Search

This work deals with the development of metalurgy in the world whose beginnings date 7 000 years B.C. On the teritory of today s Croatia metalurgy has been present for 6000 years. Three civilizations have left evidence the Celtic, the Roman and civilization of Vučedol. After the arrival of the Cratis to this teritory, metalurgy developed more intensively in the region of Sisak and Banovina as well as Samobor and Gorski Kotar. Bells and guns were cast in Dubravnik and Zagreb. The industrial production starte din 1853 (Foundry in Rijeka), production of ferroalloys, Šibenik 1900 y, also Dugi Rat 1906 y, and in 1937 the production of aluminium and Al – alloys in Lozovac (continuo by 1905) as with the construction of the blast furnace in Caprag in 1939. In the period after 1945 until 1990, Croatia had several metallurgical companies and acceptable production coke, iron, steel, fero-alloys, electrodes, casting, reinforced concrete steel, seamless and welded tubes, strips, billets, aluminium etc. Total production in Croatia in 1990 was ~ 3 000 000 tons of various metallurgical products (without castings). Per year in 1990 until 2012 plants of over 2 600 000 t of metallurgical per year were torn down or put out of operations. Total metallurgical production in Croatia in was 2011 y 248 910 tons i.e. level 8,3 % (comparison with the production in 1990 y), what is significant of the destruction of Croatia metallurgy for 22 years. The Article give also several press notices to the public information by members of the Croatian Metallurgicall Society and Apprentices in order to sustain and revitalize of the Croatian metalurgy (supplements). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bronze kettle dating from the 1st to 2nd century was found in a riverbed of the Kupa river in Croatia. After excavation it spent another 50 years in a depot of a museum in atmospheric conditions prior to starting the conservation treatment and our studies. A study on the surface layers development was performed to determine the whereabouts of the object through its history. This study is a demonstration of how such analysis can be used to reconstruct what the object went through during its life span. Samples taken from the kettle were observed by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and analysed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It was determined that the kettle is made of low-tin bronze, with low amounts of iron, aluminium, calcium and nickel. While being in the riverbed malachite formed on the kettle. After longer exposure to the river Si-oxides and CaCO3 formed on the surface of the kettle, over malachite. It was shown that the kettle probably had a ferrous alloy handle which degraded and disappeared in time. After excavation, the kettle came again in an oxygen-enriched atmosphere and formed new surface layers over the malachite layer. As the museum the kettle has been kept in since excavation is set in a highly industrial area sulphur compounds have been formed on the surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beginnings of the world metallurgy date back to the 7000 years B.C. On the territory of today's Croatia, metallurgy has been present for 6000 years. Three civilizations have left the evidence of this: Vucedol, Celtic, and Roman civilization. After the arrival of the Croats, metallurgy has been more intensively present in the Sisak-Banovina and Samobor regions, as well as Gorski Kotar region. Casting of bells (and cannons) was developed in Dubrovnik and Zagreb. The industrial production start date was in 1853 (Foundry in Rijeka), in 1937 (the production of aluminium and Al-alloys in Lozovac) as well as in 1939 with the construction of the blast furnace in Caprag. In the period after 1945, until 1990, Croatia had several metallurgical companies and acceptable production of coke, iron, steel, ferroalloys, electrodes, casting, reinforced concrete steel, seamless and welded tubes, strips, billets, aluminium, etc. In 1990, total production of various metallurgical products in Croatia was 2.670.000 tons of which up to 2.000.000 t/y came from Steelworks Sisak. From 1990 to 2012, over 2.600,00 t/g of metallurgical products were demolished or discontinued, which represented the collapse of Croatian metallurgy. The paper cites more important publications on the Steelworks Sisak, which was a long-standing carrier of metallurgical production in Croatia. There is also a review of the last published Proceedings of the Sisak Ironworks (2019). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]