Proposition of a Method to Study the Degradation of Portuguese Tiles in Historic Monuments
portuguese ceramic tiles; patologhy; chemical-mineralogical characterization; reproduction techniques.
The research proposes a method for investigating the tendencies of Portuguese ceramic tiles to develop pathological problems. For this purpose, “chacotas” are reproduced with chemical and mineralogical compositions similar to 17th and 18th century tile fragments obtained from churches in Pernambuco. For the evaluation of the tendencies of developing pathologies, the “chacotas” are submitted to XRF and XRD techniques and tests of destructive character (flexural rupture, chemical attacks, and absorption content), in which the compilations of the obtained data bring information about the behavior of the different mixtures studied. The data obtained from the reproduction methodology of the pieces were coherent with the estimated chemical and mineralogical compositions, indicating the possibility of developing studies of ancient tiles from reproductions. The analyses show that the compositions of the mixtures reproduced influence the mechanical and chemical resistance properties of the materials. And also indicates that different percentages of absorption can contribute to a tile with greater or lesser tendency to develop anomalies over the years. The flexural strenght techniques and absortion tests indicated an inverse relation which the more resistant the ceramic bodie is, the lower its porosity and its percentage of absortion. For the relation between the absortion levels and chemical attacks, this work indicated a direct condition where the higher the porosity and absorption of the material, the greater the degradation by chemical attacks. Finally, the study identified that mixtures with higher compositions of silica and iron associated with lower amounts of calcium produce more intact and resistant pieces with less tendency to develop pathological problems.