Materials science: Perfecting the defect

Materials science: Perfecting the defect  ScienceDaily (May 7, 2012) — Simulations of defects inside copper point the way to making stronger metals. Results show that there are many different deformation mechanisms occurring in nano-structured materials like nanotwinned copper. Understanding each of them will allow scientists to tune material properties.

Bronze artifacts being made at Mannar, Alappuzha, India, Kerala Videos

Bronze artifacts being made at Mannar, Alappuzha, India, Kerala Videos

Metal Fatigue

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Alloys Earn Kyoto Prizes

Observations: Cosmic Microwaves and Alloys Earn Kyoto Prizes: "The Inamori Foundation announced this year's Kyoto Prizes on June 24." The Advanced Technology prize went to materials scientist John W. Cahn of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.Cahn earned the Advanced Technology prize through his work on alloys. One of his theories allowed engineers to craft alloys with specific characteristics, such as strength and heat resistance, to best fit them for precise functions. In addition, he helped develop the Cahn-Hilliard equation, which describes the phase separation of a wide variety of materials, from water to galaxies. Every year, the Inamori Foundation awards the Kyoto Prizes to those around the world who have made "significant contributions to the betterment of society."

Tin additions improve corrosion resistance of steel in salt-containing environments

Tin additions improve corrosion resistance of steel in salt-containing environments: "Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd., Japan, has developed a new corrosion-resistant steel that can be used for bridges in salt-containing environments such as the seaside, or in cold climates where anti-freezing agents are sprayed. The new steel has tin additions that improve corrosion resistance, and is expected to lengthen the intervals between repaints and reduce the repainting workload for such bridges.
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Making complex composite materials to order

Making complex composite materials to order: "ScienceDaily (May 30, 2011) — A team of researchers at MIT has found a way to make complex composite materials whose attributes can be fine-tuned to give various desirable combinations of properties such as stiffness, strength, resistance to impacts and energy dissipation." The key feature of the new composites is a "co-continuous" structure of two different materials with very different properties, creating a material combining aspects of both. The co-continuous structure means that the two interleaved materials each form a kind of three-dimensional lattice whose pieces are fully connected to each other from side to side, front to back, and top to bottom.

New way to make lighter, stronger steel -- in a flash

New way to make lighter, stronger steel -- in a flash: "ScienceDaily (June 10, 2011) — A Detroit entrepreneur surprised university engineers in Ohio recently, when he invented a heat-treatment that makes steel 7 percent stronger than any steel on record -- in less than 10 seconds.

In fact, the steel, now trademarked as Flash Bainite, has tested stronger and more shock-absorbing than the most common titanium alloys used by industry.
Now the entrepreneur is working with researchers at Ohio State University to better understand the science behind the new treatment, called flash processing.

Metallic glass: A crystal at heart

Metallic glass: A crystal at heart: "ScienceDaily (June 16, 2011) — Glass, by definition, is amorphous; its atoms lack order and are arranged every which way. But when scientists squeezed tiny samples of a metallic glass under high pressure, they got a surprise: The atoms lined up in a regular pattern to form a single crystal."

Rapid etching X-rayed: Physicists unveil processes during fast chemical dissolution

Rapid etching X-rayed: Physicists unveil processes during fast chemical dissolution: "ScienceDaily (Mar. 24, 2011) — A breakthrough in the study of chemical reactions during etching and coating of materials was achieved by a research group headed by Kiel physicist, Professor Olaf Magnussen. The team from the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (CAU), Germany, in collaboration with staff from the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France, have uncovered for the first time just what happens in manufacturing processes, used for the formation of metal contacts thinner than a human hair in modern consumer electronics, such as flat-screen television."

Aluminum to replace copper as a conductor in on-board power systems

Aluminum to replace copper as a conductor in on-board power systems ScienceDaily (Feb. 7, 2011) — Electric power and electronics are playing an ever-increasing role in all kinds of vehicles. Currently copper is the conductive material of choice. But in comparison to aluminum copper is heavy and expensive. In particular for fully electric vehicles the switch to the cheaper and lighter aluminum would be an interesting option. That is why the optimization of intricate power supply networks is now in the focus of engineering research. Scientists from the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM), in collaboration with BMW engineers, have now found out what tricks make it possible to replace copper with aluminum.

New glass stronger and tougher than steel

New glass stronger and tougher than steel: "ScienceDaily (Jan. 11, 2011) — Glass stronger and tougher than steel? A new type of damage-tolerant metallic glass, demonstrating a strength and toughness beyond that of any known material, has been developed and tested by a collaboration of researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab)and the California Institute of Technology. What's more, even better versions of this new glass may be on the way."

When metals reach end of life: Researcher develops new method

When metals reach end of life: Researcher develops new method: "LSU's Michael Khonsari has developed and proven a novel method to avoid the danger that comes with reaching the breaking point."

Feat of clay: From soil to super material - tech - 17 November 2010 - New Scientist

Feat of clay: From soil to super material - tech - 17 November 2010 - New Scientist The stuff of pottery and piggy banks can be transformed into a nanocomposite that is stronger than steel, light as plastic and cheap as mud

Short Sharp Science: The crack that delayed Discovery

Short Sharp Science: The crack that delayed Discovery A missing chunk of foam insulation was responsible for the breakup of the shuttle Colombia as it re-entered the earth's atmosphere in 2003, causing the deaths of 7 astronauts.After the cracked foam was removed on Tuesday night, cracks were found in an underlying structure called a stringer. Similar cracks were found on an external tank set to be used by the shuttle Atlantis in 2011 and "may be related to the use of lightweight materials in the latest generation of tanks".

Organic solvent system improves catalyst recycling

Organic solvent system improves catalyst recycling Noble metals such as platinum and palladium are becoming increasingly important because of growth in environmentally friendly applications like fuel cells and pollution control catalysts. But the world has limited quantities of these materials, meaning manufacturers will have to rely on efficient recycling processes to help meet the demand.

Rare Earth Metals May Trigger Trade Wars : Discovery News

Rare Earth Metals May Trigger Trade Wars : Discovery News Alternative energy is not the cure for energy security.
A handful of countries, including China, dominate the markets for many rare earth metals.
More domestic mining and new technologies for extracting the useful metals are needed.

Will we cope if the rare earths live up to their name? - tech - 29 October 2010 - New Scientist

Will we cope if the rare earths live up to their name? - tech - 29 October 2010 - New Scientist FOR decades, the world has been busy incorporating the so-called rare earth elements into all manner of high-tech devices, including disc drives, wind turbines and hybrid cars. The messy business of mining the ore and extracting the elements was left to China, and few people in the west cared that the nation controlled 97 per cent of world supply."Rare earth" is an alternative name for the lanthanides - elements 57 to 71 - plus yttrium and scandium, and despite the name most of them were not considered rare at all. The elements hit the headlines a few weeks ago, when China appeared to be blocking exports to Japan and the US. The Chinese government, which has also been tightening its export quotas, claims that it needs to clean up mining procedures and support its own growing demand for rare earths.

Short Sharp Science: China sparks concern over rare earth metal supply

Short Sharp Science: China sparks concern over rare earth metal supply China currently provides 97 per cent of the world's rare earth elements (REEs), but it has been imposing export quotas for some time. Last July, it slashed the quotas for REEs and recently made plans for further dramatic cuts, according to the China Daily newspaper. Please remember that these Rare elements are an essential component of gadgets in your home, from iPods to LCD TVs.

New materials could replace costly gold in electrical applications

New materials could replace costly gold in electrical applications ScienceDaily (Oct. 15, 2010) — Researchers at the University of Connecticut, partnering with United Technologies Research Center engineers, have modeled and developed new classes of alloy materials for use in electronic applications that will reduce reliance on costly gold and other precious metals.

Rare Earths: Elemental Needs of the Clean-Energy Economy: Scientific American

Rare Earths: Elemental Needs of the Clean-Energy Economy: Scientific American A massive wind turbine—capable of turning the breeze into two million watts of power—has 40-meter-long blades made from fiberglass, towers 90 meters above the ground, weighs hundreds of metric tons, and fundamentally relies on roughly 300 kilograms of a soft, silvery metal known as neodymium—a so-called rare earth.