Damage assessment of archaeological transport vessels
Anno Hein and Vassilis Kilikoglou Institute for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
N.C.S.R. “Demokritos“
06/2016 [email protected]
Transport containers of the ancient world Transport amphorae present standardised volumes and shapes (specific for production place and particular content). They had to withstand considerable mechanical loads and stresses during use.
Transport containers
06/2016 [email protected]
The transport amphora
The primary functions of an amphora were: • Steady containment of the commodity
during trade, transport and consumption • Appropriate use of space in storing places
• Feasibility to lift and move the container
and its content usually by one person
• External representation of the content (type of commodity and region of origin)
The transport amphora as design problem
06/2016 [email protected]
The transport amphora
The transport amphora as design problem
Material properties Vessel design
06/2016 [email protected]
Modeling of the mechanical tests
sphere
cylinder
ceramic disk
Model design
06/2016 [email protected]
Modeling of the mechanical tests
c. 1.2 mm
Development of the contact area
c. 0.8 mm
c. 0.7 mm
06/2016 [email protected]
Modeling of the mechanical tests
0
200
400
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800
1000
1200
1400
0.00E+00 5.00E-05 1.00E-04 1.50E-04 2.00E-04 2.50E-040
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
0.00E+00 5.00E-05 1.00E-04 1.50E-04 2.00E-04 2.50E-040
200
400
600
800
1000
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1400
0.00E+00 5.00E-05 1.00E-04 1.50E-04 2.00E-04 2.50E-04
Displacement of the steel sphere
load
in N
displacement in m
Young’s modulus 12 GPa 15 GPa 18 GPa
There is still some discrepancy between model and experiment.
06/2016 [email protected]
Summary
Amphorae were the most common transport containers for a large variety of commodities in antiquity. Failure of the amphora resulted usually in loss of the content. FEM allows for assessing the mechanical behavior of different amphora types under load. Furthermore, evidence of failure, i.e. observed amphora damages, can be interpreted and reconstructed. Differences of mechanical behavior can be investigated in terms of improvement of design, technology transfer and strategies for design solutions.