Weathering of Rock Carvings and Their Protective Materials

A review is given about the disease manifestations,mechanisms and protective materials of the weathering of rock carvings.The inherent factors such as the compositions and structure of the rocks as well as the environmental factors such as the temperature,water and atmospheric harmful gases,which have influence on the weathering of rock carvings,are discussed in detail.Then the current status of the protective materials is described.The advantages and disadvantages of the most often used materials,including the inorganic and organic materials,are summarized briefly.In addition,the applications of some novel materials such as the nano-mate-rials and bionic materials are introduced.Moreover,the protection approaches of Dazu rock carvings are analyzed as a paradigm,which exhibits the applications of the various protective materials in the fields of strengthening rocks,water management and mold inhibition.At last,the future trends of the investigations on the protective materials for the rock carvings are prospected.