US EPA

3220157 

Journal Article 

Weathering and Deterioration 

Steiger, M; Charola, AE; Sterflinger, K 

2011 

227-316 

10.1007/978-3-642-14475-2_4 

WOS:000287334700004 

It is generally assumed that stone is one of the most
durable materials because it is compared to weaker building materials, such as wood or mud. But
stone can deteriorate and many factors will affect it. The nature of the stone is critical in
determining its resistance to the various deterioration factors. The most important one, salt,
was already identified by Herodotus, nearly two and a half millennia ago. However, salt by itself
is not damaging, it requires the presence of water for its aggressiveness to become evident. And
water is needed for biocolonization to occur, for freeze-thaw phenomena and for wet-dry
expansion. Control of this single factor can decrease significantly the deterioration potential
of a stone and any structure built from it. The chapter aims to present a review of the most
important deterioration processes and their effect on the various types of stones and rocks used
by man. Among them are thermal effects, the influence of moisture, both as water vapor or in
liquid state, the presence of salts and the damages that can be expected from biocolonization.
The chapter also aims at identifying the areas where more research is needed to understand the
actual deterioration mechanism of the various factors.