Use of Computerised X-ray Tomography in the Study of the Fabrication Methods and Conservation of Ceramics, Glass and Stone Building Materials.

This work will review and discuss the use of computerised X-ray tomography (CXT) for analysing ancient, manufactured items, like stone building materials, glass and ceramics. It will consider particular techniques required, and/or of benefit, for CXT of heritage materials, such as special precautions during the experimentation to ensure there is no damage to the materials, special imaging methods such as elemental-specific imaging, and sample-specific image analysis requirements. This study shows how the knowledge of internal features, particularly pores, discerned from CXT can be used to reverse engineer the artefact fabrication process. CXT can be used to obtain information on both the raw materials (such as types and impurities) and fabrication techniques used. These abilities can then be used to establish technological evolution and the incidence of ancient behaviours like recycling and allow the linking of particular items to specific production sites. It will also be seen how CXT can aid the development of effective conservation techniques. This work will also consider how conclusions drawn from CXT data can be amended or augmented by the use of complementary non-destructive characterisation methods, such as gas overcondensation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Heritage (2571-9408) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)