Analysis and Conservation of Glazed Decoration in Ancient Buildings in Shanxi, China

Glazed tiles are a common component of ancient buildings, typically used for roofs and walls, serving decorative, protective, and waterproofing purposes. Currently, they are severely damaged and urgently require protection. This study investigated the preservation and damage status of glazed tile components in ancient buildings throughout Shanxi Province. Temperature and humidity variations and acid rain corrosion simulation experiments were conducted to investigate the causes of glazed tile damage. By characterizing morphological changes and corrosion products, the damage process of glazed tiles under the influence of external temperature, moisture, and acid rain was explained. For damage phenomena such as powdering of the tile body, hydroxyl-terminated PDMS–OH/TEOS was selected as the coating materials, and ethanol was used as the solvent to reinforce the glazed tile body. By characterizing indicators such as color difference, water resistance, and mechanical properties, a suitable coating materials formulation was selected. The reinforcement mechanism was investigated using infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. For glazed tiles with extremely severe damage, new glazed tiles with superior mechanical properties were fired by reducing the particle size of the raw material in the tile body to replace them.