Non-Invasive SWIR Monitoring of White Marble Surface of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Florence, Italy)

Silvia Vettori (), Davide Romoli, Teresa Salvatici, Valentina Rimondi, Elena Pecchioni, Sandro Moretti, Marco Benvenuti, Pilario Costagliola, Rachele Manganelli Del Fà, Michele Coppola, Beatrice Agostini and Francesco Di Benedetto ()
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Silvia Vettori: Institute of Heritage Science, National Research Council (ISPC-CNR), Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, Italy
Davide Romoli: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, 50121 Florence, Italy
Teresa Salvatici: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, 50121 Florence, Italy
Valentina Rimondi: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, 50121 Florence, Italy
Elena Pecchioni: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, 50121 Florence, Italy
Sandro Moretti: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, 50121 Florence, Italy
Marco Benvenuti: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, 50121 Florence, Italy
Pilario Costagliola: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, 50121 Florence, Italy
Rachele Manganelli Del Fà: Institute of Heritage Science, National Research Council (ISPC-CNR), Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, Italy
Michele Coppola: Department of Architecture, University of Florence, 50121 Florence, Italy
Beatrice Agostini: Opera del Duomo di Firenze, 50121 Florence, Italy
Francesco Di Benedetto: Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44122 Ferrara, Italy

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 2, 1-14

Abstract: The monitoring of stone alteration represents a key factor in the knowledge and prediction of the status of conservation of building stones in the urban framework. A continuous monitoring requires a non-destructive analytical approach and, possibly, a simple, low-cost and effective tool to study the decay processes. Previous studies demonstrated the capability of the SWIR hyperspectral technique to gain information on the degree of sulfation of carbonate stone surfaces. In this study we aim at setting up a protocol to investigate on-site the sulfation degree of the white marble cladding surfaces of the worldwide-famous Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral in Florence (Italy). The proposed protocol couples information by SWIR hyperspectral and colorimetric techniques. We have proved that, in selected areas investigated at a distance of nine years, the colour and the mineralogical changes (i.e., sulfation) are significantly greater than the relative uncertainties of the two methods. Moreover, the proposed protocol results rapid, repeatable and fully not invasive.

Keywords: Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral; SWIR monitoring; white marble; gypsum; calcite (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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