Search Results for metals

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an established technology that provides nearly instantaneous and virtually nondestructive analysis with minimal or no sample preparation and without an ionizing radiation source. This article describes the capabilities of new handheld LIBS systems.

Ductile fracture toughness testing is useful for evaluating a material’s structural integrity. This article briefly reviews three widely used J-integral vs. crack growth resistance (J-R) curve test methods for metals: elastic unloading compliance, normalization, and direct current potential drop. The J-Integral calculation is the same in all three methods, with differences primarily involving crack size measurements.

Metals pioneer Paul Dyer Merica and his associates at the National Bureau of Standards discovered the principles that governed the age hardening of duralumin. The resulting developments opened the door to a new range of high-strength, lightweight alloys for engineering and transportation applications.

Samuel Leslie Hoyt was one of the earliest metallurgists to receive his advanced training in Europe. He was involved in many of the key metallurgical developments in the middle part of the 20th century and also wrote about the achievements of his peers in the book Men of Metals.

The invention of the single crystal jet engine blade under Frank Versnyder and a team of scientists at the Pratt & Whitney Division of United Technologies is considered one of the 50 greatest advances in metallurgical history.

Production techniques based on net shape forming from the liquid or semisolid state offer advantages in terms of manufacturing simplicity, cost, and energy consumption compared with current complex solid state forming processes. Engineering molten alloys to change their solidification process improves part integrity and alloy microstructure, leading to better component performance.

Coating development using cold gas spray technology demonstrates the feasibility of bonding polymers to metal substrates and metals to polymer composite substrates with good adhesion. The examples addressed are polyetheretherketone (PEEK) coatings on steel and aluminum substrates and metallic coatings on carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites.

Temperature measurement, unvented cavities, loose powder, and direct contact of certain metals must be considered during process development for vacuum heat treatment of additively manufactured parts.

A study of metal artifacts from the Mendoza region of Argentina reveals the influences of native migration and European conquest.

A new single-step plasma-assisted gas atomization process for metal powder manufacturing can reduce carbon footprint by over 99% compared to traditional methods. This technology uses scrap metals as feedstock, eliminating the need for virgin ores while meeting ASTM/AMS powder quality specifications. Beyond environmental benefits, the innovation addresses material scarcity that has historically constrained the additive manufacturing industry while mitigating supply chain delays and market uncertainties. The process supports manufacturers in achieving environmental goals through significant emissions reduction and localized sourcing.

Binder jet 3D metal printing is the ultimate bridge between prototypes and production of metal injection molded parts.

Early humans had no knowledge of iron. Unlike gold, silver, and copper, iron does not exist as a native metal. This article explores the early days of wrought iron production.

This article describes the laser beam texturing (LBT) process and how LBT materials differ from those produced using traditional surface texturing techniques.

Aluminum, one of the most widely used structural metals in modern industry, is produced in quantities exceeded only by steel. Its light weight, corrosion resistance, high strength after heat treatment, and global availability of bauxite ores make aluminum attractive for everything from kitchen utensils to spacecraft. This article describes early work to develop low-cost aluminum for industrial applications.

The cost of electric power is the biggest expense involved in aluminum production. Proximity to economical power sources determined the location of major aluminum reduction plants. This article describes the development of the aluminum industry in the early part of the twentieth century.

Alcoa’s aluminum monopoly continued throughout the 1920s and 1930s—a serious problem when World War II demands far exceeded production capacity. This articles reviews advances in aluminum technology during the war and the postwar period.

This article reports on the development of additive friction stir deposition techniques that use secondary feedstocks such as machine chips and damaged components to make in-field repairs at the point of need. The focus of the initial research was aluminum alloys. Preliminary studies show significant promise for the adaptation of these techniques to hard alloys including steel castings, wrought high strength steels, and titanium alloys.

The ability to produce bulk metallic nanolaminates has greatly expanded the potential structural applications for these materials, motivating investigations into formability, joining techniques, and deformation behavior. This article presents an overview of both the accumulative roll bonding process and the deformation behavior for copper-niobium nanolaminates. This entry won the Jacquet-Lucas Award for Best in Show at the 2014 International Metallographic Contest.

The only process available for producing titanium was patented by William J. Kroll in 1940, marking the dawn of a new metals industry.

The titanium industry was launched in the 1950s and required the efforts of numerous metallurgical engineers and research laboratories, nearly a dozen corporations, and titanium metal producers, along with hundreds of millions of dollars.