Amateur metallurgist from Detroit creates a superior steel

[dali71]

Detroit DIYer cooks up stronger, lighter steel, shames scientists

Flash Bainite is the Strongest, Most Ductile, Lean Alloyed, Readily Weldable, Least Expensive Ultra Strength METAL known to man

Gary Cola, a Detroit entrepreneur, has made a huge breakthrough in steel manufacturing. He has created a process for making a steel that is 7 percent stronger than martensitic advanced high-strength steel, and can be lengthened 30 percent more than martensitic steels without losing its enhanced strength.

You'd be forgiven for dismissing an amateur metallurgist if he claimed to have improved upon the presumably perfected technology of steel making. But Flash Bainite, the creation of Detroit entrepreneur Gary Cola, wowed a team of Ohio State University engineers by turning centuries of alloy processing on its head. Instead of heating the metal for hours or days, this well-equipped DIYer boosted the temperature -- quickly baking, then cooling sheets of steel that are 7-percent stronger than other forms and tougher than some titanium alloys. Flash Bainite is also more ductile than other steels, allowing it to crumple more before breaking -- perfect for absorbing impacts. Obviously this means stronger and lighter cars, laptops, and armored vehicles but, since the process takes all of about 10 seconds, it's also more energy efficient and cheaper than traditional steel making. Now, who has the number for the Nobel Prize committee?

Flash Bainite is a steel with a unique microstructure containing bainite, martensite and carbides.

"Off the shelf" plate and tubing can be made into Flash Bainite. Triple the strength of Chrome Moly, Flash 4130 is pound for pound 2X stronger than the best aluminums. If you are "lightweighting" structure with aluminum, Flash Bainite will do a better job at less weight and lower cost.

Ohio State University engineers verified the claims of increase the strength of steel by seven percent and can make cars and other products 30% lighter while keeping the same strength. For armor it can provide the equal of the best protection with a 20% weight reduction.

It's nice to see some good news out of Detroit for a change.

 

[cutforscience]

probably a joke lol

does he have a ph.d or something?

 

[dali71]

probably a joke lol

does he have a ph.d or something?

If it's a joke, then I'd like to see how he got the engineering department at OSU to go along with it.

 

[Slick5150]

probably a joke lol

does he have a ph.d or something?

Well considering he blew away a team of scientists with it, I'd say it's probably not a joke.

Edit: Bah, beaten to it

 

[Perknose]

As a long-time reader of the many, many predictions of imminent breakthroughs in Popular Science and Popular Mechanics back in the day, I'll suspend my enthusiasm until and unless this truly finds it way into the marketplace, but . . .

Based on the first article, I say KUDOS! :thumbsup:

 

[cutforscience]

how did he do it?

did he fart on it?

i seriously don't believe this crap

making steel is a fucking complicated and costly process

 

[cutforscience]

seriously, engadget is not the best source lol

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

If it's true it will be bought and buried by patent law or it will be bought and a way to make it much more complicated and expensive will be found.

 

[davmat787]

seriously, engadget is not the best source lol

Sure, but this beats the Palin/Weiner partisan douchebaggery festival going on in here. :biggrin:

If this turns out to be in fact real, kudos. I love citizen scientists.

 

[dali71]

probably a joke lol

does he have a ph.d or something?

how did he do it?

did he fart on it?

i seriously don't believe this crap

making steel is a fucking complicated and costly process

seriously, engadget is not the best source lol

Join Date: Jun 2011...hmmm...

 

[cutforscience]

hey you trollin' me

 

[cutforscience]

i doubt he's an amateur

he probably got some training

i mean maybe he's not a metallurgist anymore, but i am sure he got the training to be one

 

[Jhhnn]

i doubt he's an amateur

he probably got some training

i mean maybe he's not a metallurgist anymore, but i am sure he got the training to be one

Some of the world's greatest minds lacked pedigrees- Einstein & Edison, just for starters.

Paradigm shifts seldom come from expected sources...

 

[cutforscience]

what is a pedigree?

einstein had a college degree, dude.

 

[cutforscience]

Paradigm shifts seldom come from expected sources...

source? lol

 

[wuliheron]

And in other political news my dog just pissed on the carpet. Details at 11:00.

 

[dali71]

And in other political news my dog just pissed on the carpet. Details at 11:00.

This is the Politics and News forum, asshat. I guess you're just upset that you can't find a reason to bash conservatives from this topic.

 

[cutforscience]

lol

 

[cutforscience]

what he didn't say was that the steel turns into a giant monster whenever it smells a japanese and eats him alive.

 

[Lemon law]

As someone who knows a little about metallurgy and machining, I think I understand a little of the idea, Since the heating time is so short, there is not any time for grain growth as the heated metal makes the phase transition between Bcc to Fcc at about 1320 F. Because large grain size weakens a steel, micro crystalline is always better.

But I think such a steel will have limited engineering applications, when its maximum thickness of only 0.035". In short, thin sheet metal and nothing else. But if it can be stacked and electron beam welded or similar, maybe its useful for larger applications.

 

[dali71]

But I think such a steel will have limited engineering applications, when its maximum thickness of only 0.035". In short, thin sheet metal and nothing else. But if it can be stacked and electron beam welded or similar, maybe its useful for larger applications.

You misread it, 0.035" is the minimum practical thickness for use:

 

[Jhhnn]

source? lol

Real life. I already cited two examples, History abounds with others. Genghis Khan came from a small tribe of yurt dwellers in Mongolia. John Harrison solved the problem of longitude. There's Gutenberg, Tesla, Copernicus and a few others who never received formal degrees in anything... Darwin was an unlikely free thinking candidate to formulate the theories of evolution & natural selection...

 

[WHAMPOM]

Doing what experts know is impossible, what a way to go!!! Well that is usually how advances happen.

 

[Jimmah]

Want.

Being a machinist I have a pretty good knowledge of steel, this would be fantastic and I hope it is true (which it looks to be). The claim where it can be used on softer steels then hardened is doubly interesting, and the not requiring oil or brine for quenching is just stellar.

20-30% vehicle weight reduction could do wonders for the automobile industry, not to mention structural fabrication. I want some to mess around with.

 

[Doppel]

This is the predecessor chemistry for the T101 with its hyper-alloy combat chassis. We should not be cheering this news.