Estimation of consolidation profiles for archaeological ceramics using ultrasonic signature

This paper presents a method for estimation of consolidation profiles for archaeological ceramics that uses an ultrasonic signature. The consolidation process consists in injecting a material in the ceramic to preserve it from damage. The signature consists of a set of features extracted from an ultrasonic signal that is recorded in through-transmission mode. The method is experimentally validated by means of an extensive number of simulations by varying the following parameters: (i) consolidation products: acryl resin, ethyl silicate, and ethyl metacrylato; (ii) percentage of material consolidation; (iii) consolidation method: impregnation and immersion; and (iv) concentration of consolidation product: low and high. Besides, several classifications of real ceramics shards were performed, demonstrating that the method is able to distinguish among different material consolidation conditions and consolidation methods and can be used as the basis for an automatic system for archaeological ceramics restoration.