ABSTRACT
The development of less destructive methods for estimating the shear strength of stone joints is necessary to improve the stability assessment of historical monuments. This study proposes a novel impression method using thermoplastic resin to examine the surface morphology of stone joints, which significantly influences the shear strength, and its application in the stone chamber of a burial mound. The three-dimensional coordinates of the impressions were obtained using an optical profiler, and roughness was determined using a statistical coefficient. This case study shows that the proposed impression method can be successfully applied to field surveys and is valuable for quantifying the geometric characteristics of stones. The polished and rough faces were quantitatively distinguished. Furthermore, the roughness of the polished faces of the granite ceiling and tuff sidewalls was slightly different owing to the difference in the ease of processing between the granite and tuff.
