Reliability assessment of the NDT results for the internal damage of marble specimens

The damage of either intact or notched marble beams under bending is studied with both destructive and non-destructive techniques, in an effort to assess the reliability of the non-destructive methods in the case of rock-type materials. The specimens are made from Dionysos marble, the material used for the restoration of the Parthenon Temple of the Acropolis of Athens. The experimental results for the intact specimens are compared with the predictions of a damage model, while for the notched specimens the comparison is realised using the predictions of a numerical analysis employing the finite element method. The comparison is satisfactory indicating that the non-destructive technique of ultrasounds employed can be safely used for the description of the damage of rock-type materials. This conclusion is of vital importance since non-destructive techniques constitute the only experimental methods which are permitted to be used in the case of monuments which are 'unique'.