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Domain: tms.org

Stories and comments across the archive that link to tms.org.

Comments · 58

  1. Re:Just use micro-aligned crystals... by Kinchie · · Score: 1 · on Recreating The Lost Art Of Damascus Steel
    Well , the alignment of the crystals in the folded part of a Japanese sword confers hardness. Let's not forget that the wonderful folded part encases a soft steel core. It is precisely the combination of the harder folded steel with the soft steel spine that results in strength. Obviously the keenness results in the quality of the tempered steel--which in Japanese sword-smithing is the area from the hamon (temper line) to the edge. This is the only tempered part of the blade.

    According to this article (http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/9809/Verhoev en-9809.html), the light bands produced in the Wootz Damascus are pretty much equivalent to in composition to the hamon (perlite and cementite). The crystalline structure of the perlite and cementite in hamons does vary--I have no idea how the crystalline structure in the Wootz bands compares.

    Basically then the Damscene steel creates pockets of tempered steel within a non-tempered matrix. A different way of achieving the combination of hardness and flexibility that provides strength.

    Pretty cool...

  2. Re:Better article by SnicklesTheElf · · Score: 1 · on Recreating The Lost Art Of Damascus Steel
    Quick note, the link should lack that space b/w the "Verhoeve" and "n-9809.html." For the lazy, click HERE

  3. Impurities in Ancient Damascus Steel Blades by ehackathorn · · Score: 2, Informative · on Recreating The Lost Art Of Damascus Steel
    More information can be found here:

    The Key Role of Impurities in Ancient Damascus Steel Blades

  4. Another interesting article here: by Anonymous+DWord · · Score: 2, Informative · on Recreating The Lost Art Of Damascus Steel

    The Key Role of Impurities in Ancient Damascus Steel Blades (1998):
    http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/9809/Verhoeve n-9809.html
    It has some nice pictures too, if you don't know what Damascus Steel looks like.

    http://www.miaminiceknife.com/pictures_1.htm also has some good shots.

    http://home.earthlink.net/~glennwood/swordmyths.ht m dispells some of the most common myths surrounding swords, including the scarf slicing one.

  5. Already published in 98 by pausz · · Score: 1 · on Recreating The Lost Art Of Damascus Steel
    Verhoeven and Pendray already published this work in 1998, in JOM.

    Check out the following link. It also has some images of their reconstructed sword blades: http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/9809/Verhoeve n-9809.html

  6. Read Their Paper by robbyjo · · Score: 1 · on Recreating The Lost Art Of Damascus Steel

    If you are interested, you can read Verhoeven's paper here. Apparently, it was published in 1998!

  7. Prior Art by CmdrT4c0 · · Score: 1 · on E-Bay Patents Thumbnail Galleries
    I found an interesting web page here which discusses what qualifies as prior art for patents. Based upon quotes like this it seems that eBay is definately going to be fighting an uphill battle:

    First, a person is not entitled to a patent if the invention was "known or used by others in this country, or was patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country" before the date of invention by the applicant for the patent.

    Of course, given the Patent Office's willingness to grant silly patents to other Internet companies, who can say what'll happen with this.

  8. Re:Nuclear Waste by Tau+Zero · · Score: 2 · on Toxic-Waste Consuming Bacteria
    What comes out of a reactor has less available energy in it than before, but it's dumping it really fast. Think of the difference between a candle flame and a bonfire; the power output of the bonfire makes it dangerous to be up close to it. You could burn the same mass of candles one at a time and barely keep your hands warm.

    Dumping the spent fuel back into the uranium mines is superficially attractive, if you don't care that the radioisotopes have a wide variety of chemical properties and many will not stay put under the same conditions as uranium. Not staying put is bad; you do not want this stuff in your drinking water, for example. Ideally you'd separate the stuff in the spent fuel according to its chemical properties and dispose of the stuff that needs disposal in the way which keeps it in one place until it's harmless. This also allows the unused uranium and the plutonium produced in the reactor to be recycled, keeping them out of the waste stream entirely. Check out this Argonne National Lab link for a technical look at what some of the waste-disposal technology might look like. For some reason the Greens don't like this, though. Given that nuclear power emits absolutely no CO2 and nuclear accidents are far more problematic for humans than the environment in general, I have to wonder what the fuss is all about.
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