EnviroDaren
Active Member
Hi - I am looking for input on how to approach making damascus steel.
I have access to an explosives lab and I am interested in adapting a technique called explosive welding to potentially create a new type of damascus steel. I can easily source any metal and potential fillers such as carbon nanotubes, nanodiamond, and small microdiamonds if that's of any benefit.
I envision filling a pipe with various types of metal, inserting a piece of roundstock to pack it in tightly with a hydraulic press, and then set off an explosive above the roundstock. The shock wave should theoretically fuse the contents together in an instant. The containment pipe would have to be cut open to extract the material inside, which should be one fused piece of metal.
If a square or rectangular geometry is preferred, I can use such a shape as a die and send a planar shock wave through the inner mixture regardless. I can use a combination of C4 and detasheet to do that, so it's no problem. And if immediate quenching is required, that's fine, we can do the shot in a tub of water - messy but doable.
I will be booking time at the lab some time before June, and I would like to go prepared with a few prefabbed assemblies to send explosive shock waves through to see if we can produce something that you guys can potentially work with.
Please share any thoughts on this and whether becoming involved is of interest.
Thanks tons - Daren
I have access to an explosives lab and I am interested in adapting a technique called explosive welding to potentially create a new type of damascus steel. I can easily source any metal and potential fillers such as carbon nanotubes, nanodiamond, and small microdiamonds if that's of any benefit.
I envision filling a pipe with various types of metal, inserting a piece of roundstock to pack it in tightly with a hydraulic press, and then set off an explosive above the roundstock. The shock wave should theoretically fuse the contents together in an instant. The containment pipe would have to be cut open to extract the material inside, which should be one fused piece of metal.
If a square or rectangular geometry is preferred, I can use such a shape as a die and send a planar shock wave through the inner mixture regardless. I can use a combination of C4 and detasheet to do that, so it's no problem. And if immediate quenching is required, that's fine, we can do the shot in a tub of water - messy but doable.
I will be booking time at the lab some time before June, and I would like to go prepared with a few prefabbed assemblies to send explosive shock waves through to see if we can produce something that you guys can potentially work with.
Please share any thoughts on this and whether becoming involved is of interest.
Thanks tons - Daren