Abstract
The examination of the recently open pit in top of head of the La Piety sculpture of Avalos confirms that the external outer of Black Limestone Calatorao (BLC) composite is made by slabs 20 cm thick joined with gypsum mortars without aggregates. The analyses of these mortars samples performed by optical microscopy (OM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energies Dispersive Spectrometry (ESEM-EDS) techniques show hydrous admixtures composed by portlandite, mirabilite, ettringite, thaumasite and gypsum, all of them are well-know dangerous phases for a suitable preservation of the architectural heritage. The huge stereotomic structures have open access to the raining waters reaching the internal core of the sculptures made by concrete with weathered alkali-feldspar aggregates providing sodium to the surrounding sulfated environment facilitating the formation of hydrous calcium and sodium sulfates such as ettringite and mirabilite which reduces the inter-grains adherence.
Highlights
The Valley of the Fallen (Escorial, Madrid, Spain) is a huge monumental memorial built from 1940 to 1959
The most prominent building of the monument is the towering 150-meter-high Cross erected over a granite outcrop 150 meters over the Basilica’s esplanade being visible from 40 km away
Nine monumental sculptures up to 20 meters tall are over the main gate and the basement of the huge cross. They were built by the Juan de Avalos sculptor with concrete cores covered with black-limestone Calatorao slabs joined with gypsum, all of them exhibiting nowadays evident weathering traces
Summary
Incompatible building materials within the stereotomic Avalos’s sculptures of the Valley of Fallen (Madrid, Spain) The examination of the recently open pit in top of head of the Piety sculpture of Avalos confirms that the external outer of Black Limestone Calatorao (BLC) composite is made by slabs 20 cm thick joined with gypsum mortars without aggregates. El complejo del Valle de los Caídos, siempre mantenido por Patrimonio Nacional de España, cerró el recinto a finales de 2009 para restaurar la escultura de la Piedad y evitar la caída de piedras sobre los visitantes.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
