Dictated by the unavoidable need to have better, more durable and more sustainable materials, CMR Laboratory Ltd. (Center of Materials Research) - MGN's own in-house lab - has been established in 2003.
This cutting-edge lab, accredited by Accredia, Italy's national accreditation body, is dedicated to both in-house research of all MGN plasters, as well as offers professionals and officials (local Councils, Heritage organizations etc.) qualified analysis and scientific advice to questions relating to the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage.
Internally, the Laboratory consists of two different divisions:Â
carrying out a wide range of tests such as:
Over the years the Laboratory has expanded its services into other sectors of activity, offering:
The laboratory is equipped with cutting-edge technological equipment, so all tests and analyses meet or exceed national and European building standards, and are valid internationally.Â
Here are some of the specific tests performed to help architects, builders and manufacturers find clear-cut answers to many problems encountered in both old and new buildings.
U-value measures the transmission of heat through a building material. It measures a wall's ability to conduct heat from a warmer environment to a cooler one. It is an indication of heat loss. The higher the U-value (heat loss) the worse the thermal performance of the wall or building. Well insulated buildings have low U-value.
Laboratory tests have shown that dampness can greatly increases a walls' U-value (heat loss) by up to 40%.
Thermal conductivity, also known as Lambda (denoted by the greek symbol λ), measures how easily heat flows through a specific material. It is a native material specific property which is independent of its thickness, unlike U-values which take into account the thickness of materials.
Lambda influences U-values, a natively good insulating material (with low thermal conductivity) can contribute to better U-Values (less heat loss). The lower the thermal conductivity, the better heat insulator the material is.
Karsten tubes allow for the rapid non-destructive testing of liquid water penetration into porous building materials such as concrete, stone or plaster. The test uses of a glass tube, bonded to a vertical surface test material with plastiline.
Water vapour permeability measures the passage of water vapours through a material. One of the widely used standard testing methods is the "wet cup" method, where a round plaster sample is placed in a cup with saturated salt solution at the bottom, separated from the sample by an air gap - all placed in a climate chamber.
Due to pressure differences, humidity moves through diffusion from the salt solution into the plaster sample. By weighing the sample periodically, the moisture flow can be calculated.
The lab is testing the effects of capillary rising sea water on different types of masonry - the presence of salts causes severe deterioration and efflorescence to buildings.
Here is a lab machine that allows the reproduction of particular atmospheric conditions such as pouring rain and fog in order to accurately assess the impact of atmospheric conditions onto the plaster and masonry.
These tests evaluate the behaviour of the materials under variable conditions, to assess how the masonry can even out temperature fluctuations, by taking readings through surface and in-depth sensors.
Chemical analysis can provide important information on the various layers of paints and the presence of film-forming non-breathable materials.
Detailed material analysis is necessary for the exact recreation of historic plasters or the assess the long-term behaviour of materials.
Here are just two examples of real buildings built in the lab to better monitor and evaluate the behaviour of building materials in real-world conditions.
Here are some other related pages that you might want to read to broaden your knowledge in this field.Â
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