• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.39-50
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• 2018

This study replicated traditional smelting methods to produce iron blooms from sand iron. The metallurgical properties of the slag and the iron blooms were analyzed. The sand iron materials used in the smelting experiments, which were based on ancient documents, were collected from Gyeong-Ju and Pohang. Analysis by WD-XRF and XRD showed that Gyeong-Ju's sand iron contains a high-titanium, with magnetite, and Pohang's sand iron contains a low-titanium, which magnetite and ilmenite were mixed. Analysis of the slag with XRD, and the micro-structure with metal microscopes and SEM-EDS, confirmed that the major compounds in the slag of the Gyeong-Ju's sand iron were fayalite and $w\ddot{u}stite$, and those in the slag of the Pohang's sand iron were titanomagnetite and fayalite. The differences in the main constituents were confirmed according to the Ti quantity. Finally, we observed the microstructures of the iron blooms. In the case of the iron bloom produced from Gyeong-Ju's sand iron, the outside was found to be dominantly a pearlite of eutectoid steel, while the inside was a hypo-eutectoid steel where ferrite and pearlite were mixed together. While, the major component of the iron bloom produced from Pohang's sand iron was ferrite, which is almost like pure iron. However, there were many impurities inside the iron blooms. Therefore, this experiment confirmed that making ironware required a process that involved removing internal impurities, refining, and welding. It will be an important data to identify the characteristics of iron by-products and the site through traditional iron-making experiments under various conditions.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.168-183
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• 2020

Efforts had been made to eliminate the brittleness unique to cast ironware from 5 BC up until the time that cast ironware became widely used. One of the techniques used to this end was to produce the cast ironware in one kiln and then anneal it in another kiln. This technique condensed or removed the carbon in the structure to eliminate the brittleness of cast ironware and enable forging. To clarify the nature of this technique, this study examined cast ironware made of malleable cast iron, which manifests the characteristics of the annealing technique for cast ironware excavated on the Korean peninsula, based on current steelmaking technology and research results from China and Japan. Results confirmed that all cast ironware made of malleable cast iron had been imported into Korea until the Proto-Three Kingdoms Period. Also, since the Chiljido (Seven-Branched Sword), which is housed at the Ishigami Shrine in Japan, appears to have been produced in the Korean peninsula, it is determined that Baekje in the 4^th century must have possessed such an annealing technique. At that time, however, iron was produced mainly with an iron bloom, and a large amount of forged iron was produced with a steel bloom smelted from an iron bloom. In addition, most of the cast ironware that was used previously, except for cast iron hoes, had been replaced by forged ironware. In other words, this annealing technique was not used frequently until the Three Kingdoms Period. However, it spread broadly during the Unified Silla Period in so much as it was identified in the Jangan-ri remains, which represented the regional hub of iron production and distribution.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.475-499
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• 2023

To infer the provenance of raw iron materials utilized in iron production at the archaeological sites in Gyeongsang province, petrographic and geochemical analyses were conducted for smelting samples and major iron ores sourced from ore deposits. The smelting samples excavated from various iron archaeological sites were classified into different types according to their refining processes, such as iron bloom, iron bloom slag, pig iron, pig iron slag, forging iron flake, smithery iron, iron flake, and arrowhead. These samples exhibited discernable differences in their mineralogical components and texture. The enrichments of major elements such as aluminum and calcium in silicate minerals of the residual slags and the high contents of trace elements such as nickel and copper in some iron-making relics reflect the characteristics of raw iron ores, and thus can be regarded as potential indicators for inferring the provenance of source materials. In particular, the compositional ranges of Pb-Sr isotope ratios for the iron smelting samples were classified into three categories: 1) those exhibiting similar ratios to those of the raw iron ores, 2) those enriched in strontium isotope ratio, and 3) those enriched in both lead and strontium isotope ratios. The observed distinct Pb-Sr isotope characteristics in the iron smelting samples suggest the potential contribution of specific additives being introduced during the high-temperature refining process. These results provide a new perspective on the interpretation of the provenance study of the iron archaeological samples in Gyeongsang province, particularly in terms of the potential contribution of additives on the refining process.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.1619-1625
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• 2021

This paper demonstrates the possible nondestructive analysis of iron artifacts' metallurgical characteristics using neutron imaging. Ancient kingdoms of the Korean Peninsula used a direct smelting process for ore smelting and iron bloom production; however, the use of iron blooms was difficult because of their low strength and purity. For reinforcement, iron ingots were produced through refining and forge welding, which then underwent various processes to create different iron goods. To demonstrate the potential analysis using neutron imaging, while ensuring artifacts' safety, a sand iron ingot (SI-I) produced using ancient traditional iron making techniques and a sand iron knife (SI-K) made of SI-I were selected. SI-I was cut into 9 cm², whereas the entirety of SI-K was preserved for analysis. SI-I was found to have an average grain size of 3 ㎛, with observed α-Fe (ferrite) and pearlite with a body-centered cubic (BCC) lattice structure. SI-K had a grain size of 1-3 ㎛, α-Ferrite on its backside, and martensite with a body-centered tetragonal (BCT) structure on its blade. Results show that the sample's metallurgical characteristics can be identified through neutron imaging only, without losing any part of the valuable artifacts, indicating applicability to cultural artifacts requiring complete preservation.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.33-44
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• 2022

The study, iron-making process was examined through the scientific analysis of six by-products that were obtained during iron making at the Songdu-ri site in Jincheon. The total Fe content of the slags excavated from the Songdu-ri site was 36.29-54.61 wt%, whereas the deoxidation agent was 26.48-49.08 wt%. The compound analysis result indicated that fayalite and wüstite are the main compounds in slag. Furthermore, the microstructure analysis result confirmed the presence of fayalite and wüstite in the slag. It can be inferred from the flat shape in a bright matrix structure of the hammer scales that forging was performed in the latter stage. The Raman micro-spectroscopy results confirmed that the surface was hematite (Fe₂O₄), middle layer was magnetite (Fe₃O₄), and inner layer was wüstite (FeO). The presence of smelting and smithing slags, spheroid hammer scales, and flake hammer scales suggests that at the Songdu-ri site, iron-making process is carried out by division of labor into producing iron bloom through direct smelting, refining and forge welding, and ingot production.

• Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.9-22
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• 2012

The most widely excavated iron artifacts used as weapons or farm tools from central southern regions of Korea were subjects of non-metallic inclusion analysis through metallographic examination, microhardness measurement, and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Through metallographic interpretation and study of the analyzed results, the steel manufacturing and iron smelting using heat processing in the iron artifacts excavated from the central southern region of the ancient Korean peninsula was studied, and the analysis of the non-metallic inclusions mixed within the metallic structures was interpreted as the ternary phase diagram of the oxide to infer the type of iron ores for the iron products and the temperature of the furnace used to smelt them. Most of the ancient forged iron artifacts showed $Al_2O_3/SiO_2$ with high $SiO_2$ contents and relatively low $Al_2O_3$ contents for iron ore, indicating t hat for $Al_2O_3$ below 5%, it is presumed that magnetic iron ores were reduced to bloom iron (sponge iron) with direct-reduction process for production. The temperature for extraction of wustite for $Al_2O_3$ below 1% was found to be $1,020{\sim}1,050^{\circ}C$. Considering the oxide ternary constitutional diagram of glassy inclusions, the steel-manufacturing temperature was presumed to have been near $1,150{\sim}1,280^{\circ}C$ in most cases, and minimum melting temperature of casting iron part excavated in Daeseong-ri. Gyeonggi was near $1,400^{\circ}C$, and it is thought that hypoeutectic cast iron of about 2.3% carbon was casted and fragility of cast iron was improved by decarburizing in solid state.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.290-296
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• 2004

The effects of potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and iron on cyanobacterial bloom potentials were investigated in Daechung Reservoir, Korea. Potassium showed the highest correlation with the cyanobacterial cell number (r=0.487, P<0.05) and phycocyanin concentration (r=0.499, P<0.05). However, it was not likely that the potassium had directly affected the bloom formation, because the variations of its concentration were not significantly large. In contrast, the Fe concentration fluctuated drastically and exhibited a negative correlation with the cyanobacterial cell number (r=- 0.388, P<0.1) and phycocyanin concentration (r=-0.446, P<0.05). Accordingly, the K:Fe atomic ratio would appear to reflect the extent of cyanobacterial bloom more precisely than K or Fe alone. The K:Fe ratio specifically correlated with cyanobacterial percentage, the cyanobacterial cell number and phycocyanin concentration (r=0.840, P<0.001; r=0.416, P<0.05; r=0.522, P<0.01, respectively). With the K:Fe atomic ratio of over 200, the chlorophyll-a concentration, cyanobacterial cell number, and phycocyanin concentration exceeded $10\mu$g $1^{-1}$20,000 cells $ml^{-1}$, and 20 pM, respectively, the general criteria of eutrophic water.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.581-593
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• 2018

Studies on ancient iron production technologies still have challenges to overcome, although there have been many results that have enabled us to understand these old technologies. The purpose of this study is to propose a suitable temperature condition for smelting experiments. The target for reconstruction is a smelting-smithing process in the ancient Jungwon area, and the experiment was designed on the basis of published research, such as archaeological evidence. Experiment A was performed at a low temperature to produce low-carbon iron, while Experiment B was conducted at a relatively high temperature to synthesize high-carbon iron. In addition, the low-carbon iron proved to be suitable for the smithing process. Moreover, aspects such as the microstructure and chemical composition of the slag and the surface condition of the furnace wall showed that the low-temperature smelting process was closer to the ancient method. It is important to mention the premise that the reconstruction of ancient technology can be achieved when the results of an experiment replicate the conditions of a real site. The results show that direct smelting, which produces low-carbon iron bloom under a low-temperature condition, should be the subject of smelting experiments concerning the iron production technologies of the ancient Jungwon area.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.231-235
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• 2005

The European Iron Fertilization Experiment EIFEX studied the growth and decline of a phytoplankton bloom stimulated by fertilising $10km^2$ in the core of a mesoscale $(80{\times}120km)$ cyclonic eddy south of the Antarctic Polar Front with about 2 times 7 tonnes of iron sulphate. The phytoplankton accumulation induced by iron fertilization did not exceed $3{\mu}g\;chl\;a\;l^{-1}$ despite a draw down of $5{\mu}M$ of nitrate that should have resulted in at least double to triple the amount of phytoplankton biomass assuming regular Redfield-ratios for draw down after phytoplankton growth in the Southern Ocean. During EIFEX the fertilized core of the mesoscale eddy evolved to a hotspot for a variety of small and medium sized mesozooplankton copepods. In contrast to copepods, the biomass of salps (Salpa thompson)) that dominated zooplankton biomass before the onset of our experiment decreased to nearly extinction. Most of the species of the rnosozooplankton community showed extremely hiか feeding rates compared to literature values from Southern Ocean summer communities. At the end of the experiment, massive phytoplankton sedimentation reached the sea floor at about 3800m water depth.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.317-329
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• 2019

Slag was collected from the iron-producing furnace site in Saengsoegol, Baegun mountain, where iron was manufactured by a righteous army against Japan in the Gwangyang region; then, the iron-manufacturing technique of the early modern period was investigated through scientific analysis. In the microstructure analysis results of the selected samples, iron bloom was mainly observed together with magnetite and fayalite. In the component analysis results of the compounds, it was confirmed that the furnace was built by using gangue of alkali feldspar or plagioclase series, and the ironmaking work was performed at a high temperature of at least 1050℃, because mullite was identified together with cristobalite and hercynite. Based on the chemical composition, it was speculated that low-grade iron ores were used as raw materials, and it seemed that the yield was low, because the total Fe content of the smelting slag samples was 37.72-49.93%. It was difficult to confirm whether a slag former was used, and it seemed that materials easily obtained nearby were used when the furnace was built, without considering the corrosion resistance. It appeared that the ironmaking work was performed at the Gwangyang Saengsoegol iron-producing furnace based on the direct ironmaking method in an environment that could escape the vigilance of the Japanese Empire to produce weapons that would be used for the resistance against Japan. It seemed that there was neither an advanced ironware production system nor a mass production system, and small-scale works were performed in short periods of time.