PLS-MCDM-based evaluation of consolidation materials for earthen heritage sites: moisture regulation and overall consolidation performance of SAP

PLS-MCDM-based evaluation of consolidation materials for earthen heritage sites: moisture regulation and overall consolidation performance of SAP | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article PLS-MCDM-based evaluation of consolidation materials for earthen heritage sites: moisture regulation and overall consolidation performance of SAP Senbiao Liu, Yifan Zhang, Miao Li, Yuxing Qin, Xuelin Li, Jing He, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8346088/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 13 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The deterioration of earthen heritage sites is highly coupled with moisture-related damage in earthen soils, underscoring the urgent need to identify soil moisture-regulating materials and to establish a corresponding evaluation system. In this study, superabsorbent polymer (SAP) is employed as a moisture-regulating material, and the effects of SAP type and content on nine performance indices are tested, including the drying delay factor (DDF), apparent diffusion coefficient (Dapp), evaporation reduction factor (ERF), and disintegration coefficient (DC). In parallel, a partial least squares structural equation modeling–multi-criteria decision making (PLS-MCDM) subjective–objective integrated evaluation framework is developed. The results show that a medium SAP dosage of 0.3%–0.5% markedly enhances drying delay, reduces effective diffusion and constant-rate evaporation, and maintains acceptable penalties in appearance and water vapour permeability. In contrast, a 0.1% dosage provides insufficient moisture control, while at 1% the penalties increase and marginal benefits diminish, with pronounced differences among SAP types. This work provides empirical data to support the application of SAP in moisture regulation for earthen heritage sites and, through PLS-MCDM, proposes a general comprehensive evaluation framework for conservation materials. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementaryInformation.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 10 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 10 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 13 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 02 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 28 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Dec, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 17 Dec, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 17 Dec, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 17 Dec, 2025 First submitted to journal 12 Dec, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8346088","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":562203976,"identity":"60f98f41-6eef-4dc2-b528-348a939cf3b3","order_by":0,"name":"Senbiao Liu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shaanxi University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Senbiao","middleName":"","lastName":"Liu","suffix":""},{"id":562203978,"identity":"02b300ee-6db8-45af-8b5d-af875a8fa4f3","order_by":1,"name":"Yifan Zhang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shaanxi University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yifan","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhang","suffix":""},{"id":562203979,"identity":"0b81e275-8b7d-446e-9d2c-abb61f54a153","order_by":2,"name":"Miao Li","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shaanxi University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Miao","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""},{"id":562203982,"identity":"2704177c-b7e0-4798-bfd1-c5fa59e6fa73","order_by":3,"name":"Yuxing Qin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shaanxi University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yuxing","middleName":"","lastName":"Qin","suffix":""},{"id":562203984,"identity":"b6a2dd7a-a7df-4231-a887-5bdd0b94d273","order_by":4,"name":"Xuelin Li","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shaanxi University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xuelin","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""},{"id":562203986,"identity":"08059966-0621-466a-a92e-2e576baf62a2","order_by":5,"name":"Jing He","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shaanxi University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jing","middleName":"","lastName":"He","suffix":""},{"id":562203988,"identity":"f9862818-0ad4-4a31-9211-48779938ac28","order_by":6,"name":"Xichen Zhao","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xichen","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhao","suffix":""},{"id":562203990,"identity":"172fe02f-a2f1-4be7-984b-2299be94525c","order_by":7,"name":"Jianxi Li","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Western BaoDe Technology Co., Ltd. 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In this study, superabsorbent polymer (SAP) is employed as a moisture-regulating material, and the effects of SAP type and content on nine performance indices are tested, including the drying delay factor (DDF), apparent diffusion coefficient (Dapp), evaporation reduction factor (ERF), and disintegration coefficient (DC). In parallel, a partial least squares structural equation modeling–multi-criteria decision making (PLS-MCDM) subjective–objective integrated evaluation framework is developed. The results show that a medium SAP dosage of 0.3%–0.5% markedly enhances drying delay, reduces effective diffusion and constant-rate evaporation, and maintains acceptable penalties in appearance and water vapour permeability. In contrast, a 0.1% dosage provides insufficient moisture control, while at 1% the penalties increase and marginal benefits diminish, with pronounced differences among SAP types. 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