Abstract
Solder joints and coatings found in bronze artifacts recovered from the Nubian Desert in Egypt show evidence of the decomposition of the lead-tin eutectic structure and solid-state growth of the ε and η intermetallic phases at the solder-bronze interface at ambient temperature. Accelerated aging experiments reproduced the structures observed in the artifacts. The data show that the growth of the intermetallic compounds is diffusion-controlled at low as well as high temperature with an activation energy of 20 kcal/mol.
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Galli, H., Knopf, R. & Gordon, R. The aging of solder joints over 1,600 years: Evidence from Nubian bronze artifacts. JOM 59, 35–40 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-007-0138-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-007-0138-9