Alexandra Bridarolli (C2RMF, Center for Research and Conservation of the French Museums) for a SIMM seminar this Thursday June 12 at 2 pm in Amphi Charpak. The title of Alexandra’s talk is « Climate and Collections: Impact of Climatic Variations on the Mechanical Behavior of Heritage Materials ».
Climate and Collections: Impact of Climatic Variations on the Mechanical Behavior of Heritage Materials
In the current climate crisis and rising energy prices, museums, archives and heritage collections are facing the same challenges as the rest of society: rethinking conservation, exhibition and storage practices and finding sustainable, low-energy solutions, while preserving the objects in their collections. At the heart of these reflections lie questions about collection climate. How can strict temperature and relative humidity (RH) conditions be relaxed to reduce the associated energy consumption, while maintaining the physical integrity of the objects? It has become essential to understand the impact of these climatic parameters (RH and temperature) on the mechanical and physical properties of materials, in order to accurately model the mechanical behavior of heritage objects and predict the risks of irreversible degradation (deformation, cracks, breakage, etc.).
To illustrate this point, this presentation will present two complementary studies: one conducted in the laboratory, the other in situ.
The first study focuses on seven animal glues (from mammals and fish), widely used in the making and conservation of art objects as adhesives or binders for a variety of applications: gluing furniture joints, preparatory coats for paintings, paper restoration, etc. Prepared in film form, these adhesives were subjected to dynamic mechanical analysis, carried out under variable humidity and temperature conditions. This method enabled the precise identification of the phase transitions specific to each adhesive, as well as their phase-specific viscoelastic and fracture properties. The results obtained make it possible to predict their mechanical behavior as a function of the environment, thus facilitating the choice of the most suitable adhesive from a mechanical point of view, depending on the intended use.
The second study highlights situations in which direct measurement on the work is the only relevant method for addressing specific issues. It is based on acoustic emission measurements carried out on a wooden altarpiece, with the aim of assessing its sensitivity to the museum climate. This non-destructive technique makes it possible to detect the formation or enlargement of micro-cracks within the work, often before they are even visible to the naked eye.
In both cases, the data collected provided tangible evidence to help heritage professionals make the right decisions in the face of climatic and energy challenges.
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