Hundreds of studies have been written in the last several decades on the advantages of using stone powder as a raw material in the production of fired clay bricks. The durability and long-term behavior of the finished product, however, have received very little attention in the literature. Clay bricks are generally fired at high temperatures in developing countries, which reduces the mechanical performance of the bricks. This is especially evident in extreme environmental settings where weathering leads to significant damage. The evaluation of concrete waste (stone powder) used to make fired clay bricks is the main topic of this study. There are two sections: the first evaluates how adding stone powder to clay bricks improves their physical characteristics such absorption, efflorescence, density, and firing shrinkage. The impact of stone powder on the mechanical characteristics of specimens of burned clay bricks, such as compressive and flexural strengths, is covered in the second section. The percentages of stone powder in the clay bricks are 0 %, 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, and 20%. While the ratio of dry soil to water content remains is 0.3. In this work three fire phases are used untel to the maximum temperature is reached. The first one is 300 degrees C, the second phase is 600 degrees C, and 900 degrees C for the third phase. The water absorption of specimens decreased as the quantity of stone powder increased, and efflorescence also decreased, according to the results for the physical attributes. The density does, however, somewhat rise with the amount of stone powder. Additionally, when the amount of stone powder was increased, the experimental results indicated that firing shrinkage decreased. Mechanically considered, clay brick specimens with 20% more stone powder showed stronger compressive flexural capabilities.

The phenomenon of salt fog on pottery surfaces attracted our team to study it and explain the reason for its formation. The crystallization of salts during drying leads to pottery damage. A significant step is to examine the types of salt and identify the chemical composition of the sherds. For this visual assessment, a digital microscope and a scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray analyses unit (SEM-EDX) were used to detect surface deterioration. In addition, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses were carried out to determine the chemical composition of potsherds and salts. The microscopic examination revealed a dense distribution of salts on the potsherd surface. Besides, the SEM photomicrographs showed clear cubic salt crystals of sodium chloride, especially after drying. The SEM-EDX analysis also revealed high chloride salt concentration, in addition to silica and aluminum oxide, which are the primary ingredients in pottery-making. According to XRD analysis, the pottery samples primarily contained diopside, hematite, magnetite, albite and muscovite, which are the primary components in manufacturing. Furthermore, halite appeared in large proportions due to the influence of burial soil. Besides, the quartz, clay minerals, hematite and calcite content of the samples were confirmed by FTIR. The results thus support the fact that sodium chloride significantly influences archaeological pottery.