NDT&E techniques and SEM-EDS for the assessment of cleaning interventions on Pentelic marble surfaces

In this work, several non-destructive testing and evaluation (NDT&E) techniques along with scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) were applied on Pentelic marble surfaces. The investigated Pentelic marble surface disclosed a representative decay pattern that usually develops in polluted urban atmosphere such as the Athens centre. The applied techniques aimed to collate as much as possible evidence about the physico-chemical and aesthetical characteristics of the examined surfaces before and after the pilot cleaning treatments, in an attempt to configure an effective assessment methodology of cleaning interventions. The applied NDT&E techniques were fibre-optic microscopy, colourimetry and laser profilometry. The results were encouraging enough to propose the use of these NDT&E techniques along with SEM-EDS as an everyday assessment tool of cleaning conservation interventions on Pentelic marble. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.