R. Ravisankar ¹, G. Senthilkumar ², S. Kiruba ³, A. Chandrasekaran ⁴, Prince Prakash Jebakumar ⁵

Affiliations
1 PG & Research Dept. of Physics, Govt. Arts College, Tiruvanamalai-606601, TN, IN
2 Dept. of Physics, University College of Engg., Arani-632317, TN, IN
3 Dept. of Physics, St.Joseph’s College of Engg., Chennai-119, TN, IN
4 Department of Physics, Sacred Heart College, Thirupattur-635601, TN, IN
5 National Institute of Ocean Technology, Pallikaranai, Chennai -601302,TN, IN

Abstract

Qualitative analysis was carried out to determine the major and minor constituent minerals present in sediment samples collected at the coastal area of Tuna, Gujarat by FT-IR and XRD technique. From the IR absorption band or the locations of the different peaks, the minerals were identified with the available literature. In addition to the band positions, the sharpness or diffuseness of bands was helpful in the identification of mineral components. The IR study on sediment samples was highly useful in identifying the various minerals in sediments. Further, the representative sediment samples were analyzed by XRD technique to yield more information about the minerals. Both of these methods were non-destructive and can be used in the identification of mineralogical composition. These results confirmed that the applied techniques are relatively quicker and more reliable in mineral analysis.

Keywords

Sediment Samples, Mineral Analysis, FT-IR, XRD Technique

Full Text

   

R. Ravisankar ¹, S. Kiruba ², A. Chandrasekaran ³, A. Naseerutheen ⁴, M. Seran ⁵, P. D. Balaji ⁵

Affiliations
1 PG & Research Dept. of Physics, Govt. Arts College, Tiruvanamalai-606601, TN, IN
2 Dept. of Physics, St.Joseph’s College of Engineering, Chennai-119, TN, IN
3 Dept. of Physics, Sacred Heart College, Thirupattur-635601, TN, IN
4 Dept. of Physics, C.Abdul Hakeem College, Melvisharam- 632509, TN, IN
5 Dept. of Ancient History and Archeology, University of Madras, Chennai-600005, TN, IN

Abstract

Archaeological artifacts such as potteries, bricks and tiles are the source of information about the ancient civilization, their technological skills and cultural trade etc. Pottery is one of the oldest human technology and art-form that remains as a major industry even today. The potteries are made of clay minerals and kaolinte is the common mineral in pottery making. The firing temperature of ancient potteries is based primarily on changes of physical characteristics occurring when clay minerals are heated. The study of thermal transformations of the clay minerals can thus help in determining the firing temperatures of the potteries. In the present work, the estimation of firing temperature of the recently collected potteries from Melchittamur of Tamil Nadu is determined by FT-IR spectroscopic technique. The mineral composition and firing condition are inferred from the FT-IR spectrum. To estimate the upper limit of firing temperature of pottery fragments, the specimens were refried at different temperatures and the FT-IR spectrum was recorded from the samples. The interpretation of results is made from the IR characteristics absorption bands. Results are discussed and the conclusion is drawn.

Keywords

Ancient Pottery, Clay, FT-IR, Firing Temperature

Full Text

   

R. Ravisankar ¹, S. Kiruba ², A. Chandrasekaran ³, G. Senthilkumar ⁴, C. Maheswaran ⁵

Affiliations
1 Post Graduate & Research Dept. of Physics, Government Arts College, Tiruvanamalai-606601, TN, IN
2 Department of Physics, St.Joseph’s College of Engineering, Chennai-119, Tamilnadu, IN
3 Department of Physics, Sacred Heart College, Thirupattur-635601, Tamilnadu, IN
4 Department of Physics, University College of Engineering, Arani-632317, Tamilnadu, IN
5 Anthropology Section, Government Museum, Egmore, Chennai-600008,Tamilnadu, IN

Abstract

We report the spectroscopic investigation of ancient potteries excavated in Tamilnadu. Qualitative analyses were carried out to determine the major and minor constituent minerals present in the samples based on the band position or location of IR absorption peaks. From the prominent i.r. absorption peaks, the minerals were identified from the available literature. The constituents of minerals present in the potteries are further confirmed by XRD technique. Both FT-IR and XRD techniques reveals the mineral composition of ancient potteries. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) was used to determine the major, minor and trace element composition of potsherds of ancient potteries. The concentration of trace elements is helpful for the characterization of pottery produced in a given region. The combined techniques are very much useful for the characterization of potteries.

Keywords

Ancient Pottery, Mineral Analysis, FT-IR, XRD, EDXRF, Elemental Analysis

Full Text