Effects of mechanical cleaning by manual brushing and abrasive blasting on lime render coatings on Architectural Heritage

Abstract

This research studies the effects of mechanical cleaning by brushing and by abrasive blasting on the lime render coating of a façade. After analysing the properties of the material, the deposits to be removed and their possible influence on the treatment, different cleaning tests were made by manual brushing and by blasting with three varieties of abrasives at 45° and 75° angles, keeping the other parameters constant. Taking the restorer's perspective as a starting point, and in order to fulfil the practical requirements of an intervention, tests were evaluated with macro-photography, USB digital microscope and stereomicroscope with 3D visualization and measurement. From the results can be concluded that abrasives with low friability and greater grain size than the space between mortar aggregates blasted at a 75° angle reduce the differential erosion compared to other abrasives; although manual brushing has less impact on the surface.