EB unalloyed Cu blades could reach up to 130hv maximum (considering the fact that we are measuring the blade metal remains, behind the surface corrosion layer), whereas worked and annealed tin bronze blades could well reach 240hv.
For reference & examples you may look at: Shalev S., 1996, Archaeometallurgy in Israel: The Impact of the Material on the Choice of Shape, Size and Colour of Ancient Products. In: Archaeometry 94, The Proceedings of the 29th International Symposium on Archaeometry. Tubitak, Ankara. 11-15.
Hope it helps, Sariel.
>>> [log in to unmask] 10/24/02 03:55PM >>>
John Coles' article on Bronze Age shields, (1962, in
the PPS) argues that there is little difference in the
hardness of cold worked sheet copper and bronze, on a
practical functional level. To my understanding,
c.10% tin bronze can achieve up to twice the hardness
of copper, but that data comes from cast artefacts
(mainly swords).
Does anybody know if sheet bronze can be worked to a
similar hardness as swords or axes, or is the very
nature of thin sheets too restrictive for sufficient
periods of working?
Thanks a lot,
Barry Molloy.
__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site
http://webhosting.yahoo.com/
|