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#1 2015-02-08 14:41:46
- Terraformer
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- From: The Fortunate Isles
- Registered: 2007-08-27
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Rearden's secret formula revealed!
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technol … -titanium/
What *are* the potential applications?
Last edited by Terraformer (2015-02-09 05:15:45)
Use what is abundant and build to last
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#2 2015-02-09 09:22:38
- GW Johnson
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- From: McGregor, Texas USA
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Re: Rearden's secret formula revealed!
What that article really says is that they solved a fundamental science problem with adding aluminum to a steel melt (controlling where the iron-aluminum mix crystals form). What they have not yet done is solve the other practical problems with a new material. In fact, the article only identifies one such practical problem: some way to prevent the contamination that ruins the properties. They have no solution yet for this.
And, you can bet there will be a whole host of other practical problems, apparently yet to be identified. There always has been a plethora of practical problems with new materials, so there always will be. Things like how does it respond to heat? How does it respond to repeated loads? Does it change properties with time and / or low heat? Is it heat-treatable for properties control, or not? Is it hot- or cold-workable for properties control, or not? How does it respond to extreme cold?
Don't look for this stuff in Mil Handbook 5 any time soon. There's an enormous amount of work to do yet.
GW
GW Johnson
McGregor, Texas
"There is nothing as expensive as a dead crew, especially one dead from a bad management decision"
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#3 2015-02-09 11:36:32
- SpaceNut
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Re: Rearden's secret formula revealed!
Brittle to bending sure is not what we would want but sometimes when a material is reheated to temper or make it hardend we and up with other properties that we would not expect.
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#4 2015-02-10 09:26:05
- GW Johnson
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- From: McGregor, Texas USA
- Registered: 2011-12-04
- Posts: 5,800
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Re: Rearden's secret formula revealed!
My point is that none of that is yet known, and must be explored thoroughly, before lives and fortunes get bet on this stuff. Promising as it seems to be.
Recent history: the beta-phase formable titanium alloys ultimately did not pan out well. Turns out they age at room temperature. Not so very useful after all.
GW
GW Johnson
McGregor, Texas
"There is nothing as expensive as a dead crew, especially one dead from a bad management decision"
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