Patinated stainless steel in the conservation works of built heritage

Metallic materials play a relevant role in the conservation of built heritage. Stainless steel and cor-ten steel are widely used in relation to the interventions on architectural heritage due to their valuable mechanical and surface characteristics, used for both structural and cladding applications. The use of cor-ten must be carefully evaluated at the design stage in order to avoid damages to historic materials, for instance due to the release of corrosion products. Recently, the use of patinated stainless steels has been proposed for cultural heritage applications. This work illustrates the analysis of a new surface finishing of commonly used stainless steels in architecture, AISI 304, 316 and 430. A preliminary characterisation of surfaces was carried out through spectrophotometry, stereo-microscopy and potentiodynamic curves in order to evaluate the use of the material for conservation projects of built heritage.

Automated summary

Metallic materials, such as stainless steel and cor-ten steel, play a significant role in the conservation of built heritage. The use of cor-ten steel should be carefully assessed to avoid damage to historic materials. Patinated stainless steels have also been proposed for cultural heritage applications. This study analyzes the surface finishing of commonly used stainless steels and evaluates their suitability for conservation projects.