The long ring pommel Dao (a kind of single-edged blade), a significant indigenous Chinese weaponry innovation of the Western Han Dynasty, is researched this study. Employing a comparative research methodology, we conduct a scientific analysis of samples excavated from the tombs of marquisates across various regions of China, spanning from the northern to the southern extremities. This analysis encompasses metallographic examination, inclusion composition analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), complemented by the application of a metallurgical kinetic model to reconstruct key smelting operations. The semifinished materials of the long ring pommel Dao are sourced from two primary origins: bloomery carburized steel and cast iron-puddling joint decarburization steel (cast iron-Chaogang steel). Both pathways exhibit a predominance of FeO_x·SiO_2y oxide inclusions. Our investigation particularly emphasizes the Fe₂SiO₄ inclusions, which have a melting point of 1178℃. By leveraging the length/width ratio of Fe₂SiO₄ inclusions, we can ascertain whether the smelting process involved an all-liquid phase. Notably, the length/width ratio of Fe₂SiO₄ inclusions in the cast iron-puddling joint process exceeded 5. Additionally, our findings reveal that during the cast iron-puddling joint decarburization process, when the forging temperature falls below 880℃, the mesh-like Fe₂SiO₄ inclusions undergo fragmentation. This phenomenon provides crucial insights into the forging system of the Han Dynasty, facilitating a more detailed reconstruction of its metallurgical practices.

The study of co-fusion was one of the essential topics in the history of metallurgy in China. Simulation experiments were an essential concept in the study of the co-fusion steelmaking process. This paper mainly studied the simulation experiments of co-fusion from two aspects: the replication of co-fusion swords by three different methods and the micro-analysis of the co-fusion samples. The experimental results indicated that several co-fusion swords could be made by different processes, but the carbon content and surface hardness were quite different. During repeated forge welding, the microstructure of the samples transformed from laminated to homogenized; finally, a steel with a uniform carbon content was obtained. It was challenging to determine the characteristics of co-fusion from the homogenized samples. The results prompt a rethinking of the microstructural characteristics of ancient co-fusion artifacts.

中国近代工程史研究具有重要意义，对其一些基本理论问题还需进一步探讨。本文尝试从其学科定位、历史分期、研究对象和研究视角等几个方面提出几点思考。工程史作为科学技术史的一个分支，其研究对象涵盖工程项目、成果、资料、组织、人员和教育等多个方面。中国近代工程史的时间跨度为1861年至1949年，可划分为萌芽期、草创期、开端期和发展期四个阶段，反映了中国从农业文明向工业文明转变的过程。研究视角可从全球史、文明史和革命史，旨在从多个维度揭示中国近代工程史的发展脉络和内在逻辑。通过抢救整理工程档案资料，开展行业或区域工程史研究，最终构建全面系统的中国近代工程史，以史为鉴，为实现现代化国家建设贡献力量。

Wenzhou Alum Mine in Fanshan Town, Zhejiang Province (China), operated from the middle of the 14th century to December 2017 and, as an important centre of the Chinese alum industry for more than 600 years, witnessed both change and continuity in the development of alum mining and refining technology. Alum was produced in Wenzhou from the alunite ore mined in the territory, and included quarrying, calcining, weathering and steeping the ore to produce an impure solution, or liquor, of aluminium sulphate and potassium sulphate, which was then boiled at the appropriate temperature to form a concentration of alum. A review of the documentary evidence coupled with an archaeological survey of the mining and refining sites owned by the Wenzhou Alum Mine Company has enabled the site to be redefined as a complex production landscape by paying attention to the evidence for the evolution of technology used for producing alum.