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#1 | |
Member
Join Date: Oct 2022
Location: Romania
Posts: 314
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Of course, other elements prezent in the atmosphere can theoretically be dissolved in the steel, while molten, maybe even radioactive isotopes resulting from man's nuclear activities. But the amounts would be extremely small (I would think much less than 0.001% by mass). If the radioactivity levels are high enough to be detected, and the isotopes haven't all decayed yet, then I really don't see a problem with this method of dating steels, provided that some old steels were not made from iron ore rich in radioactive isotopes that would give false readings. |
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#2 |
Member
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: Bristol
Posts: 122
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Not my field but air is used (drawn in for Bessamer process steel or processed air used for more modern steelmaking) and that will contain minute traces of radionucliedes.
This is a reason that sunken pre WW2 era ships are especially attractive, apart from the obvious scrap value. Known as 'low background steel'. Parts of the scuttled WW1 German fleet at Scapa Flow has been used for this. It's useful for tools that need to sense minute traces of radioactive material and for MRI scanners. |
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#3 |
Arms Historian
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Route 66
Posts: 10,281
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This is all fascinating, however I think the original premise here had to do with 'all' ? post WWII steel having minute presence of radioactivity due to circulating radioactive material from testing of A bombs.
The suggestion was that this radioactivity remained airborne and would be absorbed in the processing of steel so by testing sword blades it could be determined if they were indeed antique or modern reproduction. It is understandable that radioactivity is naturally present not only obviously in uranium or certain other minerals in degree, but here the idea remains that contamination could come from trace radiation in the air. |
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