clearly that a large quantity of the alkali-silica gel which was formed was accommodated in the pores and voids without exerting any strain on the material.
Spatially resolved analysis of complex multi-phase systems can be validated through different analytical methods. This study compares investigations by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis and high resolution X-ray diffraction. The studied sulfate attacked cement paste containing fly ashes consists of different interacting crystalline and amorphous phases. The complementary methods revealed in detail changes in phase composition due to the chemical attack. The advantages and disadvantages of both methods are discussed and suggestions are given for combining them with additional methods to maximize the information content.
The paper presents the results of a study dealing with the performance of water repellents on hardened blended cement pastes. Since on the European market Portland cement does not play the dominant role anymore and due to the new national and European policies concerning Greenhouse Gases and sustainability, cement manufacturers produce more and more blended cements (CEM IICEM V). Nevertheless, the majority of experience concerning the efficacy of water repellents is gained from Portland cement; therefore knowledge in regard to the interactions of blended cement with water repellent agent is minimal. Two silane-based products were applied on 'fresh' and carbonated cement substrates containing limestone, fly ash, slag and trass, and were investigated in terms of their functionality. The evaluation of the treatments' performance and effectiveness were assessed using various laboratory measurements. Hydrophobicity, water absorption, colour changes and the penetration depth of silanes into the substrate were evaluated before and after artificial aging experiments. Moreover, the outdoor weathering test was performed to shed light on treated surface appearance in a 'real' outdoor environment. The results showed that surface wettability was independent on water ingress or colour variations, especially for cement specimens artificially aged by accelerated carbonation. Cement pastes containing slag and trass seemed to more distinctly affect the water repellents' surface performance.
Deciphering the sulfate attack of cementitious materials by high-resolution micro-x-ray diffraction
(2011)
The durability of cementitious materials depends, among others, on their resistance against chemical attack during the service life of a building. Here, we present an approach to analyze changes in the phase composition due to chemical attack in the form of sulfate ingress within the microstructure. Micro-X-ray (µX-ray) diffraction using synchrotron radiation in Debye–Scherrer (transmission) geometry allowed a spatial resolution of 10 µm. Phase transformations in the wake of damaging processes were observed in a detailed high-resolution imaging study. In comparison, samples containing supplementary cementitious materials were investigated and used to reconstruct the influence of different degeneration processes in detail. Additionally, reaction fronts within the bulk were localized by micro-X-ray fluorescence analysis. The experimental setup provided the possibility for analyzing the phase assemblage of a given sample without destroying the microstructure. The specimens for phase analysis are thick sections of the primary material and can be used for further microscopic analysis of the microstructure and microchemistry, e.g., scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDX) or Raman spectroscopy.