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1. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
E x e r c i s e 5.E
Advanced Course
Module 5 Monitoring & Maintenance
Topic 5.1 To Monitor or not to Monitor, that is the question!
Exercise 5.E
Hands on materials: Did you know that water can climb the mountains?
Authors: Prof. Guido Biscontin, Dr. Francesca Caterina Izzo, Prof. Elisabetta Zendri, Ms. Laura Falchi Ca’
Falchi-
Foscari University of Venice
Objective
Determination of capillary water absorption
Introduction
“Monitoring means to carry out evaluation tests at the end of the conservation
intervention and over time to control the efficiency of the intervention and of
the products in term of water repellence”.
terms
The presenc of water and salt solutions in porous building materials could cause
presence
the degradation of the structure and decohesion of the materials. The application
of water
water-repellents products on building materials could decrease the water
absorption and slow down the degradation process due to liquid water. This
processes
activity helps the students to understand the influence of a water repellence
treatment on building materials.
Guidelines
Activity 5.E should be done after the Topic 5.1 of the Module 5 “Monitoring and Maintenance”.
Duration: 30 minutes on the first day to prepare samples and tr
: treat them with water-repellents; 90 minutes on a
repellents;
second day for the absorption measurements and for writing the report
Type of activity: it is a group activity that should be done in class. The report could be done also as a homework;
:
this activity involves and develops also mathematical skills.
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2. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
E x e r c i s e 5.E
Equipment needed:
• Stone material samples, preferably with at least one smooth surface:
-pieces of bricks
-local stone samples (marble, limestone, sandstone)
local
-pieces of mortars
(Two samples for each material are needed
Two needed)
• water Fig. 1 example of mortar specimen
• water repellent products: seed, walnut or olive oil, wax, commercial 4X4X4 cm
water repellents…
• dishes,
• blotting paper
• brush
• block notes, calculator, graph paper, ruler, permanent marker
Before the activity: prepare the equipment needed and copies of the example
report and of the data sheets.
Fig. 2 applying the treatment
During the activity:
1 day- samples measurements and water
water-repellent treatment:
• Label each sample with a permanent marker
• Measure the samples with a ruler and take notes of their dimensions
• Decide which side of the sample will be in contact with water
samples
• Be sure of having at least two samples for each material and apply the
treatment only on one of them.
• Apply the oil or wax with a brush all over the surface of the material
pply
• Let the samples dry Fig. 3 during the absorption: the
samples are over the blotting paper
2 day- Determination of water capillary absorption damp with water
• Put some pieces of blotting paper at the bottom of the dishes
tting
• Damp the paper with water
• Take the treated and the untreated sample for each material used
treated
• Put the stone specimens on the dishes over the paper: they will start
s
absorbing water
• After 1 minutes remove the samples from the dishes. Sign with a
permanent marker the level reached by water on the sample and measure
it with the ruler and immediately return the samples to their dishes. Put
always the same surface in contact with water
• Measure, note and sign on the sample the level reached by water after Fig. 2 during the absorption: different
treatments lead to different behaviour
1,3,6,10,15,30,40,60 min of the mortars
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3. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
E x e r c i s e 5.E
Report writing:
Note the dimension of each sample tested
tested.
Note the height reached by water at 1,3,6,10,15,
1,3,6,10,15,30,40,60 min
Create the a chart using the results obtained plotting the height versus the time (min).
A first plot referred to the results obtained before the treatment, a second plot referred to the results obtained
after the treatment. See the following example.
height (mm)
Look at the example of Time
untreated treated
the absorption data and (min)
sample sample
the plot of untreated and 0 0 0
1 1 1
treated stone samples
3 3 2
6 6 4
10 10 6
15 15 8
30 20 9
40 25 10
60 30 11
Capillary water absorption
35
30
25
height (mm)
20 not treated
15 treated
10
5
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
m inutes
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4. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
E x e r c i s e 5.E
Expected results
The water absorption by capillarity of a sample treated with a water-repellent product should be different from
the untreated sample. The treated samples should ab absorb less water: this gives an idea of the behaviour of a
behavio
material after a protection treatment.
While doing the experiment and writing the report, students will notice that the curve related to the untreated
samples are higher than the ones from treated samples.
Report writing:
Look at the example and then fill in your table with the values recorded after 1,3,6,10,15,30,40,60 min
height (mm)
Time (min)
sample before sample after
treatment treatment
1
3
6
10
15
25
40
60
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5. Educational Linkage Approach In Cultural Heritage
E x e r c i s e 5.E
Then plot your results considering the heights (mm) versus the time (min):
Capillary water absorption
100
90
80
70
height (mm)
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
m inutes
Observation and comments
1. What do you observe?
2. Does the different material react in the same way in contact with water?
3. Why we obtain different plot? Which one referred to a higher water absorption?
4. Do you think the treatments applied are good enough in order to prevent damage caused by water on buildings
material?
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