| 1. |
- Balksten, Kristin, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
-
Permeability in lime plaster in relation to durability of covered materials
- 2004
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the 32nd IAHS World Congress on Housing – Sustainability of the Housing Projects. Trento, Italy 2004.. ; 1
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In restoration of old buildings, lime plasters are used for reasons of authenticity and for technicalreasons as well. In many traditional constructions, there is wood behind the plasters or there is old limemortar in the masonry. For the durability of both these underlying materials, it is important that therelative humidity, RH is not too high under a long time of exposure. This can lead to an accelerateddegradation process of wood and leaching of lime in mortars. To prevent this, the plaster must have aproper permeability.The permeability of a material determines its ability to transport gas and moisture. In lime plasters,permeability affects hardening, carbonation as well as durability of the underlying materials. In thepresent paper, eleven mixtures of lime mortar were studied. The binders used were lime slaked in fourdifferent ways, hydraulic lime and cement.The following measurements were made to analyse the permeability and the pore structure of thesamples. Gas permeability and draining curves give an indication of rate of carbonation. Vapourpermeability shows the ability of plaster to transmit moisture at different RH. Thin sections were madefor microscopically investigations of the samples.The investigations show that both the vapour permeability and gas permeability decreases with anincreased amount of hydraulic binder in the lime plasters. Even small amounts of hydraulic binderhave a significant effect.By connecting these results with examples from reality, the picture becomes clearer. In the medievaltown Visby in Sweden, there are several examples of both rotten wood and disintegrated lime mortars.It is constructions from 13th to 19th centuries and low permeable cementitious plasters have coveredthem all, during the middle of the 20th century.
|
|
| 2. |
- Balksten, Kristin, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
-
The influence of craftsmanship on the inner structures of lime plasters
- 2005
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the International RILEM Workshop Repair Mortars for Historic Masonry. Delft, Holland 2005.. - : Rilem publications. ; 1, s. 11-20
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The use of traditional lime plaster in restoration of old buildings is motivated by bothtechnical and historic reasons. The plasterer deals daily with a multivariable problem wherethe variables are related in such a complex way that we are not even close to findingconverging solutions by traditional scientific methods. The decisions and actions of thecraftsman will have an influence on both the surface structure and the inner structure of thelime plaster. The present paper will focus on the time between application of mortar andworking on the surface to make a floated finish. In total, 32 lime plaster surfaces have beenanalysed. Half of them have been worked on after they have stiffened up and half of themhave been worked on while they are still fresh. The results clearly show that the time betweenapplication of mortar and working the surface is a critical parameter. If you wait until theright time, you receive a more homogeneous and compact material with an open surface anda higher frost resistance.
|
|
| 3. |
- Balksten, Kristin, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
-
The pore structure in lime plaster as a key to understanding moisture transportation properties and frost damages
- 2004
-
Ingår i: 10th International Congress on the Deterioration and Conservation of Stone. ; 2, s. 1033-1040
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The pore structure is of great importance for a materials ability to hold and transport gasand moisture. In lime plaster, it affects hardening, carbonation as well as durability againstfrost damage. In the present paper, eleven mixtures of lime mortar were studied withrespect to frost damages. The binders used were lime slaked in four different ways,hydraulic lime and cement.Several analyses were made to characterize the transport properties and the porestructure of the materials; density, porosity, sorption curves, capillary water suction andthin sections. This study shows that there is a correlation between pore structure andimportant material properties. By studying these parameters, it is possible to get a goodpicture of the materials ability to resist frost damages. The study also gives an indication ofwhat materials in the mortar such as binders, aggregates and water, give a good porestructure.
|
|
| 4. |
- Balksten, Kristin, 1977-
(författare)
-
Traditional lime mortar and plaster : Reconstruction with emphasis on durability
- 2007
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Lime mortar and plaster have been investigated with the aim to improve the knowledge on how to make them as durable as before the cement technology was developed. The background was the durability problems experienced for newly produced lime plaster on the medieval churches on the island of Gotland, Sweden. In some cases the new lime plaster façades showed severe frost damages after only one winter. Although the lime was burnt and produced according to old local traditions, the lime mortar was still mixed and worked onaccording to methods developed for lime-cement mortar. This often led to a very porous lime plaster with a lime shell in the surface and such a plaster has been shown to be sensitive to frost expansion. Field studies were combined with laboratory studies of thin section specimens. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy have been important analytical methods showing the porosity and the structure of the binder and aggregate materials. The investigations have been carried out on both historic and on newly made reference mortar and plaster. The field studies were carried out mainly on Gotland, using local materials. The influence of the raw materials, i.e. lime, aggregate and blending ratio was investigated. The focus has been on the workability of the fresh mortars as well as the pore structure of the carbonated plaster. The craftsmanship, meaning mixing and application of mortar and working the plaster surface, was studied in order to clarify its final pore structure. The pore structure in a material determines many of its technical properties, such as moisture transportation, compressive strength, permeability and frost resistance. All these properties are closely connected to the durability of the mortar and plaster. The permeability of the plaster has an impact also on the durability of the covered construction materials. Behind low-permeable plasters made with hydraulic binder, examples of extensive damages of rotten wood and leached lime have been shown. The investigations have shown the importance of choosing a mortar adjusted to the building construction. They also showed the importance of choosing a blending ratio adjusted to the specific binder and sand used in order to get a mortar with a suitable pore structure and good durability. It has also shown the importance of knowing when and how to work on the plaster surface in order to obtain a homogenous material that is well receptive for lime wash and has a good frost resistance. The combination of all the investigations has led to a method for reconstructing historic mortar and plaster with good durability.
|
|
