Multi-Technique Characterization of Historic Blue Bricks from Beijing: Compositional Grouping, Weathering Assessment, and Conservation Implications.
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| Title: | Multi-Technique Characterization of Historic Blue Bricks from Beijing: Compositional Grouping, Weathering Assessment, and Conservation Implications. |
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| Authors: | Zhu, Zhaoyang1 (AUTHOR) zhuzhaoyang@ncut.edu.cn, Hu, Rui2 (AUTHOR), Zhang, Bo1 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Materials (1996-1944). Jun2026, Vol. 19 Issue 12, p2666. 20p. |
| Subjects: | Bricks, Materials analysis, Weathering, Preservation of historic buildings, Architectural details, Analytical chemistry techniques, Analytical geochemistry, Protection of cultural property |
| Geographic Terms: | Beijing (China) |
| Abstract: | Historic blue bricks are fundamental to Beijing's architectural heritage, yet cross-site compositional data for guiding material-compatible restoration remain scarce. This study applies WD-XRF, XRD, SEM, thermal expansion measurement, and physical property testing to 21 blue brick specimens from four Beijing-area sites spanning the Tang through Qing dynasties, with PCA and K-means clustering used to explore compositional grouping structures. Within this exploratory dataset, a compositional distinction separates the Ming and Qing Great Wall bricks: CaO falls from 7.7 to 1.5 wt.% as anorthite gives way to albite, while Qing specimens are denser (1.79 vs. 1.65 g·cm−3) with lower water absorption (15.9% vs. 20.9%). Two Wanping City bricks are strongly sulfate-enriched (SO3 up to 9.8%), and WP-SE3 additionally carries a heavy chloride load (Cl 2.1%), masking their original clay signatures and illustrating how unrecognized weathering can distort compositional grouping and source-related interpretation from bulk chemistry. K-means clustering yields compositional types that overlap only partially with site boundaries, capturing raw material variation rather than site-specific manufacturing fingerprints. Despite constraints in sample size and physical property coverage, the integrated dataset offers preliminary compositional benchmarks and limited performance data to inform period-specific brick replacement at these heritage sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Engineering Source |
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| Abstract: | Historic blue bricks are fundamental to Beijing's architectural heritage, yet cross-site compositional data for guiding material-compatible restoration remain scarce. This study applies WD-XRF, XRD, SEM, thermal expansion measurement, and physical property testing to 21 blue brick specimens from four Beijing-area sites spanning the Tang through Qing dynasties, with PCA and K-means clustering used to explore compositional grouping structures. Within this exploratory dataset, a compositional distinction separates the Ming and Qing Great Wall bricks: CaO falls from 7.7 to 1.5 wt.% as anorthite gives way to albite, while Qing specimens are denser (1.79 vs. 1.65 g·cm−3) with lower water absorption (15.9% vs. 20.9%). Two Wanping City bricks are strongly sulfate-enriched (SO3 up to 9.8%), and WP-SE3 additionally carries a heavy chloride load (Cl 2.1%), masking their original clay signatures and illustrating how unrecognized weathering can distort compositional grouping and source-related interpretation from bulk chemistry. K-means clustering yields compositional types that overlap only partially with site boundaries, capturing raw material variation rather than site-specific manufacturing fingerprints. Despite constraints in sample size and physical property coverage, the integrated dataset offers preliminary compositional benchmarks and limited performance data to inform period-specific brick replacement at these heritage sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 19961944 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/ma19122666 |
