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Damascus and pattern-welded steels
Forging blades since the iron age
Steels are a class of materials with multiple and complicated transformations ; this is true even for steels
of the basic cutlery industry. A damascus steel is a fascinating subject to study, rich in multiple facets, that
appears in a first approach as a composite material artistically exploited.
Damacus steel was developed in the first millennium AD in India or Sri-Lanka. Its reputation is related
to its exceptional properties and to the moire pattern. A similar damask pattern could be obtained by
forge-welding giving rise to controversies. Recent findings allow a better understanding of this pattern
formation.
This book présents firstly, observations of ancient blade samples examined with modem technologies
such as electron microscopy. The features of many typical swords from different periods are discussed :
Celtic, Merovingian, Viking and oriental wootz swords, Persian shamshirs, Japanese katana, rapiers etc. In
the second part, microstructural observations at different levels of magnification are displayed and their
interpretation is discussed in detail, thus revealing the secret of sophisticated forgings. One chapter is
devoted to introducing the main transformations undergone by these steels during the forging processes.
The book is intended for all those people interested in the history of science and more specifically to the
metallurgists, to the archaeologists and all the researchers confronted with the problems of the expertise
of the vestiges, to the blacksmiths, and to the collectors of valuable artistic blades.
