Woven fabrics in book conservation: an investigation into the properties of aerolinen and aerocotton

Woven fabrics commonly referred to as ‘aerocotton’ and ‘aerolinen’ are frequently used in the conservation of books and manuscripts and are valued for their strength and flexibility. Although textiles have a long history in the production and repair of books, aerocottons and aerolinens are relatively recent materials adopted from early aircraft production. In 2007, the main supplier of these woven fabrics to the UK conservation community ceased production, and new producers started supplying a range of woven fabrics under the labels of ‘aerocotton’ and ‘aerolinen’. Understanding the strength, composition, and longevity of repair materials is central to conservation practice and this investigation tested two linens and two cottons alongside the discontinued cotton to quantify the relative strengths of the fabrics. Each fabric was tested before and after laundering, and in three directions (warp, weft, and bias). The tests conducted measured mass per unit area, thickness, sett, tensile strength, folding endurance, and dimensional change. In tensile strength tests the bias-cut fabrics were weakest but extended the most, whilst those cut in the weft direction were strongest. The cottons lasted longest in terms of folding endurance and the samples cut on the bias were the fastest to break. The dimensional change tests showed that washing affected the linens more than the cottons and that across all fabrics there was a greater amount of shrinkage in the warp direction. It is hoped that these results will provide concrete information to guide conservators in the preparation and use of aerocottons and aerolinens.