Mathematical Models for the Conservation of Monuments

Lecture by Roberto Natalini, Ph.D.
organised by the institute Conservation and Restoration of the academy of fine arts vienna.

The conservation of monuments is a terrible challenge for ourCulture. It is a really interdisciplinary problem, and recentlymathematicians joined other scientists, coming from other disciplinesas Chemistry, Biology, Architecture, Conservation Sciences, in thisdifficult task. Some specific models have been proposed with a goodexperimental agreement.

In this talk, some of these models will bepresented. A first example is the model for the growth of the gypsumcrust on the surface of marble stones exposed to the aggression ofsulfur dioxide. A second model is concerning the penetration in damagedstones of consolidants based on ethyl silicate. Finally, some recentmodels of the biodegradation by cyanobacteria will be presented.