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Summary

The new microwave sensor and an instrument for the diagnostics of frescoes and bare walls has been developed by an Italian research group within an Institute of Applied Physics. The instrument allows for the measurement of the sub-superficial moisture content and the detection of the presence of soluble salts in a wall up to a depth of about 2 cm. The research group is looking for companies interested in industrial implementation of the device.

Full description

The instrument has been developed to investigate the health status of frescoes by measuring the sub-superficial moisture content and detecting the presence of soluble salts up to a depth of about 2 cm. The measurement is based on the detection of water and salts as a consequence of their influence on the microwave dielectric properties of the investigated wall. The instrument is called SUSI, acronym for "Strumento per la misura di Umidità e Salinità Integrato" (literally: integrated instrument for measuring humidity and salinity).
The device consists of a resonant sensor connected to a microwave analyser and of a notebook computer allowing to elaborate the SUSI response and to acquire and store the measured data. The sensor has been designed to operate on solid flat surfaces, and it consists of a coaxial head and of a microstrip cavity. The microwave analyser contains a synthesised generator, a microwave power meter, and ancillary electronics for signal elaboration. The instrument displays the measured data on the notebook display. SUSI allows both absolute and relative measurements of moisture and salt content.
The measurement is performed in a non-invasive manner, with the sensor in direct contact with the wall. Data are elaborated in real time.
SUSI is a useful tool for early diagnostics of frescoes, for periodic monitoring, and for quantitative investigation of the dynamics of water diffusion in porous materials like plaster, mortar or wood. It can thus be of interest for companies developing electronic instrumentation for the field of cultural heritage diagnostics and preservation.

Innovative Aspects

- SUSI allows sub-surface moisture content to be detected and quantified, whilst other conventional methods based on infrared radiation are superficial.
- It allows detecting the presence of soluble salts, an almost unique feature of the instrument SUSI.

Partner expertise sought:

- Type of partner sought:
Industrial partners interested in developing and commercialising the product.

- Specific area of activity of the partner:
Industry operating in the field of electronic instrumentation, in particular instruments employed in the field of cultural heritage, such as museum diagnostics and like.

- Task to be perfomed:
Development of an engineered version of the instrument. Technical consultancy about the miniaturisation of the microwave analyser.