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Effect of salts on earthen materials deterioration after humidity cycling

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Abstract

Salt weathering leads to destruction of many valuable cultural heritage monuments and porous building material. The present study aims at providing more laboratory evidence for evaluating the effects of salt precipitation on the deterioration process. In view of this, the remoulded soil specimens were mixed with three kinds of salts (i.e., NaCl, Na2SO4 and their mixture) with different salt concentrations, and the specimens were kept in environment cabinet for undergoing different wet-dry cycles. After each cycle, the ultrasound velocity measurements were employed to monitor the deterioration process. For the specimens that have suffered three wet-dry cycles, the mechanical properties (i.e. shear strength and compression strength) were determined to evaluate the degree of deterioration. Furthermore, considering the realistic conservation environment of earthen sites, mechanical stability of these specimens against sediment-carrying wind erosion was conducted in a wind tunnel. These experiments results indicate that the overall average velocities of the specimens after the third cycle are significantly lower than those subjected to only one cycle. Ultrasound velocity, mechanical strength and wind erosion rate decrease when salt content increases. However, the internal friction angle increases firstly, and then decreases with the increase in salt content added to the specimens. Na2SO4 contributes most of the surface deterioration, while NaCl plays little role in the deterioration. The damage potential of the salt mixture is less obvious and largely dependent on the crystallisation location.

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Acknowledgement

We appreciate to Dr Michael Steiger for his generous help on the calculation of phase diagram of the Na2SO4−NaCl−H2O system. We are also grateful to wind tunnel laboratory technicians for preparing experiment instruments. The authors want to thank all the members who helped us and cooperated with us.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Mechanics on Disaster and Environment in Western China (Lanzhou University), Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Yun-xia Shen  (沈云霞) & Wen-wu Chen  (谌文武)

  2. School of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 73000, China

    Yun-xia Shen  (沈云霞) & Wen-wu Chen  (谌文武)

  3. Gansu Building Research Institute, Xijin East Road 575, Lanzhou, 730050, China

    Jing Kuang  (匡静)

  4. China JK Institute of Engineering Investigation and Design, Xianning Road 52, Xi’an, 710043, China

    Wei-fei Du  (杜伟飞)

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  1. Yun-xia Shen  (沈云霞)
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  2. Wen-wu Chen  (谌文武)
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  3. Jing Kuang  (匡静)
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  4. Wei-fei Du  (杜伟飞)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wen-wu Chen  (谌文武).

Additional information

Foundation item: Projects(2010BAK67B16, 2013BAK08B11, 2014BAK16B02) supported by the National Science and Technology Support Program of China during the 12th Five-year Plan Period

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Shen, Yx., Chen, Ww., Kuang, J. et al. Effect of salts on earthen materials deterioration after humidity cycling. J. Cent. South Univ. 24, 796–806 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-017-3482-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-017-3482-0

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