Wootz steel

Wootz is a steel alloy making technique, developed in India around 300 AD (although some say as early as 200 BC). The word wootz may have been a mistranscription of wook, an anglicised version of ukku, the word for steel in many south Indian languages.

Related Topics:
Steel - Alloy - India - 300 - 200 BC

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Wootz, a kind of crucible steel, may be produced by placing a mixture of wrought iron or iron ore and charcoal in a crucible with glass, which is then sealed and heated in a furnace with a number of other crucibles. After some time the result is a mixture of impurities mixed with glass floating on the surface, and "buttons" of steel. The buttons (with a typical carbon content of 1.5%) were separated from the slag and poured into 2 kg ingots.

Related Topics:
Crucible steel - Wrought iron - Iron ore - Charcoal - Crucible - Glass - Furnace - Carbon - Slag - Kg - Ingot

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Wootz steel was widely exported throughout the region, and became particularly famous in the Middle East, where it became known as Damascus steel. The critical characteristic of wootz steel is abundant ultrahard metallic carbides in the steel matrix precipitating out in bands, making wootz steel display a characteristic banding on its surface which is superficially similar to the layering created in pattern welded steel. Wootz swords were renowned for their sharpness and toughness.

Related Topics:
Middle East - Damascus steel - Carbide - Pattern welded - Toughness

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