Wootzsteel

FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Wootzsteelisacruciblesteelcharacterizedbyapatternof
bands,whichareformedbysheetsofmicrocarbideswithina
temperedmartensiteorpearlitematrixinhighercarbonsteel,or
[Link]
pioneeringsteelalloymatrixdevelopedinSouthIndiainthe
[Link]
ancientworldbymanydifferentnamesincludingWootz,Ukku,
HindwaniandSericIron.

Contents
1 History
1.1 Developmentofmodernmetallurgy
2 Characteristics
3 Reproductionresearch
4 Seealso
5 References
6 Furtherreading
7 Externallinks

Pictureshows18thcenturyPersian
forgedswordmadefromDamascus.
Cruciblesteels,suchaswootzsteel
andDamascussteel,exhibitunique
bandingpatternsbecauseofthe
intermixedferriteandcementite
alloysinthesteel

History
TheWootzsteeloriginatedinSouthIndia.[1][2]ThereareseveralancientTamil,Greek,Chineseand
RomanliteraryreferencestohighcarbonIndiansteelsincethetimeofAlexander'[Link]
cruciblesteelproductionprocessstartedinthesixthcenturyBC,atproductionsitesofKodumanalin
TamilNadu,GolcondainTelangana,KarnatakaandSriLankaandexportedgloballytheTamilsofthe
CheraDynastyproducingwhatwastermedthefineststeelintheworld,[Link],
Egyptians,ChineseandArabsby500BC.[3][4][5]Thesteelwasexportedascakesofsteelyironthat
cametobeknownas"Wootz."[6]
TheTamilakammethodwastoheatblackmagnetiteoreinthepresenceofcarboninasealedclay
[Link],then
[Link]
Avrai.[6][7]TheChineseandlocalsinSriLankaadoptedtheproductionmethodsofcreatingWootzsteel
fromtheCheraTamilsbythe5thcenturyBC.[8][9]InSriLanka,thisearlysteelmakingmethod
employedauniquewindfurnace,drivenbythemonsoonwinds,capableofproducinghighcarbonsteel
andproductionsitesfromantiquityhaveemerged,inplacessuchasAnuradhapura,Tissamaharamaand
Samanalawewa,aswellasimportedartifactsofancientironandsteelfromKodumanal.A200BCTamil
tradeguildinTissamaharama,intheSouthEastofSriLanka,broughtwiththemsomeoftheoldestiron
andsteelartifactsandproductionprocessestotheislandfromtheclassicalperiod.[10][11][12][13]The
ArabsintroducedtheSouthIndian/SriLankanwootzsteeltoDamascus,whereanindustrydeveloped
formakingweaponsofthissteel.The12thcenturyArabtravelerEdrisimentionedthe"Hinduwani"or
Indiansteelasthebestintheworld.[1]

AnothersignofitsreputationisseeninaPersianphrasetogivean"Indiananswer",meaning"acut
withanIndiansword."[14]WootzsteelwaswidelyexportedandtradedthroughoutancientEuropeand
theArabworld,andbecameparticularlyfamousintheMiddleEast.[14]

Developmentofmodernmetallurgy
Fromthe17thcenturyonwards,severalEuropeantravelersobservedthesteelmanufacturinginSouth
India,atMysore,[Link]"wootz"appearstohaveoriginatedasa
mistranscriptionofwook,ananglicisedversionofukku,thewordforsteelintheKannada
language.[15][16]Accordingtoonetheory,thewordukkuisbasedonthemeaning"melt,dissolve"other
[Link]
isurukku.[17]Anothertheorysaysthatthewordisavariationofuchchaorucha("superior").When
BenjaminHeyneinspectedtheIndiansteelinCededDistrictsandotherKannadaspeakingareas,hewas
informedthatthesteelwasuchakabbina("superioriron"),alsoknownasukkutunduinMysore.[18][19]
LegendsofwootzsteelandDamascusswordsarousedthecuriosityoftheEuropeanscientific
[Link]
previouslyandthustheresearchintowootzsteelplayedanimportantroleinthedevelopmentofmodern
English,FrenchandRussianmetallurgy.[20]
In1790,samplesofwootzsteelwerereceivedbySirJosephBanks,PresidentoftheBritishRoyal
society,[Link]
severalexperts.[21][22][23]
SpecimensofdaggersandotherweaponsweresentbytheRajahsofIndiatotheInternationalExhibition
[Link],theywere
[Link]
crumpling,andyetbefineandsharp.[14]

Characteristics
WootzischaracterizedbyapatterncausedbybandsofclusteredFe3Cparticlesmadeof
microsegregationoflowlevelsofcarbideformingelements.[24]Thereisapossibilityofanabundanceof
[Link],especially
Damascusblades,wererenownedfortheirsharpnessandtoughness.
SteelmanufacturedinKutchparticularlyenjoyedawidespreadreputation,similartothosemanufactured
atGlasgowandSheffield.[14]
[Link],[7]theBritish
prohibitedthetradein1866:
Aboutapoundweightofmalleableiron,madefrommagneticore,isplaced,minutely
brokenandmoistened,inacrucibleofrefractoryclay,togetherwithfinelychoppedpieces
[Link]
thegreenleavesoftheAsclepiasgiganteaortheConvolvuluslanifolius,andthetopsare
coatedoverwithwetclay,[Link]
[Link]

archwaysatthebottomofafurnace,whoseblastismanagedwithbellowsofbullock'shide.
[Link]
threehours'smeltingthecooledcruciblesarebrokenup,whentheregulusappearsinthe
[Link],thebestbuttonsfromaboutGolconda
wereaslargeasahalfpennyroll,[Link]"cops"are
convertedintobarsbyexposureforseveralhourstoacharcoalfirenothotenoughtomelt
[Link],andthusthetoohighlycarburisedsteelis
oxidised.
AccordingtoProfessorOldham,"Wootz"isalsoworkedintheDamudahValley,at
Birbhum,Dyucha,Narayanpur,Damrah,andGoanpiir.In1852somethirtyfurnacesat
Dyuchareducedtheoretokachhdorpigiron,smallbloomsfromCatalanforgesasmany
moreconvertedittosteel,[Link]
differentcastestheMuslimslabouredattherudemetal,theHindupreferredtherefining
[Link]
Peshawar.
Whenlastvisiting(April19,1876)theMahabaleshwarHillsnearBombay,Ihadthe
[Link],C.E.,andwithhisassistancemadepersonalinquiriesintothe
[Link](WesternGhats),andespeciallythegreatMight
ofShivamountains,[Link],
since1866,forbadetheindustry,[Link]
wasworkedbytheHilltribes,ofwhomtheprincipalaretheDhdnwars,Dravidiansnow
[Link]
theypreferredtheJumbulwood,[Link]
fourteenpoundsofcharcoalinlayersand,aftertwohoursofbellowsworking,themetal
[Link]'(bloom),fiveinchesindiameterbytwoandahalfdeep,
[Link],apooryellow
brownlimonitestripingthemudcolouredclayandactualtestingdisprovedthecommon
ideathatthe"watering"[Link],("jewel"or
ribboning)ofthesocalledDamascusbladewasproducedartificially,mostlybydrawing
[Link]
Indiamaintainsthatasmallpieceofeitherwhiteorblackhematite(oroldwootz)hadtobe
includedineachmelt,andthataminimumoftheseelementsmustbepresentinthesteelfor
thepropersegregationofthemicrocarbidestotakeplace.

Reproductionresearch
RussianmetallurgistPavelPetrovichAnosov(seeBulatsteel)wasabletoreproduceancientWootzsteel
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
LawrenceLivermoreNationalLaboratoryhavealldoneresearch,attemptingtocreatesteelswith
characteristicssimilartoWootz,[Link]
methodsofproduction,provedtheroleofimpuritiesoforeinthepatterncreation,andreproduced
Wootzsteelwithpatternsmicroscopicallyandvisuallyidenticaltooneoftheancientbladepatterns.
ThereareothersmithswhoarenowconsistentlyproducingWootzsteelbladesidenticaltotheold
patterns.

OnemustrememberwhilelookingatreproductioneffortsthatWootzwasmadeovernearlya2000year
period(theoldestswordsamplesdatetoaround200AD)andthatthemethodsofproductionofingots,
theingredients,[Link]
displayedapattern,[Link],andtherewere
manydifferentpatternswhichwerecreatedbythevarioussmithswhospannedfromChinato
Scandinavia.
ItiseasytosaythatWootz/Pulad/Bulat/Hindwaniisonepatternandonemethodwithoneblade
characteristic,butthatisnotacorrectrepresentationofthebladesthatsurvivetodayortheaccountsof
[Link],butithas
essentiallybeenrecreatedbyAnosov,[Link],
researchcontinues.

Seealso
Damascussteel
IronpillarofDelhi
Patternwelding

References
[Link](2004).India'sLegendaryWootzSteel:AnAdvancedMaterialof
[Link].OCLC82439861.
[Link].380
[Link](1994)Wootzcruciblesteel:anewlydiscoveredproductionsiteinSouthIndiaPapers
fromtheInstituteofArchaeology5(1994)4959
[Link].(1977).NotesonprehistoricandearlyironintheOldWorld.pp99100
[Link](1999).TECHNOLOGYOFIRONANDSTEELINKODUMANAL
([Link]
[Link](1998).TheSwordinAngloSaxonEngland:ItsArchaeologyandLiterature.
Boydell&[Link].20.ISBN9780851157160.
[Link],SirRichardFrancis(1884).[Link]:ChattoandWindus.p.111.
ISBN1605204366.
[Link],Volume4,Part1,p.282.
[Link],CharlotteSpeir."AncientandMedievalIndia.Volume2".ISBN9780543929433.
10.HobbiesVolume68,[Link](1963)
[Link],Iravatham(24June2010)."AnepigraphicperspectiveontheantiquityofTamil".TheHindu
(TheHinduGroup).Retrieved31October2010.
[Link],P(28June2010)."TissamaharamapotsherdevidencesordinaryearlyTamilsamongpopulation".
Tamilnet(Tamilnet).Retrieved31October2010.
13.[Link]
[Link]
[Link],CharlotteSpeir."AncientandMedivalIndia.Volume2".ISBN9780543929433.
[Link](6December2003).TheDynamicsofTechnology:Creation
[Link].135.ISBN9780761996705.
[Link],asquotedbyPeterDay,ThePhilosopher'sTree,p.108,ISBN0750305711
[Link](2002).Traditionandinnovationinthehistoryofironmaking:anIndo
[Link].p.45.ISBN9788186246191.
[Link](1885).TheCyclopdiaofIndiaandofEasternandSouthernAsia,CommercialIndustrial,
andScientific:ProductsoftheMineral,Vegetable,andAnimalKingdoms,UsefulArtsandManufactures.
[Link].1092.
[Link](1880).Steel:ItsHistory,Manufacture,PropertiesandUses.E.&[Link].p.294.
[Link](1September2012).AHistoryofMetallography:TheDevelopmentofIdeasonthe
[Link],LLC.ISBN9781258473365.

[Link],G.(1January1795)."ExperimentsandObservationstoInvestigatetheNatureofaKindofSteel,
ManufacturedatBombay,andThereCalledWootz:WithRemarksonthePropertiesandCompositionofthe
[Link],M.D.F.R.S.".PhilosophicalTransactionsoftheRoyalSociety
ofLondon85(0):[Link].1098/rstl.1795.0020.JSTOR106960.
[Link],D.(1January1805)."ExperimentsonWootz".PhilosophicalTransactionsoftheRoyalSocietyof
London95(0):[Link].1098/rstl.1805.0010.JSTOR107164.
[Link],AResearchonFaraday's"SteelandAlloys",PhilosophicalTransactionsoftheRoyal
[Link],ContainingPapersofaMathematicalorPhysicalCharacterVol.230,(1932),
pp.221292,[Link]:[Link]:[Link]
[Link],[Link],[Link],W.E.(September1998)."TheKeyRoleofImpuritiesinAncient
DamascusSteelBlades".JournalofTheMinerals,Metals&[Link]
20150209.

Furtherreading
Srinivasan,SharadaWootzcruciblesteel:anewlydiscoveredproductionsiteinSouthIndia.
InstituteofArchaeology,UniversityCollegeLondon,5(1994),pp.4961.
Srinivasan,[Link],[Link]:evidenceforhighcarbonsteelfromcrucibles
[Link]
andArchaeologyV,MaterialsResearchSocietySymposiumProceedingsSeriesVol.462.
Hansson2002,p81"Denskapandemnniskan"
urukkufromtheTamilLexicon,UniversityofMadras([Link]
bin/philologic/[Link]?c.[Link].tamillex)
HistoryandCharacteristicsofWootzSteelinIndiaandAbroad.(IndianJournalofHistoryof
Sciencevol.42,no.3September2007).NewDelhi:IndianNationalScienceAcademy,2007.
Srinivasan,Sharada&Ranganathan,SrinivasanIndia'sLegendaryWootzSteel:anadvanced
[Link]:NationalInstituteofAdvancedStudiesandIndian
InstituteofScience,2004.
[Link],"TheMysteryofDamascusBlades",ScientificAmerican,pp.7479,January
2001

Externallinks
ThekeyroleofimpuritiesinancientDamascussteelblades
([Link]
NanotubespresentinDamascusBlades([Link]
[Link])
Wootzrelateditems([Link]
Experimentsdocumented([Link]
Retrievedfrom"[Link]
Categories: Steels HistoryofIndia Indianinventions Historyofmetallurgy
Thispagewaslastmodifiedon24March2016,at06:51.
TextisavailableundertheCreativeCommonsAttributionShareAlikeLicenseadditionalterms
[Link],[Link]
registeredtrademarkoftheWikimediaFoundation,Inc.,anonprofitorganization.