Nam-Chul Cho

Experimental Study of Removing Surface Corrosion Products from Archaeological Iron Objects and Alternating Iron Corrosion Products by Nd:YAG Laser Cleaning System

The corrosion product of archaeological iron objects is supposed to be removed because it causes re-corrosion. So far it is removed by scapel and sand blaster but they depend on the skill and experience of a conservator and the glass-dust of the sand blaster is harmful to humans. Therefore this study applies a laser cleaning system which is used in various industrial cleaning processes, to remove corrosion product from archaeological iron objects. In addition, this work studies the alternation of corrosion product after laser irradiation, which evaluates the reliability of the laser cleaning system. Optical microscopy, SEM-EDS, XRD, Raman have been used to observe and analyse the surface of the objects. The results show the capacity of laser cleaning some corrosion product, but blackening appears with increasing pulses and laser energy, and some corrosion products, goethite and hematite, are partially altered to magnetite. These problems, blackening and alternation of corrosion product, should be solved by further studies which find the optimal laser irradiation condition and use a wetting agent. (Received January 30, 2012)

Experimental Study of Nd:YAG Laser Cleaning System for Removing Acrylic Resin and Surface Characteristic

Laser cleaning have been found to be a useful cleaning tool to remove contaminants without inducing damage to the substrate and making secondary pollutant. In this study, the effect of Nd:YAG laser cleaning system, emitting at 1064 nm and 532 nm, on acrylic resin applied onto copper coupons and pieces of bronze was investigated. The samples after laser cleaning tests were examined using microscopy, FT-IR, SEM-EDS. As a result, the acrylic resin could be removed from most of the samples at low laser energy density. Laser wavelength 532 nm was more effective than 1064 nm because of using lower laser energy density, which could reduce heat damage to substrates. Although the acrylic resin was easily removed, it revealed melted surfaces and removed bronze patina which must remain. The problems should be solved by future studies using different laser system or laser wavelengths.