Microtextural and microstructural influence on the changes of physical and mechanical proprieties related to salts crystallization weathering in natural building stones. The example of Sabucina stone (Sicily)

• A complete characterization of a calcarenite from Sabucina (Sicily) has been provided.
• Changes in microtextural and microstructural due to salt weathering have been studied.
• Variations of physical-mechanical parameters due to salt weathering have been studied.
• Correlation between degradation mechanism and engineering parameters has been obtained.
• The obtained results are useful in planning conservative action on buildings.

The main aim of this research is to highlight the effects of salts crystallization on physical and mechanical proprieties of natural building stones in consideration of petrographic and porosimetric features. In order to achieve the goals of this work, numerous standard tests have been performed on both fresh and weathered samples of a Sicilian calcarenite named Sabucina stone, widely used as building and replace stones in local Cultural Heritages. The obtained results allow to establish interesting correlation between the intensity of degradation processes and the studied parameters; in fact, a modification of the mechanical behavior has been observed in concomitance with a change in the degradation mechanism occurred in the pore network, highlighting the influence of microtextural and microstructural modifications due to the salt crystallization in the engineering properties of the studied rock.