Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

New Alloy Bounces Back Into Shape 10 Million Times And Counting

Posted by timothy on from the bouncy-bouncy dept.

wrp103 links to the BBC's report of a newly engineered alloy that returns to its original shape after deformation even after 10 million cycles more than 10 million times. From the article: "Memory shape alloys" like this have many potential uses, but present incarnations are prone to wearing out. The new material — made from nickel, titanium and copper — shatters previous records and is so resilient it could be useful in artificial heart valves, aircraft components or a new generation of solid-state refrigerators." (Original article in Science Magazine.)

2 of 65 comments (clear)

  1. Heart valves? Refrigerators? Pah! by cduffy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    We can make modern flex nibs better than the old ones!

    (Good flexible fountain pen nibs are pretty much all circa 1950s or prior right now; it's a sad, sad state of affairs).

    1. Re:Heart valves? Refrigerators? Pah! by cduffy · · Score: 3, Interesting

      please enlighten us as to why the fountain pin and/or feathered quill is superior to the free pens I get from the bank?

      Y'know, I actually don't mind giving this a serious answer.

      You don't need pressure to write with a fountain pen -- at all. (The modern competitor is a rollerball, not a ballpoint; rollerballs don't give you amount of flexibility on nib grind or opportunities for flex and shading effects that you get with a fountain, but at least you're not forced to use tons of pressure). Allows different, more comfortable grips.

      Also, they're refillable with water-based inks -- meaning that they're not disposable, and that you have a huge amount of choice in terms of color and properties of your ink. Want an ink that's still viscous in below-freezing weather? I've got a bottle on my desk! Want an ink that changes from yellow to red depending on how much you're putting down on the paper? That too! Want an ink that responds to ultraviolet and is completely waterproof you can mix in with other inks that are water-soluable, so you can see where writing that's been washed away used to be under a blacklight?

      Lots of room for geekery. :)