Physico-Chemical Characterization of Historic Mortars from the Venetian Arsenals of Chania (Greece)

The Venetian Arsenals of Chania in southern Greece constitute an important monument of cultural and industrial heritage, as well as a key landmark for the town. In the framework of the holistic study for the restoration of the building, mortars, plasters, and stones were sampled and analyzed in order to identify the construction phases and evaluate the decay state of the materials. Open porosity, bulk density and soluble salts were measured. Additionally, the mortars were chemically and mineralogically characterized through X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential thermogravimetric analysis (DTA/TG) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD) to identify the mortars’ technology and the composition of the raw materials. Furthermore, the granulometric analysis and the optical microscopy provided information about the aggregates and the consistency of the mortars. The original Venetian mortars exceebited good consistency and excellent coherence with the building stones. The Ottoman mortars, on the contrary, due to their poor consistency, have suffered the greatest decay. This research constitutes the base for the design of compatible restoration materials, thus ensuring the sustainable performance of the monument.