Buble steel? Foam Steel?

[nozh2002]

Anybody know what is buble steel:

http://www.ai-agensy.ru/info/noji.html

They claim that this steel somehow was saturated (hope it is a right word) by inert gas - as a result it is much lighter and much harder, because microbubles prevent microcracks. Steel may be different.

I just briefly translated this articl - sounds very interesting and guys from Russian blade forum who tried it on Klinok exebition in Moscow this week, say that at least it is lighter and Victroniks did not scratch it.

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[mete]

I would need a proper translation to make comment but it sounds like BS to me .BTW hydrogen in steel is not good will cause cracking.

 

[nozh2002]

What is BS? It is not hydrogen - it is some neutral Gas, like Helium etc. The reason for it being tough - different microstructure which prevent cracking. Like to stop crack in glass round hole should be made on the crack way.
According to article - they cool of melted steel in high pressure netral gas jet. Kind of foam making in espresso machine. And in is not powder metallurgy, but close.
Thanks, Vassili.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Viewing a translation (not the most reliable form of information transfer) it appears there is a liquid nitrogen quench being used as part or all of the process (as both a quench and as an alloy to the steel). The arguement is made that this both increases hardness and alters the steel structure to prevent crack propogation. This would seem obviously possible, simply consider Busse Combat's INFI. Note that altering the structure of materials to prevent crack propogation is not new, this has been done for quite some time with ceramics. Ceramic composites for example are designed in exactly this way as the additatives are designed to act to counteract fissures as they can expand under the pressures at the head of a crack to seal it (SiC wiskers). The real test is of course to get one of the knives and use it.

-Cliff