Paper 6: Grouting Mortars for Fragmented Bricks and Repair Mortars for Tiles in the Archaeological Site Coudenberg

Abstract

Different grouting and repair mortars were developed and evaluated for the conservation and restoration of fragmented bricks in the walls and floors of the remaining cellars underneath the Aula Magna, the palace’s main banqueting hall, and to fill the lacunae and perform edge repairs of red and blue-grey ceramic floor tiles in the remaining cellars underneath the chapel of the former Palace of Coudenberg in Brussels, Belgium.

To prevent the deposition of lime bloom at the surface of the masonry and to achieve an acceptable colour match of the grout in harmony with the bricks of the Aula Magna, the effect of brick powder added to natural hydraulic lime was studied. The pozzolanic properties and colour match of several historic and modern powdered bricks were investigated. Surprisingly, ancient bricks do not seem to possess higher pozzolanic properties than the more modern ones, although it is supposed that they were fired at lower temperatures. Additional evidence for the pozzolanic reaction of the different brick powder materials was obtained from a simple visual observation of stored samples. After eight weeks all of the samples containing brick powders, fired at low and high temperatures, added to putty lime had hardened under water and were transformed into a remarkably tough material. These results are important, as modern bricks are readily available in large quantities and different colours, which are hence in favour of being used instead of historical material from the site.

For the repair of the ceramic floor tiles different mortars were investigated with mixtures containing talcum, stone or brick powder, pigments, and chalk added to an epoxy binder. The mortars were tested in the laboratory and in situ for their workability and resemblance with the historic floor tiles. The finished mortars showed excellent aesthetic properties with the tiles in situ and good properties to prevent further loss due to human interaction.

Keywords:

• grouting
• mortar
• pozzolanic properties
• brick powder
• hygric dilatation
• conservation
• restoration
• site preservation