Science. 1984 Feb 10;223(4636):585-6. doi: 10.1126/science.223.4636.585.
The decorative bronze handle of a tumi excavated at the Inca city of Machu Picchu, Peru, contains 18 percent bismuth and appears to be the first known example of the use of bismuth with tin to make bronze. The alloy is not embrittled by the bismuth because the bismuth-rich constituent does not penetrate the grain boundaries of the matrix phase. The use of bismuth facilitates the duplex casting process by which the tumi was made and forms an alloy of unusual color.
在秘鲁马丘比丘印加古城挖掘出的图米(tumi)上,装饰性的青铜手柄含有 18%的铋,似乎是已知的第一个使用铋与锡制造青铜的例子。由于富铋成分没有穿透基体相的晶界,因此该合金不会因铋而变脆。铋的使用有助于tum i 的双相铸造过程,并形成一种具有独特颜色的合金。