Comparison between mercury intrusion porosimetry and nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry to study the pore size distribution of limestones treated with a new consolidation product

Pore-space properties, such as pore-size distribution and connected porosity, are relevant factors in the evaluation of the performance of a consolidation treatment. In this study, two different techniques – Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Relaxometry (NMRR) – were adopted to study the compatibility and the efficacy of a new consolidation product for limestones. This work aims at comparing and combining data obtained by MIP and NMRR; to confirm the relationship between the quantitative results of MIP and the qualitative ones of NMRR, a calibration which leads to correlate T 2 distribution and pore size distribution has been applied. Experimental results showed that, in most cases, NMRR results agree with MIP data. Therefore, NMRR technique can be considered a powerful tool to evaluate the change in pore size distribution due to the application of a consolidating agent on stone, especially in cases when sampling should be avoided.