Lifetime prediction of relics conservation materials: An exploratory study in consideration of both chemical and physical factors

The failure and lifetime prediction of organic adhesives and coatings is of great importance, particularly in relic conservation. In this work, slice samples prepared from silica sand and polymers used in relic conservation were designed to undergo thermally- and UV-accelerated oxidative ageing in air to investigate the failure kinetics of these polymers. Gravimetric, water contact angle, and strength changes were tested and analyzed using curve-fitting. Time-temperature superpositions constructed from these tests and thermal shift factors were shown to follow Arrhenius scaling in both ageing protocols, though Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) tests did not show obvious changes in thermal ageing. This suggests the applicability of the Arrhenius equation in these failure processes, which were affected by both chemical and physical factors.