Earticle

Seaweed extracts, namely carrageenan obtained from Grateloupia elliptica and algin obtained from Laminaria, were employed as adhesive agents to synthesize solid adhesives for paper. Carrageenan from Grateloupia elliptica with the highest adhesive strength and lgin from Laminaria with the highest compressive strength was selected. The selected carrageenan and algin were mixed in a ratio of 7:3, and the mixture was employed as an adhesive agent. At a high temperature, sodium stearate(used as a solidifying material) oxidized the seaweed extracts. Consequently, carrageenan and algin were added to the final manufacturing process. The adhesive strength of the final synthesized solid adhesive is found to be 3.02 MPa and the compressive strength is found to be 30.5 N. Compared to the adhesive strength (2.95 MPa) and compressive strength (30.11 N) of commercial solid adhesives, the obtained results indicate superior adhesion characteristics. Furthermore, the proposed adhesive is environment-friendly because the presence of volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, and heavy metals(such as chromium, lead, and cadmium) were not detected. Moreover, when used, the flatness of paper was twice that of commercial solid paper adhesives. Hence, the proposed adhesive can provide excellent adhesion, stability, and usability.

The stone lantern of the Damyang Gaeseonsaji temple site is a cultural heritage built during the Unified Silla period (AD 868). The reason for its value as a cultural property is due to wittern the background and the period created on inscription of the lamp stone engraved by letters. The stone lantern consists of two types of lithic tuffs for the 23 original properties, the replaced stones in 1991, and the biotite granite for its ground stones replaced in 2005. The lithic tuffs selected as the replacement parts in 1991 and 2017 have been examined and got to properties of hardly exposure moisture as well as very similar geochemical characteristics. There were various types of physical deterioration of the stone properties and structural cracks; in particular, on the northern side of the stylobates. Chemical and biological deterioration can be identified as black, white, and brown discolorations as well as by the presence of lichens, bryophytes, and herbaceous plants. In the evaluation of the physical properties of the stone lantern, the mean and maximum ultrasonic velocities were found to be similar in each direction. However, the lowest velocity on the east and south sides were found to be lower than those of other stone properties. It was found that physical damage to the stylobates resulted from water expansion in a freeze-to-thaw phenomena related to water content. Therefore, dismantling repair was carried out in the protection facility to restrict further water supply to the stone as much as possible.

In the process of the conservation treatment of the glass eyes of the stone standing Maitreya of Daejosa temple, Buyeo (Treasure No. 217), a blackish material, expected to be the adhesive for fixing the glass eyes, was collected and analyzed. Infrared spectroscopy and pyrolysis/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (pyrolysis/GC/MS) were employed to identify the organic material in the sample. The IR analysis revealed the presence of materials such as apatite or bone black. The pyrogram of the sample was similar to that of Asian lacquer, among traditional adhesives. In particular, the pyrolysis/GC/MS analysis with online methylation detected 1,2-dimethoxy-3-pentadecylbenzene, methyl 7-(2,3- dimethoxyphenyl) heptanoate, and methyl 8-(2,3-dimethoxyphenyl)octanoate. These are known to be the pyrolysis products of catechol and its oxidation product, which indicated the presence of Asian lacquer in the sample. X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, and thermal gravimetry analysis showed that the sample contained ca. 60% inorganic substances, including apatite. Radiocarbon dating of the sample suggested that the blackish material was applied between the late 13th and early 15th century, revealing some discrepancy with the art–historical manufacturing time of the Maitreya. From the above analysis, it was concluded that Asian lacquer and bone ash were used to attach the glass eyes by forming a thick blackish lacquer layer.

This study intends to identify manufacturing techniques, including casting and alloy composition, of nine metal Buddha statues excavated from archaeological sites in Bagan, Myanmar. Two Buddha statues from Pyu city state(2nd to 9th century) contain Cu-Sn alloy(including <1 wt% Fe), with different relatively high percentages of Sn(16 wt% and 25 wt%) identified from each Buddha statue, and no Pb detected. Five Buddha statues from the Bagan dynasty contain various alloy ratios of Cu-Sn(including <1 wt% Pb), Cu-Sn-Pb, and Cu-Sn-Zn-Pb. All Buddha statues appear to be fabricated by casting, as there is no evidence of other heat treatments. The silver Buddha statue manufactured in the 18th century includes >1% Cu besides silver with no additional metallic components identified. The bronze Buddha statue manufactured in the Konbaung dynasty(18th century) is of Cu-Sn-Pb alloy. The Buddha statues of Pyu was alloy of Cu-Sn without Pb including ahigh percentage of The Buddha statues of both the Bagan and Konbaung dynasties are comprised of ternary Cu-Sn-Pb alloys, with a heterogeneous distribution of lead and tin. Some of Buddha statues of the Bagan dynasty have similar alloy ratios as those of Pyu, suggesting that similar manufacturing techniques were used.

Slag was collected from the iron-producing furnace site in Saengsoegol, Baegun mountain, where iron was manufactured by a righteous army against Japan in the Gwangyang region; then, the iron-manufacturing technique of the early modern period was investigated through scientific analysis. In the microstructure analysis results of the selected samples, iron bloom was mainly observed together with magnetite and fayalite. In the component analysis results of the compounds, it was confirmed that the furnace was built by using gangue of alkali feldspar or plagioclase series, and the ironmaking work was performed at a high temperature of at least 1050°C, because mullite was identified together with cristobalite and hercynite. Based on the chemical composition, it was speculated that low-grade iron ores were used as raw materials, and it seemed that the yield was low, because the total Fe content of the smelting slag samples was 37.72-49.93%. It was difficult to confirm whether a slag former was used, and it seemed that materials easily obtained nearby were used when the furnace was built, without considering the corrosion resistance. It appeared that the ironmaking work was performed at the Gwangyang Saengsoegol iron-producing furnace based on the direct ironmaking method in an environment that could escape the vigilance of the Japanese Empire to produce weapons that would be used for the resistance against Japan. It seemed that there was neither an advanced ironware production system nor a mass production system, and small-scale works were performed in short periods of time.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the material characteristics of black wares excavated from Yongyeon-ri, Damyang and to clarify the correlation of the factors that develop black coulor compared with black wares excavated from other regions. As a results of absorption rate, colour coordinate, compositional mineral, section analysis and contents showed high correlation between the kilns and the waste dumplings, indicating that they were made using the same materials. Second, comparing the microtextures and contents of the glaze layer with the excavated sherds from other kilns, a characteristic coagulation phenomena of iron oxides were not observed in Yongyeon-ri and Gilmyeong-ri, and it was considered that the material, mixing ratio, and firing environment were different from those of Bonggok-dong. In addition, statistical analysis using the major components revealed that the bodies of Yongyeon-ri were highly correlated with those of Bonggok-dong, which is nearest to the region, and similar to Gilmyeong-ri in the glaze layer. The characteristics of colorant were different depending on Fe2O3 content and K2O content also contributed to the classification of the composition of each excavated kiln. Conclusionally, it can be seen from the scientific analysis that the colour of black wares excluded from different regions is materially different from that of iron oxide, the coloring condition, and the firing environment.

This study demonstrates the application of hyperspectral analysis as a pigment identification method for modern and contemporary Dancheong, the polychrome surface on traditional Korean wooden buildings. In particular, green pigments are the focus of this study. Green pigments in modern and contemporary Dancheong have the largest variation of materials and show a noticeable timeline. Thus, they are most suitable for estimating the manufacture or restoration period of Dancheong. Hyperspectral analysis is a noncontact, long-distance measurement technique that has advantages in the field of Dancheong analysis. It is capable of identifying both organic and inorganic pigments, unlike existing analysis methods. For this experiment, green and other pigments used during the modern and contemporary era were selected and made into painted samples under various mixing conditions that reflect their actual uses. Through hyperspectral analysis, their reflectance characteristics were observed, which enables the derivation of four main features that can distinguish the type of pigments used for color mixture. Based on these, a pigment identification system was designed in the form of a flowchart, and its utility was confirmed through site application. Despite some limitations at this stage, the technique can be complemented by considering proper measurement methods or the continuous accumulation of samples and data. If a database on various materials, mixing ratios, painting techniques, and other external interference factors is developed in future research, it would provide the foundation for a faster and safer analysis environment of Dancheong sites.

Animal glue has been used as a binder in Dancheong since the Joseon dynasty. Binders play an important role in determining the physical characteristics of a painting layer. The analysis of binders can be used to identify the materials and techniques used in traditional Dancheong. Binders can be investigated using physicochemical component analyses methods such as gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry, pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, but the detection characteristics vary depending on the degradation properties of the pigment and binder. Therefore, cross-validation using a combination of physicochemical analysis and enzyme immunoassay is used to increase the reliability of the results. In this study, we present an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as an example of an enzyme immunoassay as a method for analyzing animal glue, a traditional binder used in Korea. The applicability of ELISA was tested using commercial animal glue, in addition to animal glue produced using a variety of extraction conditions. The animal glue was analyzed in a Noerok-additionally coated-replica sample to evaluate the possibility of analyzing the animal glue in a paint layer mixed with pigment. Based on the results, we performed an assay on the use of animal glue in the Dancheong sample of the temples of the Joseon dynasty, that are estimated to have been built in the 17th century.

We characterized the smelting process and smelting furnace through scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy, wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, and raman micro-spectroscopy with 13 relics including slags and furnace walls excavated from square-shaped building sites and pits of the Three Kingdoms site at the Ungyo site section I. Our results revealed that the principal components were FeO and SiO2; and CuO, PbO, and ZnO were contained in small quantities. Furthermore, fayalite, magnetite, augite, copper, and cuprite were found. High contents of FeO or SiO2 components seem to have been added to form fayalite to remove gangue in the smelting process. The relatively low content of S detected in the copper prills suggests that roasting was performed well. Cristobalite and mullite, which are minerals that indicate high-temperature found in the furnace wall, show that the smelting temperature was higher than 1,250°C. The findings of this study show a high possibility that the Wanju Ungyo site is smelting remains of copper ores, which are nonferrous metals, rather than iron. Various smelting byproducts excavated in this area in the future will help us better understand the copper smelting process that may have been performed since ancient times.