Decay of calcareous building stone under the combined action of thermoclastism and cryoclastism: A laboratory simulation

The results give clues about the durability of soft calcareous stone opposed to thermo-hygrometric stresses and, indirectly, to natural weathering driven by climate variables. Moreover, a method is suggested for evaluating the resistance of stone to freezing-thawing decay, combining its porosimetric distribution with the environmental conditions of weathering. Finally, this paper globally adds new information about a material of significant cultural interest, which has been studied only recently in archaeometry.