Abstract
Metallurgical analyses and mechanical tests were performed on two ancient iron nails (dated to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries) found at a private estate in the village of Limone sul Garda, which is located on Lake Garda in the northern Italian region of Lombardy. The nails were characterized via various metallurgical methods to assess their matrix composition, microstructure, and nonmetallic inclusion type, morphology, and distribution. These investigations elucidated the manufacturing process of the nails. The results indicated that the nails were produced by different forging techniques, and it was hypothesized that the steel utilized was obtained via two different methods (direct and indirect ore reduction), which were still in use at that time.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Lucchini RS for the quantometer analysis, Chem4Tech for the µXRD and the µXRF measurements, Ing. Luca Girelli for the optical observations and hardness tests, and Ing. Samuele Conforti for his support.
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Cornacchia, G., Roberti, R. & Faccoli, M. Characterization and Technological Origin Identification of Ancient Iron Nails. JOM 72, 3224–3235 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-020-04121-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-020-04121-8