Dr Vincenzo Starinieri MSc, PhD

Vincenzo specialises in the characterisation of masonry materials, the investigation of their degradation phenomena and the development of materials and technologies for their conservation and repair. His expertise includes physical properties of pastes and mortars made from hydrated limes, hydraulic limes, and natural and Portland cements; and the interaction between mortars and porous substrates within masonry structures.

Specialist areas of interest:

- Low carbon construction materials and technologies for new and retrofit applications.    

- Low-energy, high-performance mortars for both conservation and new-build applications.

• Centre for Infrastructure Management
• Materials and Engineering Research Institute

Current Projects:

• Introduction of nanolime in a museum context (SHU – AHRC PhD Fellowship)
• Insulating binder for plant based materials (InnovateUK Open Call)
• Nano-lime as a consolidation method in built heritage conservation (SHU's Vice Chancellor PhD Fellowship)
• An investigation into the design of a less than zero carbon structural unit for construction purposes (HEIF's Impact Fellowship scheme)
• Development of high performance material nanocomposites for lightweight construction (Iraqi Embassy PhD Fellowship)

Journal articles

Starinieri, V., Otero, J., & Charola, E. (2019). Sticky rice - nanolime as a consolidation treatment for lime mortars. Journal of Materials Science. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-019-03618-1

Otero, J., Starinieri, V., & Charola, A.E. (2019). Influence of substrate pore structure and nanolime particle size on the effectiveness of nanolime treatments. Construction and Building Materials, 209, 701-708. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.03.130

O'Flaherty, F., Khalaf, F.J., & Starinieri, V. (2019). Influence of nanomaterials on properties of lime and hemp/lime composites for energy efficient wall design. Advances in building energy research. http://doi.org/10.1080/17512549.2019.1586584

O'Flaherty, F., Lambert, P., Mangat, P., & Starinieri, V. (2019). Determination of transfer stress from ruptured pre-load galvanised tendons in tanks and bund walls. Materials and Structures, 52 (1). http://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-019-1315-3

Otero, J., Starinieri, V., & Charola, A.E. (2018). Nanolime for the consolidation of lime mortars: A comparison of three available products. CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING MATERIALS, 181, 394-407. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.06.055

Starinieri, V., Illingworth, J.M., & Hughes, D.C. (2018). Use of supplementary aggregates in mortars produced using a novel lime drying technique. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Construction Materials. http://doi.org/10.1680/jcoma.17.00008

Taglieri, G., Otero, J., Daniele, V., Gioia, G., Macera, L., Starinieri, V., & Carola, A.E. (2018). The biocalcarenite stone of Agrigento (Italy): Preliminary investigations of compatible nanolime treatments. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 30. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2017.11.003

O'Flaherty, F., Lambert, P., Mangat, P., & Starinieri, V. (2017). Determination of transfer stress from ruptured pre-load galvanised tendons in tanks and bund walls. Materials and structures, 50 (5), 228. http://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-017-1099-2

Otero, J., Charola, A.E., Grissom, C.A., & Starinieri, V. (2017). An overview of nanolime as a consolidation method for calcareous substrates. Ge-conservación, 1 (11), 71-78.

Hughes, D.C., Illingworth, J.M., & Starinieri, V. (2015). Low energy pre-blended mortars: Part 2 – Production and characterisation of mortars using a novel lime drying technique. Construction and Building Materials, 101 (1), 710-720. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.10.042

Starinieri, V., Hughes, D., & Wilk, D. (2015). Influence of substrate and sand characteristics on Roman cement mortar performance. Construction and Building Materials, (91), 274-287. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.05.077

Hughes, D.C., & Starinieri, V. (2014). Formulating mortars for use in restoration practice. ZKG International, 2, 48-53.

Starinieri, V., Hughes, D.C., & Wilk, D. (2013). Influence of the combination of Roman cement and lime as the binder phase in render mortars for restoration. Construction and Building Materials, 44, 192-199. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.03.012

Starinieri, V., Hughes, D.C., Gosselin, C., Wilk, D., & Bayer, K. (2013). Pre-hydration as a technique for the retardation of Roman cement mortars. Cement and Concrete Research, 46, 1-13. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2013.01.004

Starinieri, V., Papayianni, I., & Stefanidou, M. (2008). Study of materials and technology of ancient floor mosaics’ substrate. Conservar Património, 7, 19-24. http://revista.arp.org.pt/en/artigos/7_4.html

Conference papers

Hughes, D., Weber, J., Starinieri, V., Pinter, F., Gosselin, C., Feldman, S., & Pesce, C. (2019). European natural cements - their key technical properties under standardised conditions. In Alvarez, J.I., Fernandez, J.M., Navarro, I., Duran, A., & Sirera, R. (Eds.) 5th Historic Mortars Conference, Pamplona, Spain, 19 June 2019 - 21 June 2019 (pp. 833-847). RILEM Publications SARL: https://www.rilem.net/publication/publication/494?fbclid=IwAR2alOV6zpnWH41C4zdQPwmhwIWAZXWS4rQKy0sKbRGJv9IlnVYvFxmqfpM

Hughes, D., Weber, J., Starinieri, V., Pinter, F., Gosselin, C., Feldman, S., & Pesce, C. (2019). European natural cements - their key technical properties under standardised conditions. In Alvarez, J.I., Fernandez, J.M., Navarro, I., Duran, A., & Sirera, R. (Eds.) 5th Historic Mortars Conference, Pamplona, Spain, 19 June 2019 - 21 June 2019 (pp. 833-847). RILEM Publications SARL: https://www.rilem.net/publication/publication/494?fbclid=IwAR2alOV6zpnWH41C4zdQPwmhwIWAZXWS4rQKy0sKbRGJv9IlnVYvFxmqfpM

Book chapters

Hughes, D.C., Swann, S., Gardner, A., & Starinieri, V. (2012). The history, use and analysis of Roman cements. In Brocklebank, I. (Ed.) Building limes in conservation. (pp. 107-130). Shaftsbury: Donhead publishing

Macchiarola, M., Aysheh, A., Ruffini, M.S., & Starinieri, V. (2007). Archaeometric study of glass tesserae from the floor mosaics of the Domus dei Coiedii in Suasa, Ancona, Italy. In AISCOM, Contributions to the XII Conference of the Italian Association for the Study and Conservation of Mosaics. (pp. 555-564). Tivoli: AISCOM

Theses / Dissertations

Otero Hermo, J. (2018). Lime based nanomaterials for theconservation of calcareous substrates inheritage structures. (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Starinieri, V. http://doi.org/10.7190/shu-thesis-00095

Vincenzo offers a range of services such as

• mortar analysis for the determination of the cause of deterioration or failure of a mortar and the specification of new mortar for repair
• Drilling Resistance Measuring System (DRMS) for evaluating the state of conservation of masonry materials, the effectiveness of consolidation treatments, and the quality of quarry materials and cast stone products'
• building stone analysis for the identification of the type and source of stone and the sourcing of an acceptable replacement
• testing of mortar consistence, air content, water retention, workable life, water absorption by capillarity, water vapour permeability, porosity, shrinkage, adhesive strength and mechanical strength
• testing of thermal conductivity of insulating materials
• quantitative pore structure characterisation of solid materials by means of mercury intrusion porosimetry
• accelerated weathering testing for the determination of the effect of prolonged outdoor exposure on a wide range of materials
• particle size analysis of powder materials