Characterization and Joining of an Historical Ferrous Tie-Rod

A ferrous tie rod, which was retrieved from a 17^th century masonry building, has been examined. The chemical composition and the microstructure of the tie-rod are consistent with the technology of the time.

The tie-rod was successfully welded to modern steel profiles, by means of gas metal arc welding, in order to verify if this method could be applied for restoration works. Threading tests were also successfully performed, for the same purpose.

Both the original tie-rod, and the welded specimens were thoroughly characterized with both metallurgical and mechanical methods; moreover, full-scale tensile tests were performed on both welded and threaded samples.     

古代钢铁制品夹杂物研究述评

现代钢铁冶炼流程中“夹杂物”概念及应用对古代钢铁材料工艺研究提供了有力的支持,夹杂物分析研究成为冶铁考古研究中不可或缺的一部分。本文梳理了不同古代金属冶炼与加工工艺下夹杂物的来源,并对古代夹杂物的表征方法进行归纳,进一步将夹杂物分析在国内外冶铁考古中的应用进行评述。西方学者的夹杂物研究侧重于以成分特征为主要对象进行定量统计分析,形成夹杂物判别产地来源方法；而我国学者则依靠定性判断方法建立起夹杂物辅助铁质文物工艺判别方法。当前古代钢铁制品夹杂物研究存在的问题主要为分析方法单一、对夹杂物包含信息的挖掘不够深入,今后可利用现代冶金分析手段从多方面了解古代钢铁制品夹杂物特征,为后续解决考古学问题打下基础。     

Botanical,malacological and archaeological zonation of settlement deposits at Gomolava

A 2 × 2 m column was excavated within the large-scale excavation carried out by a Jugoslav team at tell Gomolava, Hrtkovci, Jugoslavia, occupied from Vinc?a (c. 5000 BC) to post-Roman times. The archaeological zonation of the column's material is briefly outlined to provide the background to the detailed palaeobotanical, palynological and malacological study. The results of this study are used to aid the reconstruction of the palaeoenvironment of the tell. They indicate that the earliest agrobotanical zone, in which most of the cultigens were already present, but which is characterized by a very low count of charred seeds, persists throughout the Vinc?a, Baden and most of the Kostolac layers of the tell. A marked increase in charred seeds, without the appearance of new species, occurs in the next zone (Bronze and Iron Age). In zone 3 (Iron Age and Roman), Triticum dicoccum, Triticum aestivum and Lens culinaris attain significant levels.An interesting correlation between an increase in shade-loving snail species (zone B) and increase in building activity in the same level needs to be verified by further similar studies. This level is approximately that of the end of the Vinc?a occupation, but does not precisely correlate with an archaeological transition, suggesting that new building styles may have ante-dated the full development of the Baden cultural group on the site. During the third malaco zone (zone C) most shade loving snail species decrease abruptly to make place for open country species. The spread of these species could have been caused by the partial or total abandonment of the tell. Aquatic snails, which had first appeared in the lowest habitation layers of the tell become rare towards the subsequent bronze and iron age occupation of the tell, indicating that hardly any riverine clay was used for the construction of houses within these periods. The final malaco zone, representing the disturbed iron, roman and medieval periods indicates that again open grassy slopes must have occurred on or around the tell.     

‘The sword that was broken …’: The detection of recycled iron in the archaeological record

Although the recycling of materials such as copper and glass is widely known and generally well understood within archaeological contexts, far less is known about the recycling of iron. Iron recycling is more complex than that of other metals for two reasons. First, normal manufacturing processes, which include forging several components to make a composite object, offer the opportunity to include recycled iron. Second, the material itself is more complex than Cu alloys. The alloys of Fe, depending primarily on C content, are very different in terms of properties and can be interconverted by (normally) removing C such as decarburizing cast iron to make wrought iron. Thus, recycling practices are potentially intimately combined with such processes. These factors, combined with the poor preservation of archaeological iron and the consequent reluctance to carry out extensive studies (which often require destructive analysis via metallography), mean that there are no clear criteria for identifying recycled iron. However, limited historical documentation suggests, at least indirectly, that such recycling was common. This paper is neither comprehensive nor definitive, but merely intends to promote discussion and awareness of iron recycling by hypothesizing several possible mechanisms and providing a few illustrative archaeological examples.     

Prehistoric farming in the mfolozi and hluhluwe valleys of Southeast Africa: an archaeo-botanical survey

The Mfolozi and Hluhluwe Valleys of southeastern Africa are representative of a sub-tropical biome and have archaeological evidence for farming settlement spanning more than 1500 years. By collecting information on soils and plant communities within the same sample frame as archaeological data, the relative importance of environmental and anthropomorphic influences can be assessed. It is argued that, although climate and soils have determined the overall distribution of plant communities, human land use has had a considerable effect on the composition of both woodland and grassland. The nature of this interaction between man and environment provides inferential data on prehistoric economies and also aids the formulation of conservation policies in protected areas.     

Iron-57 Mössbauer spectral studies of medieval stained glass

⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectral data for six excavated and two simulated medieval stained glass samples are reported. Iron-containing precipitates are observed in the two simulated medieval glasses and are responsible for the amber colour of these samples. The ferrous/ferric ratio of the other samples is dependent on the glass composition and glass making conditions. The green glasses are associated with the presence of both ferrous and ferric iron, the ratio being very similar in three of the glasses studied, while in the purple and emerald green glasses the iron which is constitutionally incorporated in the glass is solely in the ferric oxidation state. The UVvisible spectra of some of the glasses are used to assist in interpretation of the colourant action of iron, and the role of Mössbauer spectroscopy in linking separate glass fragments with a common source is also indicated.     

WB1复合气相缓蚀剂对清代带锈铁质钱币文物的保护研究

气相缓蚀剂应用于带锈铁质文物保护是一种简单有效的方法。本研究通过对WB-1气相缓蚀剂处理前后带锈钱币的形貌检测,并结合XRD、XPS、SEM等手段对该缓蚀剂在带锈钱币表面的成膜方式进行了分析研究。结果表明,WB-1气相缓蚀剂能通过化学吸附作用在带锈铁质钱币表面形成一层保护膜,阻挡有害离子向铸铁文物内部的渗透,并促进带锈铁质钱币表面锈层组分向更为稳定的组成转变。WB-1气相缓蚀剂对带锈铁质钱币具有良好的保护效果,且不改变文物外观,符合文物保护要求。