Material Testing of Historic Bricks and Mortars in Degraded Masonry Structures

The subject of this article is material research carried out on the ruins of a medieval castle located in west-central Poland. This facility was built at the beginning of the 15th century by the Order of St. John, and during its long life, it was subjected to many reconstructions. Unfortunately, in 1975, it was destroyed by fire. Since then, it has been left in a state of advanced ruin, exposed to climatic influences without any protection. The subject of the research was to assess the possibility of maintaining such buildings in a severely degraded condition while ensuring their technical efficiency. The article discusses a particular instance of “consolidation” applied to a structure in a state of historical, architectural, and structural ruin. After the diagnosis, it was determined that the structure should be safeguarded using a minimally invasive method. The purpose of these activities was to answer the question of whether the structure could be left to continue operating despite failing to meet the requirements of current standards and regulations while posing an additional danger to itself and the environment,. This goal was achieved by obtaining a considerable amount of data on the condition of the materials embedded in the masonry structure, thanks to which the initial parameters for conducting an assessment of the technical condition of the damaged masonry structure and evaluating the degree of its danger were developed. The results of the research and analysis carried out and described in this article can be used in other similar situations where saving national heritage objects through “artificial modern” strengthening will be unsafe and will lead to a loss of their authenticity. We still have a long way to go to develop a comprehensive method for “in situ” diagnosis of heterogeneous masonry structures, so we should use possible techniques and knowledge to conduct such assessments and propose rescue methods for historically valuable objects in a way that could minimize the damage and that can “easily” disappear from our surroundings. Each study should have a specific purpose, not only research but also a long-term perspective, making it possible to leave material for further research and analysis, including testing new research methods in real conditions of its installation.