{"id":20863,"date":"2017-09-25T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-25T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.he-arc.ch\/projets-recherche\/exaluhr\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T10:40:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T09:40:50","slug":"exaluhr","status":"publish","type":"he-arc_project","link":"https:\/\/www.he-arc.ch\/en\/projets-recherche\/exaluhr\/","title":{"rendered":"ExALUHR \u2013 Examination of re-employed historical aluminium"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Project leader\n <\/div>\n
\n Christian Degrigny<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

OBJECTIVES<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With this project, we aim to use a PIXE for elementary analysis of some aluminium based materials of historical objects from Swiss public collections and see whether the results can be used to deduce their manufacturing techniques (and date them).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PROGRAM<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The history of aluminium is recent. If originally it was considered as an expensive metal due to its difficult chemical manufacturing process, its cost decreased after 1886 when it was produced electrolytically. The composition of aluminium alloys of the end of the \u00ab chemical \u00bb period (1880 to 1886) and of the beginning of the \u00ab electrolytic \u00bb period (1886 to 1900) are not well controlled. Many materials were recycled or disappeared. Those that survived are witnesses of the technological development of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This recycling phenomenon comes back at several times during the aluminium history. As a result, it is difficult today to tell whether the alloys of the end of the 19th century or the beginning of the 20th century have a chemical or electrolytic origin. Similarly, it is delicate to trace back the history of certain alloys produced after the 2nd world war. Were they new or recycled ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some recent researches show that the analysis of trace metal elements (Pb, Mn) with a particles accelerator (PIXE method) allows to precise the production mode of aluminium alloys1. HE-Arc has such an equipment (IONLab \u2013 Institut des Microtechnologies Appliqu\u00e9es) and will be used with a portable XRF to investigate a few artefacts from the Swiss National Museum (SNM) and the Historical Museum of Lausanne (MHL) collections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FUNDING<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Haute Ecole Arc he-arc.ch<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PARTNERS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n