Cracking in paintings due to relative humidity cycles

Wood, J. D., Gauvin, C. , Young, C. R.T. , Taylor, A. C., Balint, D. S. and Charalambides, M. N. (2018) Cracking in paintings due to relative humidity cycles. Procedia Structural Integrity, 13, pp. 379-384. (doi: 10.1016/j.prostr.2018.12.063)

Abstract

A numerical study is performed using the finite element method to consider the effects of low-cycle fatigue,specifically induced through relative humidity cycles on paintings. It has been identified that there are two major crack types in paintings, these being (i) an interfacial crack (delamination) between paint and support and (ii) a through-thickness (channel) crack in the paint layer itself, arresting on the interface. Therefore a 2D plane strain model for each type of crack has been created, which both consist of an alkyd paint modelled using a viscohyperelastic material model and a primed canvas which is assumed to behave in a linear elastic manner. To account for fatigue damage in both models, cohesive elements located along the interface or through the film thickness respectively, are used and the traction-separation law has been modified to incorporate a fatigue damage parameter. It is possible to expose the models to the same relative humidity cycles, which would typically be seen in museums, enabling the prediction of time to first crack and which crack type is more readily grown in the painting.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The authors would like to thank the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for funding the project under grant reference EP/P003613/1.
• Keywords: Finite element, interface fracture, irreversible cohesive zones, low-cycle fatigue, thin films, through-thickness crack, viscoelastic.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Young, Professor Christina and Gauvin, Dr Cecilia
• Authors: Wood, J. D., Gauvin, C., Young, C. R.T., Taylor, A. C., Balint, D. S., and Charalambides, M. N.
• Subjects: T Technology > TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts > History of Art
• Journal Name: Procedia Structural Integrity
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 2452-3216
• ISSN (Online): 2452-3216
• Published Online: 31 December 2018
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2018 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Procedia Structural Integrity 13: 379-384
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License