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Microstructural and elemental analyses of slags excavated from Xuxiebian iron‐smelting site, Sichuan, China
Author(s) -
Li Y.,
Ma C.,
Juleff G.,
Murakami Y.,
Zhou Z.,
Li Y.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
archaeometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1475-4754
pISSN - 0003-813X
DOI - 10.1111/arcm.12484
Subject(s) - smelting , pig iron , slag (welding) , refining (metallurgy) , metallurgy , archaeology , excavation , geology , mining engineering , materials science , geography
Xuxiebian is an iron‐smelting site located in Pujiang county of Sichuan province, China. Two excavations were carried out in 2007 and 2011, and four bowl‐shaped furnaces were excavated. Ten slag samples from the site were prepared and analysed. The present paper reports the results of metallographic and elemental examination of the specimens. It is concluded that both pig‐iron‐smelting and refining process were applied at the Xuxiebian site, and the bowl‐shaped furnaces are possibly refining furnaces. The function of the site was probably to produce pig iron and refine the pig iron into wrought iron.