Microwaving Steel?

Rugger

Rugger

Joined
Jan 27, 1999
Messages
5,891
Yeah, that's what I thought too- but in the Oct. '99 issue of Wired Magazine, there is a small article on microwaving metals for use in machine parts, etc- I left the magazine at home, otherwise I would quote directly. Apparently this creates a "super steel" of sorts- Any thoughts?

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Runs With Scissors
AKTI# A000107
 
Is it a regular microwave, or one that has been tuned to a resonant frequency of the steel?

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I'm assuming (I know the dangers of that) that it is an industrial microwave- I'll check the article & get back to you folks-

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Runs With Scissors
AKTI# A000107
 
Here's the article:
THREE-MINUTE METAL
By Alex Salkever, WIRED Magazine, Oct. '99
"Everyone knows microwave rule number one: Don't leave the fork in when zapping food. But a team of Penn State researchers have broken the rule by using microwaves to heat powdered metals and form them into precision parts. The resulting metals are stronger than those produced in a furnace, plus microwaving uses up to 40% less energy than casting. Future applications range from gears to aircraft components."
Well- there it is- Will this be where our next "SuperSteel" will come from?

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Runs With Scissors
AKTI# A000107
 
Sounds to me kinda like the lady that washed her toy poodle and decided she could dry it faster in the microwave. She sure misses that little dog, now.
 
I'm not a materials engineer, but it sounds pretty reasonable to me. Take something like CPM steel, then treat it with microwave instead of heat.

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That's what I thought- could manage/pinpoint heat/energy for differential tempers, etc- All I know about steels is what I've read in the knife mags & here on the forums- that's why I posted it- for those "in the know" to see & perhaps comment. Sounds like a purely commercial application- how much would a custom maker be willing to spend on equipment & training for such a process?

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Runs With Scissors
AKTI# A000107
 
I think I'll grind up a couple of different metals, L-6 and 5160, throw in a little nickel, buy a microwave at a garage sale( I've already had problems blacksmithing in the Kitchen), and see what happens. Did you know that if you cut a grape, and leave the two halves connected by a flap of skin, put it in the microwave for a few seconds it will spark and burn the skin in two.
 
Um... lemme try a little high school science and if I muck it up, somebody correct me.

Microwave ovens work because water is a polar molecule. The high-frequency waves cause the molecule to change position rapidly from one facing to the opposite and back, and this generates the heat. Food, which nearly always has a lot of water in it, is cooked by this heat. Metals, on the other hand, reflect the microwaves back at parts of the machine that are not intended to be receiving them, and can thus damage it.

So, unless your metal is composed of polar molecules that are free to change their position fairly easily, how would microwaving it affect the metal itself?

-Drew
 
Yes I agree with Corduroy. Unless there is something they forgot to say in mag or that "powered metal" acts diff. then regualer metal, I don't think it can be done

I sure would like to see more on it.

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-Greg Johnson
ICQ#4236341

 
Maybe someone here who knows more than I do about steels (anyone!) can call/write Penn State & request a copy of the study & figure out if it is any use at all to knifemakers.
I did a fair bit of Geology in school,but most of the tech stuff looks like gibberish to me-

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Runs With Scissors
AKTI# A000107
 
Did they mention any kind of medium that the powdered steel was placed in? If it was some kind of flux bath, then it would make sense, maybe. Corduroy already has me beaten on knowledge on the subject, but I have seen microwaves with metal racks built into them. There was something about the frequency that allowed it, but the rack never got any warmer than the items placed on it. I assume that was because of ambient heat. So, from that, I know that some metals can be safely placed in a nuker, but as for melting them, there has to be something left out here.

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Oz

"When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt."
- Henry J. Kaiser
 
Correct me if i´m wrong.

But as i have understood, metal placed in a microwave converts the microwaves to electricity, and it could be this electricity that is turned in to heat and then welds the powder together.
But i dont think that you could do it at home, i dont think that the power in your domestic microwave would be enough, and the oven should problably be designed for the job.

But, most important inventions came out of experimenting, so keep on trucking.



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Claus Christensen

When you have playboy channel, why get married
 
Interesting angle. The mold or crucible material may have a factor in that as well. I found a site that has some interesting home experiments (And their results) listed for microwaving. This might answer some questions for the totally radiation-ignorant, such as myself. http://everist.org/special/mw_oven/

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Oz

"When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt."
- Henry J. Kaiser


[This message has been edited by Osbourn (edited 21 October 1999).]
 
Ive acidentally put a spoon in there once..about 1mm square area was vaporized, and there was heat discoloration around that ONE spot
 
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