Why Do Historical Beeswax Seals Become Brittle Over Time?

Autor:	Martin Zapletal, Monika Slavíková, Jiří Trejbal, Zdeněk Hrdlička, Benjamin Bartl, Štěpán Urbánek
Rok vydání:	2018
Předmět:	Materials science 060102 archaeology 010401 analytical chemistry Metallurgy 06 humanities and the arts Conservation Model material Safe handling 01 natural sciences Beeswax 0104 chemical sciences Brittleness visual_art visual_art.visual_art_medium 0601 history and archaeology
Zdroj:	Studies in Conservation. 64:138-145
ISSN:	2047-0584 0039-3630
Popis:	Mechanical properties of aged beeswax were studied by an indirect measurement, using hydrogenated beeswax as a model material. The adequacy of the model was evaluated by comparison of its chemical composition and thermal properties with those of samples of historical beeswax. It was found that the gradual decrease in content of unsaturated compounds in beeswax contributes significantly to changes of its mechanical properties. As a consequence, beeswax artefacts become increasingly prone to mechanical damage during natural ageing. Understanding the difference between mechanical properties of recent and historical beeswax is primarily important from the point of view of safe handling and storage of such artefacts. Besides, this knowledge could help conservation scientists, e. g. when preparing model samples for testing new conservation methods.
Databáze:	OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz:	https://explore.openaire.eu/search/publication?articleId=doi_________::642a189a3bc91383be1203e06008a582 https://doi.org/10.1080/00393630.2018.1544430 Zobrazit plný text záznamu