Getty Conservation Institute 320d ago

Full Lecture Title — Predicting the Long-Term Mechanical Behavior of Animal Glues Using Time-Temperature-Humidity Superposition Animal glues have extensively been used by craftsmen to artists. It is found in sizing for painting, lining and retouching adhesive, pigment binder in paint and gesso as well as glue joint for wooden furniture. Conservation practices and artisans’ workshops have kept the tradition of using these materials alive due to their excellent workability, stability, and retreatibility. The glues’ moisture response and mechanical/adhesive properties strongly depend on the animal and animal parts used in their production. Therefore, depending on the objects treated and or the type of applications, a glue with the appropriate hygroscopic, physical and mechanical properties will be used. In this study we used time-temperature-humidity superposition for rabbit skin glue. Both temperature and moisture content were used to shift the obtained data along the time axis, giving access to long response times (months, years) that could not be accessed by the traditional TTS method. The results show that the stiffness of the RSG tested is only slightly affected by the testing period within the range of interest (seconds to months). This type of study could fill the gap in knowledge in material response to different rate of climate conditions and help improving predictions in mechanical behavior of on materials’ and objects’ placed in unstable environments. Presenter: Alexandra Bridarolli, Getty Conservation Institute