Determination of mechanical properties of historical buildings from their physical properties using non destructive or semi-non destructive methods

Ultrasonic wave speed tests were carried out on limestone, known as Midyat stone (Ayn kef), brought from the Mardin region. By heating the limestone, its porosity and permeability are reduced and its strength is increased. In measurements made with an ultrasonic test device, the speed of the sound wave and how long it took to travel were measured. Longitudinal wave tests were performed on limestone samples and observations were made on the amount of wave speed and the time it traveled. While doing this, the heating process of the limestone was achieved by giving it a constant mass. Hardness, visibility and tensile properties of limestone were observed at different temperatures. With the increase in temperature, humidity, water permeability and number of pores decreased, and hardness, rigidity and pore size increased. Ultrasonic wave speed varied depending on the mass, density and pore opening of the sample. The mass of the limestone decreased during heating, which caused the ultrasonic speed to increase. When limestone was left to rest for a long time, its ultrasonic speed increased. This shows that the strength of the limestone has increased. In this study, different strength concrete types were used to compare limestone more efficiently. The ultrasonic wave speed of concrete samples and how long it takes for this wave speed to travel were tested. According to this test, the difference in ultrasonic wave velocities of concretes with different strengths was observed to be almost significant. The ultrasonic velocity data of concrete was greater than the ultrasonic velocity data of limestone. This helped us obtain information about the strength of concrete and limestone. The fact that the ultrasonic speed of concrete is higher than limestone shows that the strength of concrete is higher than limestone. This study was carried out because historical buildings are not adequately protected today and are open to various external influences. Among the damage detection and inspection methods, it has become necessary to develop different methods because the strength determination studies with non-damage methods are not at a satisfactory level. We tried to estimate the strength with the newly considered free fall impact sound violence method which we think will contribute in this direction. Efforts have been made to obtain information about the strength of the material in impact sound intensity, ultrasonic test speed and hardness measurement. Key Words: Ultrasonic testing device, Limestone, Impact sound frequency, Hardness, Strength