Bituminous waterproofing mortar applied on masonry walls of 19th and 20th century buildings in Porto: an analytical study in the context of urban building rehabilitation

Bituminous mortars characterize the traditional buildings of the city of Porto and northern Portugal, especially those built between the end of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. This article aims to determine the composition of this bituminous mortar through an analytical study by micro-FTIR and Py-GS/MS, and to assert experimentally its effectiveness as a waterproofing material though a series of tests including capillary tests, saturation content and water permeability. The present study is still a starting point for a more in-depth study on this subject, but the present investigation constitutes a further step in the characterisation of the constitution and function of bituminous mortar.