ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: A combined study of fabric characterization and building geometry and morphology has been undertaken at the “Patio de Santo Tomás, Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso” from the Alcalá University (Madrid, Spain). A set of bricks and their associated mortars from different chronology and locations has been selected to carry out fabric characterization, which were accomplished by using observation and analytical conventional techniques, such as thin section polarized light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), and thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA). Resulting data have enabled the recognition of three groups of bricks with their associated mortars in the five constructive phases of the building. Each group showed compositional and technological differences which can be correlated with their chronology and location in the building. This combined study has provided outstanding data which can be useful for future conservation and restoration strategies.
