Characterization and Joining of an Historical Ferrous Tie-Rod

ABSTRACT

A ferrous tie rod, which was retrieved from a 17^th century masonry building, has been examined. The chemical composition and the microstructure of the tie-rod are consistent with the technology of the time.

The tie-rod was successfully welded to modern steel profiles, by means of gas metal arc welding, in order to verify if this method could be applied for restoration works. Threading tests were also successfully performed, for the same purpose.

Both the original tie-rod, and the welded specimens were thoroughly characterized with both metallurgical and mechanical methods; moreover, full-scale tensile tests were performed on both welded and threaded samples.

KEYWORDS:

• 17^th century
• historical metallurgy
• tie-rods
• wrought iron
• weldability

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

¹ The chemical composition measurements were done on a deformed specimen.