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PhD student, University College London
Project Title
Conditions for the safe storage of early glass
Background & Summary of Project
The project is centred on the investigation of fragile glass artefacts in the English Heritage collections with the perspective of providing more advanced guidelines for the sustainable preservation of vitreous materials in heritage institutions.
Most pre-modern glass actively absorbs water from the environment while losing its structural alkaline components in a parallel leaching process, which weakens the main silica network. Therefore, excessive fluctuations in the relative humidity (RH) of the surroundings as well as rapid drying can be detrimental to the structural integrity and aesthetic value of the objects. The goal of this research is to find the optimal storage conditions for glass through the identification of its most vulnerable types and chemical compositions, their industrial reproduction, artificial corrosion in high- humidity conditions, and eventual acoustic emission-aided identification of the minimal RH that would halt both crizzling and further hydration.
