Abstract
In order to preserve a society’s identity, it is fundamental to seek the conservation of its cultural heritage. Historic buildings are an integral part of this heritage, as they contain evidence about the building's constructive history, as well as methods and materials, which are of utmost importance in order to preserve these assets. This study aims to characterise the coating mortars of the Ilha Bela, RN Plant. In order to do that, the researchers undertook on-site visits for visual observation and photographic registration of the building, and also collected mortar samples from the administrative building, scale and factory of the Plant for subsequent physical-chemical and mineralogical characterisation through visual analysis and analytical techniques in the laboratory. The analyses revealed that the mortars studied are rich in lime, with calcitic binders and siliceous sand as aggregate, with the presence of clay. The study showed the existence of different traces in the mortars, whose binder/aggregate ratios are: 1:4 to 1:9, depending on the building and sample extraction site. Hence, from the information about the existing mortars, it is possible to design a mortar of compatible constitution for the accomplishment of the conservation of these historic monuments, emphasising their values.
Keywords:
Historical mortars; Conservation; Restoration
