STUDY OF THE HISTORIC MORTARS EXISTING IN THE CHURCH OF SANTA RITA DE CÁSSIA LOCATED IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF PEDRO VELHO/RN
Historic buildings. Coating. Historic mortars. Mortar characterization. Restoration.
In an increasingly evident and fundamental way is the search for the conservation of cultural heritage as a way of maintaining and preserving the identity of a society. Historic buildings are an integral part of this heritage, and the best way to conserve and safeguard them is to analyze and understand the materials and methods used during the period of their construction, in order to carry out a more harmonious and efficient restoration, with materials similar to the originals. In this context, this work aims to characterize the coating mortars of the old Church of Santa Rita de Cássia, in the city of Pedro Velho/RN. To this end, an on-site visit was carried out for visual observation and photographic records of the building, collecting samples of coating mortar for subsequent physical-chemical characterization through visual, tactile analysis and analytical techniques carried out in the laboratory, with XRF tests being developed. , XRD, mortar content (binder: aggregate) by acid attack and granulometric analysis. From these analyzes it was found that the mortars analyzed are rich in lime, with a binder of a calcitic nature and sand of siliceous origin, as aggregate, with the presence of clay in its composition. The formulated binder:aggregate ratios were different in almost all mortars analyzed, with traces varying from 1:3 to 1:15. In this way, by knowing and identifying the composition of the mortar used during its construction period, it is possible to design a compatible reconstitution mortar to carry out the conservation of this building, as closely as possible to the original mortar, and thus contributing to the preservation and restoration of these historical monuments.