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The chemomechanics of crystallization during rewetting of limestone impregnated with sodium sulfate

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Abstract

Breakdown of porous materials by salts occurs when growing crystals exert pressure on the pore walls, inducing stress in the material that exceeds its tensile strength. In this work, we quantify the mechanical stresses caused by a particularly destructive mechanism: the dissolution of an anhydrate (thenardite, Na2SO4) followed by precipitation of a hydrated salt (mirabilite, Na2SO4·10H2O). Stresses are measured using a composite specimen consisting of a plate of glass bonded to a plate of limestone (CaCO3) whose pores are impregnated with thenardite. As water wicks into the limestone, thenardite dissolves and mirabilite precipitates. The limestone expands from the pressure exerted by the salt resulting in deflection of the composite, and the stresses can be obtained from an elastic analysis. Synchrotron x-ray diffraction reveals the dissolution–crystallization rate. Numerical modeling shows that the stresses are affected by the kinetics of crystallization and dissolution, permeability, and mechanical properties of the stone, allowing us to determine the amount of salt that causes material fracture.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Prof. Chris Hall for helpful advice. The authors also thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Getty Conservation Institute, the National Center for Preservation Technology & Training (NCPTT) (Grant MT-2210-09-NC-03), and the United Kingdom Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council for financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeto, New Jersey, 08544, USA

    Rosa M. Espinosa-Marzal, Andrea Hamilton, Megan McNall, Kathryn Whitaker & George W. Scherer

  2. Laboratory of Surface Science and Technology, Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland

    Rosa M. Espinosa-Marzal

  3. School of Engineering, Institute for Materials and Processes, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JL, UK

    Andrea Hamilton

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  1. Rosa M. Espinosa-Marzal
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  5. George W. Scherer
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Correspondence to Rosa M. Espinosa-Marzal.

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Espinosa-Marzal, R.M., Hamilton, A., McNall, M. et al. The chemomechanics of crystallization during rewetting of limestone impregnated with sodium sulfate. Journal of Materials Research 26, 1472–1481 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2011.137

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