Corrosion of synthesized glasses and glazes as analogs for nuclear waste glass degradation
- Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC (United States)
Synthesized glasses provide an opportunity to study natural corrosion processes which are intermediate in time span between geological examples of natural glasses, such as obsidians and tektites, and relatively short term laboratory tests lasting a few hours to several decades. In addition, synthesized glasses can usually be tracked to particular archaeological find sites with known dates of production and often burial. Environmental conditions are routinely measured at archaeological sites as a part of the excavation-process, such that information is available on the yearly cycling of temperature and relative humidity, sometimes at the depth at which the artifact was found. Whether the artifacts were excavated in an air enclosure, such as a tomb, or in the soil can also be reconstructed, such that one can determine whether aqueous or atmospheric corrosion was involved in the degradation process. For instance, so-called {open_quotes}Roman glass{close_quotes} may span a time period of production of 800 years and a geographical range from Germany to North Africa and from Britain to Afghanistan. One example is the storage during World War II of glass from the British Museum in underground metro stations. Some of these glasses have been in collections for over 100 years. Thus, populations of glasses can be chosen for experimentation which compare variations in bulk composition, dopants, microstructure, heat treatment, ground vs. fire polished surfaces, aqueous vs. atmospheric corrosion, geographic, geological as well as recent storage conditions. Glasses in museums are generally considered to have had their corrosion arrested and be stable because changes in visual appearance are not obvious. However, if we attempt to measure the range of surface water content in these glasses using Fourier transform infrared analysis, a considerable variability is found, as shown.
- OSTI ID:
- 47945
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-931108-Vol.333; TRN: 95:011452
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Fall meeting of the Materials Research Society (MRS), Boston, MA (United States), 29 Nov - 3 Dec 1993; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of Scientific basis for nuclear waste management XVII; Barkatt, A. [ed.] [Catholic Univ. of America, Washington, DC (United States)]; Van Konynenburg, R.A. [ed.] [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)]; PB: 964 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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