Publication
Title
Results from burial experiments with simulated medieval glasses
Author
Abstract
During several hundred years of burial in the soil, glasses, especially those with medieval compositions, develop heavily corroded surfaces, showing phenomena such as local pitting, laminated layers and browning effects. For this study the damage phenomena have been characterised for three original glasses, using conventional methods (light microscopy and SEM of the surface and cross sections) and microfocus X-ray computed tomography (mCT), a new non-destructive analytical technique. The degradation of glass in the soil depends on a variety of parameters, concerned with the glass itself and with the burial environment. Since synergetic effects may complicate any mechanistic studies, laboratory experiments have been carried out under controlled conditions. Humid soil environments with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5 lead to the development of local microcracks on the surface, whereas more alkaline soil conditions (pH 8.0 to 9.0) favour the formation of laminated structures. The conclusions of the paper focus on the effect of glass composition (model glasses and archaeological glasses), soil conditions (variation of pH) and exposure time (23 months versus several centuries).
Language
English
Source (journal)
Materials Research Society symposium proceedings. - Wuhan
Publication
Wuhan : 2003
ISSN
0272-9172
Volume/pages
757 (2003) , p. 97-108
ISI
000186634300012
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 24.02.2012
Last edited 13.12.2021
To cite this reference