Digital imaging in cultural heritage neutron tomography imaging of restored original samples from Austrian cultural heritage

The protection and conservation of our cultural heritage which is made of natural stone is of cultural and economic value. The interaction of natural stone-made surfaces with different chemical and physical, climatic controlled, weathering processes, leads to a rapidly increasing deterioration of these monuments. Several different methods are employed in order to conserve and restore these important structures. An effective technique of conservation and restoration is the use of chemical consolidants. One of the main tasks of stone consolidants is a deep penetration into the weakened fabric and the reconstruction of the grain binding strength. The three-dimensional distribution of the consolidants in weathered rock is important for the evaluation of this conservation procedure. Neutron Imaging due to the specific sensitivity of neutrons for hydrogen could be a very useful tool for non-destructive investigation of the chemical inside the restored sample. The method of neutron tomography gives a three dimensional (3D) mapping of the conservation agent in the sample. This paper presents the application of the method of neutron tomography for assessing the consolidation of valuable original samples from historical buildings and monuments in Austria.