Provides a general account of the factors which cause decay of building stones and a summary of the best methods to reduce the incidence of decay. It discusses weathering associated with natural defects inherent in stone and examines issues of weathering caused by bad workmanship or errors in the selection of material. Decay through chemical and natural physical phenomena are discussed in detail. The final sections offer useful advice on how to prevent long term decay through appropriate repair, replacement and cleaning of stone.
Stone buildings and monuments form the cultural centres of many of the world's urban areas. Frequently these areas are prone to high levels of atmospheric pollution that promote a variety of aggressive stone decay processes. Because of this, stone decay is now widely recognised as a severe threat to much of our cultural heritage. An interdisciplinary approach between geologists, environmental scientists, chemists, material scientists, civil engineers, restorers and architects aims to strengthen the knowledge base dealing with the causes, consequences, prevention and solution of stone decay problems.
The readers of the first two editions of Stone: Properties, Durabi lity in Man's Environment, were mostly architects, restoration architects of buildings and monuments in natural stone, profes sionals who sought basic technical information for non-geologists. The increasing awareness of rapidly decaying monuments and their rescue from loss to future generations have urged this writer to update the 1973 and 1975 editions, now unavailable and out of print. Due to the 20-year-Iong interval, extensive updating was necessary to produce this new book. The present edition concentrates on the natural material stone, as building stone, dimension stone, architectural stone, and decorative field stones. Recently, the use of stone for thin curtain walls on buildings has become fashionable. The thin slabs exposed to anew, unknown complexity of stresses, resulting in bowing of crystalline marble, has attracted much negative pUblicity. The costs of replacing white slabs of marble on entire buildings with its legal implications have led construction com panies into bankruptcy. We blame many environmental problems on acid rain. Does acid rain really accelerate stone decay that much? Stone preservation is being attempted with an ever-increasing number of chemicals applied by as many specialists to save crumbling stone. Chemists filled this need during a time of temporary job scarcity, while the general geologist missed this opportunity; he was too deeply involved in the search for fossil fuels and metals.
In this volume scientists from different disciplines present their experience and their scientific work in progress. These concern the properties of a series of stones that have been used for the erection of some of the most important stone monuments of international cultural heritage and are also used today for substitution of missing parts or completion of damaged ones. It deals with the subject globally and contains unpublished research results.
Drawn from a January 2000 symposium held in New Orleans, the 13 papers in this collection discuss characterization of materials that have been subjected to exposure tests; advances and new developments in outdoor, indoor and laboratory accelerated tests; and service life prediction. Topics include t
One of the problems which beset the practical conservation of stone buildings is the fragmentation of the disciplines involved. This book, with both volumes now available as one invaluable paperback, brings these disciplines together by the involvement of contributors with different experiences and approaches to the same material. Part one is an introduction to the complexities and background history of stone conservation followed by the most comprehensive description yet produced of the building and decorative stones used in the British Isles. In part two, practitioners involved in stone conservation describe ways in which major structural masonry problems, secondary building problems and different stone surface conditions may be treated. A variety of building types and environments has been used to ensure that the broad scope of common problems is covered. This second part of the book will be of practical value to art historians, archaeologists, architects, surveyors and engineers, masonry contractors and sculpture conservators in solving problems and in learning to use each other's skills and experience.
One of the problems which beset the conservation of stone buildings is the fragmentation of the disciplines involved. This book brings these disciplines together by the involvement of contributors with different experiences & approaches.
Building Materials and Construction is primarily written for the students of Civil Engineering to make them familiar with building materials and construction practices to build their interest in the field. The book starts with explanation of building material concepts and goes on to explain all the important materials like Lime, Bricks, Cement, Timber, Concrete etc. in separate chapters following the same flow as prescribed in major universities. Special emphasis is given on construction materials such as foundation work, stone and brick masonry, plastering work, door and window design, roof and floors, DPC etc.
