The effects of an historical fire on a porous calcarenite from an industrial-archaeological building in the south of Italy

The effects of an historical fire were studied on a porous calcarenite coming from an historic building located in Southern Italy. Changes of material properties were investigated on the masonry blocks affected by fire in comparison with the sound stone. They were also compared with thermally induced degradation under controlled heating in laboratory conditions. The stone was affected by a pronounced aesthetical damage consisting of gray and red discoloring. This was the effect of mineralogical-chemical phase transitions, which were detected by diffractometric and thermal analyses. The transformation of goethite to hematite accounted for changes from the original pale yellow color to red. Gray discoloring was found related to burning of organic matter and formation of magnetite. Damage on the stone microstructure was detected by SEM in the form of micro-cracks. It was also investigated through non-destructive ultrasonic propagation velocity tests, which recorded velocity decreases between 6% and 26%. Microfissuring left almost unchanged the bulk density and porosity measured by buoyancy and saturation techniques, as well as the mechanical properties. The latter were assessed by uniaxial compressive tests. A combined experimental protocol, including colorimetry, non-destructive testing and mechanical testing was used to compare the samples conditioned at high temperature in a laboratory environment with those affected by the real fire. The results allowed to estimate that the maximum temperatures within the stone during fire were under 600 °C, up to 300 °C at a depth of about 8 cm. High porosity of the stone accounts for a limited stone damage at microstructural level and consequent low effects on physical-mechanical properties. On the contrary, in the presence of macrocracking due to the thermal shock experienced by the stone in some areas during fire, an UPV decrease of approximately 40% and significant strength reductions between 46 and 55% were found.