In this paper, pulsed infrared thermography is applied to the study of an ancient Chinese bronze sword. A clay core, as a piece-mold casting remains, is found inside the sword handle, the length of which is obtained by analyzing the thermographic images. Meanwhile, corrosion and cracks are also located on the body of the bronze sword. To obtain the thickness of the bronze handle around the clay core, thermal quadrupole simulation is used. By analyzing the characteristic time from the thermographic experiment and the simulation, the thickness of the materials is determined. These results provide a deeper understanding of the manufacturing of the bronze sword and also contribute to the later conservation studies.
Pulsed infrared thermography is applied to the study of a mold casting Chinese bronze lei 罍 dated to the late Shang dynasty (c.a.1250–1050 BC), currently housed in the Capital Normal University Museum. Many spacers and a defective area of this ancient bronze are partly covered with repair material. By analyzing thermographic images using a one-layer thermal diffusion model, it is found that the spacers were specifically made for this bronze. The thickness of the repairing material in the defective area is measured using thermal quadrupole modelling in multilayer materials. This is the first application of this method to the field of cultural heritage conservation. These results provide a deeper understanding of the manufacturing process of ancient Chinese bronzes from the viewpoint of archaeological research. They also help assess the repair status from the conservation viewpoint.
The manufacture and use of bronze ritual vessels, as far back as the second and the first millennium BC, is an essential tool in maintaining social order and political structure in China’s Shang and Zhou periods, yet the casting techniques that made them have not been well discussed. The core issue is the manufacturing and use of clay moulds. Not only their design and positioning, archaeological studies show that their material property is also a key to the success of casting such products. The present work, among a series research, is mainly focused on the thermal property analysis of the ancient bronze casting moulds and two other contemporary moulds for comparison. Thermal diffusivity is measured with pulsed thermography as a non-destructive method. The results prove that the thermal diffusivity of ancient bronze casting moulds are relatively low which allows liquid bronze to flow for an extended duration, filling all fine patterns and corners. The difference between the three types of moulds are discussed.
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