Abstract
This paper deals with the hygric characterization of early 20th century machine-made clay bricks, representative of great number of historical buildings in north-eastern Poland. Heritage buildings have a high potential for adaptive reuse, which is strictly connected with an urge for knowledge about the properties of these existing building envelopes. To better understand the hygric behavior of historic buildings, various experimental laboratory tests, including density, water absorption, compressive strength and freeze-thaw resistance, were conducted. In order to assess the microstructural characteristics of the tested bricks, mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) tests were performed. These tests were conducted on clay bricks from historic buildings, as well as on those that are currently being produced, in order to identify the relationship between the materials used in the past and the replacements produced presently. This paper addresses the lack of systematic application of existing standards for evaluating the state of the conservation of historic bricks and for establishing the specifications for replacement bricks. The results of conducted study and further research will be the basis for creating a historic materials database. It would be a useful tool for selecting bricks that correspond with the historically used materials and help to maintain homogenous structure of the restored buildings.
Highlights
Brick-structured historic buildings are most common in the northern part of Europe, including Poland, and are a significant part of the national heritage
The main demand made on these building materials is in regard to their durability, which is primarily dependent on the textural and microstructural characteristics of the materials used, their hygric behavior, and their strength
This paper deals with the hygric characterization of historic clay bricks, manufactured with a brick press, which are representative of early 20th century heritage frost-resistance properties
Summary
Brick-structured historic buildings are most common in the northern part of Europe, including Poland, and are a significant part of the national heritage. In the north-east of Poland (former East Prussia), a great number of early 20th century historic buildings were erected using machine-made bricks This technology was widely used in the early years of the previous century, gradually being replaced by modern materials along with the development of reinforced concrete technology and other masonry materials (e.g., autoclaved aerated concrete, silicate blocks, etc.). During their service life (often >100 years), the above-mentioned masonry structures can be subject to decay due to environmental attacks, aging, or damage from long-term heavy loads [5]. While the literature regarding the hygric properties of both currently produced bricks and historic ones is relatively rich [8,9,10], only a few authors indicate specific replacement materials that might be used in conservation processes
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