Pore structure of ancient Chinese bricks under environmental vicissitudes

• Published in: KSCE journal of civil engineering Vol. 20; no. 5; pp. 1895 - 1902
• Main Authors: Tang, Yongjing, Shao, Zhendong, Xu, Tianlong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Seoul Korean Society of Civil Engineers 01.07.2016; Springer Nature B.V; 대한토목학회
• Subjects: Bricks; Carbon 14; Chronology; Civil Engineering; Diameters; Engineering; Fluorescence; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Historical buildings; Historical structures; Industrial Pollution Prevention; Isotopes; Mechanics; Mercury; Pore size; Pores; Porosity; Saturation; Structural Engineering; Volume; X-ray fluorescence; 토목공학; pore diameter; pore structure; environmental vicissitudes; saturation coefficient
• ISSN: 1226-7988; 1976-3808
• DOI: 10.1007/s12205-015-0652-1

This paper studies the pore structures of ancient Chinese bricks. Two building groups consisting of seven ancient masonry buildings were examined: the Longmen Temple Group and Songyue Temple Group, both located in central China. The brick ages were examined by carbon-14 isotope measurements, the micro constituents by X-ray fluorescence experiments, and the pore structural characteristics by mercury intrusion porosimetry and saturation coefficient determination. The pore diameter rates of change were measured, calculated and analyzed. From the mercury intrusion porosimetry data, a linear relationship between the volume change of a sample and its age was determined for pores with diameters of 1-5 µm. The environmental vicissitudes caused the volumes of pores whose diameters are less than 1 µm to decrease and those of pores with diameters of 1-5 µm to increase. The change in the void volume as a function of pore size alters the material’s original porosity. Understanding the mechanics of how the pore structure of bricks changes over time sheds light on the relationship between material performance and environmental vicissitudes.