THE PRESERVATION OF CANKIRI LIMESTONE IN SULFUR-DIOXIDE ATMOSPHERE BYIN-SITU POLYMERIZATION OF ETHYL-METHACRYLATE

Stone is one of the most important structural and monumental materials . The main aim of preservation of stone objects is to prevent their de terioration caused by external conditions and to increase their genera l resistance to changing environmental conditions. Many substances in various forms are being used for the consolidation of stones. One meth od is impregnation of the stone with a low molecular-weight monomer wh ich is then polymerized within the stone. In this study, ethyl methacr ylate was polymerized within Cankiri limestone by a sulfur dioxide-ter t-butyl hydroperoxide redox initiator pair having a low decomposition activation energy. Mechanical stability of the original and polymer-lo aded stones was measured. As the amount of the polymer in the limeston e was increased, compressive strength also increased. The polymer-cont aining limestone was more resistant to abrasion by water and to the ef fects of acid rain. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 69: 1761-1764, 1998.