Characterization of some materials used at historic sites

n planning and implementing the archeological and architectural conservation of historical sites, it is often necessary to investigate the possible causes of damages to monuments, before working out guidelines for their conservation within a wider environmental program for the protection of the whole historical area. In the paper some aspects are considered of the geotechnical tests suitable for the mechanical characterization of some materials used in blocks for erecting the walls of historical buildings and monuments. Apart from the conventional identification and classification procedures, the triaxial and the direct shear tests are considered. The study intends to provide additional experimental information that could be used in subsequent studies for the development of constitutive laws applicable in the numerical analysis aimed, for instance, at comparing the effectiveness of various alternative solutions applicable in the field for the restoration of buildings that characterize monument sites.