Engineering Mechanics

Proceedings Vol. 24 (2018)

ENGINEERING MECHANICS 2018

Copyright © 2018 Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Cech Academy of Sciences, Prague

 

Koudelková V., Wolf B.
pages 417 - 420, full text

Soluble salts are one of the most deteriorating factor causing damage of historical building materials due to generation of crystallization pressure inside pore space. Direct measurement of crystallization force is quite challenging, hence we developed at our institute a novel device able to detect the force of growing crystal. The device is based on the monitoring of force developed with upper microscopic glass on the growing crystal to maintain constant position. The crystal could generate force because of the existence of thin liquid layer of solution between both surfaces come into contact. The driving force for the subsequent growth of crystal against obstacle is supersaturation, which is mainly induced by evaporation of the salt solution. In this experiment, the crystal of sodium chloride generated force 16.8 mN and the corresponding crystallization pressure was equal to the value 0.48 MPa.

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