Analysis of microstructural characteristics of modern replicas of phosphoric and arsenic-phosphoric iron alloys, a calibration study

Many iron-and-steel artefacts produced in Europe between the 2nd and 14th centuries AD were produced with pattern-welded composites materials made of phosphoric- or phosphoric-arsenic iron and phosphorus/arsenic-free iron or steel. Identification of phosphoric- and arsenic-phosphoric iron in archaeological iron artefacts is of extreme importance for determining both the manner of their production and technological
characteristics, and in the broader context for mapping the evolution of blacksmithing traditions. Neutron imaging and BENT are potentially effective methods for the investigation of this type of archaeological metallic artefacts. We propose to start the activity related to the identification and characterization of central European archaeological artefacts containing phosphoric/arsenic iron by determining morphological and microstructural features of replicas of known characteristics, to pave the way for future historical metallurgy sample analysis.