X‐RAY SUB‐MICRON TOMOGRAPHY AS A TOOL FOR THE STUDY OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL WOOD PRESERVED THROUGH THE CORROSION OF METAL OBJECTS |
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| Authors: | K. HANECA K. DEFORCE M. N. BOONE D. VAN LOO M. DIERICK J. VAN ACKER J. VAN DEN BULCKE |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Flanders Heritage Agency, Koning Albert II‐laan 19, bus 5, 1210 Brussels, Belgium;2. UGCT, University of Ghent Centre for X‐ray Tomography, Proeftuinstraat 86, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;3. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ghent University, Proeftuinstraat 86, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;4. Department of Soil Management and Soil Care, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;5. Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Forest and Water Management, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium |
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| Abstract: | Wood preserved in the corrosion layer of two early medieval iron objects was examined using X‐ray tomography. A state‐of‐the art multi‐resolution X‐ray tomography set‐up ( http://www.ugct.ugent.be ) provided virtual cross‐sections of the archaeological wood samples at sub‐micron resolution. These were compared with scans of samples of similar modern wood. These scans demonstrate the power of sub‐micron X‐ray tomography for wood identification, although the process of mineralization pushes this technique to its limits. Furthermore, this technique facilitated appraisal of the mineral content of the archaeological wood, which is useful in selecting the most appropriate strategy for the (preventative) conservation of the archaeological object. |
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| Keywords: | WOOD‐IDENTIFICATION ARCHAEOLOGY X‐RAY TOMOGRAPHY MINERALIZATION METAL CORROSION |
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