Understanding and Recreation of a 4500 Year Old Reconstituted Limestone

吉萨大金字塔是如何建造的一直是一个永恒的谜。20世纪80年代中期，一位法国科学家提出，金字塔的积木是用石灰石骨料和水泥状粘结剂浇筑而成的。2006年，巴苏姆等人提出。发表了一篇论文，提出了一些金字塔块被铸造的证据。在这笔赠款中，巴苏姆？S教授的团队将检查更多的金字塔样本，以获得进一步的证据，证明它们是铸造的，包括使用碳测年等技术。随后，一些关于逆向工程技术的讨论和工作将开始，并探索其在当今世界的潜力？S世界。这项工作对社会的影响确实是多方面的和普遍的。首先，它可能会重写历史书籍，对埃及考古学家、考古学家以及修复用这种技术制作的古埃及文物具有根本重要性。这可能会将混凝土发明的日期推后。从长远来看，建造负担得起、耐用的房屋和避难所是可能的，这些房屋和庇护所在美学上与天然石灰岩没有什么区别。与波特兰水泥混凝土相比，这样的重组石灰石释放的二氧化碳大约减少了80%-90%。为了了解金字塔石灰岩是如何形成的，我们将研究一些金字塔石灰岩的微观结构。此外，他们将对这些材料进行碳测年(I)以检验一些关键的金字塔结构本质上是人工合成的假设，以及(Ii)为金字塔的建造提供一个独立的日期。该项目的第二个方面是根据通过合作从表征中了解到的信息，对这种石灰岩进行反向工程。长期目标是开发一种低技术、低能源、从而低二氧化碳的建筑材料，用于第三世界，也可能是发达国家。在外展和教育方面，德雷克塞尔大学的学生将建造一个按比例缩小的金字塔(底座约10米乘10米)，并将其记录在案。据信金字塔是如何建造的三维动画将通过几种方式生成并广泛传播，包括网络(例如，U型管)。

NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTIONHow the Great Pyramids of Giza were built has remained an enduring mystery. In the mid-Eighties a French scientist proposed that blocks of the pyramids were cast in place using limestone aggregate and a cement-like binder. In 2006, Barsoum et al. published a paper presenting evidence that some pyramid blocks were cast. In this grant, Prof. Barsoum?s group will examine more pyramid samples to obtain further evidence that they were cast, including using techniques such as C-dating. Subsequently some discussions and work on reverse-engineering the technology and exploring its potential for today?s world will begin. The impact of this work on society is truly multifaceted and universal. For one it may be possible to rewrite the history books and be of fundamental importance to Egyptologists, archeologists and to the restoration of ancient Egyptian antiquities made with that technology. It could push the date of the invention of concrete back. In the long run, it may be possible to build affordable and durable homes and shelters that are esthetically indistinguishable from natural limestone. Reconstituted limestone such as this would release roughly 80-90 % less CO2 than Portland cement-based concrete. TECHNICAL DETAILSThe microstructure of some pyramid limestones will be studied in order to understand how they were formed. Furthermore, they will carbon date these materials (i) to test the hypothesis that some of the key pyramidal structures are synthetic in nature, and (ii) to supply an independent date for the building of the pyramids. A second aspect of the project is to reverse-engineer this limestone based on what is learned from the characterization through collaborations. The long-term goal is to develop a low technology, low energy and thus low CO2, building material for the third world and possibly the developed world. In terms of outreach and education, a scaled down pyramid (with ~10 m by ~10 m base) is to be built by students at Drexel University and documented. Three-dimensional animations of how the pyramids are believed to have been built will be generated and widely disseminated via several means, including the web (e.g., U-tube).