Abstract
The stability of foundations soils could represent a clear and present threat for the conservation of even well preserved buildings, particularly for Architectural heritage conservation and land art heritage. A dramatic case is the presence of collapsible metastable sands as foundation soils, as it occurs in the sacral complex Valle dei Templi in Agrigento. This site listed by UNESCO, stands on a crest of a calcarenite cuesta, overlaying a layer of these sands. When the collapsible sand is dry, the structure is strong enough to bond the sand particles together. When the sand becomes wet, a de-structuration mechanism occurs and the soil’s strength is compromised. This paper has a twofold aim: (1) to gain a better understanding of the kind of bonding forces between the textural components of the collapsible metastable sand and (2) to identify a proper consolidant, that could combine the compatibility of inorganic systems and the performance of polymeric materials, paying attention to the environmental issues related to this site. Soaking tests have been performed by submerging sand samples in different solvents in order to verify the role of water menisci in mechanical stability of the sand highlighting a perfect stability using a non polar solvent. Sand samples have been consolidated by using poly ethylene glycol and nanosilica. Oedometer tests on consolidated and untreated samples have been used to verify the reduction of collapse potential induced by the treatment with the proposed mixtures.
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Abbreviations
- CP:
-
Collapse potential
- Cu :
-
Uniformity coefficient
- e0 :
-
Initial void ratio
- ef :
-
Final void ratio
- Id :
-
Durability index
- Ip :
-
Plasticity index
- n:
-
Porosity
- wl :
-
Liquid limit
- wp :
-
Plastic limit
- Wp :
-
Polymer content is equal to: (weightfinal − weightinitial)/weightinitial
- δd :
-
Parameter related to dispersive forces
- δh :
-
Parameter related to hydrogen bonding
- δp :
-
Parameter related to the polar bonds
- εv :
-
Vertical strain (ΔH/H0)
- σ′v :
-
Vertical stress
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Acknowledgements
This work has been financially supported by the PRIN program within the project “Monitoraggio, consolidamento, conservazione e protezione dei beni culturali n. 2015WBEP3H” and carried out within a cooperation protocol between the DICAM department and the “Parco Archeologico e Paesaggistico della Valle dei Templi” authority. We are gratefully with Prof. Nicola Nocilla, for the useful suggests during the development of the research and the critical revision of the manuscript and with Dr. Erasmo Cataldo for the CAD drawing of the oedometer cell.
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Margherita, Z., Laura, E., Bartolomeo, M. et al. Collapsibility of metastable sand by non-conventional oedometer tests. Granular Matter 21, 1 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-018-0854-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-018-0854-6