Fibre analysis in conservation science is crucial both for identification
of the material,
identification of the techniques applied to the material as well as
revealing fraud.
The minimum sample preparation required for the analysis, and hence
the minimum handling of
the specimen, makes it possible to analyse single deteriorated fibres.
Furthermore the often
unique, small and fragile specimen is left unaltered for further work.
Moreover the technique makes it possible to analyse a sample with a
higher content of volatile
constituents than is possible in conventional SEM, because a high
vacuum is not necessary. It is
thus possible to take archaeological samples directly from the excavation
site to analysis under
LV-SEM and thus avoid manipulation that may destroy the specimen. The
analysis of a piece of
13th century textile excavated from a grave illustrates this.
Altering the pressure in the chamber and the power of the electrons
offer a possibility to analyse
both internal and external structure without making a cross section.
Examples of reindeer hair and
silk are presented
Finally LV-SEM has been used to distinguish original paper fibres from
fraudulent objects, on the
basis of the character of the fibres and the additives. An example
of 13th century Asian paper
fibres is shown.
The experiments were performed on a JEOL 5310 LV SEM with a Link
EDS system using a
Si(Li) ATW detector. The instrument is located at the School of Conservation
of the Danish
Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen, Denmark.