Bladesmithing 2023: Bladesmithing II
Sponsored by: TMS Materials Processing and Manufacturing Division, TMS: Shaping and Forming Committee
Program Organizers: Samuel Wagstaff, Oculatus Consulting; David Sapiro, USNC-Tech
Tuesday 2:30 PM
March 21, 2023
Room: Sapphire I
Location: Hilton
Session Chair: Samuel Wagstaff, Oculatus Consulting; David Sapiro, Ultra Safe Nuclear
2:30 PM Introductory Comments
2:35 PM
The NeverDull Blade: Gianluca Roscioli1; 1Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Following Archard’s law “the harder, the better”, typical blades are nowadays honed from carbide-rich martensitic stainless steel and coated to achieve high hardness and wear resistance. However, the presence of different constituents inside the material (carbides, martensite, retained austenite) produces spatial heterogeneity in mechanical properties along the sharp edge, which in turn leads to mixed mode II/III cracking and chipping of the blade. To improve these materials, we designed a new manufacturing process that uses tapered rolls to locally produce solid-solutioned ultrafine ferritic grains through plastic deformation. This process leads to a gradient-induced toughening effect and high strength near the sharp edge, sufficient to avoid cracking from compressive and bending loads. We characterized this graded material through electron backscattered diffraction and Picoindentation hardness tests. Moreover, a sharp edge produced with this material was tested in in-situ SEM cutting experiments to show the improved mechanical response with respect to commercial blades.
2:55 PM
Characterization of the Differential Heat Treatment of a Sunnobi Tanto: Megan Klein1; 1University of Michigan
The Sunnobi Tanto is a long curved dagger first used as a weapon in Muromachi-era Japan. Inspired by this historical dagger, our blade was forged from W2 steel and processed via differential heat treatment. This traditional method involves the application of clay along the spine of the blade before quenching. Optical and electron microscopy and mechanical testing were performed to characterize the effect of the differential heat treatment on the blade’s microstructure and mechanical properties. A finite-element model was also created to quantify the influence of the clay on cooling rates within different parts of the blade. In this presentation, we explain the microstructural variation that occurs within the blade in terms of the simulated differential cooling rates and link these microstructures to the mechanical properties of each region of the blade.
3:15 PM
MA Blade Smithing Proposal: Juvenal Rodela1; Abraham Enchinton1; David Santacruz1; Nicole Jimenez1; 1University of Texas at El Paso
For the upcoming 2023 blade smithing symposium, the University of Texas at El Paso would like to present a 1085 steel blade. The Materials Advantage (MA) organization will be responsible for the development of the blade, with members, Juvenal Rodela, Nicole Jimenez, David Santacruz, and Abraham Enchinton. The blade MA is planning on doing is a Mambele. This blade originates from South Africa,and reflects African smithing before western colonization. The Mambele has been described as a hybrid of both a knife/axe, consisting of irregularly shaped blades which was used for close combat, specifically to be thrown in a rotary motion. MA plans on forging the blade and analyzing the material using metallography. If there are any further questions, please contact, Juvenal Rodela (915)799-2498jrodela@minesr.utep.edu
3:35 PM
This is the Way - Discovering the Secrets of Beskar Metallurgy: Suveen Mathaudhu1; 1Colorado School of Mines
In the Star Wars universe there is no metal or alloy that compares to Beskar, the legendary “iron” of the Mandalorian tribes. Are you curious how pure Beskar can be extremely strong, corrosion resistant and able to survive blaster bolts and lightsaber strikes alike? Would you like to know how the clandestine skills of Armorer metalsmiths might contribute to the shaping and forming of an “indestructible” material? In this presentation, we will step into a galaxy far far away to learn about the history of Beskar metalworking and contemplate some real-world metal-processing discoveries that may explain the seemingly magical behaviors of Beskar and its alloys. To close, we will discuss how some of these emerging technologies can be harnessed for the creation of new, real materials for extreme environments.