Characterization of stone masonry panels consolidated by injection of grouts in buildings damaged by the 2009 Abruzzo earthquake.

This contribution is part of a research project aimed at developing a methodology for the emergency stabilization of historic buildings damaged by the 2009 Abruzzo earthquake through compatible injection grouts. Several portions of multi-leaf stone masonry walls from buildings in the towns of Onna, Tempera and Sant’Eusanio Forconese, all located near L’Aquila, were selected for experimental injection tests, planned and verified by means of multiscale characterization studies. The procedure and results of the preliminary studies on the historic mortars and the grouts are here reported. The materials were characterized from the petrographic, textural, mineralogical and chemical point of view through a multianalytical approach including petrographic examinations, particle size distribution studies, XRPD analyses, bulk chemical analyses by XRF and microchemical and microstructural studies by SEM-EDS. The original mortars were subdivided in different groups and a thorough knowledge of the chemical and mineralogical characteristics of the grouts was achieved, as background information for the restoration procedure according to the historic structures.