Deterioration and Preservation of City Wall in Nanjing

Abstract

Nanjing City Wall in Nanjing, China, an important cultural heritage of the city, has deteriorated owing to factors such as the presence of microorganisms, salt crystallization, exfoliation, and cracks in the bricks and stones. For this research, the present status regarding the deterioration of the Nanjing City Wall was first surveyed, after which we attempted to identify the factors causing the deterioration. Herein, a simulation model expressing the infiltration of rainwater into the city wall is proposed, and based on the simulation results, the influence of rainwater on the deterioration of the wall is examined. The simulation results showed that the rainwater increases the moisture content of the inside bricks and plaster only very slowly.