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An Historical Mullite Fiber-Reinforced Ceramic Composite: Characterization of the ‘Wootz’ Crucible Refractory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2011

Thelma L. Lowe ,
Nima Merk  and
Gareth Thomas
Thelma L. Lowe
Affiliation:
Department of SSEAS, University of California, Berkeley CA 94720
Nima Merk
Affiliation:
National Center for Electron Microscopy, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley CA 94720
Gareth Thomas
Affiliation:
National Center for Electron Microscopy, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley CA 94720
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Abstract

Since at least the sixteenth century, the ‘wootz’ ultra-high carbon white cast-iron ingot was produced in India by melting or carburising iron in a crucible. This ingot was forged into sword blades of so-called ‘Damascus’ steel. The charged crucible was fired in a long (24 hour) single cycle at high temperature (1150-1250°C) in a strongly reducing atmosphere. Raw materials for the refractory vessel are clay and ‘coked’ rice husks. At high temperatures, two phases reinforce the glassy matrix - cristobalite relics of rice husks and a network of mullite crystals. This paper characterizes the microstructure and chemistry of the mullite network in the glassy matrix by means of a combination of techniques: optical microscopy, XRD, SEM, TEM with EDS, and HREM.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 185: Symposium G – Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology II , 1990 , 627
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1990

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References

References and Notes

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