Collaborate Disseminate
Scientists at Rice University have cooked up a new alloy with a unique and diverse set of attributes that could prove highly effective at protecting steel from corrosion. The novel coating not only prevented rusting in submerged slabs of common steel, … Continue reading Flexible alloy prevents steel corrosion and repairs itself when damaged
Engineers at ETH Zurich have developed a new, surprisingly simple method for merging two metals into one nanocrystal structure. The team says that this could allow almost any two metals to be combined, creating brand new types of “intermetallic nanocry… Continue reading Metals merged into amalgam nanocrystals in new manufacturing method
Scientists in Russia experimenting with advanced aluminum alloys have developed a new heat-resistant form of the material that can endure far higher temperatures. Fashioned into a thin wire, the researchers see it finding use as a replacement for heavi… Continue reading New aluminum alloy enables heat-resistant wire for air and rail
Both cars and electronic appliances require heat removal systems, which are typically made of iron, steel or aluminum. That may soon change, though, as scientists have created two magnesium alloys which they claim can reduce the weight of such systems … Continue reading Magnesium alloys claimed to lighten heat removal systems by one third
Scientists in Japan working to stretch the limits of super-elastic materials have made a significant breakthrough, demonstrating a new iron-based alloy that endures extremely high and low temperatures. With this ability to be deformed and regain its or… Continue reading Iron-based superelastic alloy can operate in extreme temperatures
Radiation is famously damaging, both to living tissue and materials. But now, engineers at MIT have been surprised to discover that radiation may actually help certain alloys to self-heal, extending their useful lifetime. This could obviously help info… Continue reading Radiation appears to help some metal alloys self-heal
Imagine if there were a metallic device that could be transported all squished down into a compact ball, but that would automatically “bloom” out into its useful form when heated. Well, that may soon be possible, thanks to a newly developed liquid meta… Continue reading Rubber “exoskeleton” lets liquid metal structures retain their shape
We think of high tech materials as the purview of the space program, or of high-performance aircraft. But there are other niche applications that foster super materials, for example the world of cycling. Magnesium is one such material as it is strong and light, but it has the annoying property of burning in its pure state. Alloys of magnesium meanwhile generally don’t combust unless they are ground fine or exposed to high temperatures. Allite is introducing a new line known as “super magnesium” which is in reality three distinct alloys that they claim are 30% lighter than aluminum, as well …read more
Continue reading Super Magnesium: Lighter Than Aluminum, Cheaper Than Carbon Fiber
While quadcopters seem to attract all the attention of the moment, spare some love for the rotary-wing aircraft that started it all: the helicopter. Quads may abstract away most of the aerodynamic problems faced by other rotorcraft systems through using software, but the helicopter has to solve those problems mechanically. And they are non-trivial problems, since the pitch of the rotors blades has to be controlled while the whole rotor disk is tilted relative to its axis.
The device that makes this possible is the swashplate, and its engineering is not for the faint of heart. And yet [MonkeyMonkeey] chose …read more
Continue reading Casting Tour-De-Force Results In Swashplate For Scale Helicopter
I’ve been soldering for a long time, and I take pride in my abilities. I won’t say that I’m the best solder-slinger around, but I’m pretty good at this essential shop skill — at least for through-hole and “traditional” soldering; I haven’t had much practice at SMD stuff yet. I’m confident that I could make a good, strong, stable joint that’s both electrically and mechanically sound in just about any kind of wire or conductor.
But like some many of us, I learned soldering as a practical skill; put solder and iron together, observe results, repeat the stuff that works …read more
Continue reading What the Flux: How Does Solder Work Anyway?