The importance of reinforcing the pillars
To fully understand how and with what materials the ancient architectural works were created and to treasure them for our era, a real research work was necessary in which our team also took part over the years. In particular, Gilberto Quarneti has turned this research into a true “Workshop” of Master Gilberto, in which one can sense the strong desire to spread the styles and thoughts of the ancients. His texts represent the rediscovery of an ancient way of working and in his laboratory he has always personally tested everything relating to the preparation of materials and the techniques of use described in the aforementioned texts.
In this article we will deal in particular with the method that we recommend to our customers to improve the load-bearing architecture of their home: the reinforcement of reinforced concrete pillars through the use of natural mortars compatible with the materials used in the past.
Why reinforce the pillars?
Many of the structures present in Italy were built in ancient periods and with materials that certainly do not possess the qualities of today’s ones. For this reason and due to the possibility that these materials have undergone a progressive degradation process, putting the integrity of your home at risk, we recommend carrying out periodic restorations of the load-bearing elements of your homes.
Another reason that could push you to carry out a restoration or at least a check are earthquakes. Due to the displacement of the earth’s crust, they cause a lot of damage to the structures present in the affected area and in particular to the load-bearing pillars which usually, in first aid practices, are the first to be reinforced to continue to carry out their function correctly, that is, supporting the building.
Intervention techniques
The consolidation techniques that are implemented for these types of work are of different types. Initially and for many years it was thought that reinforced concrete could have an eternal life but this is not the case since both materials that compose it (concrete and steel) are subject to age-related problems that compromise its resistance.
One of the ways to reinforce the pillars of a reinforced concrete house is to apply fabrics or sheets of polymeric matrix fiber-reinforcing material (FRP). This matrix is composed of thermosetting resins and very rarely polyester and the effect obtained with its use corresponds to an increase in the quantity of the tension reinforcement of the pillar. The fibers are positioned along the longitudinal direction of the pillar and in order to avoid possible detachment, confinement bands are added. Furthermore, we also offer our customers other techniques which consist in the use of different materials such as pozzolanic hydraulic lime which, following a particular modification obtained using specific natural pozzolana, allows obtaining high mechanical performance even in the total absence of cement.