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Thermal and mineralogical investigations of historical ceramic

A case study

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Abstract

The selected sample for this study represents a piece of pavement ceramics from a private collection. The ceramic (approximately XVIIIth century) comes from Campania region, Naples province. A chemical, mineralogical and morphological characterization of a Campagna ceramic piece received from a particular collection has been performed. Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy—(ICP-AES) was used for the determination of Al2O3, CaO, Fe2O3, K2O, MgO, MnO, Na2O, and TiO2 as major constituents and Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn as minor and trace selected elements. There is a very important characterization method used for the control of the reaction process and of the properties of the materials obtained. Physical and mineralogical analyses were made by using the thermal behavior (thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTG)) and X-ray diffraction spectrometry for the mineralogical composition. The results of these analyses allow the establishment of conclusions about several aspects of their manufacture, the origin of the raw materials and their provenance (local or imported). They provide information supporting certain archeological hypothesis. The performed analysis revealed some very interesting characteristics: lower amount of silica and increased concentration of alumina, the presence of calcium in relatively low concentration (Ca-poor ceramic) and a mineralogical composition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Analysis Department, ICECHIM, 202 Splaiul Independentei, Bucharest, Romania

    Rodica Mariana Ion, Irina Dumitriu, Radu Claudiu Fierascu, Simona Florentina Pop, Constantin Radovici & Raluca Ioana Bunghez

  2. Department of Materials Engineering, Valahia University, Unirii Bv., 18-20, Targoviste, Romania

    Rodica Mariana Ion, Irina Dumitriu, Radu Claudiu Fierascu, Mihaela-Lucia Ion, Simona Florentina Pop & Raluca Ioana Bunghez

  3. INFLPR-Magurele, Bucharest, Romania

    V. I. R. Niculescu

Authors
  1. Rodica Mariana Ion
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  2. Irina Dumitriu
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  3. Radu Claudiu Fierascu
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  4. Mihaela-Lucia Ion
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  5. Simona Florentina Pop
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  6. Constantin Radovici
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  7. Raluca Ioana Bunghez
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  8. V. I. R. Niculescu
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Correspondence to Irina Dumitriu or Radu Claudiu Fierascu.

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Ion, R.M., Dumitriu, I., Fierascu, R.C. et al. Thermal and mineralogical investigations of historical ceramic. J Therm Anal Calorim 104, 487–493 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-011-1517-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-011-1517-6

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