Bladesmithing 2023: Bladesmithing I
Sponsored by: TMS Materials Processing and Manufacturing Division, TMS: Shaping and Forming Committee
Program Organizers: Samuel Wagstaff, Oculatus Consulting; David Sapiro, USNC-Tech
Tuesday 8:00 AM
March 21, 2023
Room: Sapphire I
Location: Hilton
Session Chair: Samuel Wagstaff, Oculatus Consulting; David Sapiro, Ultra Safe Nuclear
8:00 AM Introductory Comments
8:05 AM Keynote
Reverse Engineering of Historical Swords: David Sapiro1; 1Schonpiro Materials
Reverse engineering is a task sometimes asked of materials scientists and engineers. Whether used to determine processes lost to history, or methods used by competitors or adversaries, the techniques of unlocking the mysteries of a product remain the same. As an example of reverse engineering, modern materials science techniques have been applied to historical sword making. By utilizing information such as composition, microstructure, and available resources, a possible manufacturing method of Bronze Age swords was experimentally determined. Alternatively, derived requirements such as impact toughness, hardness, and cost were used to experimentally establish a possible manufacturing method of a Renaissance era flamberge longsword.
8:45 AM Cancelled
Aggie Frontier Knife
: Berkeley Rhoads1; Charles Schmidt1; 1Texas A&M
Our knife incorporates a mixture of wrought iron and high carbon 1084 steel in a San Mai blade configuration with a wrought iron guard and furnishings. To make this blade, a billet with a 1084 core and wrought iron jacket will be forged. The hardness of the blade will be measured before and after heat treatment Moreover, we will use metallography to study the microstructure, specifically the interface between the wrought iron and 1084 steel. The knife is inspired by a frontier bowie and a mixture of materials locally available are used to emphasize a western/Texas theme. Primary Contact Berkeley Rhoads: berkeleyrhoads@tamu.edu Team Charles Schmidt: charlesschmidt@tamu.edu Amir Saeidi, Ph.D.: saeidi@tamu.edu
9:05 AM
The Pegasus: Arjav Singh1; Nandagopal P1; 1IIT Madras
Legendary in the realm of bladesmithing, Damascus steel derives from ancient Indian Wootz steel. In addition to its great toughness and sharpness, Damascus steel forms beautiful patterns when heated. Metallographic characterization of the swords has shown that these unique properties arise due to carbon nanotube formation and cementite precipitation. Making these swords with the help of modern technology will be a challenge and an exciting experience. The sword we intend to design and develop will be relatively high in carbon content, with a significant proportion of manganese and phosphorus in the solid solution. It will also contain traces of Sulphur, Silicon, Nickel, and Chromium. An appropriate heat treatment procedure will be applied to tailor the microstructure followed by a thermomechanical processing procedure to obtain enhanced mechanical properties owing to the development of a martensitic coating. The sword will then be forged by a fusion of traditional and modern technology.
9:25 AM Break
9:45 AM
Material Characterization of Medieval Dagger: Kira Martin1; Abby Sreden1; Adam Slafsky1; Bailey Wooldridge1; 1University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
We will make a pattern welded damascus medieval dagger. A billet will be made by welding together alternating layers of 15N20 and 1080 steel. Groves will then be created along the billet to create a laddered random pattern. The bar will then be forged into the desired shape. Hardness testing and optical microscopy will be used between each heat-treating step to characterize how the hardness and microstructure changes. Further analysis using tensile testing and scanning electron microscopy will possibly be performed. Primary Contact Person: Kira Martin kirajm2@illinois.edu Other Team Members: Abby Sreden, Adam Slafsky, Bailey WooldridgeUniversity Affiliation: University of Illinois
10:05 AM
The Zhànshi Jian: Jin Kim1; 1University of North Texas
The Jian is an officer's sword, though it also later became common for many soldiers. It is first and foremost a refined and balanced double- edged blade, comparable in role to something like an arming sword. Culturally, Jian are also significant as being the weapon of choice for many gods, especially those stars responsible for quelling demons. “Jian” is also used as a component in some given names. The material for this blade will be a medium carbon steel. This metal will be forged, heat treated, and tempered to form the ideal microstructure for a blade of this type. Alongside the processing of the blade, smaller metal samples will be treated in the same manner, allowing for characterization of the steel in each step of its processing. Characterization of the steel will involve scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and Vickers hardness.
10:25 AM
Bladesmithing from a Modern Standpoint with Historical Regards: Hans Pommerenke1; Jeremiah Cohn1; Logyn Siders1; Michael Fritzmaurice1; 1Missouri University of Science and Technology
Bladesmithing in the 20th and 21st century has drastically changed compared to historical bladesmithing. The elimination of uncertainty in modern materials has driven the evolution of metal fabrication, removing the need for techniques such as pattern welding. Pattern welding, which traditionally was used to combat impure stock material, is no longer required, and has become outdated and disused outside of the niche of historical smithing. It is possible, however, to mix modern materials with traditional techniques to form artistic yet practical works. Supported by quantitative analytics, these works benefit from improved mechanical properties without abandoning authentic, traditional character. Aiming to combine the traditional with the modern, a broad quantitative look at both modern materials and historical bladesmithing materials was conducted. This analysis used in conjunction with the TMS 2022 winning sword to determine the best route forward to manufacture a historically steeped modern blade for the 2024 TMS bladesmithing competition.