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Effect of swelling inhibitors on the swelling and stress relaxation of clay bearing stones

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Environmental Geology

Abstract

Clay-containing stones such as Portland Brownstone (USA), Villarlod Molasse (Switzerland) and Tarifa Sandstone (Spain), are expected to weather as a result of wetting and drying cycles. During drying events, contraction of the drying surface leads to stresses approaching the tensile strength of the stone. However, we have found that the magnitude of these stresses is reduced by the ability of the stone to undergo stress relaxation. In this paper we describe novel methods to determine the magnitude of the stresses and the rate at which they develop and relax. We also discuss the influence of swelling inhibitors on the magnitude of swelling and the rate of the stress relaxation of these stones. The implications of our findings for the understanding of damage due to swelling of clays are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

The financial support for Ms Jiménez González was provided by the Samuel Kress Foundation and VIP Restoration, Inc. Prof. Wilasa Vichit-Vadakan and Mr. John Valenza are both thanked for the help they provided with the beam-bending experiments. Prof. Carlos Rodriguez Navarro and Prof. Andréas Queisser are thanked for respectively supplying Tarifa sandstone and Villarlod Molasse as well as information pertaining to these stones. Mr. Beat Marrazni and Dr. Urs Mäder are thanked for having supplied the Ferrogard samples. Dr. Robert Flatt is thanked for constructive discussions in the preparation of this paper.

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  1. Dept of Civil & Env. Eng/ Princeton Materials Institute, Princeton University , Eng. Quad. E-319, Princeton, NJ 08544 , USA

    Inmaculada Jimenez Gonzalez & George W. Scherer

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  1. Inmaculada Jimenez Gonzalez
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  2. George W. Scherer
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Correspondence to George W. Scherer.

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Special Issue: Stone decay hazards

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Jimenez Gonzalez, I., Scherer, G.W. Effect of swelling inhibitors on the swelling and stress relaxation of clay bearing stones. Env Geol 46, 364–377 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-004-1038-8

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