Abstract
A LECTURE to the Royal Society of Arts on the above subject by Mr. Noel Heaton is published in the Journal of the society for December 30 last. The lecturer gave an account of the various attempts which have been made to solve the important problem of preventing the decay and disintegration of stonework in buildings. The great majority of modern stone buildings, and a still greater proportion of medieval buildings, are constructed of limestone or sandstone, and the problem centres around these varieties rather than about the more resistant granite, used only to a limited degree. The causes of disintegration may be natural, depending on fluctuations of temperature, on rain, on erosion by wind, and, in ferruginous sandstones, on oxidation. Minute differences in structure often cause great differences in durability. The growth of vegetation on stone usually hastens decay. The most potent cause of decay is, however, the “unnatural” action of sulphuric acid, derived from coal-smoke, coupled with the accumulation of soot and grime. Sir Frank Baines, who introduced the lecturer, stated that, roughly, 80,000 tons of sulphuric acid are thrown annually into the London atmosphere. Strain set up by the rusting of iron is also a contributory cause of decay. The lecturer then turned to the means of preventing decay.
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The Preservation of Stone. Nature 109, 287 (1922). https://doi.org/10.1038/109287a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/109287a0