Limestone decay

Many of Oxford’s most historic buildings could be preserved more effectively, thanks to future research into how and why limestone building blocks decay.

Scientists from the Oxford University Centre for the Environment (OUCE) are involved in a 3-year project to improve understanding of how and why limestone decays. The project is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and will begin  in January 2006.

A key element in the project is the development of optical sensors that can monitor how limestone is affected by traffic pollution, road salt, temperature, humidity and wetness, and detect subtle changes in the stone caused by changing moisture levels and salt movement.

Test sensors will be installed in a boundary wall at Worcester College, Oxford and in other limestone structures around the country. Information will be fed by the sensors, via fibre-optic cable, to data loggers and analysed to see how decay correlates with environmental factors and with the limestone’s physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics.