Conference EMMC20
An integrated numerical-experimental approach to predict the degradation of heritage paintings
Prof. Emanuela Bosco
Department of the Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands, e.bosco@tue.nl - webpage
Heritage paintings represent an inestimable cultural legacy, holding artistic and historical value. At the same time, from an engineering perspective, paintings are sophisticated multiphase systems exposed to complex loading conditions resulting from the interaction of multiple physical fields. This complicated scenario may ultimately lead to various degradation mechanisms, including chemo-mechanical damage, surface wrinkling, cracking, delamination, and paint flaking — each critically impacting the appearance, integrity, and longevity of the artworks. Predicting the degradation of heritage paintings is therefore not only one of the grand challenges in heritage conservation but also a major and exciting scientific problem.
This research aims to advance our understanding of painting degradation through an integrated modelling-experimental approach. The presentation will discuss numerical models that capture the complex response of paint layers and their canvas or wooden panel supports, and examine their role in the degradation of heritage paintings under the combined effects of diffusion of chemical species, mechanical deformation, fracture, and instability mechanisms. In addition, a novel, non-invasive multiscale experimental strategy that complements the modelling framework will be presented. This strategy combines quantitative mechanical testing with in-situ microscopic observations on (original) paint, canvas, and wooden panel samples.