Microstructural Changes of Lime Putty during Aging
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 25, Issue 10
Abstract
The microstructural development of lime putty is widely recognized and commonly associated with an increase in quality. Many heritage institutions encourage the systematic application of lime putties in conservation; however, all the issues associated with age are not fully understood. Changes occur during storage underwater, which traditionally took place in pits to prevent carbonation. The properties of mortars, plasters, and decorative finishes formed from lime putties are intimately linked to manufacturing parameters such as storage time. The hydration of calcium oxide was investigated using an environmental scanning electron microscope with particular attention to the nucleation of calcium hydroxide crystals on the surface of calcium oxide. Crystal modifications were monitored. The results obtained confirm and quantify the influence of slaking time in the microstructure of lime putties that is also reflected in the current referred special characteristics of the mortars produced with them, such as greater plasticity, water retention, and reactivity of mortars. The results also emphasize that the most significant microstructural changes of the lime putties start to consolidate after 8 months of slaking and appear to continue to develop, even though at a slower rate, until at least 5 years.
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Acknowledgments
The writers thankfully acknowledge the support of the National Laboratory of Civil Engineering, in Lisbon, where the experimental work presented in this paper was performed; ICIST Research Institute from IST; Technical University of Lisbon; and Interface Analysis Center, University of Bristol. The writers also thank the support of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), which partially financed this paper, within Research Project PTDC/ECM/100234/2008 (Limecontech) Conservation and durability of historical renders, compatible techniques, and materials; and Portuguese Foundation Calouste Gulbenkian, which supported the Ph.D. scholarship of the first author.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 25 • Issue 10 • October 2013
Pages: 1524 - 1532
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 30, 2012
Accepted: Sep 16, 2012
Published online: Sep 18, 2012
Discussion open until: Feb 18, 2013
Published in print: Oct 1, 2013
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