Mechanical Characterization and Creep Behavior of a Stone Heritage Material Used in Granada (Spain): Santa Pudia Calcarenite

Santa Pudia calcarenite was one of the most commonly used building materials in the construction of historical buildings in the city of Granada (Spain). As a result, Santa Pudia calcarenite has been mainly studied from a petrographical point of view in previous works. In this work, the mechanical properties of Santa Pudia calcarenite are studied. The main mechanical properties (compressive strength, elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio) were determined using the corresponding tests. Samples of Santa Pudia calcarenite were heated at 550 °C to study the effect of high temperatures on its compressive strength. Two different cooling methods were considered: air-cooling and water-cooling. Stress–strain curves of heated and non-heated samples were obtained from uniaxial compression tests. Creep is of great importance in the long-term structural assessment of historical buildings. To study the creep behaviour of Santa Pudia calcarenite, samples were subjected to uniaxial compressive tests at constant stress until the stabilization of the recorded strains was reached. Different rheological models were adjusted to the experimental results to simulate the long-term behaviour of the material studied. The instantaneous response to additional loadings on the samples (maintaining the long-term loading and deformation) were also studied. Results show that a Santa Pudia calcarenite specimen subjected to dead loads will suffer a higher instantaneous deformation against a sudden load than a non-preloaded specimen. This degradation effect can be particularly important in the case of a seismic evaluation of historical buildings. Highlights The mechanical properties of Santa Pudia Calcarenite (SPC) are studied. The effect of high temperatures on the compressive strength of SPC is studied. Creep is of great importance in the long-term structural assessment of historical buildings. The creep behaviour of SPC is studied and different rheological models have been considered.