HERCULES Lab

Established in 2009, the HERCULES Lab is a research infrastructure from University of ƒvora, devoted to the study and valorisation of cultural heritage, focusing on the integration of physical and material sciences methodologies and tools in interdisciplinary approaches. HERCULES Laboratory Mobile Unit is composed of different techniques that allow in-situ non-invasive imaging and point analysis of heritage objects. These comprise several cameras and instrumentation for imaging and surface analyses including standard light photography, UV fluorescence photography (UVF), infrared reflectography (IRR), X-ray radiography, hyperspectral imaging and 3D laser scanning. Information about the composition of materials can be provided by the use of portable non-invasive instrumentation including EDXRF (point and 2D mapping with 2 mm resolution) for elemental composition and FTIR and FORS for molecular information on organic materials and some inorganic materials. Complementary, a newly acquired portable variable pressure SEM-EDS allows microstructural and elemental analyses of small objects or parts of objects, complementing the in-situ point analyses. The analyses can be complemented with the use of several laboratory instrumentation available at HERCULES Lab (http://hercules.uevora.pt/analytical-infrastructure.php)