School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Research Publications
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ItemA preliminary investigation into the influence of archaeological material on the yellowing of polyethylene storage bags(Routledge, 2021)Concerns around the degradation of plastics have been part of conservation discourse for decades. The spotlight is usually on art and objects, and conservation and display materials, however it could be argued that a significant volume of the plastics in museums is associated with storage bags. This study asked whether the condition of plastic storage bags might be influenced by what is stored inside them. If specific materials can be identified as more likely to affect plastic degradation, museums may have a lead-indicator for efficiently monitoring storage risks. This case study developed a methodology for applying multivariate analysis to collected data to answer this question. A subset of polyethylene self-seal bags used to pack archaeological material from the ‘Casselden Place’ assemblage at Museums Victoria was evaluated. Objective data were combined with subjective assessment of bag degradation features gathered during a collection survey and interrogated using multivariate statistical analysis. Results indicate (1) different levels of yellowing are associated with particular plastic bag stocks and (2) ceramic, slate and tile finds are more likely than other materials to be contained within yellower bags. The research points to future enquiry and demonstrates this methodology shows promise for extension to other large cultural datasets.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableIdentification of polymer-based artefacts from the former Wheeler Residence at the Mernda archaeological site in Victoria, Australia: A comparison of attenuated total reflectance and reflectance spectroscopic techniques(International Council of Museums, 2021)The purpose of this investigation was to identify the polymers in artefacts recovered from archaeological excavations at the former Wheeler Residence using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared and reflectance spectroscopy. The results from both techniques are compared and discussed. Identification will assist with the long-term management and storage of these polymer-based artefacts. Evaluation of these two sampling techniques included whether the physical characteristics and polymer type of the artefacts favoured the use of one technique over the other. The inherent challenges of archaeological artefacts such as cataloguing conventions, awkwardly shaped fragments and soil encrustations complicated the analysis. Of the 270 samples analysed, 67% were identified as containing ten different types of polymers, with the remaining 33% consisting of unidentified polymers, encrusted polymers in which only soil bands or other materials such as glass were identified. Although reflectance achieved better results for certain types of artefacts, it also revealed limitations. The identified polymers are compatible with the proposed occupation of the site from 1852 to the 1970s.
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ItemInvestigating the efficacy of interleaving materials in the preservation of plasticised PVC slip-cover notebooks in Yang Zhichao’s artwork Chinese Bible(Routledge, 2022-10)Plasticised poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC-P) is known to degrade rapidly and emit acidic gases and, as such, it is ideally stored separately from other materials. However, due to historic or aesthetic value, PVC-P book covers in paper-based collections cannot always be removed or replaced. There is currently a gap in the literature addressing strategies for storing PVC-P associated with paper materials. Prompted by a case study of the Chinese artist Yang Zhichao’s Chinese Bible (2009)—a performance installation artwork of 3000 notebooks including approximately 1000 notebooks with PVC-P covers—three potential interleaving materials (Mylar®, Hollytex® and buffered tissue) were tested to simulate use during long-term storage. Notebooks and PVC-P book covers were purchased and assembled to model stacked storage conditions, and thermally aged at 70°C and 50% relative humidity for 130 days. Before and after ageing, samples were analysed using visual examination techniques, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, colourimetry and weighing. It was found that all three interleaving materials lowered the probability of ink offsetting. However, cover deformation and a blotchy surface haze were more commonly observed in interleaved samples compared to non-interleaved samples. More research is necessary to identify a suitable strategy to manage PVC-P degradation in close contact storage with paper materials. This study contributes to a better understanding of the storage of plastic-covered books that may be found in libraries and archives, highlighting the complexity of conserving plastic and paper composite materials.
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ItemCollaborative Development of Polymer-Based Collection Survey Methodology and Relational Data Model(ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2022-08-10)
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ItemConservation and characterization of arabic papyrus in Egyptian National Library and Archives, Egypt(IOP Publishing, 2020-11-10)An Ara bic Pa pyrus sheet stored a t the Egyptia n Na tiona l Libra ry a nd Archives wa s previously pla ced on unknown seconda ry support, a nd interlea ved between two gla ss sheets enclosed with a dhesive ta pe. This pa pyrus ha s various deteriora tion issues especia lly in the upper section where there is a la rge embedded sta in ca using the pa pyrus to stick to the secondary support a nd the gla ss sheet. Conserva tion trea tments conducted involved clea n ing, fibre a lignment a nd rehousing, scientific investiga tions including visible light microscopy, Fourier tra nsform infra red spectroscopy with a ttenua ted tota l reflecta nce (FTIR-ATR), a nd Sca nning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (SEM-EDS) were conducted to identify ma teria ls involved. A la ck of informa tion in the historica l records a bout the exca vation a nd previous conserva tion trea tments increa se the importa nce of the resea rch. The a na lysis showed tha t the seconda ry support is gela tine a nd Ara bic text wa s written in ca rbon ink. The gela tine support wa s successfully removed from the pa pyrus a nd the pa pyrus document wa s re - housed.