A corrosion study of the ferrous medieval reinforcement of the Amiens cathedral. Phase characterisation and localisation by various microprobes techniques

Abstract

In this study, long term corrosion mechanisms are approached through the characterisation of corrosion products formed on ancient artefacts over 500 years. Thirty-one artefacts were sampled in the Amiens cathedral. The thick corrosion product layers have been characterised at a microscopic scale by coupling complementary microbeam analytical techniques (SEM-EDS, Raman microspectroscopy, X-ray microdiffraction and microfluorescence, X-ray absorption microspectroscopy under synchrotron radiation). The main phase of the corrosion layer is goethite but lepidocrocite and akaganeite are also present locally in the corrosion layer. In addition, the presence of low crystallinity phases (feroxyhyte and/or ferrihydrite) is showed. These phases are electrochemically reactive, thus they could play a key role in the corrosion mechanisms.