Modelling the chemical and physical degradation of plastic objects in museum collections using a System Dynamics approach

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Many famous works of modern art and design found in museum collections are made of plastics. However, despite being relatively "young", plastic objects can be among the most fragile artefacts, with material degradation sometimes reported within a few years of acquisition by a museum. Degradation of plastic objects is complex, involving multiple processes such as the diffusion of substances through the material and chemical responses to environmental parameters such as temperature and light. The way such processes interact as a complex system within a single object, is not well understood. This project, based at UCL and in partnership with Tate and Conservation by Design will address this problem. The proposed approach uses system dynamics and will model multiple degradation processes as a single system of partial differential equations, which can then be solved and validated. This research will thus both develop a new method of modelling material degradation that can be applied in many fields, such as medicine or defence, and provide practical solutions for heritage professionals, such as providing guidance on controlling museum storage environments.