Measurement of transient thickness between the body and graze layers of ancient porcelains using microprobe EDXRF technique

O657.34%K876.3; The oxide contents of TiO2, MnO, SrO and Fe2O3 in the body and graze layers of the Jiao-Tan-Xia (JTX) and Lao-Hu-Dong (LHD) porcelains in Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279 A.D.) have been determined using an International Eagle-Ⅱμ-probe EDXRF spectrometer. The results show that the contents in the body are much different from those in the graze one. Therefore, the transient thickness (TT) between the body and graze layers can be measured through determination of a distance of the drift change in the chemical contents. The TT average for the JTX porcelains is 161μm, while that for the LHD porcelains is 258μm, which are consistent with a range of 0.15-0.3mm in the Ru-Yao porcelains. The different TT is related to the variances in firing temperature and raw material for manufacturing the respective porcelains.