Plano-convex ingot problematic in the case of the stamped examples as this would require the furnace to be dismantled or else have a short shaft to allow access for stamping (Merkel 1986, Tylecote 1986, 22.) As a solution the furnace could have been tapped into a mould at the completion of smelting. It is possible that both methods were used as several of the ingots seem to have had additional metal poured onto the top in order to allow stamping (Tylecote 1986, 23-4.) Plano-convex ingot Plano-convex ingots are lumps of metal with a flat or slightly concave top and a convex base.
Compound refractive lens Compound refractive lens A Compound refractive lens (CRL) is a series of individual lenses arranged in a linear array in order to achieve focusing of X-rays in the energy range of 5-40 keV. They are an alternative to the KB mirror. For all materials the refractive index for X-rays is close to 1, hence a single conventional lens for X-rays has an extremely long focal length (for practical lens sizes). In addition, X-rays attenuate as they pass through a material so that conventional lenses for X-rays have long been considered impractical. The CRL gets its reasonably short focal length, on