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High-Performance Blades Sharing ideas for getting the most out of our steel.

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  #1  
Old 09-29-2008, 08:08 AM
Jerry Bennett Jerry Bennett is offline
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A totally new type of steel.

Here is the strange steel I made in December, using my star chamber thermite furnace.. It's been to a few labs and now has a provisional patent I call it Rhenaissance steel. I use rhenium, thus the spelling.

It has no carbon, no carbides, (rhenium does not form carbides). It is completely stable, room temp austenite and non magnetic. It is 98% iron and still steel. It is non sparking and corrosion resistant, The rhenium and niobium add heat resistance. It has some very interesting structures. This run, I used just under 1% rhenium and under 1% niobium. .28% nickel. The patent I think says up to 5.00% each, with the addition of boron and/or nitrogen for hardening.

Here are some pics of the proto run. The worm like structures are an intermetallic filament. I'm awaiting some sem data to find out what they are. The white cubes are very hard and resemble the cube structures found in super alloys. It specs out in the low to mid 40's Rc. That's without boron or nitrogen, which I will use for hardening.
For me, it's a whole new paradigm...



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Old 09-29-2008, 08:10 AM
Jerry Bennett Jerry Bennett is offline
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Here are a few phase diagrams that was run through thermal calc. I have a lot more.
The filaments will form uni-directional when forged, thus adding to unidirectional strength and toughness.


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Old 09-29-2008, 08:13 AM
Jerry Bennett Jerry Bennett is offline
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More diagrams.
Scott MacKenzie, helped quite a bit, and is on the patent with me. Couldn't do it with out him.
Going to try for the Holy Grail of high strength, hardness and toughness. Right now, my first run specs out to be around 120-150,000 ksi. Lot of promise, including a possible ferro superconductor.

Remember though, I'm not a metallurgist , so easy on the terms.


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Old 09-29-2008, 09:23 AM
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That last one looks like the weather channel's projected hurricane tracks !
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Old 09-29-2008, 09:45 AM
Jerry Bennett Jerry Bennett is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mete
That last one looks like the weather channel's projected hurricane tracks !
I told Dr. Scott it looks like a map of Chicago.


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Old 09-29-2008, 11:24 AM
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B.Finnigan B.Finnigan is offline
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Congrats Jerry! You have left your mark in history with the patent. The Rhen steel should be some intersting stuff to play with for sure.

Now you just need a big corporation to swip it from you so can make a movie and rake in some bucks off of it. Showing thermite runs and boiling steel has got to be more interesting then intermittent winshield wipers.
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Old 09-29-2008, 11:36 AM
Jerry Bennett Jerry Bennett is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by B.Finnigan
Congrats Jerry! You have left your mark in history with the patent. The Rhen steel should be some intersting stuff to play with for sure.

Now you just need a big corporation to swip it from you so can make a movie and rake in some bucks off of it. Showing thermite runs and boiling steel has got to be more interesting then intermittent winshield wipers.
Ha ha, yep.
There is a lot of interest. When metallurgists ask me how I made it, there is a long pause after I tell them how.
I'm just hoping someone will buy the patent, or hire me in their R&D dept.
Thermite is quite photogenic. Maybe someone will invite me to do a demo at a show or hammerin.
I'm sure that would pucker the cheeks of some in the insurance biz.

EDIT: To add; rhenium has the 3rd highest melting point of all elements. Only tungsten and carbon are higher. BTW, i also made a tungsten alloy with the star chamber.
I need a good vac furnace though, for some real tight control for further testing.


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Last edited by Jerry Bennett; 09-29-2008 at 11:50 AM.
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Old 09-29-2008, 09:29 PM
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B.Finnigan B.Finnigan is offline
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Some bozo up north of you is working a system that uses inert gas vs a vacuum for alloying and smelting.
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Old 09-29-2008, 10:12 PM
Jerry Bennett Jerry Bennett is offline
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Hurry up with that thing, will ya!
Here is all the rhenium I have left, (minus the small piece by my ring finger). It's a deceptively a small amount, but it's heavier, (denser), than gold. Your arc furnace should get it into solution though. A teeny bit of carbon is ok, but not too much. Gives me an excuse to go up there and taste some of your home brew. You should host an exothermic, hop and barleymalt, 5000 degree, hammer-in.
I'll bring my chemicals and fire retardant underwear.
Let us know when the neighbors are out of town.





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Last edited by Jerry Bennett; 09-29-2008 at 10:34 PM.
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  #10  
Old 09-29-2008, 11:48 PM
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chiger chiger is offline
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Jerry,

Uh...you could only be showing off if you were gloating to a peer. I am obviously NOT your peer. I don't have a clue what you've created. It's cool as heck, I know that.

It almost looks like fossilized metals. Like metals that have been exposed to the metallurgical equivalent of forces that form conglomerate rock. If you know what I mean.

It's amazing. And the phase charts scare me a little. Or maybe just make me dizzy. Either way it doesn't seem to be like anything I've ever seen...ever!

Those filaments look like they solidified/cooled at a much higher temp than the surrounding material. Or were chasing lines of force maybe.

What the heck is that much more attractive than iron? Wow.

The square crystals almost look like an anomalous byproduct of the smelting process. I'll be interested to hear if you determine how they work for the alloy.

I'll tell you what you've done......you've created Frankenstein's monster. I believe I've begun to bleed from the ears just lookin' at it! ;~)

That stuff is COOL!!!

Congratulations!

chiger
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Old 09-30-2008, 07:49 AM
Jerry Bennett Jerry Bennett is offline
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Quote:
it doesn't seem to be like anything I've ever seen...ever!
I've been getting that a lot. Especially from metallurgists.
Quote:
Those filaments look like they solidified/cooled at a much higher temp than the surrounding material. Or were chasing lines of force maybe.
That's a very interesting point. The filaments seem to be random in orientation, but close to the same length.
Quote:
The square crystals almost look like an anomalous byproduct of the smelting process. I'll be interested to hear if you determine how they work for the alloy.
I had the exact same thought. I use MgO for the liner in my t-mite crucible. MgO is a cube crystal. I assumed some got in as an inclusion, but no. Dr Scott says that the white squares are likely Ni3Nb or Ni3Re - they have a DO22 or DO23 structure that looks very similar to the nickel aluminides in superalloys. They are VERY hard, and resisted all the acids.





As far as the gloating goes, I talk that way all the time to Brent. He is a good friend and co-conspirator. We both like to try new things. Sometimes, new things arent accepted with open arms,( present company accepted), so there is a tinge of sarcasm between friends. You should read the thread I made when I first made it. http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=45197
It wasn't so much a "mistake", as I made exactly what I wanted, but the result was totally unexpected, and wasn't smart enough to realize that. If I didn't have about 50 bux worth of chems in it, I would have tossed it in the garbage.

Thanks for the comments. The fossil analogy is very interesting.
Right now, I'm out of work, so R&D funding is cut off. I'll report back after the next stage of testing. Jerry


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Last edited by Jerry Bennett; 09-30-2008 at 10:11 AM.
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Old 09-30-2008, 10:13 AM
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Just remember - the worms feed on the cubes !!
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Old 09-30-2008, 11:06 AM
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B.Finnigan B.Finnigan is offline
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Rhenium has a 5767?F melt point which is probably above what and arc could produce. It's close to being a refractory for t-mite almost.
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  #14  
Old 09-30-2008, 01:20 PM
Jerry Bennett Jerry Bennett is offline
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6000 degree club?

Quote:
Originally Posted by B.Finnigan
Rhenium has a 5767?F melt point which is probably above what and arc could produce. It's close to being a refractory for t-mite almost.
Yes.
To be quite honest with you, I was surprised I got it all into solution. The niobium is also considered a refractory alloy. The 2 together, really suck the heat. Iron boils at around 5182 F, so the thermite is just the right window temperature and time wise.

Chigger really got me thinking about his statement about the formation of the intermetallic filaments. The way it's produced might be as important to the making of this steel, than what's in it. That's why I like these forums. I love bouncing "what ifs" off peoples heads.

Quote:
ust remember - the worms feed on the cubes !!
Before I knew what they were, I called them sand worms and Borg cubes.


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Old 09-30-2008, 02:35 PM
Jerry Bennett Jerry Bennett is offline
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Sorry for the double post, but i thought i would post a video of one of my refractory alloy runs, if you haven't seen it yet. This is of a tungsten alloy. You can clearly hear the iron boiling. Typically, I lose around 4% of the iron in a large run, due to boiling off.
It's a real tight tolerance TT zone where you need the extreme heat for uptake of the high refractory metals, and not holding it too long to boil off the iron.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PwXN4ugDE4


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