Influence of the Distribution of Excess Carbide on the Properties of Genuine Damascus Steel

The methods of spectral, x-ray phase and microprobe analysis show that genuine Damascus steel is a high-purity unalloyed high-carbon steel with a high phosphorus content. It is shown that phosphorus in an amount of from 0.1% to 0.2%, having a high liquation coefficient, contributes to the process of segregation of carbon in interdendritic zone in the process of crystallization. Interdendritic zone formed carbon clusters, in the process of forging transform into oblong carbides cementite. The main physical and chemical factors affecting the formation of oblong carbides are revealed. The hardness of carbide layers was determined, which was about 920 HV. The hardness of the troostite matrix was amounted about 475 HV. It is established that the cutting edge of the blade knife of Damascus steel is nothing more than a “micro-saw” consisting of parallel carbide and troostite layers. Tests are conducted on the preservation of the cutting edge sharpness of the blades knife of homogeneous structure of steel У15А (Russian) and the layered structure of genuine Damascus steel Ds15P (Indo-Persian). Found that with little effort cut (to 4 kg) ancient Damascus steel (Ds15P) shows a greater number of cuts than the modern instrument steel У15А. With an increase, force on the cutting edge from 6 kg to 12 kg carbon Tool steel is showed a more number of cutting on the 25% than in genuine Damascus steel. The fatigue crack propagation in the true Layered structure of Damascus steel Ds15P occurs for a greater number of cycles than in a homogeneous structure of the steel У15А. The blade knife of genuine Damascus steel, in terms of fatigue reliability (survivability), has almost 2 times longer service life than the blade knife of the modern carbon tool steel type У15А. It is proved that loss in cutting ability of a genuine Damascus steel compensates increased the reliability (“survivability”) of the blade knife with fatigue loads.

Wootz: Cast Iron or Steel?

It is shown that the excess carbide phase in Wootz is of an unusual nature origin that differs from the excess phase of secondary cementite, ledeburite and primary cementite in iron-carbon alloys. It is revealed that the morphological features of excess cementite in Wootz lie in the abnormal size of excess carbides having the shape of irregular prisms. It is discovered that the faceted angular carbides are formed within the original of metastable ledeburite, so they are called “eutectic carbides”. It was found that angular eutectic carbides in the Wootz formed during long isothermal soaking at the annealing and subsequent deformation of ledeburite structures. It is revealed that carbon takes up 2.25% in Wootz (in the region of white cast iron), while none in its structure of crushed ledeburite. It is shown that the pattern of carbide heterogeneity consists entirely of angular eutectic carbides having an irregular trigonal-prismatic morphology. It is shown that Wootz (Damascus steel) is non-alloy tool steel of ledeburite class, similar with structural characteristics of die steel of ledeburite class and high-speed steel, differing from them only in the nature of excess carbide phase.

Formation of Eutectic Carbides in the Structure of High-Purity White Cast Iron in the Forging Process

It is found that the deformation of white cast iron under forging production is only possible with a minimum number of permanent impurities. The developed modes of high-temperature intermediate annealing facilitate the deformation of the forging under normal production conditions. It is shown that in the process of isothermal annealing of white cast iron begins the process of disintegration of ledeburite in the more stable eutectic carbides, providing technological plasticity for subsequent forging. The installed influence of the purity of white cast iron on the morphology of the excess carbides and their ability to divide. Studies the morphology of the excess eutectic carbides after melting, pre-annealing and after deformation forging. Discovered that after severe plastic deformation the structure of white cast iron becomes more stable, due to the appearance of eutectic carbides. It was determined that the deformed structure of white iron, because of its lack ledeburite component, was more identical with the structure of the alloy ledeburite steels. The data obtained can be used for making Damascus bladed weapons products, experiencing shock-variables loads.

Influence of Morphology Pattern of Genuine Damascus Steel on the Nature of Relief of Fracture Surfaces

It has been revealed that the structure of the transverse and longitudinal parts of the genuine Damascus knife of the XVIII century consists of troostite-carbide of the banding. The microhardness of the troostite layers is 450 HV;the carbide layers reach 950 HV. It is shown that such a banding structure in hardness will have a huge impact on the formation of a naturally patterned genuine Damascus structure. It is established that the form of the main drawings of the genuine Damascus pattern consists of separate elements of the topographic contour: hollows, hills, saddles, crosses and wavy dunes. It is shown that the damask pattern is a set of individual elements of the macrostructure alternating in a disordered form on different local areas of the surface. It is established that the destruction of genuine Damascus steels occurs under the action of two or more mechanisms, during the implementation of which traces remain on the surface of the fractures in the form of relief details of a mixed type. The mechanisms of mixed destruction are a combination of intragrain cleavage, micropore fusion and intergrain cracking. It is established that in order to implement the mechanism of separation of the main crack in the direction of the chopping blow, an optimum is required in the dispersion of troostite (61.8%) and carbide (38.2%) layers in genuine Damascus steel, the ratio of their volumes obeys the golden section rule. It is established that the damask pattern, consisting of elements of sinuous lines of a topographic contour, does not significantly affect the level of mechanical properties. This factor is a category of the quality of banding structures in genuine Damascus steel.