Gerry McDonnell Archaeometallurgy
Home.
Consultancy.
Metallurgy.
Research.
Publications.
Issues.
About.
Contact.

Megabyte © Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

Home.Consultancy.Metallurgy.Research.Publications.Issues.About.Contact.

Factor 3

The most influential factor is corrosion.  Due to the limited penetration depth of the primary and secondary x-ray signal, the signal reaching the detector from a corroded archaeological sample is a combination of the corrosion layer and the metal matrix, depending on corrosion thickness.

Interpreting Archaeological XRF Data  2

Factor 4  Surface Treatment

 

The surface of a copper alloy artefact may be altered e.g. By surface enrichment, dipping or plating, surface depletion.  The commonest is dipping, e.g. applying a silver or tin surface to an artefact to change its visual appearance.  Due to depth penetration of the primary and secondary beams the thickness of the surface layer will make a contribution to the detected signal.