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skywizard
6th February 2015, 16:49
http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/blogs/dnews-files-2015-02-steel-alloy-150204-670-jpg.jpg
Annealed microstructure of high-specific-strength steel (HSSS). Fine FeAl-type B2 precipitates form
during annealing in between the B2 stringer bands in steel matrix. The specimen was annealed for
15 min at 900 C.


Big news from the metallurgy desk this week: It looks like steel is about to get a lot steelier.

According to a report published today in the prestigious journal Nature, researchers in South Korea have developed a new recipe for making a high-strength, low-density steel alloy that can outperform titanium in terms of strength and ductility.

In materials science, ductility is a measure of a substance’s ability to be stretched or bent without breaking. It’s a big deal in manufacturing — particularly auto manufacturing — because steel alloys designed to make the metal lighter usually result in a more brittle metal.

As a result, manufacturers looking to make lighter cars have turned to alternative materials. In statistics cited in the Nature report, the share by weight of steel and iron in an average light vehicle decreased from 68.1 percent in 1995 to 60.1 percent in 2011.

But the new steel alloy proposed by the South Korean team actually strengthens the steel in the same fabrication process that makes it lighter and more flexible. The specifics get pretty complicated, but the recipe essentially improves on existing steel-aluminum alloying processes.

As such, deployment of the new technique could be rapid and the breakthrough could have wide-reaching implications in manufacturing, construction and engineering.

“The balance of lightness, strength and ductility in metallic alloys has been explored since the Bronze Age,” the research team writes in the Nature report. “There is increasing demand for a broad range of structural materials for environmentally benign, energy-efficient, lightweight engineering systems.”



Source: http://news.discovery.com/tech/new-steel-alloy-stronger-than-titanium-150204.htm



peace...

Shezbeth
6th February 2015, 18:19
Oh, this is HUGE. Thank you for posting this Sky! I can't find any information as to the thermal properties, resilience, etc. of the material nor references to the cost and difficulty of production, but I doubt this will be the last that is heard about it.

This could be a new step toward not just lighter cars, but lighter and more portable digital devices, appliances, industrial machines, inter-stellar craft (though I hear there is way better we're not supposed to know about ^_~),... just about anything that could stand to be stronger yet lighter (which is,... well,... most fabricated things ^_~).

The engineer in me is excited by the incredible number of possible applications, and the ninja in me wonders if this means for better swords!

Spiral
6th February 2015, 18:56
Bicycles is a big potential market for this, hard to imagine if you live in a non cycling country I know ;)

Verum
7th February 2015, 16:07
Thank you ET for this !!

Tonz
7th February 2015, 22:35
Thank you ET for this !!

:ttr:

NANUXII
8th February 2015, 16:19
this is a silly venture IMO

carbon fibre is a far better solution to making stronger and lighter weight subframes , with polycarbonate panels which can bend and snap back onto place if you bump into an object while parking for example.

cars are so backwards in terms of tech and design .. anything new and ground breaking is suporessed, like the Tesla..

my reason for saying its a silly venture is the panels of a car should create a crumple zone for impacts .. stronger alloys may transfer more shock to the inhabitants of the capsule.

then you would have the added expense of repairing or replacing these panels etc .. or maybe im assuming too much .. i dont know ..

N