Assessment of the Preservation Status of Wreck Archaeological Wood From Huai'a Watergate Site Park
ZHANG Tong1, 2, GUO Hong1, 2, LI Tong3, ZHAO Qing-yao4, HAN Liu-yang1, 2*
1. Institute for Cultural Heritage and History of Science & Technology，University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083，China
2. Key Laboratory of Archaeomaterials and Conservation，Beijing 100083，China
3. Yuncheng Cultural Relics Protection Center, Yuncheng 044000, China
4. QiheDexin Information Technology Co., Ltd., Dezhou 251121, China
Abstract：As archaeological endeavors progress in our nation, shipwreck artifacts are discovered and excavated, and their preservation is increasingly prioritized. Various degradation factors in the burial environment cause irreversible changes in the microscopic morphology, chemical composition, cellulose crystallite structure, and physical and mechanical properties of archaeological wood. Therefore, it is crucial to accurately assess the preservation condition of shipwood before implementing conservation measures. This study aims to ensure the effective overall preservation and protection of the shipwreck artifacts excavated at the Huai'an Watergate Site Park of the Grand Canal in Jiangsu Province. To this end, representative shipwreck wood samples were selected, and their degradation degree was comprehensively evaluated. First, the wood species of the archaeological wood were identified, and the degradation level was preliminarily classified based on the maximum water content (MWC) and basic density (BD). Additionally, the relative crystallinity of wood cellulose was calculated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the thermal stability of the archaeological wood was determined through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Based on these analyses, infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to detect changes wood's chemical structure. The results showed that the selected archaeological wood is Cinnamomum sp. and can be classified into three degradation levels: slight, moderate, and severe. The relative crystallinity of cellulose in sound wood is 58.87%, while that in archaeological wood ranges from 17.16% to 36.42%, indicating degradation in the crystalline regions of the cellulose. The maximum pyrolysis temperature of sound wood is 366.73 ℃, whereas that of archaeological wood ranges from 340.38 ℃ to 365.67 ℃, suggesting that large molecules in the archaeological wood gradually decompose into smaller molecules. Infrared spectroscopy revealed that hemicellulose degradation was the most severe during the degradation process, with the characteristic peak at 1 735 cm-1, attributed to the acetyl groups in the side chains of hemicellulose, completely disappearing in moderately and severely degraded samples. As the degradation level increased, the intensity of the characteristic peak at 897 cm-1 gradually decreased, and the characteristic peak at 1 424 cm-1 shifted to a lower wavenumber, indicating that some hydrogen bonds in the cellulose were gradually destroyed as the degradation level increased. The lignin structure remained relatively stable, with the intensity of the characteristic peaks related to the aromatic skeleton significantly increasing. The ratio of lignin to cellulose further confirmed the above results. This study provides a more intuitive evaluation of the preservation status of archaeological wood and offers reliable fundamental data for the subsequent conservation work of the shipwreck artifacts.
张 彤，郭 宏，李 彤，赵庆尧，韩刘杨. 淮安板闸遗址公园沉船考古木材保存状况评估研究[J]. 光谱学与光谱分析, 2025, 45(02): 501-506.
ZHANG Tong, GUO Hong, LI Tong, ZHAO Qing-yao, HAN Liu-yang. Assessment of the Preservation Status of Wreck Archaeological Wood From Huai'a Watergate Site Park. SPECTROSCOPY AND SPECTRAL ANALYSIS, 2025, 45(02): 501-506.
