Advanced Methods to Characterize the Structural Materials of Religious Buildings Construction

The paper aims to present a bibliographic study of works on the characterization of materials, for mosques and historical minarets, using destructive methods (uniaxial compression, tension direct and indirect), and non-destructive testing (Schmidt rebound hardness, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and their usefulness in the field of protection built cultural heritage. These religious buildings usually are constructed of brick masonry, stone, or/and reinforced cement concrete. Further, the form and amount of a structural defect is a function of the environment to which the structure is subjected. The different techniques used, for various construction materials, have determined the following parameters: the surface hardness, pulse velocity, structural composition, compressive strength, tensile strength and chemical composition. In general, these parameters govern the behavior under the different actions, and contribute to the strengthening and protection of the structure.