Papers by Nicola Emmerson
Effective management of heritage assets relies on decision-making which is underpinned by empiric... more Effective management of heritage assets relies on decision-making which is underpinned by empirical evidence of impact of treatments on long term survival prospects of materials. Historic wrought iron presents a particular problem for Many thanks to Historic Scotland for funding this study, in particular Craig Kennedy (now Herriot Watt University), David Mitchell, Alick Leslie and all of the Technical Conservation team. This practitioner focused study could not have taken place without the participation of conservation and heritage ironwork practitioners. Thanks to Pete Meehan for advice, sample material and access to blasting shops and foundries, to Eura Conservation for coatings, to Alex Coode for his insight and to all practitioners involved in the flame cleaning. Thanks also to Dave Thickett at Historic England for his support and advice. At Cardiff University, thanks to the Conservation team of Jane Henderson, Yiota Manti and especially to Phil Parkes for his training on the SEM. Thanks to Paul Nicholson and John Hines for their support during the PhD annual reviews and to Helen Szewczyk for her caring and efficient administration of postgraduate study. At Amgueddfa Cymru, I am grateful to Tom Cotterell for his assistance with XRD. Within the Cardiff Ferrous Metals Research Group, thanks to Melanie Rimmer for her invaluable advice and assistance and to Eric Nordgren for his companionship, experience and anecdotes. Thanks to Amber Lawson for sharing the images of paint layer cross sections. The biggest debt of gratitude is owed to David Watkinson for his supervision and friendship over the course of this PhD. Finally, thanks to my family for their unfailing support in all things.
Effective management of heritage assets relies on decision-making which is underpinned by empiric... more Effective management of heritage assets relies on decision-making which is underpinned by empirical evidence of impact of treatments on long term survival prospects of materials. Historic wrought iron presents a particular problem for conservation. It occupies a niche position between heritage and engineering, is frequently exposed to outdoor atmospheric corrosion and, in the case of bridges, gates and similar structures, may be required to perform a distinct function. Sector guidance to direct practices is based on anecdotal evidence and established methods. British Standards relate to modern steels hence application to historic ferrous metals is complicated by differences in metallurgy and lack of concession to conservation ethics. This study generates empirical evidence of the effects of five surface preparation methods and three protective coating systems on the corrosion rate of historic wrought iron samples. Immersion in sodium hydroxide solution and blasting with crushed waln...
Beyond Heritage Science: A Review
Heritage, Mar 12, 2024
Conservar Património
This work aims to harmonise conservation practises for 20th century artillery housed in forts aro... more This work aims to harmonise conservation practises for 20th century artillery housed in forts around the English coast by identifying a suitable protective coating for the nation-wide collection. Groups of analogue samples of five coating systems are undergoing 15 months of accelerated aging in the laboratory and three years real-time in situ exposure at two coastal sites in the UK. The impact of this on their chemical, physical, aesthetic and protective properties is being measured using pull-off tests, impact testing, colourimetry, FTIR, oxygen consumption and EIS. Results of the physical tests at three and six months accelerated aging and one year in situ exposure are reported in this paper. Based on set criteria and this data set, the Sherwin Williams 1 epoxy coating system is currently the best performing system.
Heritage
This work explores the potential of analyzing individual objects to improve their preventive cons... more This work explores the potential of analyzing individual objects to improve their preventive conservation. Previously, environmental recommendations have been based on an average or worst response of material groups. Cultural heritage objects are extremely variable and within a group such as archaeological iron a very wide range of responses are shown. Characterizing a single object’s response allows its environment to be tailored to its requirements and can enable significant resource and carbon footprint savings. Three main approaches are considered with a material explored in detail including preventive conservation ramifications. Composition analysis is investigated through the stability of limestones. The critical concentrations of soluble salts causing surface deterioration in one environment has been explored. A more rapid method of analyzing clays in acid insoluble fractions from drillings and undertaking that analysis non-invasively has been developed. Measuring deteriorati...
Using quantitative and qualitative analysis to inform management protocols for the preservation of archaeological ironwork
Towards quantitatively assessing the success of dodecanoic acid as an inhibitor for the treatment of archaeological iron nails
Removal of copper corrosion products from archaeological copper alloys using a Q-switch Nd:YAG 1064 laser: impact on selected corrosion products
Impact of washed naturally formed and synthetic β-FeOOH on corrosion rate of iron as a function of relative humidity
Quantitative testing of corrosion rates of heritage steel coated with Paraloid B72™, Cosmolloid 80H™ and Siliglide 10™
The impact of pH and temperature on copper corrosion products in subcritical conditions: delivering insight into the treatment of archaeological copper alloys
Evidencing best practice in post-excavation and long-term storage protocols for archaeological iron
Synthesised and naturally formed Akaganéite: impact on the corrosion of iron
Mill scale on historic wrought iron: impact on corrosion and coating performance
The role of relative humidity in the corrosion rate of copper in the presence of cuprous chloride: a risk-based approach
Impact of NaOH (aq) short-term washing of βFeOOH on its ability to corrode iron
Corrosion rates of marine archaeological cast iron as a function of relative humidity and treatment
Investigation of the natural plant extract Emblica officinalis for chloride release from βFeOOH
New guidelines for the desiccated storage of archaeological metal artefacts
Desiccated corrosion control of the 324 feet long wrought iron hull of ss Great Britain: theory and operational realities 10 years on
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Papers by Nicola Emmerson