Studies on Damage Characteristics of Gyeongju Bunhwangsa Stone Brick Pagoda

Abstract

The Gyeongju Bunhwangsa Stone Brick Pagoda, which was built with bricks of andesite, is the oldest brick stone pagoda of Silla period. The damage patterns in the stone pagoda are pollutants such as white crust, black crust, discoloration, soil adsorption, and microorganisms, and repair materials. The damage pattern of structural factors in the Stone Brick Pagoda is a bulging phenomenon. According to the X-ray diffraction analysis, white crust are mainly consist of calcite (CaCO3) and thermonatrite (Na2CO3⋅H2O) that evaporite finds in nature. Damage pattern varies depending on location of stone pagoda. The pollutants are first story body of pagoda. The microorganisms are confirmed at base, lion statues, first and second story capstone, and repair materials observed at base. The bulging phenomenon appeared on the first story body of the pagoda. Occupancy rates by damage type were higher in the order of microorganisms, pollutants, repair material, bulging phenomenon, and peeling. The highest percentage of individual damage patterns were black microorganisms (39.3%), followed by lichen (17.9%), discoloration (8.0%), white crust (5.5%), cement mortar (5.1%) and peeling (3.1%).