The Italian Sacri Monti are heritage sites with some unique characteristics; they are a successful symbiosis between nature and art and are unconfined structures, therefore always being accessible but exposed to atmospheric agents, with many relevant consequences with regard to conservation problems. The paper discusses some aspects related to the application of non-destructive techniques (NDT) for the interpretation of degradation phenomena occurring in stone structural elements. Ultrasonic and impact tests were used to evaluate the structural properties of the stone columns in the Via Crucis portico, within the monumental complex of the Sacro Monte in Ghiffa (Piedmont, Italy), in order to determine their conditions of maintenance and to evaluate the portico static stability. Ultrasonic tests made it possible to obtain the value of the dynamic elastic modulus, which was variable at different points of the columns due to the diversified level of material damage. The impact test, performed with an instrumented hammer in the same points of the ultrasonic test, enables, by comparison, a deeper knowledge of the surface resistance of damaged columns. These results are the first step in a research path that will require further laboratory tests to better calibrate the diagnostic techniques applied to different levels of damage to surface materials.
The Main10ance project aims to implement a plan of maintenance and conservation of the historical cultural heritage. This is an INTERREG project. The V-A Cooperation Programme Italy-Switzerland 2014-2020 contributes to the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy and the New Swiss Regional Policy (NRP)addressing the needs common to both sides of the border and aiming to generate significant change in the area of cooperation, both in terms of increasing competitiveness and strengthening economic and social cohesion. The case study is the system of the Sacri Monti of northern Italy and Switzerland, groups of chapels and other architectural artifacts. The design phases are divided into: survey of the historical architectural heritage present; data processing and realization of three-dimensional models with the help of BIM software; integration of the same in the geographical context through GIS support; creation of a database which creates interoperability between the various domains and which collects information on the characteristics of the goods for maintenance and conservation purposes; possibility to make the information associated with 3D models accessible through demonstrators that allow interrogation of the DB and the models themselves. The geometric representation respects the subdivision of the levels of detail (LOD) for GIS with the standard CityGML and the levels of development (LOD) for BIM with the UNI 11337/4.
The complexity of the architectural and structural restoration of historical buildings requires a careful choice in the use of repair mortars compatible with the original materials of the existing building. It is important to set up an atlas of reference, compared to many mixtures of mortars and conglomerates, useful to support the operational choices in the project of restoration, recovery, and maintenance of historical buildings. The aim is also to encourage the use of local materials with a “short supply chain”, compatible with buildings and applied by traditional techniques. The research makes use of experimental bending, compression and elastic modulus tests on different mixtures of mortars. This paper describes some of the first results obtained so far, because the research is still underway for many different mixtures to test and catalogue. The comparison between the data and the reference values that will be identified, will lead to set up a reference atlas of mechanical behaviour of repair mortars in order to direct the design and operational choices in function of requirements and performance (of the wall systems) of each specific cases in the field of the restoration of historical buildings.
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