The investigation of Indian and central Asian swords through neutron methods

Grazzi, Francesco; Cantini, Francesco; Salvemini, Filomena; Scherillo, A.; Schillinger, Burkhard; Kaestner, Anders; Edge, David A.; Williams, Alan

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.06.010

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Fortunately, the comparison of the relative peak intensities among the diffraction patterns from the individual detector banks positioned at different diffraction angle 2θ uncovered the presence of a preferred orientation in cementite. Significantly, this anisotropy is similar to one of those documented in swords presumably made of Indian wootz steel with a damascene pattern displayed on their surface (Grazzi et al, 2018). The anisotropy was confirmed only in sample R1 but not in R2.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…It is noted in Figure 5b that the relative peak intensities at d 122 = 1.85 Å and d 202 = 1.87 Å show significant dependency on diffraction angles, which signifies a non-random crystallographic orientation developed among cementite crystals of the specimen. It is intriguing to find that an anisotropy equivalent to this was observed in a study on some Damascus swords (Grazzi et al, 2018). The study identified three different types of cementite anisotropy, one of which, termed Type 2, corresponds to what is illustrated in Figure 5b.…”

Section: Neutron Diffractionmentioning

confidence: 75%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Metallographic and neutron diffraction analysis on microstructural evolution and control in ancient Indian high carbon steel

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite the credit attributed to India for the early production of high carbon steel, not much is known about Indian contribution to the implementation of a pertinent fabrication technique without which this special material might have little practical value. A metallographic examination of a small iron lump and an iron sheet, both excavated from the second BC to second AD century site at Junnar in India, provided evidence that the production of high carbon steel was stimulated by a sophisticated technique practiced for the control of carbide precipitation in such a peculiar material. In addition, neutron diffraction analysis on one of the objects, the iron sheet, produced key information defining the thermo-mechanical treatments applied. An anisotropy in the orientation of cementite grains, similar to one of those documented for the so-called Damascus swords, was also confirmed. A detailed account of the analytical results is presented, suggesting that a proper technique for the control of microstructural evolution in high carbon steel was fully established in India much earlier than the beginning of the Damascus steel tradition, which must have been inspired by technologies long practiced in India.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Neutron Diffractionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Metallographic and neutron diffraction analysis on microstructural evolution and control in ancient Indian high carbon steel

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…With a submillimetre spatial resolution, it renders microstructural details of the bronze casting and is an essential tool for investigating the manufacturing methods and determining the conservation state. In the case of bronze, the thickness of the metal, the presence of fractures, gaps and defects, and the presence of porosity can be investigated (Lehmann, et al, 2010;Grazzi, et al, 2018;Schulz, et al, 2023;Salvemini, et al, 2023).…”

Section: Neutron Imagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological and microstructural characterization of an ancient Chola bronze statuette by neutron-based non-invasive techniques

Cantini,

Creange,

et al. 2024

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The evolution of metallurgy is a fundamental aspect related to the knowledge of the technological level of ancient civilizations, for which the information was mostly part of an oral tradition. The ancient, preserved artefacts are the only keepers of this long gone knowledge. Most advanced non-invasive techniques provide us the key to access it. Neutron techniques are nowadays the only available approach for revealing, non-destructively and with good spatial resolution, the morphological and micro-structural properties within the whole volume of densely composed artefacts such as bronze statues. Application of neutron methods allows us to learn about ancient artefacts manufacturing methods and to study at a very detailed level the current conservation status in their different parts. As part of a research project dedicated to the study of ancient Asian bronzes led by the Rijksmuseum Metal Conservation Department, four statues from the Rijksmuseum Asian collection were analysed using non-invasive neutron techniques. In this work, we present the investigation of a South Indian bronze statuette depicting Shiva in the form of Chandrasekhara (AK-MAK-1291, c. 1000-1200 A.D.) by means of white beam tomography, energy selective neutron imaging (performed on CONRAD-2 at HZB, DE, and on FISH at TU-Delft, NL) and neutron diffraction (on ENGIN-X at ISIS, UK). The application of neutron imaging revealed the inner structure of the statue and allowed us to investigate the conservation state and potential cracking on the surface and in the bulk, to understand the interconnection of the different sections of the statue and to obtain clues about the manufacturing processes. These morphological and microstructural results were employed to guide neutron diffraction analyses that allowed us to precisely characterize compositional differences, the presence of dendrites and columnar growth peak structures related to casting. This work is a complete non-invasive analytical investigation on an archaeological bronze artefact, providing outstanding results: from a quantitative analysis of the composition and microstructure to an in-depth morphological analysis capable of unveiling details on the ancient casting methods of the statue.

show abstract

“…Some examples of the application of this technique are provided in Refs. [26][27][28][29]. In these cases, one takes advantage of the coherent and elastic interaction of neutrons with the sample.…”

Section: Neutron Imagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neutrons for Cultural Heritage—Techniques, Sensors, and Detection

Festa

Romanelli

Senesi

et al. 2020

Sensors

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Advances in research in Cultural Heritage see increasing application of a multidisciplinary approach and the combined use of physical and chemical characterization of artefacts that can be used to define their structure and their state of conservation, also providing valuable information in selecting the most suitable microclimatic conditions for the exhibition environment. This approach provides a platform for a synergic collaboration amongst researchers, restorers, conservators, and archaeologists. Existing state-of-the-art technologies for neutron-based methods are currently being applied to the study of objects of historical and cultural interest in several neutron-beam facilities around the world. Such techniques are non-invasive and non-destructive and are, therefore, ideal to provide structural information about artefacts, such as their composition, presence of alterations due to the environmental conditions, inclusions, structure of the bulk, manufacturing techniques, and elemental composition, which provide an overall fingerprint of the object’s characteristics, thanks to the nature of the interaction of neutrons with matter. Here, we present an overview of the main neutron methods for the characterization of materials of interest in Cultural Heritage and we provide a brief introduction to the sensors and detectors that are used in this framework. We conclude with some case studies underlining the impact of these applications in different archaeological and historical contexts.

show abstract

The investigation of Indian and central Asian swords through neutron methods

Cited by 9 publications

References 22 publications

Metallographic and neutron diffraction analysis on microstructural evolution and control in ancient Indian high carbon steel

Metallographic and neutron diffraction analysis on microstructural evolution and control in ancient Indian high carbon steel

Morphological and microstructural characterization of an ancient Chola bronze statuette by neutron-based non-invasive techniques

Neutrons for Cultural Heritage—Techniques, Sensors, and Detection

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About