Study of internal moisture condensation for the conservation of stone cultural heritage

Abstract

The natural moisture condensation is considered an important decay factor for stone relics. If protection is only concerned with the conditions under which water forms on the surface, it can cause liquid water to form inside the stone relics over and over again. In this situation, it can lead to considerable damage to the stone relics in fact. In order to investigate the condensed water inside the stone relics, critical conditions have been calculated and a verification experiment has been conducted. The process of the moisture from a gaseous to a liquid state has been studied by several ways, such as the temperature and relative humidity analysis, the resistance and moisture analysis. The situation of both fresh and weathered sandstone samples is considered and analyzed. The results show that the liquid water was produced inside the stone relics before it was formed on the surface when the temperature and humidity gradient distribution from the rock surface to the inner rock is reduced. At last, this paper provides useful guidance to eliminate the harmful effects of the condensed water.