Rescuing the manufacturing process of traditional mortars present on XIX-century earthen buildings in Brazil

Author(s): Andrea Cavicchioli, Isabela Ferreira Sodré dos Santos, João Guilherme Kimura Moreira, Lucy Gomes Sant'Anna
Paper category: Proceedings
Book title: Proceedings of the 5th Historic Mortars Conference
Editor(s): José Ignacio Álvarez, José María Fernández, Íñigo Navarro, Adrián Durán, Rafael Sirera
ISBN: 978-2-35158-221-3
e-ISBN: 978-2-35158-222-0
Publisher: RILEM Publications SARL
Publication year: 2019
Pages: 36-50
Total Pages: 15
Language : English

Abstract: The present paper deals with the issue of earthen surface finishes used on earthen buildings in a territory of southeast Brazil that is historically linked with the first economic coffee cycle (XIX century), i.e., the basin of the Paraíba do Sul river. The aim was to draw a picture of the different solutions adopted in the conception of such materials in terms of composition in different historical moments. The research was based on the assembly of a bank of samples and their physical and chemical characterisation by thermal analysis, FTIR, XRF and MEV- EDS. The results obtained show that the earlier layers present on the building surfaces are most likely made of clayish earth without significant addition of any other material, such as lime, organic substances or vegetable fibres. Coarser texture than the typical local soils is preferred, a solution that were obtained by searching less weathered soils. In two cases of original mortars, a low percentage of lime (less than 5% in weight) was recorded: one single farmhouse and a luxurious urban palace. Later layers overlapping the earlier ones denote the adoption of more industrialised raw materials, with increasing amounts of lime and the likely addition of sand.

Online publication : 2019
Publication type : full_text
Public price (Euros) : 0.00