Analysing the hygromechanical behaviour of painted panels using various models

Abstract

A painted wooden panel usually exhibits permanent curvatures as a result of the asymmetric moisture exchanges on both face. The mechanical interaction with the frame or reinforcements may have caused cracks in the wood. The paint layer, a complex composite of gesso and paints, is checked due to combined effect of its own aging and the underlying movements of the wood. Can these typical features be explained by models suggesting realistic scenarios, starting from the initially flat panel covered by an unchecked paint layer later submitted to centuries of microclimatic fluctuations? Are the same models able to predict the present behaviour of the panel subjected to monitored hygromechanical loading? How much of the aging process of the wood itself should be taken into account in the analysis? These questions, that address either the present condition or present behaviour of the object, are closely linked to each other and cannot be easily separated. They will be addressed using different types of models and experimental data sets available in literature or obtained through collaborative projects