The Mogao Grottoes is famous around the world for its exquisite wall paintings and colorful painted sculptures, and was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. Although the site is located in an arid area, water is still one of the main factors threatening the long-term preservation of cultural relics. The relationship between rainfall infiltration and wall painting deterioration was investigated as part of efforts to develop conservation strategies to prevent deterioration caused by atmospheric precipitation. This was done through artificial rainfall simulation experiments and high-density electrical non-destructive test. Areas prone to wall painting deterioration, as evidenced by periodic condition assessment, showed an association between further deterioration and natural heavy rainfall. The results show that the covering layer above the grottoes has a small runoff coefficient, and the rainfall infiltration is much larger than the volume of runoff produced. The rainwater migrates preferentially along the rock fractures in the form of gas or through the gaps between the grotto eaves and the rock, or through cracks in the form of liquid. This is the main mechanism for activation of salt damage and deterioration of the wall paintings. The covering layer above the grottoes is thin, and the through-cracks in the surrounding rock or external wooden eaves are particularly vulnerable to rainfall infiltration. This indicates that more attention should be paid to the system of preventive protection by rainwater disposal. This research has important practical value in improving preventive protection of the Mogao Grottoes.

中文翻译：

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莫高窟降雨入渗与壁画退化关系的实验研究。

莫高窟以其精美的壁画和彩绘雕塑而闻名世界，1987年被联合国教科文组织列入世界遗产名录。尽管该遗址位于干旱地区，但水仍然是威胁该地区的主要因素之一。长期保存文物。作为制定保护策略以防止由大气降水引起的退化的努力的一部分，调查了降雨入渗与墙面涂料退化之间的关系。这是通过人工降雨模拟实验和高密度电非破坏性测试完成的。定期状况评估表明，容易出现壁画恶化的区域显示出进一步恶化与自然暴雨之间的关联。结果表明，石窟上方的覆盖层径流系数小，降雨入渗量远大于径流产生量。雨水优先沿岩石裂缝以气体形式或通过岩洞檐与岩石之间的缝隙或通过液体形式的裂缝迁移。这是激活盐分破坏和壁画变质的主要机制。石窟上方的覆盖层很薄，围岩或外部木檐中的贯通裂缝特别容易受到降雨的渗透。这表明应更加重视雨水处理的预防性保护制度。这项研究对改善莫高窟的保护具有重要的实用价值。