A Note on the Effect of Multiple Freeze-Thaw Treatment on Natural Fibre Fabrics

Abstract

Cotton, linen, silk and wool fabrics were exposed to repeated freeze-thaw cycling for up to 64 cycles to simulate treatment recommended for the eradication of insect infestation in museum objects. Fabrics pre-conditioned to ambient relative humidity (20°C and 65% RH) or wet with liquid water were exposed to −20 and −80°C. There were no significant changes in yarn-breaking strength or extension for the dry fabrics, with the exception of linen, highlighting the need for further study. These results suggest that multiple freeze-thaw cycling for pest control is not damaging to the physical properties of the most common natural-fibre assemblies. Exposing these fabrics in the presence of liquid water to freeze-thaw cycling eventually brought about significant changes for the wool fabric, indicating that yearly freeze-thaw cycling as experienced by wet textiles in arctic archaeological contexts can lead to physical damage of textile materials. However, results also indicate that freezing of wet water-degraded archaeological textiles for storage or as a pre-treatment for freeze-drying does not bring about changes in the physical properties measured.

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