Basic Structure of Passive Layers of Cu-Sn Alloys Applied to Patinas of Archaeological Bronzes

Luc Robbiola (1) , C. Fiaud (2)

1 TRACES - Travaux et recherches archéologiques sur les cultures, les espaces et les sociétés
2 ENSCP - Laboratoire de Génie des Procédés Plasmas et Traitement de Surface

The passive bronze corrosion structures have been characterized on numerous single-phase archaeological bronzes from Late to Early Bronze Age period (1500-900 BC), from metallographical examinations of cross-sections of artifacts. This paper focuses on the microstructure and the elementary composition of the passive patinas by SEM and EDX analysis (ultrathin window). A basic structure of the protective patinas is first described, then, deviations to the standard model are given. This model of passive structure and its deviations well agree with observations of archaeological bronzes.

Mots clés: corrosion; structure; model; discrepancy; tin bronze

Domaines: Matériaux

Luc Robbiola, C. Fiaud. Basic Structure of Passive Layers of Cu-Sn Alloys Applied to Patinas of Archaeological Bronzes. International Conference on Electron Microscopy - ICEM 13 - PARIS, Jul 1994, Paris, France. pp.1261-1262. ⟨hal-00975714⟩