Nature, structure and composition of wood. Nomenclature, anatomical identification of wood species. Water and wood. Wood features and defects. Physical and mechanical characteristics of wood. Agents and mechanisms of wood deterioration, natural durability, preventing deterioration.
Description, assessment, diagnosis of the state of conservation of the main types of wooden artworks belonging to Cultural Heritage; the mainly used wood species. Guidelines for the conservation of wooden objects.
Lecture notes provided during lectures
- R. NARDI BERTI: La struttura anatomica del legno ed il riconoscimento dei legnami italiani di più corrente impiego. CNR - Istituto del Legno, CSP n. XXIV, 1979 (nuova edizione 2006: ISBN-10 88-901660-0-2 Compagnia delle Foreste, Arezzo http://www.ecoalleco.it/catalogo/scienze-forestali/145-la-struttura-anatomica-del-legno.html)
A. GAMBETTA (2010) – Funghi e insetti nel legno: diagnosi, prevenzione, controllo. Nardini, Firenze. ISBN: 978-88-404-4180-1
Learning Objectives
Knowledge acquired:
To provide basic knowledge about Wood, as the material forming (partly or totally) the wooden artworks belonging to Cultural Heritage; such knowledge being mainly oriented towards their understanding, diagnosis and conservation.
Competence acquired:
To provide cognitive instruments for identifying wood species, evaluating original quality and state of degradation of artworks, recognizing and analyzing the wooden materials and artworks, their state of conservation, the measures for preventing degradation.
Skills acquired (at the end of the course):
Ability to:
- applying the knowledge and the techniques which were dealt with in the course, to solve easy problems in diagnostics and conservation in the field of Cultural Heritage,
- orally exposing knowledge and competences acquired
- cooperate with other specialists for conservation
Prerequisites
Nothing
Teaching Methods
CFU: 6
Contact hours for Lectures (hours): 30
Contact hours for Practical activities (in laboratory and lecture room): 18
Further information
Attending lectures, practice and lab, although non compulsory, is strongly recommended
Teaching equipments: Video projector, PC, woodworking workshop, laboratories for wood anatomy, physical and mechanical properties.
Field excursion in Museums.
For contacting use the following mail address:
marco.fioravanti@unifi.it
Type of Assessment
Oral examination on the subjects of lectures and laboratory practice.
Evaluation criteria: command of basic concepts, ability to apply them in real cases, adequateness of technical-scientific language.
Course program
Wood structure: ultra structure, microstructure, macrostructure, anatomical identification of wood species. Nomenclature of wood species. Wood-water relationships, air humidity, wood moisture content, hygroscopic equilibrium, measurement methods, shrinkage and swelling, their consequences.
Wood features and defects: main types, origin, advantages and disadvantages.
Physical and mechanical properties: principles, general aspects, small clear specimens, structural timber.
Deterioration and protection: agents and mechanisms of deterioration, natural durability, preventing deterioration, preservative treatments. Wood-fire relationships: wood as a fuel, reaction to fire, protection of wooden objects.
Short mentions about wood processing.
Technical standardization: general aspects, Standardization Bodies, Italian technical UNI standards concerning wooden Cultural heritage.
Mentions about main Italian wood species present in Cultural Heritage: properties, uses.
Laboratory practice:
- microscopic and macroscopic identification of wood species
- air humidity, wood moisture content, shrinkage and swelling, density;
- measuring physical and mechanical properties of small clear specimens.
Presentation and discussion of various case studies: panel paintings, wooden sculptures, timber structures, relationships between wooden artworks and micro-environment.