Exploring new Avenues for Silver Design using Argentium Sterling Silver and Laser Welding

该项目的目的是开发新的途径，为当代银设计的新机会，从结合使用的纯银银（AS）和激光焊接。AS是一种新的银合金，其开发用于对抗被称为“火鳞”的氧化过程，该氧化过程在制造过程中加热标准斯特林银（SS）时发生。火垢在不锈钢表面呈蓝灰色，难以清除。AS被认为是无火鳞的，但也有其他优点。 这一建议源于Niedderer的初步探索（Niedderer，Harrison & Johns 2006），该研究在实践中测试了AS的性能，并表明AS与新技术的结合使用可以为银设计的新发展提供潜力。其中一种技术是激光焊接，由于材料特性的差异，激光焊接可以成功地用于AS，但不能用于SS。 激光焊接的好处是最小的热量应用，允许使用薄，柔性，加工硬化的材料。相比之下，传统的焊接需要在制造过程中加热整个工件，软化银。因此，任何使用焊接的设计都必须使用足够厚度的片材，以避免在使用中容易压痕，通常在0.8-1.5mm之间（例如Michael Rowe，Simone Ten Hompel，Alessi Tea & Coffee Towers的作品）。这使得银器昂贵，并对银器的设计和生产提出了一系列限制，因为由较薄材料制成的件可能在加热期间变形，需要在最后的焊接阶段之后进行加工硬化，或者需要填充支撑材料（沥青）。 本项目旨在研究AS和激光焊接的结合使用，以开发银设计的新途径。重点将是在设计和生产中空器皿时使用激光焊接的薄硬轧制板材。该研究将通过一个强大的历史/理论框架内设置的创造性实践进行。该框架将从比较20/21世纪银设计的例子，这将是选择和分析，根据技术，概念和美学发展的标准的特点。比较将确定的技术和概念条件下，设计被认为是“当代”和“先进”的时间，从而提供了一个框架的“新途径”，将通知，指导和用于验证在实际调查中选择的方向。 实际调查将探讨制作方法的关系，以及美学和概念表达。创新实践和技术实验将用于识别和探索通过激光焊接连接AS的不同方法，并分析美学效果和表达。结果将与从理论研究中获得的见解进行比较，以开发新的途径。将实现一些想法来测试和演示过程和结果。该项目最后将根据理论框架中制定的标准对实践阶段的成果进行评价。该项目的成果将包括审查20/21世纪世纪银设计在技术和美学/概念方面的进步。它将产生一种理解，如何带来新的发展银设计的基础上的技术进步和概念/美学问题的关系，并产生建议，并通过AS和激光焊接的结合使用的银设计的新途径的例子。成果将通过会议和期刊论文发表，并通过实践工作的展览，包括研究过程，设计和上下文材料，在伯明翰博物馆和艺术画廊。

The aim of this project is to develop new avenues for contemporary silver design in the light of new opportunities arising from the combined use of Argentium Sterling Silver (AS) and laser welding. AS is a new silver alloy, which was developed to combat an oxidation process called 'fire scale', which occurs when standard Sterling Silver (SS) is heated during the fabrication process. Fire scale appears as bluish-grey stains in the surface of SS and is difficult to remove. AS has been recognised for being firescale-free but also for other advantages. This proposal has arisen from an initial exploration by Niedderer (Niedderer, Harrison & Johns 2006), which tested the performance of AS in the context of practice, and which suggested that the combined use of AS with new technologies could offer potential for new developments in silver design. One such technology is laser welding, which can be used successfully with AS but not with SS due to differences in material properties. The benefit of laser welding is in minimal heat application which allows the use of thin, flexible, work-hardened material. In contrast, traditional soldering requires heating the whole piece during fabrication, softening the silver. Any design using soldering therefore has to use sheet material of sufficient thickness to avoid easy indentation within use, commonly ranging between 0.8-1.5mm (e.g. works by Michael Rowe, Simone Ten Hompel, Alessi Tea & Coffee Towers). This makes silverware expensive and puts a range of constraints on the design and production of silverware, because pieces made of thinner material may distort during heating, need to be work-hardened after the last soldering stage, or need to be filled with supporting material (pitch). This project proposes to investigate the combined use of AS and laser welding for developing new avenues in silver design. The focus will be on the use of thin, hard rolled sheet material using laser welding in the design and production of hollowware. The research will be conducted through creative practice set within a robust historical/theoretical framework. The framework will be developed from a comparison of the characteristics of 20th/21st Century examples of silver design, which will be selected and analysed according to criteria of technological, conceptual, and aesthetic developments. The comparison will identify the technological and conceptual conditions under which a design is considered to be 'contemporary' and 'advanced' in its time, thus providing a framework for 'new avenues' that will inform, guide and be used to validate the directions chosen in the practical inquiry. The practical inquiry will explore the relationship of fabrication methods, and of aesthetic and conceptual expression. Creative practice and technical experimentation will be used to identify and explore different ways of joining AS through laser welding and to analyse the aesthetic results and expression. The results will be compared with insights gained from the theoretical inquiry in order to develop new avenues. A number of ideas will be realised to test and demonstrate both process and results. The project will conclude with an evaluation of the outcomes of the practice phase against the criteria developed in the theoretical framework. The outcomes of the project will comprise a review of the development of 20th/21st Century silver design with regard to technical and aesthetic/conceptual advancements. It will generate an understanding of how to bring about new developments in silver design based on the relation of technical advance and conceptual/aesthetic concerns and produce recommendations for, and examples of, new avenues for silver design through the combined use of AS and laser welding. The outcomes will be published through conference and journal papers, and through exhibition of the practice work, including research process, designs, and contextual materials, at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.