Titanium-Strength Steel? Scientists Say They Have Invented It
10/06/2015 - Materials scientists at South Korea's Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) have made what they say is one of the biggest steelmaking breakthroughs in years -- a new type ultrastrong, lightweight steel made in part from aluminum.
The team told Popular Mechanics magazine that their new metal has a strength-to-weight ratio equaling the best titanium alloys, but can be produced at one-tenth of the cost. And, the POSTECH team said, it can be created on a small scale with machinery already used to make automotive-grade steel, the magazine reported.
Popular Mechanics said it's been known that combining aluminum with steel yields a strong and lightweight metal, yet one that is brittle. The reason: atoms of aluminum and iron sometimes fuse together and form crystalline structures called B2, which is both strong and brittle, the magazine said.
The team's solution was to disperse B2 crystals in the steel and separate them, allowing the surrounding metal to insulate them from snapping.
Their research appears in the weekly science journal Nature.
Popular Mechanics said it's been known that combining aluminum with steel yields a strong and lightweight metal, yet one that is brittle. The reason: atoms of aluminum and iron sometimes fuse together and form crystalline structures called B2, which is both strong and brittle, the magazine said.
The team's solution was to disperse B2 crystals in the steel and separate them, allowing the surrounding metal to insulate them from snapping.
Their research appears in the weekly science journal Nature.
