Evaluation of the Disparity Effect in the Amounts of Weathering Agents on the Archaeological Pine Wood “Pinus sp.”

Abstract

The aim of this research is to focus on the deterioration appearances of Pine wood “Pinus sp.” that has been widely used as an external architectural element in Egypt. The wooden lintels in this research were exposed to the influence of weathering factors which are varying in their amounts. This variation in the amounts was reflected in the appearance of the surface, at the anatomical structure of the pine wood, and at the changes in the main components of wood. To clarify all these changes, a comparison was made between wooden lintels exposed to two kinds of environments. Some very small samples from these environments had been chosen and examined by using the digital microscope and the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) which clarify the surface and anatomical changes of deteriorated wood. The Fourier transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was used also to show the extent of changes in the main wood components. The results showed a clear difference in the surface, anatomical and chemical changes in the wood at these two different environments. In the first environment with high moisture levels, the wood was damaged more than in the other environment with high-temperature levels.