Abstract
The paper discusses about the characterization of ancient mortar of an 800 year old heritage site in Southern India. The repair of heritage structures is largely neglected and even if attended, incompatible materials were used in the previous repairs. Hence, characterization of ancient mortar of heritage structure is an essential step before preparation of repair mortar. In the current study, characterization using acid-dissolution test, SEM-EDS, XRD, FTIR and TGA-DTA were conducted. Acid-dissolution analysis of ancient mortar confirmed the binder to aggregate ratios in the range of 1:5 to 1:7, while, analytical techniques viz; SEM-EDS and XRD confirmed presence of calcite and quartz crystals. The elemental and mineral composition of these mortars were analyzed using EDS and XRD respectively. The results were further reinforced with thermo-gravimetric analysis, in which, calcite decomposition was observed at around 700–800 °C. Also, organic content in the form of carbohydrates was detected based on FTIR analysis on heritage mortars.
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