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The Effects of Temperature and Relative Humidity on the Mechanical Properties of Modern Painting Materials

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2011

Jonah D. Erlebacher ,
Eric Brown ,
Marion F. Mecklenburg  and
Charles S. Tumosa
Jonah D. Erlebacher
Affiliation:
Conservation Analytical Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560
Eric Brown
Affiliation:
Conservation Analytical Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560
Marion F. Mecklenburg*
Affiliation:
Conservation Analytical Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560
Charles S. Tumosa
Affiliation:
Conservation Analytical Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed.
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Abstract

The mechanical properties of strength, modulus, and elongation to break were studied for artists' acrylic and alkyd paints under varying conditions of temperature and relative humidity (RH). In the ambient environment, 23° C, 50% RH, acrylic paints are very flexible and are able to sustain large deformations (>50%). Alkyd paints are much stiffer and stronger, and they cannot sustain deformations nearly as dramatic as the acrylics. Acrylic paints at 5% RH are stiffer and stronger than at 50% RH and their ability to stretch is lessened. At temperatures below 15° C at 50% RH, the strength and stiffness of acrylic paints begin to rise rapidly. Some were found to be brittle at 5° C, and by −3° C, all were brittle. At a lower RH, some acrylic paints became brittle at a temperature near 11° C. These temperatures and relative humidities may be found in the transport environment of art objects, and may render them subject to possible damage.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 267: Symposium J – Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology III , 1992 , 359
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1992

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References

1. Mecklenburg, M. F. and Tumosa, C. S., “An Introduction Into the Mechanical Behavior of Paintings Under Rapid Loading Conditions,” Art in Transit: Studies in the Transport of Paintings, Mecklenburg, M. F., ed. (1991), 137–171.Google Scholar
2. Mecklenburg, M. F. and Tumosa, C. S., “Mechanical Behavior of Paintings Subjected to Changes in Temperature and RelativeHumidity,” Art in Transit: Studies in the Transport of Paintings, Mecklenburg, M. F., ed. (1991), 173–216.Google Scholar
3. Saunders, D., “Temperature and Relative Humidity Conditions Encountered in Transportation,” Art in Transit: Studies in the Tranport of Paintings, Mecklenburg, M.F., ed. (1991), 299–308.Google Scholar