Building Sandstones Research Articles

Investigations into provenance and properties of ancient building sandstones of the Zittau/Görlitz region (Upper Lusatia, Eastern Saxony, Germany)

Abstract Mineralogical and technical properties were investigated of building sandstones from ancient monuments of the Zittau/Görlitz region (Germany) as well as material from potential source quarries. The complex study included macroscopic rock description and detailed investigations by polarizing microscopy (phase composition, texture, grain size distribution), cathodoluminescence (quartz types, feldspar and kaolinite content), scanning electron microscopy (accessories, pore cement, diagenetic grain surface features) as well as the analysis of open macroporosity (total water uptake) and the pore size distribution function (Hg porosimetry). For the first time, mineralogical and technical data were obtained for building sandstones of the Zittau region. The results not only confirmed earlier conjectures concerning different source areas for the ancient building sandstones of the Zittau and Görlitz area but also allowed the unequivocal assignment of historically used material to specific sandstone occurrences. The data obtained provide a comprehensive basis for the interpretation of weathering damage suffered by the historical monuments and give useful hints for their successful conservation and reconstruction.

Gypsum formation in non‐calcareous building sandstone: a case study of Scrabo sandstone

AbstractThis paper addresses one central issue of building stone research: an origin for calcium in gypsum formation in non‐calcareous sandstones. A comparative study of Scrabo sandstone from outcrops and a 120‐year‐old building in central Belfast shows how weathering has significantly altered the mineralogy. Preliminary results suggest that the occurrence of gypsum throughout the stone blocks is related to chemical reactions between a pore‐filling mineral constituent, actinolite (Ca Mg amphibole), and sulphur oxides from urban pollution. These findings advocate an internal source of calcium for gypsum formation, and provide new evidence to explain the enhanced decay displayed in some Scrabo sandstone. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Algal growth on building sandstones: effects of chemical stone cleaning methods

Abstract Biological growths including algae, lichens, bacteria, fungi and mosses are common on building sandstones wherever suitable conditions occur. Some growths, such as lichens, may be considered desirable since they can give a mature appearance to a facade, but others are often considered undesirable as they can be disfiguring and may lead to, or exacerbate, stone decay. The disfiguring of buildings and monuments by biological growths, particularly on recently cleaned buildings, is therefore a cause of some concern. Following stone cleaning, re-soiling from inorganic sources may take many years, however, re-soiling in the form of green algal growths may occur within only a few months. This paper reviews the factors which influence algal growth on building sandstone and summarizes the results of research into the effects of chemical stone cleaning with respect to algal re-growth. Results indicate that residues of some phosphate-rich stone cleaning chemicals can act as nutrients accelerating algal growth on vulnerable building sandstones.

Om vittringsskador på Karolinska gravkorets fasad

Abstract It is shown that the weathering of a calciferous building sandstone is caused to a great extent by the destruction of the calcite-aggregates of the matrix. The aggregates are destroyed by crystallization from sodium-sulphate present in the sandstone.

2. On the Composition of the Building Sandstones of Craigleith, Binnie, Gifnock, and Partick Bridge

In prosecution of the analyses of Scottish building stones commenced last winter in the laboratory of the Industrial Museum, by the examination of the bed-rock from Craigleith quarry, four more sandstones have been analyzed since May 1856 by Mr Bloxam. The stones in question are the Craigleith liver-rock, and the Binnie sandstone, from the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, and the Gifnock and Partick Bridge stones, from the neighbourhood of Glasgow.