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.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.