This is a discussion on Nano crystal steel within the Army & Security Forces forum, part of the Global Defense & Military category; What is nano Crystal Steel exactly and how much better/lighter is it than regular RHS....
What is nano Crystal Steel exactly and how much better/lighter is it than regular RHS.
Which definition of RHS are you using?
After some web searching it would appear that nano crystal steel is a plasma coating system that produces nearly amorphous steel coating that is super hard, far more so that can be achieved by conventional heat treating, and corrosion resistant. It is not something you would make solid pieces out of because they would also be extremely brittle.
What is nano Crystal Steel exactly and how much better/lighter is it than regular RHS.
This is the abstract from patent forthe process.
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The invention provides a high hard, strength and tough nano-crystal metal bulk material and a preparation process thereof. The metal bulk material comprises an aggregate of metal nano-crystal grains, wherein an oxide, nitride, carbide, boride or the like of a metal or semimetal exists as a crystal grain growth inhibitor between and/or in the nano-crystal grains. The respective fine powders of nano-metal bulk material-forming components are mechanically alloyed (MA), using a ball mill or the like, thereby preparing nano-metal powders. Then, hot forming-by-sintering treatment such as spark plasma sintering, extrusion and rolling or explosive forming is applied to the powders to obtain a high hard, strength and tough nano-crystal metal bulk material. Nano-crystal austenitic metal bulk material having high hardness, high strength and toughness, and method for production thereof - Miura, Harumatsu
So what I can gather is that it forms a very hard and light steel far stronger and lighter than RHS. Nano would imply at sub-atomic level and from the abstract it would appear that they are growing crystals. To give you an idea, quartz is a crystal and is quite hard but no where as hard as a diamond which is not a cyrstal. But if you can control and dictate the shape and faceting of a crystal and how the atoms bond at a sub atomic level then you can increase the strength of the bonds between each atom, thus making it harder. Think that's how it works.
Nano would imply at sub-atomic level and from the abstract it would appear that they are growing crystals.
Nano scale is 10^-9 meters to 10^-7 meters, the bottom of the scale is about the diameter of a large atom. Sub-atomic scale would be in the range of the diameter of a nucleus, around 10^-15 meters, a long way off.
Nano crystalline materials are usually defined as materials in which the crystalline structure can no longer be differentiated from an amorphous material by x-ray diffraction.
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So what I can gather is that it forms a very hard and light steel far stronger and lighter than RHS.
It is harder, and the yield and presumably rupture strengths are higher. But it is not lighter, in fact it is likely that it is denser than regular steel.
The problem with hard materials is that the yield strength increases faster than the rupture strength. With a material this hard it will hardly yield at all, but will instead shatter. Probably not a good idea for armor or a weapon.
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To give you an idea, quartz is a crystal and is quite hard but no where as hard as a diamond which is not a cyrstal. But if you can control and dictate the shape and faceting of a crystal and how the atoms bond at a sub atomic level then you can increase the strength of the bonds between each atom, thus making it harder. Think that's how it works.
Diamonds ARE crystals. Quartz is a crystal. Glass is the same composition as quartz but is not a crystal (actually it is an extremely viscous fluid).
Actually, in most solids, yield strength is increased by defects in the material that block the progression of micro-fractures. Defects occur at the boundaries of crystals, so smaller crystals make a harder material. Defects can also be produced by alloying materials which distort the crystalline structure. This nano crystal steel uses both techniques.
Oh, and before you ask, diamonds violate these rules. Carbon is a strange element with many interesting and unique properties. That is why organic chemistry (the science of carbon based compounds) and inorganic chemistry (all the other elements) are separate fields.
Nano scale is 10^-9 meters to 10^-7 meters, the bottom of the scale is about the diameter of a large atom. Sub-atomic scale would be in the range of the diameter of a nucleus, around 10^-15 meters, a long way off.
Oh, and before you ask, diamonds violate these rules. Carbon is a strange element with many interesting and unique properties. That is why organic chemistry (the science of carbon based compounds) and inorganic chemistry (all the other elements) are separate fields.
Cool thanks. I knew I was reaching and long time since I had done any mineralology. I worked on principle crystals are precipitated out of a fluid and diamonds are not. Yes carbon is very interesting in that it is at both ends of the Mohs scale of hardness. Another thing about diamonds is that they tend to create large holes in ones bank account if there is a female involved
Actually glass is liquid when it is heated to the right temperature. The same as obsidian which is volcanic glass. It is only a solidifies when the lava cools. It occurs when the rock is heated by a magma intrusion, such as a dyke and then cools.
Actually glass is liquid when it is heated to the right temperature. The same as obsidian which is volcanic glass. It is only a solidifies when the lava cools. It occurs when the rock is heated by a magma intrusion, such as a dyke and then cools.
he meant liquid at at room temperature which it is not
Nano scale is 10^-9 meters to 10^-7 meters, the bottom of the scale is about the diameter of a large atom. Sub-atomic scale would be in the range of the diameter of a nucleus, around 10^-15 meters, a long way off.
Nano crystalline materials are usually defined as materials in which the crystalline structure can no longer be differentiated from an amorphous material by x-ray diffraction.
It is harder, and the yield and presumably rupture strengths are higher. But it is not lighter, in fact it is likely that it is denser than regular steel.
The problem with hard materials is that the yield strength increases faster than the rupture strength. With a material this hard it will hardly yield at all, but will instead shatter. Probably not a good idea for armor or a weapon.
Diamonds ARE crystals. Quartz is a crystal. Glass is the same composition as quartz but is not a crystal (actually it is an extremely viscous fluid).
Actually, in most solids, yield strength is increased by defects in the material that block the progression of micro-fractures. Defects occur at the boundaries of crystals, so smaller crystals make a harder material. Defects can also be produced by alloying materials which distort the crystalline structure. This nano crystal steel uses both techniques.
Oh, and before you ask, diamonds violate these rules. Carbon is a strange element with many interesting and unique properties. That is why organic chemistry (the science of carbon based compounds) and inorganic chemistry (all the other elements) are separate fields.
It's probably meant to shatter. It probably works on the same principle of something like Alumina Vinylester. Alumina Vinylester for example, offers a high mass-efficiency and a fair thickness-efficiency, because it "stores" bulk material, like Alumina, in a vinlyester matrix. From the literature I've read, this seems to mean that when attacked by say, a KE projectile, that projectile would dig through the armor. But because the KE projectile is travelling so fast that it itself behaves like a liquid, the annihilation of the Alumina bulk in turn, degrades the penetrator as it exits from the penetration path. What that basically means is that for a small weight, you can get a lot of protection.
Similar principles may be at work with "nano-crystal steel". Though, it probably would not provide for similar thickness-efficiencies as say, DU-backed SiC encased in steel.
