• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.528-534
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• 2016

The aim of this paper is to consider the effect of the manufacturing processes on corrosion and centerline cracking of ancient bronze spoons. The ancient bronze spoons in question were made by several steps of forging, in reheated condition with cast ingots. The manufacturing method is similar to that of the modern spoons. The investigations include observations from light and scanning electron microscopes of the microstructure in terms of the crack propagation. Cracks in the centerline are caused by solute segregation in the center-line region; this solute is solidified in the final stage of bronze spoon manufacture. Centerline cracking is also caused by ${\alpha}$ phase segregation, accompanied by forged overlapping along the longitudinal direction of the spoons. A vertical stripe with cracks along the centerline of the spoon's width is formed by folding in the wrought process. The overlapping area causes crack propagation with severe corrosion on the spoon surfaces over a period of a thousand years. The failure mechanisms of ancient bronze spoons may be similar to that of modern spoons, and the estimation of the failure mechanisms of ancient spoons can be appropriate to determine failure causes for such modern spoons.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.493-502
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• 2018

Currently, the fabrication of a high-tin bronze spoon by traditional manufacturing techniques involves 10 steps in the bronze ware workshop. Hot forging has a major influence on manufacturing and involves two to three steps. The dendritic ${\alpha}$-phase in the microstructure of the high-tin bronze spoon is refined and finely dispersed through hot forging. In addition, twinning is observed in the ${\alpha}$-phase of the hammered part, and the ${\alpha}$-phase microstructure gradually transform from a polygon to a circular shape due to hammering. In this process, the adjacent ${\alpha}$-phases overlap with each other and remain combined after quenching. The microstructure with the overlapping is also observed in bronze artifacts, and this shows the correlation with technical system. The results of the experimental hot forging of Cu-22%Sn alloys show that the decrease in in the amount of the dendritic microstructure, which forms during casting, is in proportion to the number of processing steps and that the refined grain obtained by hammering contributes to the improvement in the strength of the material. From the hammering marks, which are observed on both the bronze artifact excavated from archaeological sites and on the high-tin bronze spoon produced in the traditional workshop, it is presumed that the knowledge regarding the unrecorded manufacturing system of bronze ware in ancient times has been passed down in a traditional way up to the system used currently.