How wootz blades were forged?

Bob A · 21st September 2019, 06:10 PM

I thought this information on production of silicon carbide was of interest.

The simplest process to manufacture silicon carbide is to combine silica sand and carbon in an Acheson graphite electric resistance furnace at a high temperature, between 1,600 °C (2,910 °F) and 2,500 °C (4,530 °F). Fine SiO2 particles in plant material (e.g. rice husks) can be converted to SiC by heating in the excess carbon from the organic material.*

Sand would obviously melt into a glass at the temperatures involved in the wootz process.

In light of above posts, I may be merely belaboring the obvious here. Nonetheless, the reference to plant material in the Wikipedia entry discussing silicon carbide was interesting.

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_carbide

21st September 2019, 06:10 PM	#11
Bob A Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 435	I thought this information on production of silicon carbide was of interest. The simplest process to manufacture silicon carbide is to combine silica sand and carbon in an Acheson graphite electric resistance furnace at a high temperature, between 1,600 °C (2,910 °F) and 2,500 °C (4,530 °F). Fine SiO2 particles in plant material (e.g. rice husks) can be converted to SiC by heating in the excess carbon from the organic material.* Sand would obviously melt into a glass at the temperatures involved in the wootz process. In light of above posts, I may be merely belaboring the obvious here. Nonetheless, the reference to plant material in the Wikipedia entry discussing silicon carbide was interesting. *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_carbide