Design and development of heritage mortars for restoration - Original material characterisation using TGA-DSC and ESEM-EDS analyses

It is indisputable that heritage buildings' survival against deterioration factors has proven the use of durable materials for their construction. However, they suffer the inevitable decay due to ageing. Therefore, restoring the monuments to their original appearance and strength is always necessary for long-term survival. This research discusses solutions for the design and development methods of new compatible restoration mortars for the architectural heritage, covering four significant aspects, namely: i) visual analysis of the heritage building in question, ii) experimental analysis of the original mortar samples for their physical, mineralogical and chemical properties, iii) characterisation of the potential raw materials (available in the study area) that are close to the original, and iv) assessment of the new mortar durability. The mortars collected from the Castle of Good Hope, an important and ancient colonial edifice in the Western Cape Province (South Africa), were analysed thereafter compatible repair mortars were designed and produced.