ROCEM
Roman Cement to restore built heritage effectively
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Project Reference:
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EVK4-CT-2002-00084 – ROCEM
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Contract Type:
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Research |
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Start Date:
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1. March 2003
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Duration:
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36 month's
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Problems to be solved:
Highly hydraulic binders, known as natural or Roman cements, were key materials to cover facades of buildings in the period of European Historicism and Art Nouveau (19th/early 20th century). Roman cements were produced by firing marls - clay containing limestones - below their sintering temperature and grinding burnt stones to a required fineness. They distinguished themselves from other hydraulic binders principally by a very short setting time, typically 7-20 minutes, warm yellow-to-brown colour, little shrinkage on setting and good durability to atmospheric influences and salt crystallization.
These features made Roman cement a favoured material for economic and easy manufacture of durable mortar decorations for the exterior of buildings. Unfortunately, the material is no longer available on the market and there is currently an absence of any broader information on its characteristics, ageing behaviour and adequate technologies for protection and restoration. Consequently the fundamental principle of modern conservation - that the historic buildings should be repaired by using materials which are compatible with the original historic substance - cannot be met when restoring the large preserved built heritage of European Historicism and Art Nouveau.
Scientific objectives and approach:
• To raise awareness of the industry and professionals involved in the care and restoration of the nineteenth century built heritage as to the need for
re-introducing adequate restoration materials and techniques that closely match the original material properties.
• To provide a description of the optimum raw materials, calcination parameters and post production processing, which would permit the re-introduction of Roman cements to the conservation market.
Attaining these principal objectives of the project requires:
• Study of historic Roman cement mortars collected from a representative number of existing buildings to provide compatibility criteria for the new binders/mortars.
• Study and selection of the optimum raw materials, since their chemical and mineralogical composition is a key parameter controlling the hydraulic nature and appearance of the final burnt material.
• Determining and optimising laboratory-based calcination parameters to obtain high quality Roman cements.
• Production of a pilot scale quantity of the Roman cement to obtain sufficient amount for further work, to assess feasibility of the transfer from laboratory to commercial condition, to support introduction to the market.
• Development of new mortars and compare them to ones collected from historic buildings.
• Evaluation of the developed mortars in workshop use and on-site conservation work.
• Implementation of a dissemination strategy including a Technology Profile for enterprises interested in technology transfer and exploitation together with an Advice Note and regional courses for restoration workers and policy makers.
Expected impacts:
The essential advance consists in bringing back to the market an historic material and technology, which has a long record of excellent durability, to address properly the conservation needs of the vast built heritage of the nineteenth and beginning of twentieth centuries.
Coordinator:
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Dr. Roman Kozlowski
Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences ul. Niezapominajek 8 30-239 Krakow, Poland |
Tel: +48126395119
Fax: +48124251923 E-mail: nckozlow@cyf-kr.edu.pl web: www.heritage.xtd.pl/roman_cement.html |
Participants:
• Universitaet fuer angewandte Kunst, Institut fuer Konservierungswissenschaften und Restaurierung -Technologie ICORT, Salzgries 14/1, AT -1013 Wien, Contact Person: Weber, Johannes
• University of Bradford, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Richmond Road, GB - BD7 1DP Bradford, Contact Person: Hughes, David
• Gesellschaft fuer Wissenstransfer in der Gebaeude Diagnostik mbH Berlin, , Haynauer Str. 67 A, DE - 12249 Berlin, Contact Person: Ullrich, Detlef G.
• Przedsiebiorstwo Betonow Specjalnych Superbet At, ul. Soboniowicka 17A, PL - 30-615 Krakbw, Contact Person: Klocek, Andrzej
• AC Konserwacja Zabytkow Piotrowski, Kosakowski Spolka Jawna, ul. Szlak 31/1, PL - 31-153 Krak6w, Contact Person: Piotrowski, Aleksander
• Atelier Gurtner, Zirkusgasse 39, AT - 1020 Wien, Contact Person: Gurtner, Christian
• Institute for Restoration and Conservation Techniques, Department of Technology, Jiraskova 3, CZ - 57001 Litomysl, Contact Person: Bayer, Karol
• Pamiatkovy Urad Slovenskej republiky, Chemical-Technological Department, Cesta Na Cerveny most 6, SK - 814 06 Bratislava, Contact Person: Stillhammerova, Martina
• Klaus Rogge Spezialbaugesellschaft mbH, Saatwinkler Damm 13, DE -13627 Berlin, Contact Person: Mueller, Klaus-Dieter
Posledná editácia: 2009-11-29
