1.School of Civil Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of Technology, Hohhot 010051, China
2.Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Engineering Research Center of Structure Inspection, Appraisal and Safety Assessment, Inner Mongolia University of Technology, Hohhot 010051, China
3.Key Laboratory of Civil Engineering, Structure and Mechanics of Inner Mongolia, Hohhot 010051, China
Objective This study addresses the deterioration behavior and service life of ancient architectural blue bricks in saline environments in central and western Inner Mongolia. It simulates damage development in ancient wall bricks subjected to soluble salt corrosion, analyzes corrosion mechanisms and remaining service life prediction for blue bricks under saline conditions, and provides theoretical guidance for preserving ancient blue bricks and predicting their remaining service life in saline environments of central and western Inner Mongolia. Methods Based on the characteristics of saline-alkali soil environments in central and western Inner Mongolia, the primary types and concentrations of soluble salts in the soil were identified, and three groups of solutions were prepared at 10 to 20 times the soluble salt concentration, including a 5% Na₂SO₄ solution, a 5% NaCl solution, and a composite salt solution consisting of 2.5% Na₂SO₄ + 2.5% NaCl. A distilled water solution was used as the control group for comparative analysis. Blue bricks were subjected to accelerated corrosion tests for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 cycles under alternating wet and dry conditions. Each corrosion cycle consisted of 12 h of immersion followed by 12 h of drying at 60 °C. Macroscopic changes in brick mass, compressive strength, and relative dynamic modulus were measured. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was utilized to examine changes in internal micropore structures before and after testing, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) was employed to analyze phase transformations. The service life of the bricks was predicted using the Wiener process theoretical model. Considering the service life requirements of ancient structures and the initial compressive strength of the bricks, the failure time threshold was determined. The remaining service life of ancient bricks in the saline environments of central and western Inner Mongolia was predicted by quantifying the relationship between damage rate and damage severity under saline conditions. Results and Discussions As the number of salt wet and dry corrosion cycles applied to the blue bricks gradually increased, changes in visual morphology indicated that the bricks exhibited no significant damage after wet and dry cycling in the distilled water solution. Under Na₂SO₄ solution cycles, damage and material loss at the edges and corners of the specimens progressively intensified, accompanied by crack initiation and propagation. After NaCl solution cycles, the edges and corners of the specimens became increasingly loose and rough, and small cracks gradually developed into penetrating cracks. Under composite salt solution wet and dry cycling, the edges and corners of the blue bricks gradually became loose and rough, with damage and material loss continuously worsening. Overall, as the number of accelerated salt wet and dry corrosion cycles increased, the degree of damage to the blue bricks consistently intensified. Analysis of macroscopic performance indicated that the mass, compressive strength, and relative dynamic modulus of the blue bricks exhibited differentiated degradation trends. The severity of degradation followed the order of 5% Na₂SO₄ solution > 2.5% Na₂SO₄ + 2.5% NaCl composite salt solution > 5% NaCl solution. Microscopic morphology analysis using SEM and XRD demonstrated that corrosion degradation of the blue bricks resulted primarily from salt crystallization pressure within internal pores, mineral dissolution and hydrolysis, mudding, and interionic replacement reactions. Under salt wet and dry cycling, both the macroscopic appearance and microscopic structure of the blue bricks exhibited varying degrees of damage, and deterioration of the microscopic structure led to a continuous decline in macroscopic mechanical properties. Conclusions Under accelerated salt wet‒dry cycle corrosion testing, the predicted service life of green bricks based on mass loss was calculated as 1 086, 1 802, and 1 111 hours in 5% Na₂SO₄ solution, 5% NaCl solution, and 2.5% Na₂SO₄ + 2.5% NaCl composite salt solution, respectively. The predicted service life based on compressive strength was calculated as 1 109, 1 490, and 1 196 hours, respectively. The average predicted service lives were 1 097, 1 646, and 1 153 hours. Failure thresholds were reached after 30, 45, and 35 wet‒dry cycles, respectively, corresponding to 1.64, 2.01, and 1.84 years under actual saline environmental conditions. The remaining service life of blue bricks in Na₂SO₄, NaCl, and composite salt solutions in central western Inner Mongolia was determined to be 120, 139, and 124 years, respectively by combining the service life of ancient buildings in Inner Mongolia with the compressive strength of original green bricks, and through quantitative analysis of the relationship between salt wet‒dry cycle damage rates and green brick damage severity in saline environments. Under the regional saline conditions, the remaining service life of blue bricks in ancient structures is at least 120 years. The predicted remaining service life of blue bricks is consistent with, or even exceeds, that of the ancient structures in which they are used. Through evaluation of the remaining service life of ancient buildings, the predicted lifespan of their blue bricks falls within a reliable range. These experimental findings provide guiding principles for evaluating the durability of ancient architectural blue bricks and for their conservation and restoration.
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