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  • 1.  Chromium crucible steel was first made in Persia

    Posted 09-24-2020 13:32
    Would anybody care to comment on this 
    news story?

    Google: persia chromium steel

    regards,
    - Jim

    Title:
    Chromium crucible steel was first made in Persia

    Authors:
    Rahil Alipour, Thilo Rehren, Marcos Martinón-Torres 

      Journal of Archaeological Science

    Available online 23 September 2020, 105224
    In Press, Corrected Proof

    Abstract

    For more than a century, evidence for the production of crucible steel in Central and 
    Southern Asia, prior to the European Industrial Revolution, has fascinated and challenged
    material scientists, historians and archaeologists. At the same time, chromium-alloyed 
    stainless steel was developed in the early 20th century, building upon 19th century 
    experiments with low chromium steel. Here we demonstrate new evidence of the 
    intentional addition of chromium to steel nearly a millennium earlier, as part of the 
    Persian crucible steel (pulad) tradition including the production of low-chromium 
    crucible steel in early 2nd millennium CE Persia. We analysed archaeological finds
     from the 11th c. CE site of Chahak in Iran showing the intentional and regular addition 
    of chromium mineral to the crucible charge, resulting in steel containing around 1 wt% 
    chromium. A contemporaneous crucible steel flint striker held in the Tanavoli Collection is 
    reported to also contain chromium, suggesting its origin from Chahak. We argue that the 
    mysterious compound 'rusakhtaj' from Biruni's (10th – 11th c. CE) recipe for crucible steel 
    making refers to the mineral chromite. Additional historical sources up to the mid-2nd 
    millennium CE refer to crucible steel from Chahak as being particularly brittle, consistent 
    with its increased phosphorus content.

    end of message-----------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Chromium crucible steel was first made in Persia

    Posted 09-24-2020 18:52
    Hello Jim!

    Thank you for look for and to share with us!!

    Unfortunately, because of problems with my computer..., I am doing fast here because this shut down suddenly...

    Is a very good topic to discuss. Here I post a note that my University did to me in 2014, so there you can read about an old iron bridge!

    Kind Regads,


    ------------------------------
    [Patricia Silvana] [Carrizo]
    [Ms.]
    [Chemical Engineer]
    [Archaeometallurgy Area - UTN FRM]
    [Mendoza] [Argentina]
    [+542615577229]
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Chromium crucible steel was first made in Persia

    Posted 09-25-2020 09:06
    I can't access the full article unless I buy it which I'm not going to do. From the abstract I wouldn't consider that the steel being produced would fall within how, at least myself, would define "chromium-alloyed stainless steel". Definitely an interesting find, but they were not making stainless steel.

    ------------------------------
    David Jones
    Senior Principal Materials Engineer
    Stryker Orthopeadics
    Mahwah NJ
    (914) 469-2958
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: Chromium crucible steel was first made in Persia

    Posted 09-25-2020 09:49
    I have always read that to develop sufficient chromium oxide for corrosion resistance that you need 12-12.5% Cr addition. With only 1% Cr its close to something like SAE 4140 with a high Phos content.  One of my engineers sent me this link on gizmodo:
    https://gizmodo.com/1-000-year-old-precursor-to-stainless-steel-found-in-ir-1845145184
    From my experience high phos in ductile iron drops the ductility.

    ------------------------------
    Patrick Mizik
    ASM Chapter Council District 11 Rep
    Principal Metallurgical Engineer
    Haldex
    pat.mizik@haldex.com
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Chromium crucible steel was first made in Persia

    Posted 09-25-2020 10:17
    Patrick, Thanks for the link. It's better than the abstract. I'd agree with the conclusions found in there. The original article appeared to have more information in it, and included phase diagrams. It would be interesting to read. Phosphorus is not helping ductility here.

    ------------------------------
    David Jones
    Senior Principal Materials Engineer
    Stryker Orthopeadics
    Mahwah NJ
    (914) 469-2958
    ------------------------------



  • 6.  RE: Chromium crucible steel was first made in Persia

    Posted 09-26-2020 13:35

    Interesting article, Patrick, thanks for providing the gizmodo link.  Does anyone have any information as to where the iron-containing ores used in Chaha came from?  Where they local or traded?  Given the amounts of Cr and P it is possible that the ore they had access to simply contained these elements; they obviously did not have the ability to remove or reduce them and both ended up in the product made in the crucibles.

     

    Nassos Lazaridis






  • 7.  RE: Chromium crucible steel was first made in Persia

    Posted 10-02-2020 16:34
    Dear All !!

    Well since today afternoon I have again my computer at home.

    I will now have the opportunity to see the articles you were sharing here!!

    Nice! Lets Keeping moving the Archaeometallurgy Committee !!

    ------------------------------
    [Patricia Silvana] [Carrizo]
    [Ms.]
    [Chemical Engineer]
    [Archaeometallurgy Area - UTN FRM]
    [Mendoza] [Argentina]
    [+542615577229]
    ------------------------------