La presente tesis pretende dar a conocer las técnicas usadas en el proceso de conformación de los objetos realizados en aleaciones base cobre, usando para ello, técnicas metalográficas; y además investigar los posibles minerales empleados en la producción de sus materiales. Realizando para esto, el análisis mineralógico de las menas de minerales metálicos existentes en la región, y que pudieron ser utilizados por los antiguos pobladores de la cultura Vicús. Finalmente, se dan las conclusiones y se aportan sugerencias que podrían ser útiles en investigaciones posteriores sobre metalurgia arqueológica.

In this work we report the characterization of a sample of steel 1045 subjected to the thermal treatment of  quenching in water and quenching and tempering. The sample was made available by the Bholer,Company, Peru. Taking as reference the results of this characterization, the phase transformations that take place when a sample is subjected to the above mentioned treatments, are studied. The applied techniques were optical microscopy, dispersive Mössbauer spectroscopy and X ray fluorescence . The images by optical microscopy of the sample in its as received state, as “acero-ST”, reveals the presence of ferrite and perlite. The image of the sample quenched in water identified as ‘acero-agua’ reveals the presence of martensite; and the sample in the quenching and tempering state, denominated “acero –agua R” reveals the presence of the denominated tempered martensite. In add...