Characterization of historical masonry mortar from sites damaged during the central Italy 2016-2017 seismic sequence: The case study of arquata del Tronto

Mortar quality is a fundamental parameter to take into account when studying the structural behavior of masonry, especially under seis− mic actions. Separation between the leaves of rubble masonry can occur, inducing the partial or total collapse of the construction. A good quality mortar is essential to delay/prevent the separation of leaves, but often, especially in ancient building with a cultural value, mor− tars have low binder capabilities. The paper presents an experimental investigation on mortar specimens taken from buildings of a little municipality in Marche region, Arquata del Tronto, heavily damaged by recent earthquakes in Central Italy (2016−2017). Both diagnostic techniques as X−Ray diffrac− tion, Fourier−Transform infrared spectroscopy and calcimetry, and mechanical test as compression tests were carried out in order to cor− relate the obtained values with the performance of the original masonry.