Estudio y estado de conservación de elementos metálicos de vidrieras de la Catedral de León

Abstract

A sample set of metallic elements of steel (supporting rods) and lead (H-shaped cames and that used to fix other elements to walls) from stained glass windows of the Cathedral of Leon (Spain) has been studied in this paper. The main objective was to assess the state of conservation of these materials by diagnosing degradation and corrosion processes, in order to establish the most adequate conservation criteria. In addition, mechanical resistance of other metallic elements used in the external glazing system installed to protect stained glass windows after restoration was also evaluated. The materials were studied by optical microscopy (OM), metallographic examination, conventional wet chemical analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and mechanical drive tests. Resulting data were useful to establish intervention guidelines in restoration tasks, as well as to determine some technological aspects of the production process of materials.