Protection of cultural heritage by real-time corrosion monitoring

There are many factors affecting air corrosivity, but it is only the temperature and, sometimes, the relative humidity that are controlled and monitored in indoor premises where valuable and culturally-significant objects are stored or displayed. Additional anti-corrosion measures are usually applied only when often-irreplaceable historical objects have already been affected. Information on the actual corrosivity of the atmosphere is crucial for effective corrosion protection and there is a strong need for professionals active in the protection of cultural heritage to have a tool that enables real-time assessment of the air corrosivity.

In a project financed within FP6, prototypes of loggers for continuous measurement of the corrosion rate of selected technical metals in atmospheric conditions were developed. The electronic unit measures and records changes in the electrical resistance of a thin metal track applied on an insulating substrate. The developed concept offers several important advantages, such as on-line and real-time monitoring, small size, easy replaceable metal sensors, remote data access, and automatic data delivery via e-mail.

The main goal of the present project is to adjust the monitoring system for application in the cultural heritage sphere.

MUSECORR is an EU research project funded through the Seventh Framework Programme, Theme 6: Environment
Duration: June 2009 – July 2012
Contract No. 226539

Institut de la Corrosion / French Corrosion Institute FRANCE	Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague CZECH REPUBLIC	Fraunhofer Institute for Electron Beam and Plasma Technology GERMANY	nke FRANCE	Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France FRANCE	Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum / Swiss National Museum SWITZERLAND	Nationalmuseet / The National Museum of Denmark DENMARK