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The Institute offers extensive testing services for archival and
library materials. These include paper, paper products (file folders,
boxes, envelopes, etc.), and paper or plastic enclosures used for
the storage of photographs.
The purpose-built paper-testing facilities at CCI include a room
with constant temperature and humidity which meets the TAPPI standard
for conducting paper tests, a laboratory for chemical tests, and
a large array of accelerated ageing chambers for testing long-term
stability.
CCI provides a team of research scientists proficient in the testing
of archive and library materials. The staff includes former industry
and National Archives of Canada personnel with varied experience
in the paper and photography field.
CCI can evaluate library and archive materials to see if they meet
current conservation standards and can comment on their suitability
for conservation and storage purposes. In addition, staff can verify
product specifications and provide independent certifications. CCI
can also evaluate the mechanical, chemical, and optical properties
of various products and assist in solving problems related to library
and archive materials. Mechanical properties such as resistance
to folding, tearing, and breaking are used to measure the strength
or changes in strength of the materials. Chemical properties such
as pH and alkaline reserve are used to evaluate the composition.
Optical properties are measured to determine changes in brightness
and colour. The following testing services are available:
Mechanical Testing
- MIT fold endurance
- Mullen burst
- Instron tensile: tensile strength, elongation, tensile energy
absorption, brittleness index
- zero span tensile
- Elmendorf tear
- caliper
- grammage
Chemical Testing
- cold extraction pH
- alkaline reserve
- degree of polymerization
- moisture content
- 1% sodium hydroxide solubility
- ash content
- Cobb sizing test
- fibre identification
- other tests may be available upon request
Optical Testing
- brightness
- opacity
- colour measurements
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