Consolidation of Organic Materials Using Radiation Technology. Chapter 9

Owing to the length and/or conditions of their storage, cultural artefacts are subject to deterioration, frequently resulting in difficulties handling these materials. A well known result is enhanced brittleness of paper manuscripts. Another example is the softening of wood by waterlogging. Brittle materials may crumble easily, with the result that they cannot be consulted anymore and may even be lost forever. This section describes the use of radiation based methods for consolidation of heritage materials. The main application involves the use of radiation curing resins.