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Advanced Study on Diagnostics for Surfaces of Historical Buildings

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Civil Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2024 | Viewed by 1138

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
Interests: diagnostics in historical buildings, especially focusing on moisture diagnostics and repair project; microclimate monitoring and management; historical industrial sites and their study/valorization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue (SI) aims to gather together studies on the current progress in diagnostic techniques in built heritage.

The focus of this Special Issue will be advancements in non-destructive and micro-destructive techniques for the evaluation of building-material decay and conservation treatments.

Within the field of NDTs (non-destructive evaluation techniques), our focus will mainly be on NDTs for the investigation and monitoring of moisture and microclimates in built heritage.

The aim of the present call is to promote contributions that shed new light on phenomena related to damage to porous building materials and NDT protocols designed to evaluate conservation treatments.

Non-destructive evaluation techniques have proven successful in heritage diagnosis and monitoring since the early 1960s, as reported in the scientific literature. When coupled with minimal-destructive quantitative tests, NDTs allow us to obtain the data necessary to ascertain damage and address the most effective interventions for conservation.

The expert use of NDT and its repetition over time allow scientists and building managers to keep the rise and spread of damage under control, as well as detecting its causes.

Advances in the industry and market, automation, and techniques and standards for data gathering, processing, correlating, and modelling allow new perspectives to be applied to the research into diagnostics for historical surface, as well as their conservation and management.

Scientists and academics are invited to present their most relevant research projects completed in recent years, with the aim of sharing acquired knowledge and discussing applications in order to inspire further steps in progress and collaboration, unlocking the potential of this research field.

Dr. Elisabetta Rosina
Dr. Antonio Sansonetti
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • NDTs
  • historical buildings
  • historical surfaces
  • data management and processing
  • modelling
  • microclimate
  • probes
  • measurements
  • moisture

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 5538 KiB  
Article
Investigating the Role of Microclimate and Microorganisms in the Deterioration of Stone Heritage: The Case of Rupestrian Church from Jac, Romania
by Dorina Camelia Ilieș, Andrei-Ionuț Apopei, Cristina Mircea, Alexandru Ilieș, Tudor Caciora, Berdenov Zharas, Lucian Barbu-Tudoran, Nicolaie Hodor, Alexandru Turza, Ana Cornelia Pereș, Thowayeb H. Hassan, Bahodirhon Safarov and Ioan-Cristian Noje
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(18), 8136; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14188136 - 10 Sep 2024
Viewed by 856
Abstract
Natural stone can undergo disaggregation from various causes, including physical actions such as freeze–thaw cycles, temperature and humidity variations, chemical actions such as the solubilization of minerals by organic and inorganic acids, as well as biological actions due to the colonization of organisms [...] Read more.
Natural stone can undergo disaggregation from various causes, including physical actions such as freeze–thaw cycles, temperature and humidity variations, chemical actions such as the solubilization of minerals by organic and inorganic acids, as well as biological actions due to the colonization of organisms that can produce biocorrosion and biomineralization. This research investigates the impact of microclimatic conditions and microbial activity on the physical and chemical integrity of stone heritage, particularly the biodeterioration caused by fungi in the case of a Romanian rock church. Various analytical techniques were employed, including macroscopic and optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and culture-based identification methods, to characterize the mineral composition and microbial contamination of the rock samples. The analyses revealed that the sandstone consists primarily of quartz (over 90%), muscovite (5–10%), and feldspars. The identified fungi included Cladosporium herbarium, Aspergillus niger, and Mortierella hyalina. The SEM images showed fungal hyphae and spores within the kaolinite–illite matrix, indicating significant microbial colonization and its role in rock deterioration. Additionally, microclimatic data collected over a 12-week period highlighted the substantial fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity within the church, which contribute to the physical and chemical weathering of the stone. This study also noted high levels of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and volatile organic compounds, which can exacerbate microbial growth and stone decay. The comprehensive analysis underscores the need for targeted preservation strategies that consider both microclimatic factors and microbial colonization to effectively conserve stone heritage sites, ensuring their longevity and structural integrity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Study on Diagnostics for Surfaces of Historical Buildings)
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