Studies on the manufacturing techniques of bimetallic bronze swords in the Eastern Zhou period excavated from Xintai, Shandong
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(1.Researoh laboratory for Conservation and Archaeology, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai 200003,China;;2.Shandong Provincial Xintai Museum, Xintai 271200, China;;3.Shandong Provincial Archeology Institute, Jinan 250012,China)

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    Abstract:

    In order to study the techniques used in the Eastern Zhou period for manufacturing bimetallic bronze swords, Xray diffraction, CT, XRF and metallographic analysis were used to study the inner structures, manufacturing techniques, alloy techniques and metallographic structures of two bimetallic bronze swords excavated from Qi State in the early Warring States period in Zhoujia Village, Xintai, Shandong. The result showed that both of the bimetallic bronze swords were made with two kinds of alloys, a lowtin alloy and a hightin alloy. Based on this analysis, the differences in manufacturing techniques between these two bimetallic bronze swords excavated from Xintai and characteristic bimetallic bronze swords from the Wu State and the Yue State are discussed. Structurally, the lowtin areas were on the two sides of the sword ridge, where they were mixed well with the hightin areas; various patterns appear on the cross-sections. In terms of composition, the tin content of the lowtin areas was only 4%, which gave the best elongation for tin bronze. In regard to the characteristic handle of bimetallic bronze swords, although the inner structures of bimetallic bronze swords excavated from Xintai were different from the characteristic swords from the Wu State and the Yue State, the principles of their manufacture were similar.

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History
  • Received:July 01,2012
  • Revised:August 15,2012
  • Adopted:
  • Online: April 09,2013
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